Tag Archives: Culture Differences

The Top 5 Types of Things You’ll Notice in Spain

As it would be assumed, Spain and the US have their fair share of differences. While there are an unlimited number of them, there are a handful of things that stick out more than others.

1. Time
Everything is much more relaxed. In certain situations, it’s perfectly acceptable to say you’ll meet somewhere at 8:30 and not show up until 8:35/40. For example, social outings are much looser than things like the starting time of class. That being said, even class is more relaxed. We have a start time of 9 everyday but if someone doesn’t come until 9:05 it’s still seen as on time, not five minutes late.

Siesta takes place every day from about 2-5 and is both a blessing and a curse. It’s nice to have a break to nap or get ahead on work, but it’s frustrating when I want to go shopping for groceries or whatever else I may need right after school. In the bigger cities that we went to, siesta is less common but still occurs with the smaller, non-touristy, family owned shops. In Ronda, almost everything closes except the hospitals (of course) and the few tourist shops and restaurants near the New Bridge.

2. Attire
EVERYONE WEARS PANTS. ALL. THE. TIME. It doesn’t matter what the temperature is, nor the time of day. ¾ of the people in Ronda are always in pants when you walk around town. In fact, only tourists wear shorts really so it becomes a dead giveaway. Every once in a while you’ll come across someone in shorts, but it’s definitely a rarity. It’s also frowned upon to wear sweatpants or athletic clothes out of the house unless you’re en route to the gym. To this day, I have yet to see any Spaniard wear any at all.

3. House Etiquette
One must not go barefoot in the host house. Wearing shoes is a sign of courtesy—typically they’re slippers, but for the most part I wear flip flops since the weather is warm which makes the house warm.

I have yet to see a window screen. The windows and the doors are almost always open, but without screens attached. I’ve made a game out of getting flies out of my room via the window. It’s been quite successful so far.

In the US, it’s a common thing to see showers that have a mount on the wall but can also be moved out of the holster. My host house has this kind of shower, but without the mount…I put it between my knees every day when I shampoo.

Toilets don’t have actual handles to flush, but rather buttons, which are the most common substitute. At my host house, it’s a metal piece on top of the water bowl that pulls upwards.

4. Eating Schedule and the Food Itself
Food hours are more spread out than ours at home. Breakfast is still in the morning around 8 or 9, but lunch happens during siesta (a break during the day where all shops close and reopen later, meant to be a rest for those who are working to go home and eat lunch and/or take a nap aka siesta) which is from 2-5. Dinner falls between 9 and 12 am. People at restaurants ate between 9-11, but my host family commonly eats around midnight. Meal size is also different. Breakfast is about the same, but lunch and dinner are switched. Dinner is smaller whereas lunch has a few courses. And of course, actual food eaten at each is different too. For breakfast, my host family eats toast with chopped tomatoes and olive oil. Lunch can be anything from tortilla de patatas to soup to sausage or fish or all of the above. Our host mom likes to feed us A LOT. Sometimes I skip dinner because I’m still full from the hours before.

The weirdest things I’ve eaten thus far have been pig cheek and bull tail, both very good and unlike any other type of meat I’ve had. The pig cheek is tender with a lot of flavor, but it’s mostly meat and not a lot of fat. The closest comparison I can give it is a cross between veal and filet mignon. I had the bull tail in a burger and it might be my favorite thing that I’ve tried to date here. It has more fat than the pig cheek but less fat still than an average steak. Bull tail is also very tender but not really comparable to other meats. It’s definitely one to try for yourself. Other people have eaten morcilla (mor-see-yuh) which is a type of sausage made of (get ready) cooked blood and fat. My friends have had mixed opinions of it. A few like it, but most can’t get past the composition or the aftertaste. I’m not brave enough to try it myself, so I can only go by what they say. I guess one can consider it to be an acquired taste.

MILK COMES IN A BOX! Think about a box that soup broth would come in at a grocery store, but a bit bigger. When you buy milk here, it’s on a refrigerate-after-opening basis which is so rare to me. It’s unheard of in the States to let milk sit out for more than a few minutes let alone indefinitely like a juice box. My host mom keeps a few boxes at a time lined up in the pantry. They blend in with the cereal boxes. Apparently it’s perfectly safe to do it the way that they do because it’s very pasteurized, but I don’t think it’s a custom I’ll adopt myself when I’m back home.

