REVERSE CULTURE SHOCKS: France - USA | American in France 🇺🇸🇫🇷 | Expat Life | JORDAN PATRICK

[@leseize26]

My sister got married with an american in Atlanta. The 1st time i came to vivit them, i went to the supermarket to buy a bottle of red Martini (pour l'apéro) : the cashier asked me my ID......well.....i was 33 yo !!!!!! Much more than 21....i did not look so young, impossible !

[@JordanPatrick]

HAHA yeah sometimes I forget in the States that you ALWAYS need your ID on you to buy alcohol or even have a drink in a restaurant !

[@leseize26]

@@JordanPatrick Not in New-York where i use to go very often ! May be it depends of the state ? And i'm almost 52 yo now, so my 21 are very distant.....

[@richiesd1]

It’s because the law requires that alcohol sales establishment have a process to check ID in a non discriminatory, non arbitrary way.

[@iparipaitegianiparipaitegi4643]

Yeah. It’s easier to buy weapons that alcohol

[@wintersonnet]

I'm a continental European. Even as in ambivert, small talk really throws me off my game. The British are almost the same as Americans with introductory questions. I have to interact with both at work and whenever someone asks me about my weekend in my mind I'm like "I know you don't really care. Also, it's private. Also, I would really like to get into the issue at hand, the actual reason why we're having the call." For me, it's rude when some doesn't get straight to the point and wastes my time. You know what I don't hear enough of? Thank you and please, the Brits are a bit better with this. It's not as nice when someone asks you about your future vacation but barks orders at you and then doesn't even say a thank you when you went out of your way to fix their issue. At the end of the day, it's not the worst thing though and I haven't interacted much with the French but their way doesn't sound that great either. My favorite form of politeness in business is low key smiles, relaxed quietness, promptitude, or willingness to help. If there's a country with most people like that, please let me know.

[@JordanPatrick]

Thanks for the comment and I agree with so many points you made! I was just visiting family in California and I felt so awkward with the casual small talk with strangers! It's been so long since I've been in that environment and it's hard to re-adjust to! Where in Europe are you from and do you live there or somewhere else now? I agree that please and thank you goes a huge way, always! I would also feel the same way if someone didn't use those polite words when asking for help...I think it depends on how someone grows up, if their parents installed politeness from a young age or not. I think in all cultures you'll have people who are respectful and polite, and others who are not. I must say that through all my travels, Canadians would be my favorite when it comes to being friendly, nice and respectful. If you can handle the cold, then maybe that would be a culture you'd love (but beware of small talk!😅😂)

[@ASULOVE22]

I’m an American living in Paris and I’ve been here for almost two years now. I still do the smiling thing 😆 idk why, it’s just such a habit! And I really don’t miss the small talk. All good points! And I don’t miss the sales tax! Lol that’s damn sales tax get me every time!

[@JordanPatrick]

OMG YES! We can definitely relate on that one! The sales tax and tips being included here is soooo much better :)

[@aspalek]

Very informative video. I live in California too and I think the friendliness is much more prevalent here than in the east coast. I used to live in Boston and NYC and I think people are a bit more "european" in terms of "small talk" and not smiling at strangers, etc. Really noticed the difference when I moved to Calif.

[@JordanPatrick]

Thanks for your comment and cool to hear that you can relate! I didn't know that about the northern east coast (besides NY stereotypes 😅😂) ...maybe it's because east coach derived straight from Europe back in the day and they maintained some of the mannerisms ^^

[@aronvihaan1656]

I guess Im randomly asking but does anybody know a tool to log back into an instagram account? I was stupid forgot my password. I would appreciate any tricks you can give me!

[@patrickelijah4930]

@Aron Vihaan instablaster :)

[@aronvihaan1656]

@Patrick Elijah i really appreciate your reply. I got to the site through google and im in the hacking process now. I see it takes quite some time so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.

