La culture de la France

La culture de la France... or, the culture of France.

This is a comment that was posted by a fellow classmate from my university back home on my blog with the leadership program I am in there. I have included her question as well as my response:

Hope- "Hey Bethany! It is so great to here about all of your traveling. In class we have been discussing the Lewis model and how different cultures effect the leadership styles that are used within the country. Thinking about America, it seems that categorizing an entire country by outstanding cultural tendencies does not always fit all aspects of the nation. I am curious to know if you noticed cultural differences between the places you traveled."

Me- Hope,

First of all, thanks for your great comment. Second, sorry to everyone to whose comments I have not yet responded! However, I have so enjoyed hearing about what you all are learning in class because it is exciting to relate the topics to real-life in my experience here in Grenoble. Although I feel like I cannot even begin to put into words my experiences as the authors of your books have so eloquently done, I will attempt to try and explain my ideas in response to your questions. Please bear with me, as it may seem a bit scattered as I attempt to put my thoughts on paper (or screen, I suppose :) )…

First of all, yes, there are insane amounts of cultural differences between the different countries in Europe, but I've also found a lot of differences even just between different parts of France. It's interesting because in traveling for a short period of time, it is difficult to recognize some of these things. But with the incredible opportunity I have to live here and truly interact with the people as well as personally engage in the culture of the area, it's incredible to notice the differences... between here and home, between different areas of the country and also between different parts of Europe that I've had the chance to visit.

Mostly, however, I have been intrigued by the differences between regions in France. I know that we, as Americans, generally have a tendency to think of France as all the same. Perhaps we picture a little man with a handlebar mustache wearing a beret, carrying a baguette and standing in front of the Eiffel Tower!  But whatever the stereotype may be or even just what the image that we have looks like, I'm finding that it is absolutely impossible to classify the French culture in one single idea.

I am currently taking a course on French Culture and Society, and it is really interesting to learn about the history of the country as it relates to the development of its culture. Because France was formerly divided into very distinct provinces, the current regions still possess a lot of the old characteristics, traditions and prides. Despite efforts to create a national unity and culture for the country, there remain certain things that are unique to every region. For instance, Alsace-Lorrain has a rough history of being fought over and existing as both a part of Germany and a part of France, as it is now. This is to say that the people of that region have not always been able to identify themselves with a specific national culture and have therefore clung tightly to their regional ideals and pride. So, in visiting the Alsace region, one can clearly see influences of both the French and the Germans, but also a culture that is truly unique to the area. In fact, the people there don't even refer to themselves as French but as Alsacian.

In the same respect, my region is the Dauphinois region. It, of course, has its own history and its own story as well. For example, the people in this area take great pride in their heavy involvement in the Resistance movement during WWII, they have their own specialties in the area of cuisine such as Gratin Dauphinois and certain cheeses, they are proud to be home to the Bastille which marked the beginning of the French Revolution, etc. And the people of the region are the Dauphinois, not simply the French.

Because the history of the United States is so short in comparison to that of France (and many other places for that matter), it is oftentimes difficult for us to truly understand this concept of culture and tradition, as it is not as innate for us or perhaps as important for us as it is for the people here. But with the history of France with its monarchies, republics, empires, and regimes that have changed the geography and politics of the country, the culture itself has also been drastically influenced, creating the France that we know today.

I also just went on another excursion this weekend with my program to Dijon and Beaune, which were both absolutely beautiful, by the way. Anyways, we went on a walking tour of Dijon, learning all about its development into the city that it is now. It was fascinating to learn about the rich history of such a tiny place (relatively speaking, of course). There are things as simple as the structure and design of roof tiles that make the houses in Dijon to be uniquely those of Dijon. A specialty for you all will be the mustard that is fabricated there, which is unique to the area as well. And Beaune, being a part of the Burgundy region, is, of course, famous for its wine all over the world. Anyways, these two cities each have their own idea of “France” and their own traditions and ideas, just as each individual city of France also does.

So, I guess my point is, yes, there are lots of cultural differences, and like you said, it is impossible to classify France by certain cultural tendencies in the same way we cannot do it for America. Study abroad has been truly eye-opening in this respect. It allows me to see “France” for France, not some idea or thought I have learned in a classroom or gained from movies, television, etc. of a specific idea or culture. It is a beautiful country rich in history and tradition, but it is also so much more. It is a culture of cultures, a togetherness and unity of individual parts. It is a people who are of Alsace, Pays Basque or Dauphinois, but also of the whole, of France itself. My image of this people and this nation has been radically changed in unimaginable and exciting ways, influencing for good the way I look at other parts of the world. And although interesting to study cultural tendencies that may ring very true for the majority of the time, it is also important to recognize that no system of classification or generality of a people can ever truly encapsulate the entire reality of any of those places. As it is for each of us in the States with the state, city or town we call home where each place has its own idea of what we think of as the USA, each region and area of France has a unique view of what they see as truly “French”.

I hope this somewhat addresses the basis of your question/comment, Hope. Let me know if there is anything you’d like to know! And again, thanks for following my blog and for joining me, in part, in this wonderful and exciting experience I am so grateful to have!

<3 Bethany

Au sud de la France...

Au sud de la France... or, in the South of France!

I know that it is has been far too long since the last time I wrote, but I have been gone traveling a lot in the past few weeks. I recently had a week off of classes for February break during which I visited the South of France and Belgium, and I also went on a mini-excursion with my program last weekend to Voiron. This coming weekend we will be taking off for two days on an excursion to Dijon and Beaune and the following I will be traveling to London with my friend Julia. All that to say, it's been difficult to find time to write, but I have been eager to catch everyone up on my recent adventures.

