I have been in Paris now for almost three months and many things that I at first saw as odd and different are starting to become normal. All the visible differences aren’t as obvious as they were when I first got here and for this blog post I really had to sit down and think about it. To me the most obvious differences that I haven’t really stopped noticing are the architecture and the clothing. I’m from a suburb of Washington DC and have spent a lot of my time wandering through the neighborhoods of DC. I’m used to the city life and to the tight living spaces however in Paris they take efficient living to another level. Before I moved into my dorm room here, I stayed with family friends. There are five of them in the family and they all live together in this small two story apartment. In their home all the common living spaces each have several uses. The balcony also serves as a fridge space for the fruits and vegetables. The living room is also the dinning room once the table and chairs are set up and in the two person kitchen every storage space is effectively used to the point where there is a step ladder stored in the corner of the room so that everyone can get to everything. 
Means of transportation used here are also very different than the popular modes of transportation back home. Here it is not uncommon to see mopeds and small cars speeding dangerously down the very small streets of Paris. I was out one night with a friend and we saw what we would call in the states a large truck and she had to stop and take a picture of it because she had never seen one in the city before. There is also a metro, train, tram and bus system here that allows me to get around the city and in and out of Paris without having to rent a car or take a taxi, but back at Allegheny you truly can’t get around without access to a car. 
Another difference that is extremely visible to me is the personal fashion. Back home it would not be uncommon to see people wearing sweat pants, sweatshirts and athletic wear casually. However I’ve noticed that that never happens here. The fashion here is definitely more stylish and fancy than what I’m used to back home. Canada goose jackets, long coats and leather jackets are also in and you never see any flannel anywear.
There are a lot of little things that I’m leaving out of this post like the shopping carts that everyone takes to the market to avoid plastic bags, the number of crepe stands, cafes where you can sit for hours talking to friends and drinking tiny coffees, the drastic difference in the number of smokers here than back home and the lifestyle of the french which is very social and where the popular topics are always politics and pop culture. In the end I’ve seen a lot of differences that have come to be a part of my everyday life. Little things that were at first very visible to my eyes have now faded to the background and become normal. Now I am sure that when I return home I am going to have a reverse culture shock and will start to miss seeing these differences everyday.
The many purposes of the rooms in your friends' house really highlight the differences between city living and suburban living. I know that in New York it is the same, especially since it's almost impossible to find an affordable place to live, let alone one that is spacious. Although it also shows that it's not necessary to have large space to be comfortable, especially since there were 5 people living there!
ReplyDeleteI can definitely relate to the difference of transportation and fashion that you are seeing, although I still see many trucks. I either walk or ride the subway in New York, and the only time I've had to take a taxi was for work when I was carrying a large heavy box. And the fashion is much more put together here as well, however I will admit that there are still many people who wear sweatpants. I think they might be coming into style.