Cultural Differences – Little Differences Make a Huge Impact
I recently had the pleasure of being a volunteer Big Apple Greeter for two lovely new friends from France. We spent much of the weekend together, saw lower Manhattan, the snow in Central Park, complete with skiers, snowmen, and sledders, a rare treat!
One of the great things I love about this volunteer opportunity is how it allows me to see New York with a fresh pair of eyes, getting to see someone else’s perceptions, what they find different, funny, weird, etc. and this visit helped me see some new cultural differences, some I knew, some were new. As I think about it, these are also some of the “little” things that your mind takes in when you venture to a new place, and often have a huge impact on you initially.
- France does not have “doggy bags”. If you don’t finish your meal and ask to take the rest home, they will either laugh, or literally dump it into a bag! My guests made me take the takeout container out of its plastic bag so they could see it, and were amazed that we have containers prepared expressly for this purpose. Imagine if you’re an American, and move to France, and ask for your food to go, and are met with this reaction, what would you do?
- Subway entrances come in different shapes and sizes. At some Manhattan stations, the only entrances available look like revolving doors. My friends thought they were exits only, so left the station, but then saw other people going down and not returning, so figured out the doors were entrances, too. What if you came to New York, needed to use the subway, and found you couldn’t get in because it seemed there were no turnstiles! And, you’ve already bought your metro card!
- Metro Cards are confusing. If you don’t swipe them perfectly, you actually won’t be allowed into the subway. And, if you don’t read English, you won’t be able to interpret the error message in front of you. Did you know you could ask the subway agent for help?
- There really is a Starbucks on almost every corner in Manhattan. France only has one. I prefer French coffee but my new French friends actually didn’t have disdain for the Starbucks coffee!
* For more ideas on adjustments to expect after relocating, *click here! *
Tags: Cultural Differences, expat, expatriate, relocate, relocation
From one cause only half of the post is being showed. Is this my web browser doing it or is it the blog?
I'm not sure what you mean, but if you are finding that the sidebar displays all the way at the bottom of your page, it could be your monitor/screen settings? That's happened to me when I used a PC with a smaller monitor, like a Netbook.
I'm not sure what you mean, but if you are finding that the sidebar displays all the way at the bottom of your page, it could be your monitor/screen settings? That's happened to me when I used a PC with a smaller monitor, like a Netbook.
I discovered this blog on faves.com social bookmarking site. I liked it and gave you a fave! By the way I also loved your blog theme! Did you develop it yourself or can I download it from somehwere?
Hi – thanks! That’s so nice! The theme is called Sophisticated Blue and is a hosted blog with lots of widgets.
What a cool volunteer job! Sounds like you can meet a lot of interesting people and learn a lot of cool things. Thanks for sharing it!
In France, there is no doggy bag- but what about 'take out'?
Did the French people try baguettes or Croissants here? What is their opinion?
Hi Jennifer – it s really cool! A true gift. Yes, they do have take out in France, "a emporter" – but that is usually done from a fast-food restaurant. If you dine in a proper restaurant, it's really not typical to ask to take your food home with you, and you'd probably get a weird look.
I didn't talk about baguettes and croissant with my recent guests, but I have with other French people, and from my own personal experience, I can tell you that nothing compares to the French baguettes and croissants in France! It may be the water, not sure, but they get the bread crust just perfect, and the croissant inside so flaky and rich (probably because they're not afraid to use REAL, full fat, butter), and we just can't compare!
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