4. Atmosphere and Environment
The climate and geography are more similar to the southwest than the northeast where Penn State is. For the most part, the air here is dry with little humidity and greenness is to a minimum. There’s more brush than anything else. When we went to Marbella though, a beach on the south coast, the humidity increased because of the nearness to the water. The north is supposed to be very green as well, so my understanding is that the climate is overall varied just as the US happens to be. (I’m writing this in Madrid’s airport and looking out the window at the mountains and realizing that I probably won’t be here again for a very long time because I’m flying home in an hour and this is extra weird to be leaving after so long—I feel like this place is my second home and even though I’m starting to miss things at my actual home it’s weird to think that it’s all over and this is very sentimental and shall be reflected upon at a later date. TEARS)

5. Miscellaneous Observations
In the US, we pull doors open to enter a building and push them to exit. In Spain, most doors are push to enter and pull to exit. Strange stuff.

Festivities are more frequent and extravagant. There’s a parade at least once a week for a holiday.

Getting married earlier than 35 is considered very young. It’s also normal to live in your parents’ house around that age and older.

There is no set side of the street to walk on. While we walk on the right, Spanish walking has no structure and is more similar to that of pedestrian traffic in a city.

The strangest part to me about all of the things that I’ve noticed that are different than what I’ve been used to in the States is that they don’t seem too different to me anymore. As I wrote this post, I had to think about what wasn’t the same. And I feel like when I go home all of the things that I thought were normal before are going to seem strange. I don’t feel like I experienced a lot of culture shock when I arrived, but I think that the reverse will almost certainly happen. We shall see how it actually turns out.

Loquacious, Literary, and Loving Every Second

Now that I’m back in Galway, I have been drinking up the abundance of literary culture faster than the pints I’ve been partaking in. I really lucked out in choosing to study in a place where music, art, history, and literature dominate the city; around every turn, there is something new and wonderful to stumble upon.

But to get to those places, sometimes it helps to ask questions along the way. Before I arrived in Galway I was determined to find the residence of Nora Barnacle, who was James Joyce’s wife. She was born and raised in Galway before she met Joyce, and now her old home has been turned into a museum (even though the house is tiny!). When my friend Mary and I ventured into town, we stopped by the Galway tours office and I asked the man working how to get to Nora Barnacle’s house. Jokingly, he said “She’s dead, she doesn’t live there anymore.” After a bit of laughter, he did give us directions, and after two failed attempts, Mary and I finally made it to the small house nestled inside a side alleyway. We happened to arrive at it at the same time as an Australian couple, so we all helped each other out by taking one another’s photos.

Mary and I standing in front of Nora Barnacle's House.

Mary and I outside Nora Barnacle’s house

It’s still difficult for me to fathom that I’m so close to the history of my favorite authors. Every time I go into the center of town, I pass a statue of Oscar Wilde, who is one of my all-time favorites. I’m loving being surrounded by a prominent literary culture here – it’s such a change from what life is like back in State College.

Oscar Wilde statue in Galway City

A few days after our Nora Barnacle adventure, my friends and I chatted with a local shop owner and got directions to Charlie Byrne’s Book Shop, which stole my heart as soon as I entered. I could have spent hours looking around, but we had to get to class so we only had about an hour to browse. It was time well spent, though!

Me reading a book in Charlie Byrne's book shop

Me enjoying a book in Charlie Byrne’s

There are so many book shops in Galway – I seem to notice a new one each time I walk down Shop Street. It’s definitely a dream come true for me… all of it is. There is something inherently magical about Galway, as cheesy as that sounds. The constant music that’s played in the streets, in the pubs… everywhere, really… seems like a soundtrack to life. I don’t think I’ve gone a day without singing here – it’s impossible not to. And yes, my friends and housemates do call me out on how I’m always singing. Galway makes it so easy to live my passions, though.

And Galway always seems to point me in the right direction, too!

Me pointing at a sign for Diagon Alley in the book shop

Diagon Alley and Galway feel like the same place to me!

Looking forward to sharing more of my adventures with you!

