For students like me who entered college at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, W&J’s two-week JayTerm trips abroad offer the perfect opportunity to re-enter the international sphere and travel without rearranging class schedules.
When the United States announced the end of its national health emergency last spring, I decided to take advantage of this opportunity and enroll in FRN 150: The Art of Living, a January JayTerm class that led me to France in the early weeks of 2024.
Exploring France at the start of this year gave me many fun memories but also helped me understand many important differences between French and U.S. cultures.
To smile or not to smile?
Exchanging a smile between strangers is very atypical in France. Not even a “Mona Lisa” style smile during accidental eye contact is expected. My classwork clued me to this cultural difference. One of our class discussions was dedicated to French etiquette. We learned about cultural etiquette regarding smiling, the diminishment of “la bise” (the greeting of kisses on the cheek), and simple French phrases that show respect for the culture. In France, it was easy to observe these discussed behaviors, which some incorrectly interpret as cold and unfriendly. However, from my brief time in France, I got the impression that this practice of minimal smiling is kinder and more genuine than the “blanket friendliness” we exhibit in the U.S.
I still remember the unexpected humor of a Parisian shopkeeper and the kind attentiveness of the waiters. Contrary to popular belief, French individuals are not inherently rude. It is just that smiling, for them, is not a superficial pleasantry. It’s a genuine display of appreciation for customers or care for loved ones. Like most cultural differences, when I thought about smiling like this, it made complete sense.
An entire pizza is an acceptable dinner in France.
Eating an entire pizza in the U.S. would probably leave me extremely full and uncomfortable for the rest of the day because of how “heavy” our food feels and how salty and processed our ingredients often are. However, in France, it is quite commonplace to consume an entire pizza, like the one pictured, as dinner (like many of us did!). Interestingly enough, our class learned that there is actually a name for this phenomenon: the French paradox. There is a great deal of research being done to understand how the French can have diets with higher levels of saturated fats and wine than other countries yet also have lower rates of heart disease. Theories range from the protective properties of antioxidants in wine to the possibility of higher fruit and vegetable consumption among the French.
Spending some time in Lyon, our class learned how the French prioritize healthy and fresh food, especially in recent years. Christophe, the owner of a bakery we toured, told us he uses just yeast, flour, water, and a pinch of salt to make his baguettes. Despite the lower salt content, his bread tasted so much better and softer than the bread we get here. I started to understand why European food is so romanticized and how the model of buying fresh food daily rather than a month’s groceries at a time can truly be more energizing.
I am walking on the same road that Napoleon did.
I was fully expecting Paris to be underwhelming, given how glorified it is as “the city of love” and all. But I was surprisingly amazed by not only everything the city offered but also how historic the city felt. I had never felt that kind of connection with history before.
While touring the Palace of Versailles, we learned about the French Revolution, the execution of the French kings and queens who lived there, and the style revolution that King Louis XIV began. But seeing the bedrooms of these famous individuals, the House of Mirrors, built centuries before modern automation, and truly grasping the grand loneliness of the palace was as surreal as everyone describes.
Later that day, we walked through the Catacombs (which houses the graves of many French ancestors, including people who fought during the French Revolution). To be feet away from the remains of historical figures and unrecognized warriors and martyrs gave me special appreciation for humanity’s history. The Catacombs used to be a site only open to viewing for royalty, such as Napoleon. Visiting such sites created by or admired by such legendary figures was a unique opportunity to reflect on how we fit into history.
No one holds a coffee cup on the go.
In France, coffee is almost always sipped slowly, and a meal is always a long affair. Businesses close early on Sundays and often stay closed on Mondays. There is a very clear sense of “working to live” rather than “living to work.” This is a big contrast between my breakfasts, which usually include whatever I can stuff in my mouth on the way to class, and my social life, which is always centered around academic demands.
Given that the name of our class was “the art of living,” we spent a lot of time learning about the history of French definitions of style and tasteful living. Interestingly enough, King Louis XIV (whose palace in Versailles we visited later in the trip) set many standards for the “high couture” that we associate with the French, from the common practice of keeping elbows off the table to the concept of seasonal fashion trends. Though I don’t see myself implementing the strictest of “haute couture” rules into my lifestyle anytime soon, the attention to the littlest details of life was something I could appreciate in French history and culture.
As I prepare for medical school this fall, I am reflecting on how I can maintain my physical and mental health while still working towards being an accomplished student and physician. As I figure it out, I hope to keep striving for the French concept of “savoir-vivre,” which includes a heightened use of all senses to enjoy other parts of life (i.e., time with friends, meals, entertainment, sightseeing).
You are bound to embarrass yourself at least once.
Half of the French shopkeepers could tell we were foreigners before we spoke. There were countless times that I attempted to speak French but failed to understand what the person said next and many more times when I was humbled by French waiters and waitresses.
Traveling abroad is a completely new experience, and mistakes are expected. But traveling as a class means you are never alone in making them, or in gaining the most wonderful, unexpected, and memorable experiences (like hiking down the side of a mountain to get to Monaco after having a Michelin star meal). One of the biggest lessons this course taught me is that I need to embrace both.
The cliché of college students saying their study abroad experience “changed them” is a cliché for a reason. At the heart of it, traveling abroad is a chance to see how the world works in cultures outside of our own, and informed, contextualized travel—like the travel JayTerm (soon to be MayTerm) courses offer—is critical to being able to understand different perspectives and having respect for others.
A mere two weeks abroad in a single course opened my eyes to the differences in food, lifestyle, and priorities that exist in France. Just imagine what your W&J travel experience could teach you.