[@aronvihaan1656]

@Patrick Elijah It did the trick and I now got access to my account again. I am so happy:D Thank you so much you really help me out !

[@marieadriansen2925]

Hello Jordan, I live in the north of France and really, all the cashiers, shopkeepers etc. are there. are kind, smiling and friendly, not at all cold. As you say they are perhaps not as demonstrative as in the USA, I have never been there unfortunately! Bonjour Jordan, j'habite le nord de la France et vraiment, toutes les caissières, commercants etc. sont gentils, souriants et aimables, pas du tout froids. Comme tu dis ils ne sont peut-être pas aussi démonstratifs qu'aux USA, je n'y suis jamais allée malheureusement !

[@TatuSings]

I am from Ecuador living in NYC for 12 years now and the French culture is very similar to mine. I hate small talk

[@JordanPatrick]

Ahah I've gotten used to minimal exchanges with strangers, so I'm always caught off guard when I visit the US and it takes me a few days to adjust to the extra friendliness LOL

[@kamalabsy6224]

Very interesting, you just mentioned all the culture shock that any european feel when travelling to the US. - I remember the first day in an American restaurant, the cushier was: hey ! how are you ? And I thought: wow people are so nice here ! but then it started to irritate me actually when i noticed that it's just small talks (fake interest, which we European real hate). - Tips and taxes are really weird for us too. At the beginning the prices seem quite the same as in europe then you add the taxes and mandatory tip + extra tip (cause 18% is not enough anymore) you end up with the restaurant bill that is 30-40% more expensive than France. I agree with you, it is pretty expensive to eat at a restaurant in the US. - Food quantity is crazy man ! At some point I started to eat once per day cause food was way too caloric than what I'm used to eat :-D

[@JordanPatrick]

Yeah the restaurant culture is one of the biggest differences between the USA and Europe, that's for sure! Please don't view small talk as "fake interest"! It's just their version of "hello" but in polite form! And I agree, I eat only one or two meals during the day whenever I go back, it fills me up for the whole day! (also saves money;))

[@cbeary2000]

Definitely not "fake interest". Americans just have a more outgoing form of etiquette then most Europeans. People being polite and smiling at u is a beautiful thing, nothing more.

[@joelangford7601]

@@JordanPatrick I agree. American friendliness is not necessarily "fake." It is just a custom, more in some regions than others. It is super strong in the South. I like it. Even if brief, it is a moment of human connection that can be comforting and quite real in its own way. It conveys a sense of human respect.

[@cbeary2000]

@@poppyseeds439 Fooling? Americans know that the meal comes with a 15-20% tip. Fooling isn't a good way to look at it.

[@cmolodiets]

that was actually very interesting

[@JordanPatrick]

thanks! that was one of my first videos...sorry the quality wasn't as good as some of my other ones...but i was still very new to editing!

[@nexttsar]

You are much better looking without the facial hair!

[@JordanPatrick]

haha thanks for the compliment

[@iparipaitegianiparipaitegi4643]

He’s always handsome, with or without a beard.

[@trorisk]

nothing about sneakers in your room or on your bed?

[@JordanPatrick]

haha what? I have no idea what you're referencing? lol

[@tweetyuno]

When I visited France my shock was how small the tables are in the restaurants. Those tiny rounded tables make you to eat your food faster to get out of the restaurant.

[@JordanPatrick]

Ahah that's an interesting perspective! I would say the small tables on the terrasses are mainly used for café and people watching..they usually have designated tables for people wanting to eat or people wanting just a drink. When it comes to table turnover, since the waiters don't work for "tips" like they do in the states, they don't care if you take your time and sit for a long time. They would hate that in the States because it means they are missing out on new tables and new tips! Restaurant culture is very different between the two, that could actually be a great video topic! Thanks for the idea!

[@Leila2023_]

i guessed you are in paris during the first part... interesting. LA sounds nice. like where i'm from in England.