February break in this region of France is typically spent skiing. All primary, middle and high schools as well as most universities have two full weeks off during which they travel to different mountain chains to surf the slopes. My host family was gone for a full week skiing with their family in the north during the week that I was gone traveling, and then they spent their second week skiing in Grenoble while I returned to classes. Being an international school with a shorter semester, we unfortunately only had one week off as opposed to two. Anyways, skiing is the number one thing to do around here, as I have quickly come to find out. All of the families that live here go for weeks at a time and practically every weekend, and people come from all over France as well as different parts of Europe to ski in Grenoble, which is well-known for its mountains and stations. In fact, real estate is extremely high in this area because of the close proximity to the nearby slopes. Unfortunately, I have not yet taken the opportunity to try it out. Honestly, I think I'm just too much of a chicken to go as it probably wouldn't be too great to break a leg while off in another country! :) My host brother keeps inviting me along, but I think I'll stick with snow-shoeing... another (far less dangerous) popular activity in the area. To the left, I've included a picture from a museum that I visited in Grenoble with an exposition on the history of the ski and, in this photo, the snowshoe.

Anyways, my break began on Thursday, February 11th, as I typically don't have classes on Thursdays and had decided to skip Friday morning to travel. I left my house in plenty of time to take the bus to the train station, but, of course, with my luck, the bus never came! I called my host mom in a panic explaining what had happened, and she immediately told me to come back home where she was waiting, already in her car, to drive me to the station. Thank goodness for her! I got to the station just on time where I met Julia, Jahan and Galia, three of the other Americans in my program.

Our first stop was Avignon, a beautiful city in the south situated on the Rhône River and the capital of Christianity for a short while in the Middle Ages. We visited the Palais des Papes, or Popes' Palace, which housed six popes during a time of schism in the Catholic church in the 1300s. We also saw Pont d'Avignon, a bridge that extends out across the river and suddenly drops off about halfway out. You can see it in the background of the picture to the right that was taken from up above near the palace. There is a nursery rhyme about this particular bridge that all of the French children sing when they are little, and now it is tradition to go out on the bridge and sing it. Unfortunately, we were unable to go up onto the bridge as we weren't wanting to pay to do so, but luckily I am going to be returning to Avignon in May with my university, and I will definitely do so then! Anyways, the city was absolutely beautiful! We spent a lot of time just walking around and visiting shops. It's a very old area with a lot of history, so it was fun to explore without a particular agenda. We had lunch at a great little café and some delicious café au lait, one of my favorite drinks here consisting of espresso and warm milk. It was also extremely COLD while we were there though. The tramontane, or North Wind, is bitter cold during the winter in certain areas of France, and Avignon is certainly one of them. However, we enjoyed every second of being there, even if we we had to be bundled up the whole time. I am eager to go back in May when it is sunny and beautiful!

Friday morning, the 12th, we departed for Marseilles further south on the coast. Marseilles is one of the largest cities in France and is a port city, so, as a result, it is extremely international. There is a lot of Arabic and North African influence in the area as many people have immigrated to the region. The city was at a much different pace than others I have so far been to in France. It is interesting to see how much culture can change all within one single country that is only roughly the size of Texas! Every region has particularities unique to the area... food, traditions, dialects, etc. It makes traveling to different parts of France that much more wonderful and exciting!

While in Marseilles, we walked all over, we spent a lot of time in the Vieux Port, or Old Port, area which was full of fish vendors and fresh markets, we went to Notre Dame de Marseilles cathedral situated up on a hill overlooking the city from the highest point, we shopped a bit, we went to the beach and we ate some delicious food! Marseilles is also home to the small island If where Chateau d'If of Alexandre Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo is set. I was extremely excited because there are boats that take people out to the island to explore the old prison and see it up close. Unfortunately, however, it was too windy and cold while we were there for the boats to operate. Although a bit of a disappointment, luckily we were able to see it from Notre Dame. It was just a bit further away than we had hoped. Later on, we also ventured out to the outskirts of town on my last afternoon where we went to a huge outdoor Arabic market where they sold everything from scarves and clothing to fresh vegetables and fruits. It was interesting to interact with the people of the area and to experience the atmosphere of such a culturally rich group of people. Marseilles was a great experience and very interesting to see. Although not my favorite place I have been, as it has less of the "beauty" factor that I so love in so many places here in Europe, I am so glad I had the opportunity to see something so different and unique. To the left, you can see a picture of the harbor in Marseilles.

I left the others on Sunday to return back to Grenoble while they stayed to finish their travels throughout the South of France. I was only able to spend the first four days with them, as I had already made plans to go to Brussels on Monday to visit an old friend. However, my time in the South of France was incredible! I am eager to return later in the spring with my university to Avignon and then later with my program to St. Tropez, Nice and Eze on the Azur Coast. It is such a beautiful area rich in culture and history, and I am again so thankful to the people who have made this trip possible. I am making memories this semester that I will never, ever forget and I am loving every second of being in the beautiful country of France!

That's all for now as I have examens blanches, or midterms, this week and lots of studying to do. I will write more about my adventures in Belgium soon. Until then, I hope this post finds each and every one of you well! I miss and love you like crazy!

A la prochaine fois ...or, until next time!