-Maddison

Location: Galway City, Galway, Ireland

First You Live, Then You Learn

Three weeks and ten pounds of gelato later, I finally have 30 seconds to breathe. This semester is flying by at such a rapid pace; a pause button would be handy at this moment in time.

After just three short weeks of living in Italy, I have already fallen in love with Florence. The history of this ancient city can be felt everywhere.

It crumbles from the bridges and crawls from the cracks of the buildings. It is a surreal feeling, to walk the same streets that Leonardo Da Vinci and Michelangelo did hundreds of years ago. In a time period where technology and modernity is craved by all, Florence embraces the past.

Even with only a few weeks conquered, I have learned so much about the culture of Florence.

The first thing I picked up on is that Italians are very passionate people. When walking down the streets I am greeted on every corner by shouting men and women waving their hands, tempting me with their handmade jewelry and paintings.

I also learned quickly that Italians are never in a rush. They take their time, and appreciate doing things at a leisure pace. I found this odd after growing up outside of New York City. When I think of New York, I think of running through subway stations or Grand Central to make meetings and conferences. In New York no one sits down to enjoy a coffee or a lunch. We eat our lunches at our desks, and coffee is sipped while in the back of a taxi cab. In Florence, people take their time to enjoy a cappucino and the company they are with. Dinner is a social event paired with great food that can go on for hours. Whereas back in the States, dinner is quick and simple.

Learning how to slow down was a struggle for me. I am someone who eats while studying, and drinks my coffee while running to class. So naturally, I was not a happy camper when I had to sit down and drink my first cappucino, because Italians don’t believe in to-go cups. But 50 cappucinos later, I have learned to embrace the Italian way. I think we can all sacrifice five minutes of our day to sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee.

With almost one month down in Italy, it amazes me how much I have grown. I never thought you could learn so much from living in a new city. I have learned how to communicate with people who speak a completely different language than I do. I have learned how to find my apartment in a city that is more complicated than human anatomy. I have learned how to light a gas stove without burning my eyebrows off. I have even learned how to live without wifi and netflix, which was the biggest lesson to master of all.

With over three months left in this city, I am eager to see what life lessons lie ahead. Stay tuned to find out.

Mañana, Mañana

The past 10 days have been a whirlwind. It’s been a struggle to find time to post, but now that I’ve gotten into a pretty good schedule, I’ll be much more on top of things. For the first few days, I would immediately fall asleep whenever I touched my bed. The busy schedule is enough to leave you exhausted. Not to mention all of the walking around the city. And of course, the jet lag is real.

Here are some things I wish I had known before I left and have had to learn very quickly.

Luggage can and will be lost. Pack your carryon bag with at least one outfit and hygiene essentials. (No liquids more than 100mL allowed in your carryon bags, so be careful. Getting stopped at security is a hassle best to be avoided.)

Exhausted. Luggage stuck in London

What a way to start our trip. Our layover in Heathrow, London was short and I guess it took a while to transfer all of the bags from our first plane to the connecting flight to Barcelona. Half of our flight’s luggage didn’t make it. This included my suitcase and two of Lauren’s. It was surreal when the baggage carriage stopped turning, signaling that all of the luggage had been unloaded, and our carts were still empty. We were in a brand new country with none of our clothes. Great.

If this happens to you, do what we did. Go to the lost baggage claim and give them your boarding pass. Then, describe the suitcase that you had lost and provide an email where they can contact you when the luggage is located. If you provide your address, the airport will have the suitcase delivered as soon as it is located.

Lauren excitedly awaiting her luggage… that never came.

My suitcase came the next day, and luckily I had enough clothes inmy carryon to somewhat clothe me and Lauren until my bag came. Lauren didn’t have any clothes in her carryon, and her luggage didn’t come for three days. Someone told me that about 85 percent of luggage is delayed while traveling abroad. Be prepared.

2. People don’t work on the weekends, and most businesses are closed on Sundays.

Mañana, mañana is a saying in Spain that describes the work ethic of the people here. Everything is very relaxed, which is great. But it also means a lack of efficiency.

Our shower has been broken twice since we got here and it has been extremely difficult to get it fixed because it always breaks right before the weekend, where no one is around or willing to fix it. There is a lesser sense of urgency than in the United States, which is something that needs to be accepted.

