Impressions of a New Culture

Since being here for almost two weeks I have noticed a lot of cultural differences between Paris and San Diego.  One of the main differences is the use public transportation including the metro, RER, buses, and even taxis.  When talking to some French students in Paris they tell us how they automatically buy a metro pass every month without even thinking about it.  They are so used to taking the metro everywhere, where I am used to just jumping in my car.  Although San Diego has the trolley system, when we use it we are only buying one ticket at a time since a majority of students have their own cars.  We have only met one person who had a car who drove us to a club instead of taking the metro and he was very wealthy.  Even when we had to take a taxi home from a bar since the metro was closed one night the French people we met asked if we were rich.  This brings me to my other cultural difference which is daily routines.

One thing that really surprised me was how late people in Paris go out at night.  Coming from SDSU I thought we went out late when we would go to parties at 10pm, but here no one is even out yet that early.  Some of the clubs we have looked at don’t even open until midnight and they stay open until 6am.  The metro is closed from 12-5:30am which is why we had to take a taxi when we left a bar at 3:30am.  We thought this was really late but the French people we were with thought we were going home really early.  I have noticed this difference in routines all throughout the day as well.  When we get up and walk to school at 8:30am, no one else is out, but in the US this is a normal rush hour during the week.  However, when we try to get on the metro around 11am it is completely packed of people trying to get to work.  It seems as if they start and end their days a lot later than what I am used too.  In addition, when we go to get dinner around 6pm the waiters always seem confused when we ask to eat and not just order a drink.  Restaurants don’t get packed until around 9-10pm.  At least we know that when we go to dinner we will always be able to find a table.  

Other cultural differences I have noticed is that customer service doesn’t seem like a big deal here, for instance when you go shopping or out to dinner you aren’t constantly bothered by a sales associate or a waiter which I find to be refreshing.  Also the clothes in the stores are a lot more modest then the types of clothes I find in the states, and coming from the Greek system at SDSU it was really nice to see girls a lot more covered up in bars and clubs, and not just because of the cold. People here also seem a lot more natural, I do not see a lot of makeup, hair dyes, or any plastic surgery like I have seen growing up outside of LA.  

When I compare life in Paris to life in San Diego there are certain things I appreciate about both cultures.  For one I love the fact that public transportation here is so accessible and there is no need for cars or worries about gas prices.  On the other hand, taxis are really expensive and it is inconvenient that the metro closes at those times of night.  When it comes to daily routines I appreciate that here in Paris you are able to sleep in and start your day a little later, but I like how night life in San Diego starts a lot earlier than here.