Visible Differences: Angers (AS)

As many of my friends know, I carry around my water bottle with me at ALL times. Whether it is a restaurant, hiking, or at school, my neon yellow or neon orange bottle is with me. There have been a few issues with filling up my bottle as much as I would in the US though. There seems to be a lack of water fountains here, especially at school. Since there are water fountains every five steps at Allegheny, this was a huge change of pace for me, and was one of the first things I noticed. I think that this is because a lot of the buildings are much older and therefore it is more expensive to put a fountain in, but to me, it is a necessity, and now I realize a definite luxury.

A view over the Seine in Paris

            The food prepared by the school has been much better than I expected. Changing every day, there are sandwich, pasta, panini, dessert, fruit, and yogurt options along with some other goodies. There is also more of a cafeteria-style place to eat on campus and it has fewer options, but they change more often. All of the food from campus is less expensive than what someone would usually buy for lunch at a non-school based source. There are a few well-priced places near campus, like the boulangeries (Bakeries which sell sandwiches, quiches, bread, pizzas, etc.)

            When it comes to eating out here, life is different. Eating out is much more of an event than in the US. It is a process. There are many more courses in any meal, but you do not always have to order something from each course. Even with just a main platter, dinner takes around two hours. The service is much slower than that of the US and the waiters and waitresses treat their customers in a different manner.

Tour Eiffel

            On a different aspect, there is a definitive change in the way people dress here. At Allegheny, it is 100% ok and normal to see someone in pajama pants, sweatpants, plaid flannels, a T-shirt when it is snowing, but anything like that here is frowned upon. The one time I wore leggings to grab quick something from the grocery store, I received so many looks like I was scum because I wasn’t in “proper” clothing. The phrase “dress to impress” runs through my head a lot here. It is odd to see a woman with her hair up in a bun or a man with severe bed head. There is also a need to follow the current fashion trends here. In my opinion, as much as I love shopping for new things, keeping up with the ever-changing fashion world is difficult and expensive.

            Lastly, and probably one of the best lessons I have learned, is that Europe’s transportation systems are extremely useful. Here in Angers, I can take the bus every morning to school, or I could walk. I can take the tram to go to my friend’s house. I can rent a bike FOR FREE (so long as you make a bank account here). I have the means to go anywhere with ease. At the beginning of the semester I purchased a bus and tram pass, and it has been the best purchase of the year. There are reduced prices for students making it even better.

Outside of Les Invalides, Paris

            When wanting to travel out of the city, there are quite a few options there too. There are busses, but the easiest and coolest way to travel is by train. It’s fast, it’s comfortable, and it’s easy to traverse. For example, this weekend I spent less that $50 on round trip train tickets to Paris from Angers. There are also a lot of inner Europe flight companies which make is extremely cheap to fly from one country to another (15-45 Euros). When in the city, there are metro systems that can take you essentially anywhere. For example, there were four metro stops by my hotel in Paris this weekend, all of which were within five minutes of walking.

            France has opened my eyes to how the world works differently. Food is a major part of culture by bringing everyone together to discuss the origin and the quality of the food. Clothing is another cultural representative of what values a country has compared to another. The necessity of quality public transport when needed is yet another aspect dependent on a city’s cultural need. There are some good and bad things in my opinion, but everything has been eye opening and I can’t wait to learn more.