We also found that all of the major shops, except for the cafes and restaurants, were closed on Sundays. Our day for being productive and crossing errands off our list turned into a huge waste of time when we took the train to Plaça Catalunya to find everything closed.

3. It is winter in Barcelona, despite the 60 degree weather.

If you walk around in a short-sleeve T-shirt in January, you will be stared at.

If you go out at night in a crop top and a skirt, no tights and no jacket, people will stare out of the windows and laugh at you. Because no matter how warm that weather is compared to Penn State, it is still winter. The temperature fluctuates enough that I would also recommend bringing your winter coat.

Bring a jacket to the bars and clubs that you don’t mind holding, or bite the bullet and pay for the coat check. Or, be the American that doesn’t mind the cold and ignore the stares. But you will stand out, and that isn’t always a good thing.

4. Cat calls are everywhere, and so are money scams.

You will be whistled at and called to on the streets if you are a girl. Just keep walking, it’s pretty harmless. One guy screamed in my friend’s ear when we were out in Tarragona, but that was just weird. You should never walk alone at night, even if you are a guy. There are particular areas you should avoid when it’s dark and it’s really important to know them before you go out, no matter what city you are studying in. In Barcelona, Las Ramblas becomes particularly sketchy at night if you are not in a group.

People asking for money are everywhere in Barcelona. While it may tug at your heartstrings, this is where judgement and a bit of cynicism comes in. The first day on the train a young boy got on and put a pack of tissue on the empty seats next to us and one on our windowsill. Attached was a short paragraph and a picture of him and what he said was his daughter. The paragraph was asking for money to help feed his daughter and support their life together. I was so sad when I saw it, but the next day I saw at least three other men doing the same exact thing. Your money is limited while abroad and you don’t want to be the sucker that falls for the scam. Be aware.

5. Sometimes you just have to pay.

Sometimes you just have to pay a little bit more for a better experience. It’s hard not to be obsessed with spending money and the current exchange rate. (Although right now it’s the best it’s been in a while!) But it’s important not to let it stop you from experiencing all the great things that the city has to offer. This is the time to enjoy life to the fullest. Be smart with your money, but understand that this may be the exact opportunity that you have been saving for for all these years. It’ll never happen again.

Budgeting is important and saving money where you can is definitely a must. We try to find the cheapest bars and lunch spots. We’ve started going back to our dorm during our lunch break so that we don’t have to pay at a cafe or restaurant, even though it’s about a 20 minute trip. But, indulging every once in a while is part of the experience and nothing to feel guilty about.

Once we start traveling I’m sure that I’ll figure out some more tips for booking the cheapest flights and hostels. I hope this post was helpful!

The best lunch I have had in Barcelona from Mussols right off of Plaça Catalunya

Mushroom croquets and vino rosado with Lauren to celebrate the start of classes at the PETIT POT Bistro

Crab croquets, veal and potatoes from our dorm’s dining hall

Es Cultura!

That saying above (translated: It’s culture!) has pretty much been our group’s mantra the entire time we’ve been here. Even though Mexico is right below the U.S., there are so many differences. It’s been really interesting to learn and adjust to them, so prepare for a long entry!

Transportation. Let’s just say that all Mexican drivers are city drivers at their worst. It’s pretty much lanes/ turn signals optional, with no visible speed limits. My Mexican mother is a pretty safe driver, but some taxi rides have been terrifying. The public buses are really convenient and cheap, but there are no schedules, so you just have to hope a bus with your route on it passes soon. Believe it or not, I miiight just miss the Blue Loop a little. They tend to not come to complete stops when it’s time to get off, so you just have to hop and hope for the best. We’ve been successful so far and pretty much have the routine down!

Food. It is GOOD. I have tried so many new foods– REAL (delicious, amazing) Mexican foods (far from Taco Bell style). The mealtimes are fairly different, though, and it took a little while to adjust. Breakfast (desayuno) is pretty much the same, with the sole exception being that, in place of my typical granola bar, my mom here feeds me to the point of immobility. But that goes for every meal; Imy stomach has expanded significantly since my arrival. The next meal isn’t until around 3 or so, and it’s “comida”–the main meal. It’s pretty much to Mexicans what dinner is to us; my father and brother come home from work, my sister’s home from school, and we all eat my mom’s delicious cooking together. The last meal is sort-of-dinner, or “cena,” and with my family it consistently consists of sandwiches or quesadillas and maybe some fruit or sweet bread. Cena is usually around 9 or 10, and it’s the time of “platicando,” or chatting.

