My Initial impression of this business international program was excitement in being able to participate in this amazing opportunity to grow in my cultural knowledge! I was definitely nervous as the departure date got closer, mostly because of all the negative things I was hearing about the French people. I heard that they were mean and rude to Americans traveling there and that I wouldn’t get the opportunity to interact and socialize with any of them. I knew the city of Strasbourg was going to be beautiful with all its rich culture and architecture, but I was worried this experience was going to get ruined by rude locals. However, after spending a few days in this gorgeous city, I have had the opposite experience! I have had the wonderful opportunity to speak to many French locals, all of whom were extremely nice and were kind enough to speak to me in English. Even though my French is very minimal and I definitely butcher the accent, they are still appreciative at the fact that I try and are very respectful towards me. It’s been interesting to hear their perspective on things and living here in Strasbourg. This was a pleasant shock, which has made this trip so much more enjoyable! The thing that shocked me the most was the dramatic difference in American and French culture. Before entering France, I knew there were a few things different, like how the French don’t smile at people when they walk by, they tend not to have air conditioning in most places, and how they eat really late at night. However, there is so much more! Another difference is just how much smaller everything seemed to be. The hotel rooms, bathrooms, restaurants, and markets. There isn’t a large grocery store but instead there are smaller local markets located all around the city. The hotel room is pretty small for two people, the beds are twin sized and basically on the floor. These took a few nights to get used to. But even though those things were small, the cathedrals were massive! The Notre Dame Cathedral of Strasbourg was absolutely breathtaking! The architecture was more gothic and sharp compared to the bright and soft architecture of the buildings that surrounded it. The architecture of this entire city really radiates all the deep history and the culture of France, which I immediately fell in love with!