[@JordanPatrick]

It's true, there were a lot more culture shocks moving from Paris to Limoges(central France) than there were from LA to Paris! Big city life in western civilization between different countries has their own cultural shocks, but moving from a big city to any countryside lifestyle will be a huge change within itself no matter which country it is! ^^ Where in England are you from? I still have a lot of cities to see there, so far I've been to London, Manchester, and Bristol!

[@Leila2023_]

@@JordanPatrick i come from Bournemouth in the south of England. I like your channel by the way. I have been living in france for a decade on and off but the first place i lived in was a tiny village in the pyrenese... we then lived in the Ile de france area for about 6 years. all the big cities in France are very cosmopolitan and it's totally different in the countryside, the change can be quite dramatic. i am now in a village in the monts du lyonnais area, so it's near to Lyon but nothing like Lyon. Paris is quite a peculiar place... people are 'special' there. This thing you said about small talk and how people ask you questions at the cash desk in a supermarket that is EXACTLY what it's like in Bournemouth... every time i go back i think 'why is this stranger asking me if i have any plans for my weekend' it seems so weird. In France in the countryside they do small talk but only when they know who you are that's the difference... If they don't know you they don't ask you questions about your life like what are you doing this weekend etc, they might say something about the weather but that's all.

[@simonsmatthew]

I think a lot of it is where you are in France. I live on the Cote d'Azur. Noisy TVs in restaurants, unhealthy, overpriced, non-local, mass produced, tasteless food, the expectation of tips, - it''s all here. Actually it's expensive here in general. It probably has more in common with coastal areas in many parts of the world than inland and regional France. English is also very widely spoken, which is a disadvantage in the sense that when you do have to speak French (eg dealing going to the tax office and other bureaucracy) you're not prepared. Still its a great place for swimming, cycling, wines on the seafront....

[@Redeemed26]

Same in Sweden

[@JordanPatrick]

I'm sure you have a bunch of culture shocks there as well! Sweden was one of the first countries I visited in Europe after moving here and there were definitely some culture shocks for me there as well!

[@rushdialrashed9627]

Hi. How’s the gay scene ? Bars and get together places ?? Plus the public attitude toward it ? Please.

[@JordanPatrick]

Hello, I wasn't really a part of the gay scene in Limoges, so I can't give an in depth perspective, but I'd say it's definitely a smaller community than the bigger cities. In a general sense, French are very accepting and the friends and colleagues I had in Limoges were very supportive and accepting of the LGBTQ community which was really nice to see.

[@nexttsar]

A teller works at a bank; a checkout person works at a grocery store. In general the French are kind of rude.

[@JordanPatrick]

Thanks for clarifying the cashier terms, but I'd say the vision of what we find "rude" is in the eyes of the beholder. The french wouldn't consider other french as being rude, because it's part of the culture. The same could go for the chinese pushing other people onto trains....they would consider it normal, while western world might find it rude. The japanese might feel that Americans who speak loud are rude, while we might think it's normal. Do you get what I mean?

[@nexttsar]

@@JordanPatrick Merci pour la reponse!

[@chrisk5651]

Califo.Ricain I see that you remember the term cashier finally. Wanted to tell you when you were struggling to remember in the clip. I know that you mentioned that you are losing some English vocab as you are immersed in a Francophone world. This can also happen when one leaves university (especially grad school). One can lose some words if they don’t stay in a more academic setting or around others who use a more advanced vocabulary.

[@frenchy3446]

N'importe quoi.

[@JordanPatrick]

Merci hein, c'est gentil.

[@frenchy3446]

@@JordanPatrick Jordan, I don't mean to be a asshole. I live in Utah now and can't wait to move back to France. I so miss my friends and family.

[@marsquidward]

Go vegan!

[@JordanPatrick]

Haha it's not easy to go vegan in France ! ^^

[@marsquidward]

Nooooo, why is that? Do you know if Spain is like that as well? I want to travel to France and Spain one day in my life btw are you bi/gay and single just asking for a friend 😂