The three weeks I spent in Strasbourg and the one week spent in Paris provided me with a tremendously engaging and eye-opening experience in both French culture and the architecture of the European Union. From an academic perspective, I gained a deeper understanding of how the European Parliament and the European Commission operate, as well as the symbolic role they play in bridging member states towards unity. When I understood the European Parliament and the European Commission through a European lens, I began to appreciate the complex nature of decision-making in Europe and, again, how deeply entrenched political cooperation is among European nations.
Interacting with people in France felt similar to how we interact with each other in the United States; in many ways, there is more commonality than difference. That said, there are cultural differences specific to French people that made a large impact on my experience. One notable difference is their social norm of not smiling or otherwise acknowledging strangers when making eye contact in public. Initially, this felt cold, but ultimately, I came to appreciate the normative nature of this behavior, and I perceived it to be instead a level of non-judgmental equanimity towards space and agency with strangers. Another key difference was the strictness in observing designated meal times and a restaurant’s willingness to serve you at a designated time; these behaviors required my patience and planned adaptation.
This trip was a huge change for me and how I view international travel. I went from being an observer to someone who tried to become one with the place I was visiting. I tried to venture beyond regular tourist attractions and tried to live as a local—grocery shopping, using the transit system, seeing a day in the life.
That said, my expectations of the program I participated in were very different from reality. I envisioned living on a university campus and interacting with local students regularly. However, we lived in a hotel-style apartment far removed from campus life and socializing. Additionally, the trip was not very organized, so we had to navigate problems like misunderstanding the schedules and getting lost. Disappointments aside, I learned to adapt and to take initiative, which are very good lessons in not just travel but general life, too. It was overall a great experience that I was grateful to attend, and I made a lot of friends and gained cultural intelligence from it.
