As thrilling as it is to be an American in France (the food! the wine! the culture! the wine! the cheese! the wine!) there are definitely a few areas in which you’re a little out of your wheelhouse.
1. You look like a slob for eating with your fingers
2. French people think you’re crazy because you smile all the time
3. Due to the low decibel at which French people speak, you miss half the conversation
4. You don’t understand why people are so excited about a football that’s not a football
5. You are alone in your enthusiasm for your sports team (and your appreciation of what’s happening here)
6. You’re so lost in the super market, especially at that fruit and veggie scale
7. Pronouncing American English words with an French accent is counterintuitive (It’s “broonch,” not “brunch”)
8. Perpetually feeling overwhelmed by the wine
9. And the cheese
10. You have to do math to figure out the temperature
11. “Faire la bise” gives you intense anxiety
12. You look like an idiot when you don’t know the answer to a question about the US
13. Explaining why the US has Trump (and bad healthcare, and denies climate change) is your responsibility
14. You must learn to hold back the urge to cough at smokers
15. The absence of themed events leaves you feeling underwhelmed. (What are you supposed to do with your American flag shirt, ugly holiday sweater, and Halloween headband?)
16. You get weird looks because you like to eat while you walk and take coffee to go
17. All you want is ice and there isn’t any
18. No matter how long you’ve been in France, you still aren’t sure whether or not to tip
19. You don’t understand the French bureaucracy AT ALL
20. You don’t want to look like a tourist, so you stop wearing shorts, yoga pants, and sweatshirts, and start wearing pants and scarves. (“Skies out, thighs out” does not apply in France.)
21. You spend all your money buying expensive American imports like peanut butter and FruitLoops because damn do you miss the US.
Want more? Check out 31 Things Every Study Abroad Student in France Experiences, and 17 Things All People Who Miss France Do.
