Well, I said I'd talk about the differences between the U.S. and France, so here it is, the promised entry. I guess you could call me a big gourmand, so one of the biggest differences for me personally is the food. It's difficult to generalize what's different -- I wouldn't really say "French food is healthier" or "French food tastes better" or anything like that. What is available is just really different. Quiche, crepes and baguettes are staples of my diet, instead of my typical cafeteria burritos and chili. When you go out for a fancy meal, the steak is often served with French fries. When you go out to the bar, you're just as likely to get wine as beer.
My favorite food differences are probably a) the variety of veggie dishes and b) dessert with every meal. My host mom always seems to be coming up with new and more delicious combinations of veggie, pastas/pastries and meats. My favorites so far have been the tomato-avocado salad and the every-veggie-in-the-house soup. As far as dessert goes, it's often a fruit, a yogurt, or applesauce. But it's just as often a chocolate cake, crepes with jelly, or a fruit crumble. Even BREAKFAST is dessert -- bread with chocolate fudge inside or hot apple pastries are perfectly acceptabe morning meals.
Next big difference -- relaxed school attitude. Maybe this is just University Francois-Rabelais, but the students in the one class I have with French kids don't seem that serious. The class only meets once a week and during that one very important meeting kids will talk during class, paying no attention to the professor. This doesn't happen every day, but when it does happen, it's quite shocking. Students are much more respectful at Bucknell.
But the classes themselves are more relaxed, too. You get a lot less work at a French university because students are expected to be abounding with intellectual curiosity, frequenting the library to quench their need for information. I frequent the pastery shops a bit more often than the library, but it's nice to have the time to read up on art history when I get the urge.
One obvious difference with subtle manifestations is the length of history behind France. Europeans have lived in America for a blink of an eye compared with the ancient roots of the French. I've heard my sister Alienor studying for history exams with her parents and I'm amazed by how many names and dates she has to know -- and more amazed by how many her parents recall. It seems like most French people know their history more completely than most Americans. Then again, the French are constantly surrounded by history. In my classes, we talk about the "cicatrices," or scars, you can see on buildings -- from the religious wars, the 100 Years War, the French Revolution, World War II. In the U.S., we're amazed to see a building from the 1700s, but in Tours, the cool bars are in buildings from the Middle Ages. History really is alive in France.
Many little daily living things are quite different as well. Doors are normally closed in houses. (Even the door to your bedroom!) Printers are hard to find, and wireless Internet, even in universities, is a new and strange commodity. Lights are always turned off, people kiss each others' cheeks instead of shaking hands, and shorts with tights underneath are high winter fashion. Scarves, however, are a must -- even indoors. Go figure.
I expect coming back to the U.S. will be a bit difficult. Hearing English all the time with certainly be luxurious -- even just writing in English feels like a great privilege since it still comes much easier than French. But while I may regret having to leave the four-course dinners, I will be happy to come back to my friends and family -- and packs of chewing gum for less than $2.
Yes, this is a package of sticks. You may expect to find something like this in the crafts department, but in fact, this is candy. If you chew on it ... it tastes like wood. But apparently they're great for your teeth?
This is the famous castle Chenonceau, built for the queens of France. My little sis asked me if we had castles in the U.S. The closest I could come up with was old plantation homesteads ... not the same thing. Although on that note, France has their own Aunt Jemima equivalent --Banania, a chocolate/banana breakfast food whose mascot is a Middle Eastern boy wearing a fez and smiling with big, red lips. Gotta love subtly racist breakfast advertising.
My boyfriend came to visit and was quite impressed by this building. It's the town hall of Tours. They just don't make 'em like this back home ...