How to Adapt to French Culture

Whether you're taking a vacation to France, traveling there for a business trip or living or studying abroad there, adapting to French culture is essential if you want to enjoy your time in France. Read on to find out how to accept and celebrate the cultural differences as you adapt to life in France.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

1. Learn the language. Being able to speak, read, write and understand even a small amount of French will help you greatly as you adjust to life in France. Continue taking French classes while you're there and make every effort you can to understand and speak French each day.

2. Try the local cuisine. Baguettes, croissants, fine wines, cheeses and delectable chocolates are just a few of the tasty French foods to eat and enjoy. You won't find the selection of prepared foods like we have in the U.S., so stop by a fresh market and buy fruits and vegetables instead.

3. Habituate yourself to the eating schedule of the French. They take their time eating and conversing over meals, and they tend to eat dinner later than some people do in the United States.

4. Immerse yourself in the culture by joining groups or taking classes so that you can make French friends. Learn to appreciate French culture through your new friends.

5. Dress like the French. Bulky sneakers and oversized t-shirts aren't exactly their style, so pay attention to the chic, yet casual attire that they're sporting and take a little shopping trip once you get there.

6. Get involved in French holiday celebrations and sporting events. French people are especially enthusiastic about soccer, so go to a game and see what all the hype is about.

Tips & Warnings

• It's perfectly normal to feel culture shock when you first get there, but making an effort to immerse yourself in French culture, however awkward it may feel at first, will eventually help you to appreciate the culture and stop pining away for all of the things you miss about home.
• Participate in a language exchange. Meet with a French person at least once or twice a week and spend half of your meetings speaking French and the other half speaking English. You'll make a French friend and start speaking better French in the process.
• Don't leave a large tip when you go out to eat. Leaving one or two euros is fine, but generally, the French don't tip. Since the servers aren't working for tips, the service may not seem as customer-service oriented as in the U.S. Don't mistake this for rudeness, this is just part of their culture.