Interpersonal Relationships Angers, France (BB)

Interpersonal Relationships

Interpersonal relationships in France are relatively similar to the way they are in the United States. They are both high income, first world countries where equality between people of different sexes, races, ages, and sexualities is important to most people and people are usually treated fairly. To describe a moment where I truly felt at home in my host country might be any time I am eating at a restaurant or cafe in France. I am at public place where people come to socialize, so It is also a great place to see French people interacting with friends, family, and the restaurant staff. These experiences usually begin with me speaking French, but getting caught as a learner because of my slower than normal speech and American accented French. For the most part, French people are patient enough to let me speak in French, even if they know English. I feel very at home at one particular boulangerie or bakery/deli. It is a small family run place near my university, and I often go there for lunch. The sweet older lady who I normally order from knows me and always has the little pastry I order with lunch ready at the register with my lunch without me having to ask for it.  

Hierarchy: How do people of different status interact? What determines status? How can it earned or lost?

 Status and social hierarchy in France are much the same as in the United States, they are usually determined by education, profession, and wealth. Someone who works a low wage job is not as high on the social ladder as the CEO of a corporation. Social classes are not as rigid as they are in some countries, as people of different financial backgrounds are often friends in France. It is not odd to marry someone with a higher education level than yourself, or someone who makes more money. Much like the United States, it is often stressed that education is the key to getting yourself into a higher level of society, or at the very least, maintaining your position in the social structure. It is a bit different in France, however, because education here is very cheap, nearly free, if you attend a public university. Homelessness is also a big issue in France, much like it is in the United States. It is not unusual for me to walk by several people sitting in the streets here in Angers, something I was not used to before I came to France because I do not live in a city in the United States. People living on the streets here in France are the one social class I have seen snubbed repeatedly. Even poor students receive some level of respect from shop owners and others, but most people walk past those on the streets like they aren't even there. It is a very sad thing to notice, but it reinforces the fact that social status is strongly connected to wealth.

Individual versus Group: In the U.S., we celebrate the individual. How are the needs of the community measured against the demand for personal freedom in your host destination?

A chart hung up in French public school classrooms

France is very similar to the United States in that the individual is the focus and often a celebrated faction of society. People here are encouraged to talk about themselves, especially in my program. The international students spend a lot of time in class talking about their cultures, and what makes them unique as individuals. Our professors make it very clear that our differences are worth celebrating, and that we can all learn from each others' cultures. However, there is a part of French culture that I have been learning about that seems to put the needs of the community above the needs of the individual. In the French school system, a concept called “laicite” is very important. It is basically the separation of church and state that we have here in the United States, but they take it up a notch. It is forbidden to have any religious symbols displayed in a public building or school, and it is also forbidden for students to wear religious symbols to public schools. There has been a big debate in recent years to soften some of these rules mainly in regards to Muslim students who wish to attend public schools. Muslim students who wear head coverings are usually not permitted to wear them in French public schools because they are seen as religious symbols. This makes it difficult for these students because they then have to argue for a right to wear them or they have to attend an expensive private school. A related issue to this is that of the school lunch menus that do not take religious holidays or dietary restrictions into account. If a menu contains pork products, it is possible that a Muslim student may have to go hungry because they do not have another lunch option. Packing lunches is also unusual and sometimes not allowed in schools because of food allergy concerns ,so this also limits meal options. The need of the community to have complete religious freedom and separation between church and state is given more priority, though some people are trying to change the rules a bit.