Other things about food that I love here: every kind of “pan dulce,” or sweet bread/ pastries, has its own name. There are also tons of delicious fresh fruits, and a home-made hot salsa or peppers are placed out with almost every meal. They also adore salt here, but normal pepper cannot be found. Oh- and, as my father said, [translated] “Coca-Cola is the drink of the gods.” They LOVE it here, and, when it comes straight out of a cold glass bottle, who are we to disagree?

Interacting with people. It’s been hard to switch between Ud. and tu forms of addressing people (the first being formal and the other informal). When you meet people, it’s with a handshake and kiss on the cheek. I will not, however, miss “propinos,” which are essentially call-outs to (mostly) women and very common here; since we’re noticeably from the US, our group has received a fair share of these. Bartering and negotiating is also the norm here; from markets, where it’s expected, even to taxi cabs, it’s an art I haven’t yet mastered.

Other little things. Many people keep dogs on their roofs to keep watch for robbers. The public computer keyboards are set up completely different–it took me like 10 minutes to figure out how to access the “@” sign. Public bathrooms here can be a nuisance; there is a 50% chance that you will either have to pay a few pesos or there won’t be available toiler paper (or both). Museums and historic sites can sometimes have as much security as airports, but to enter and see what they have to offer is almost always worth it.

And the weather! It can get very cool in the mornings/ evenings (especially after rain), but it is pretty toasty most of the time. I’ve been loving it! However, almost all locals wear jeans and/or sweaters; we’ve even seen people running in sweatshirts, which seems crazy to me. We definitely stick out as foreigners in our shorts and t-shirts. I keep adding, but lastly, I love how close my family is here. When they’re not at work or school they’re essentially together. Whether we sit and chat for hours at mealtimes, play games (like dominoes below), or watch television, it’s just the norm to spend time together. All members of my host family- mom, dad, sister, and brother- are so witty, funny, and wonderful. I’m going to miss them so much when I leave next week!

All in all, there are lots of things I’m looking forward to when I head back home, but there are so many things I’m going to miss about here. I feel like I’m finally just getting really used to it all, and it’s about time to go…

Location: Puebla, Mexico

Brazilian Ways

As soon as I arrived here in S�o Paulo, I started noticing the cultural differences between Brazil and the United States. For instance, people here are very touchy. They LOVE giving hugs and kisses, even if you’re a complete stranger. A kiss on the cheek is customary when meeting someone and you get strange looks if you do the American way which is usually just a handshake. Brazilians are a lot more affectionate and open than Americans. They have no problem making out better than the French do, no matter what the age. Just a few days ago a couple of at least 55 were going at it harder than most young people do. What I find interesting here though is that Paulistas (people from S�o Paulo) are considered to be the coldest, most serious people from all of Brazil according to people who were not born in this city, yet the city still doesn’t feel as cold as most cities in the U.S. They say here that people from other parts of Brazil are even more welcoming, loud, affectionate and festive.

When it comes to food, there is A LOT it. The amount of food in this city is astounding. Not only is the quantity of food that is amazing to me, it is the quality and variety of food here that is unique. Specialty pizzas, seafood, feijoada (a special Brazilian dish), acai, all types of meat, specialty sandwiches, cheese bread, chicken bread, all the pastries, vitamin drinks and fruit juices are beyond anything I’ve ever tasted before. I honestly have never enjoyed eating food as much as I have here. In restaurants customs vary as well. Tips are rare to nonexistent. No one ever tips and if you leave money on the table you are likely to be told that you forgot your money. One of the first things we were told here as well was that unlike the states where many young people work while going to school, almost all of the Brazilians who work as waiters, waitresses, taxi drivers, store helpers or any other low paying job all have little to no education. In Brazil, if you are waiter, you will most likely be one for life they told me unless you have the opportunity for school which was a very sad thing to be told. However the country has been booming economically, but change is always slow.

