Things to bear in mind if you are going to live in France

Things to bear in mind if you are going to live in France.

Hello again, everyone! Today I am bringing you a more cultural post, where I am not talking about specific places, but I am going to show you some things linked to the way of life in French society. I was lucky enough to be able to spend a semester as an Erasmus student in Aix-en-Provence, near to Marseille, so today I can bring you a summary of my thoughts and conclusions that I have from living there for four months. It was enough time to understand French people's personalities and their way of life. Some of their characteristics and habits fit in perfectly with me and with the Spanish mentality... others, as you will see in this post, not as much. Without further ado, let's go!

1. The bureaucracy

One of the most negative aspects of French society is the bureaucracy. You could not imagine all the paperwork that you need there. According to studies, it is the European country which requires the most bureaucracy and forms. Months before going on Erasmus, the university had already asked me on email for my birth certificate, a "simulation" of my learning agreement, and more things that I can't remember. What I didn't understand is why I had to send it by post, as nowadays, uploading a PDF file to an online platform is sufficient.

The nightmare had only just begun, as the first few days at the university were dedicated solely to paperwork. You had to go from one office to another to get hold of all the bloody forms. I went to one department, they told me that I had to go to another one, I went to the other, they told me it isn't this door, it is the other one, and it was like this until I got hold of all the papers. Honestly, only someone who has lived in France can imagine this ordeal.

In addition to that, I had to open a bank account with a French bank, so the paperwork that I had to do to be able to do that was never-ending. Also, I also applied for a grant that the French government gives out to help pay for accommodation, called the CAF, and I remember that all the bureaucratic hurdles were still going on when I had already gone back to Spain and had finished my stay in France. It was awful! Luckily for me, in the end, they gave me the grant, I think it was around 250 euros. For all these reasons, I think it is good to go with this perspective of things if you are going to spend a decent amount of time in France.

2. The timings.

Even though I was in Marseille, a city surrounded by the Mediterranean sea, the truth is that the personality of the French people was quite different from Spanish or Italians, especially in terms of timings. I remember well that the supermarkets closed really early, like at 6 or 7 pm, so that once I left university, I had to rush to the supermarket to do my shopping.

In addition to that, I remember that I had class at 8 am, when normally in Spain, classes start at 9. And it's also worth mentioning that I had an exam on a Saturday. It is true that this does happen in Spain in some faculties, but it isn't at all common. It seems perfectly normal for French people.

3. Greetings.

In Spain it is very weird, if not almost impossible, to see two men giving two kisses to greet each other. This seems to only exist between two women, or a woman and a man. In the south of France, however, it is normal that men greet each other with two kisses on the cheek. From what I understand, in some areas in France they give up to three kisses on the cheek.

4. Food.

The truth is that French pastries are something that you have to try no matter what, along with their Nutella crepes or savoury crepes. They are to die for and they have endless versions of them. A common breakfast in France are croissants with butter, for example, or a pain au chocolat. It is very good.

Not just mentioning sweet food, but also products like wine or different types of cheese that are so good and really high quality. Anyone could think that French people should be overweight, but the truth is that they are not. Why? The answer is that despite the fact that these foods have lots of calories, and are full of sugars and fats, French people eat them in very small portions, or at least the majority of them do. Also, the rest of their diet throughout the day includes quite a lot of fruit and vegetables, so, it works out.

5. The usage of "usted".

Us Spaniards are not at all used to referring to people as "usted" (the polite verb form of you). We prefer using the "tu" form, unlike the whole of Latin America. Therefore, it is really important that when you meet someone older or higher-up than you, you remember to use the "vous" form in French and not the "tu" one. More than once, my Erasmus classmates and I have been told off for addressing a professor as "tu". The telling off was so big that it seemed like we had committed a crime.

6. Prices.

France has a very high quality of life, not as high as Nordic countries or Switzerland, but in general, everything is more expensive than it is in Spain. Eating in a restaurant was a luxury for us. Travelling long distances using public transport, for example, the train was also quite expensive. The typical Index brand shops like Zara also had higher prices than in Spain, for the same garments. Therefore, it is good that you know how to manage your money well to be able to live well in France, and not live like a hermit in your room.

7. The university system.

I don't know what it is like in other Erasmus cities, but in my case, at the University of Aix-Marseille, it wasn't at all an Erasmus experience where the only thing you do is go out partying, drink alcohol and go travelling. Not at all. I had to study like the rest of the French students, go to classes regularly (they handed round a register every day) and travel when there were bank holidays or holidays. The French university system is quite serious.

Something really positive about this system is it thinks a lot about work experience for its students. French universities, unlike Spanish ones, offer hundreds of program and grants to get work experience before you finish your degree. They also encourage students to do exchange stays to improve a language.

Also, something that I particularly liked is that lots of people take a "gap year" which is dedicated to volunteering, always under a state program. This seems like a really good idea to me. In Spain, I don't know why, but it seems like losing a year of university is a tragedy. This couldn't be further from reality. As having a year break in-between your studies can open up infinite doors for you; it can help you to focus, keep on the right track, and most importantly, maybe you will find out what you really want to do in the future. The truth is that in Spain, more and more people are doing it. For example, I know several cases of students who were doing a language degree and they decided to spend a year in the European Union or the United Kingdom as an au-pair, to improve their language in all the different areas. Of course, it is something that the Spanish system should take on board, as lots of European countries see this as something positive; unlike the Spanish, who think that it is the end of the world to have a year away from the system and away from the norm.

And this is everything that I wanted to tell you, the most relevant things to know if you are going to take the risk to live in this country for a bit. Despite there being lots of negatives, the positive aspects do beat them by miles... as it is an incredible country in terms of working conditions or the rhythm and style of life, for example. I hope that this post has been useful for you and we will see you soon with more content. Best wishes!

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