My Biggest Culture Shocks in Nantes

Sundays are a day of relaxation:

As Americans, we’re used to the weekend being pretty much the same in terms of what you can do and where you can go. Long gone are the days when storefronts would shutter and the whole town would all go to church together every Sunday. In France, Sunday is still viewed as a special day, where very few stores are open and there’s usually not much going on. The only thing in Nantes you can count on being open is the Monoprix in the center of town. Even most bakeries are closed on Sundays, meaning you should plan ahead for meals over the weekend and buy some groceries. 

Sundays are also when events happen, however, meaning you should be on the lookout for cool events to attend on Sunday when your usual cafe is closed. The first Sunday of every month is usually a good time to visit the open-air market in Angers, depending on the time of year, as it runs November through March. 

Saying Hello and Goodbye:

In the US, we say hello to strangers on the street and give a little nod to passersby. In France, people are much less buddy-buddy with strangers. This is not to say that they are cold or distant, rather they just likely won’t flash a smile and proffer a good morning. This can also be chalked up to regional differences within France, as the West of the country isn’t considered the friendliest. Once you get to know them, however, they are some of the most welcoming people I’ve ever met, truly. You just have to break through their hard exteriors. 

One big caveat to this behavior is when entering or exiting a store, stall, or restaurant. Someone will always greet you with a bonjour or bonsoir, depending on the time of day. It’s common courtesy to always reply by greeting them first before asking a question. Sometimes in the US, you can simply just wander into and out of stores without interacting with the owners or workers. Not so in France. The cultural importance of this is astounding, as without fail, people will greet you no matter what building you enter and wish you a good day when you exit. Museums, clothing stores, restaurants, pharmacies, people expect to say hello and goodbye! I think it’s a very nice practice, and something I want to start doing in the US even if I’m not expected to. 

People asking for money:

France, like the US, has its share of poverty. The main difference in this area of the culture is that those living in poverty will talk to you and ask for money. In the US, at least in the Midwest, you really don’t see this. First off, there’s a lot less begging in highly-trafficked areas like commercial centers. In France, it’s normal to see people sitting outside grocery stores, asking passersby for money, something that American stores would never allow. I’m not saying it’s better or worse, just that it is definitely different. The people sitting outside stores and begging on the street will often interact with you, and ask you directly for money. In France, it’s common courtesy to respond to someone that talks to you, no matter who or why. In New York, I would walk past people and not even turn my head to respond, fearing that any interaction would invite aggressiveness if I didn’t give them money. In Nantes, I saw people actually stop and talk, say hello and explain that they didn’t have any cash on them. The people begging never took it personally, just said goodbye and allowed people on their way. I began to respond as well, instead of ignoring people. All it takes is telling them that you have no cash, and they are content to let you on your way. It feels a lot better than just ignoring people. 

The French grading system:

Most high-achieving American students would faint if they got a 14/20 on an assignment or test, thinking that it equated to a 70/100, or a C. In France, everything is graded on a 20-point scale, and the grading levels are much different. A 14/20 equates to an A in American schools, something that is hard for students to wrap their heads around. It is pretty much impossible to get a 19 or 20 out of 20, as culturally that is just simply not done. A 19 or 20 would be like getting an A+++++ or something in the US. The IES Abroad Center has a helpful guide on the wall explainign the equivalent American grades to their French ones so that when students receive a 15/20, they are overjoyed instead of thinking they’re barely passing the class. 

Late Dinners:

Dinner in Europe takes place pretty late by American standards. In France, I ate dinner at the earliest at 7:30 with my host family. Some nights it was closer to 8:30 because my host siblings had after-school activities. All this to say that waiting from lunch until dinner without eating isn’t really doable. French people have a snack around 4:00-5:00 that bridges the gap between their lunch and dinner so that they’re not starving. One thing that you will notice as well about dinner is that French people usually eat smaller portions during their nighttime meal. Since they eat so close to bedtime, they don’t need as much food to make sure they don’t get hungry. It’s definitely a cultural shift, and I found myself getting absolutely ravenous at first, but my body adjusted to the schedule and I started realizing the importance of the afternoon snack. 

Talking in Class:

If you take classes at the university, you will notice that in the large lecture halls, students will have their own conversations while the professor is lecturing. While students are certainly distracted at American universities, they shy away from actually having full conversations with their classmates during the lecture. This is something that bothered me, as I was already having trouble understanding the lecture given in a foreign language. One easy remedy is to sit near the front, as students sitting there are more engaged and much less likely to talk, allowing you to clearly hear the lecture. 

Travel:

Travel is a lot different in France. Not only can you get around Nantes itself super easily because of the amazing public transport, but you can get from city to city and country to country for extremely cheap prices. Nantes has a train station and airport that make it super easy to travel around France and Europe. I’ve written in my other blogs about cool cities like Angers and small towns like Le Croisic where you can visit the beach, both just an hour-long train ride from Nantes, which costs less than 20 American dollars. 

When it comes to flights, they are so much cheaper in Europe than in the US. You can fly to somewhere like Rome for less than 100 dollars sometimes, which is simply unheard of in the US. If you’re not picky about where you want to go, use Google Flights and input Nantes Airport as your starting point. Then, choose the dates you want to leave and set your destination as “Fly Anywhere”. It will show you the plethora of cheap options directly from Nantes airport to places like Rome, Madrid, Athens, and Lisbon for 100-200 dollars, sometimes cheaper. If you’re looking to save money, using the train or a bus will take longer but will be even cheaper. Overall, travelling in Europe is so much cheaper than in the US when you don’t have a car. I was just dumbstruck by the amount of options you have, and the ease of travel in France and all over the continent. 

Overall:

There's a lot of cultural differences between France and the US, and exploring them is what makes the study abroad experience so rewarding. My love of public transport has increased exponentially after living in a city where it was so easy to get around and I never even wished I had a car. I would never know that I preferred to say hello and goodbye when entering and exiting buildings if it wasn't a cultural norm I was expected to follow in France. One way of life is never better than another, but there are things you'll find that you love about French culture and others that you won't enjoy so much. But the discovery is so fun and rewarding.