Another difference between Brazilians and Americans is how blunt most Brazilians are. My intensive Portuguese professor, for instance, had no problem in calling people fat or ugly in pictures of people we knew. When I mean we knew I mean people we saw everyday on a daily basis. Many Brazilians just tell it the way it is and don’t sugarcoat things much.

This is just a start to the many differences between countries. I only have two weeks in this amazing country. I have yet to even start real school yet! Tomorrow is my first day at FGV, the school which I will be attending. I am excited to see what the school where the most rich people go to is like. I have been told some students are so rich they come to school with body guards.

In the meantime I post here a photo of me and my Portuguese professor as well as a picture of the girls of my group with a Brazilian girl we became friends with while at a beach at Santos (She loved practicing her English with us). She is the girl to the far right.

Location: Home, Sao Paulo, Brazil

Extreme tourist

Hello again! Time is passing by at an incredibly fast pace here and I don’t particularly like it. The past two weeks have been pretty eventful when looking at it as a whole. Two Saturday’s ago, I returned to Parliament Square with some friends. We decided to get off the bus in front of Westminster Cathedral (not to be confused with Westminster Abbey) and decided to start our exploration there. From there, we went to Westminster Abbey. We saw a little pedestrian path through an archway and decided to walk through and see what was on the other side. Apparently, part of it was a school and the other part was a back entrance to the Abbey. We went inside the back entrance and walked through the part that was open for viewing. We got to see where the King’s documents were once stored and very gorgeous views of the architecture. After leaving the Abbey, I wanted to cross the river and walk around on the other side of the Thames. While we were crossing, we saw the classic view of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. I can honestly say that at the very moment I was standing along the River Thames looking at Big Ben and Parliament; it hit me that I was in London. I had to stand there for a while just to take it all in and collect my thoughts. It is very incredible to actually think about the fact that I’m living in London, England right now; it continuously blows my mind.

After staring at this gorgeous view, we walked on without a destination in mind. As we were walking by the Eye, I realized how amazing of a view it must be. I definitely want to take a ride so that I could see the city from that angle.

Even though museums aren’t really my “cup of tea”, I decided to tag along when people went to the Victoria and Albert Museum the next day. I figured that since it’s free, what do I have to lose? We spent quite some time looking around the museum but I was pleased to find out that it wasn’t only paintings. I did enjoy this museum, mainly because it had a lot of artifacts as opposed to just paintings.

In the beginning of the week, I planned quite a few trips. I was able to book a day trip to Stratford-Upon-Avon and weekends to Paris, Slovakia, and Edinburgh. I spent a lot of time with one of my friends trying to figure out and organize the places we would like to travel. I’m rather excited to travel!

This week was the first real week of classes; for the most part, that is because tutorials began this week. My first of two tutorials was Intro to Criminology followed by Twenty-first century Political Changes. I was not sure what to expect, so I went into the tutorials with an open mind. One thing I learned: it’s true when people say Europeans don’t go to class. In my second tutorial, 25 out of 32 people didn’t show up! I was so shocked that the professor didn’t seem shocked at the small amount of people. Other than the lack of students present, I found the tutorials to be a less formal version of the lectures.

This was also the first week of our tours for my Historic London class. We did a “City Walk” which included half of the original City of London; today, this area is widely known as the Financial District of London. It was a very interesting tour and I was able to learn a lot about the history of the original/Roman London.

Since I don’t have class on Friday’s, I went for a run along the River Thames. It was an absolutely gorgeous day so my run was incredibly enjoyable. Afterwards, I walked around parts of London I’ve never been to and adventured by myself. From my perspective so far, I would say that the parts of London I’ve been to are pretty safe during the day which is why I was okay by myself. I really enjoyed walking everywhere and going where the path took me.

This past Saturday, a few of us took a day trip to Dover via National Express Coach. It was so much fun! It was rather rainy and foggy but it could have been much worse. We got to Dover around 10am and decided we would head towards the castle. Being that it is a castle, it is of course it is on a hill so we climbed all the way from the town up to the castle. It was really cool and really pretty; especially because we took a small path most of the way up the mountain through wooded areas. When we got to the castle, we got tickets and headed inside. The views and the secret medieval tunnels we went through were so interesting! We went on a tour of an underground hospital that was used during the Second World War and we walked all around the castle premises. We didn’t go out on the port to look directly at the White Cliffs because we could see parts of them from the top tower of the castle.

In the beginning of the week I went to watch the changing of the guards and found Abbey Road. We walked part of the way to Buckingham Palace and got a pretty good spot to watch them marching from St James’s Palace. We’re definitely going to go back again though because we really didn’t know where to stand. We found that a good area to begin is at St James’s Palace and then walk with them as they march along the street. If we go back a third time, we want to stand near the gates to the Palace to see what goes on behind there. Afterwards, we wanted to go to Abbey Road but didn’t know where it was. We asked the “annoying people” on the streets that were trying to promote gym memberships because no one else would give us the time of day. As it turns out, they were incredibly nice! They told us about places we have to see in Northern England so we could get a taste of the “real” English lifestyle. They were definitely the nicest random people I’ve met since I’ve been here. After about 20 minutes, they told us how to get there. When we got to the street, it was so cool to see the wall where everyone signs and Abbey Road Studios! I didn’t realize that Paul McCartney still lives around there so we want to go back and find his house. We also want to go back because we only had a pen to sign the wall and we have to retrace what we wrote in marker.

I’m now pretty comfortable with my classes and it’s really interesting to think of how different the system is. This week, I sat towards the back in all of my classes (which I NEVER do) just to observe how Europeans act in class. Honestly, it’s a lot like students at home: some people are paying attention and taking notes while others are talking and being rude.

I truly believe that walking around without a clear destination is the best way to really see a place. I found so many really interesting areas while I was walking around that I wouldn’t have otherwise found. Although I’ve spent a lot of time being incredibly touristy, I’ve seen some amazing places that I really enjoyed.

Location: Chelsea, London, England

Amsterdam!

On a whim, I went to Amsterdam this weekend. I had never really imagined going to Holland, but I’m glad I did. Traveling in Europe is so easy – there are trains, planes, and buses that leave at least once a day with reasonably priced tickets, and hostels in every major city. We opted for the train, so we had three hours to see the countryside of northern France, Belgium, and the Netherlands (it looked pretty similar to central Pennsylvania, but maybe a little greener, a little older).

Amsterdam is a beautiful city. Meandering over the canals, dodging the bicyclists, and walking through the small streets was amazing. We got to see the Van Gogh Museum, with an exhibition on naturalism in painting and photography, and an outdoor market at Albert Cuypstraat. The public transportation system was efficient and easy to figure out, even though I don’t speak a word of Dutch. The food was great too, although the only real “Dutch” dishes that we could find were pancakes (in an adorable tiny restaurant decorated with teapots hanging from the ceiling), fries with mayonnaise, and stroopwafles (my new favorite food). We also tried some delicious Indonesian fare, since there are quite a few Indonesian restaurants in Amsterdam because it was once a Dutch colony.

It was difficult to pinpoint what was specific to the Netherlands in Amsterdam, beyond the coffeeshops, Red Light District, white and blue porcelain, and wooden shoes. As the city’s tourism website claimed, everyone speaks English (although I can see why, with how difficult Dutch is). Amsterdam is incredibly multicultural, which is great and also inevitable in the era of globalization. I was just curious to learn more about the culture of the Netherlands, since I didn’t know much about it. But the city’s atmosphere of tolerance and friendliness was refreshing, and I feel much more confident about living and traveling abroad after getting around so easily there. Here are a few pictures; enjoy!

Amsterdam

Location: Centraal Station, Amsterdam, The Netherlands

Comparative Education

Today, the fall semester at the Universit� Paris IV (La Sorbonne) began. It seems strange to be starting so late, but that’s just another of the many differences in the French education system as compared to its American counterpart. I’m excited (but extremely intimidated) to be taking a literature class there. The Sorbonne is one of the oldest universities around – prestigious, old, and terribly confusing. Classes and locations often aren’t announced until the day the classes begin, professors may just not show up, and announcements are posted on a bulletin board (no convenient e-mail notifications). Professors are government employees, and I’m told that many of them have no interest in speaking with students, or in hearing students’ opinions. They also don’t hold office hours. Courses are run in two parts – a lecture, or cours magistral, with the professor for 1-2 hours a week, and a discussion section with a graduate student (called a travaux dirig�) for 2-3 hours each week.

Universit� Paris IV - La Sorbonne, Centre Malsherbes

It takes about 45 minutes for me to get to the Centre Malesherbes, the building where my class is located. The Sorbonne’s classes are all over the city – there’s no real “campus,” although the oldest building, what one traditionally thinks of as the Sorbonne, might count. Of course, the secretariat, where students go to check their class locations, is closed until Monday afternoon (my class starts at 8am). My TD was bigger than I was expecting, with a heavy syllabus (or programme, as it’s called). But luckily, the professor is letting the exchange students avoid a few of the assignments (score!). The cours magistral was today as well, in a huge auditorium (a lot like the Forum). The professor was the archetype of French professor – old, a bit haughty, yelling into the microphone about the definition of literature. But I think it was worth getting up before sunrise (and it was still dark when I got there).

The classes at the IES Center have helped me prepare for this new environment, somewhat. Our professors are all French professors or professionals; several of them have a PhD from the Sorbonne. My History of French Cinema instructor is actually a filmmaker, so he’s able to provide a lot of interesting information and angles on the material. I’m also taking a class about immigration in France, and it’s fascinating to see the daily repercussions of France’s immigration policies and understand why the French react to les �trangers the way they do. Because there’s such a strong sense of national identity and the need to protect it, the French hold their culture sacred, and anything from outside is a threat (except trends from New York, apparently). For example, there’s an institution here called the Acad�mie fran�aise, consisting of forty men and women called the Immortals, created a few hundred years ago for the preservation of the French language in its truest and purest form.

Postcolonial theories and ideas barely exist here; the Algerian war for independence was only about forty years ago, and the wounds are still fresh on both sides. The status of immigrants, especially those from France’s former colonies, is ambiguous. France wants them to become integrated, to become French, but at the cost of effacing their self-identity, religions, and backgrounds. The government’s recent legislative activities (deporting the Roma, passing new and stricter immigration laws, Sarkozy’s racist comments against North Africans) aren’t helping the situation either. But it’s definitely helpful to get a better understanding of the underlying tensions here.

Location: 108 Boulevarde Malesherbes, Paris, France

All the little things.

Superficially, France the and United States don’t seem all that different. Both countries are strong economic and political forces in the Western world, with advanced technology, similar religious and ethnic backgrounds, and so on. The languages are rather disparate, but they share a wide range of words and cognates.

But this idea is a faux ami (a false friend, or a word that looks the same in both languages but has a different meaning). Just because France is a Western European country and the majority of the population could pass for American does not mean that the vast cultural differences between them can be discounted.

La vie quotidienne, daily life, runs on a different schedule. Lunch is often a two hour affair, both for students and professionals. Many shops and businesses will close between noon and two in the afternoon (and many restaurants are only open in that window of time). Dinner is usually later, not before 7:30 or 8pm. The caf�s begin to get crowded around 6 or 7, when most people sit down for a drink or two. And almost every night of the week, the streets are alive. Paris is not officially “the city that never sleeps,” but it comes close.

There are also subtle behavioral norms that, while small, become apparent when they’re violated. For example, the French generally don’t smile or make eye contact with strangers. In fact, eye contact is somewhat of an invitation for someone to make (possibly unwanted) advances, as is smiling. Privacy is to be protected carefully, and small talk is almost nonexistent. Although I’m not a forward or extroverted person by any means, I still find it difficult to assume a stony mien and avoid looking anyone in the face. In the US, we associate smiling and eye contact with friendliness and politesse; we don’t want anyone to think we’re rude or antisocial. But that doesn’t matter so much, here. One of our program directors told us during orientation that we need to be “mean.” I still think that a small smile can be helpful in most situations, but we’ll see. Most of the girls in our program, myself included, have been harassed daily. We try to imitate the French women (who never seem to be the subject of creepy men or their comments) with the way we dress and conduct ourselves in public, but it hasn’t worked too well so far. This is also a product, in part, of their more open attitude towards sexuality and their perception of Americans.

French society and culture has an intricate set of rules and codes. While I’m attempting to learn them so as to assimilate and blend in, it’s interesting to note how they differ from the behavioral norms in the US. They may be much closer to ours than, say, the social atmosphere of Senegal or Japan, but they still cannot be ignored (or else, quelle scandale!).

Location: Montparnasse, Paris, France

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