Culture Shock: Same or Different?

Maybe I am less trusting of cultural fact sheets because I always seem to retain the one tidbit that is out-dated or inaccurate.  Or maybe it’s because although I have been informed by respected intercultural experts that it is impolite to cut the point off the camembert at a French dinner party, my French friends repeatedly do just that.  I have also been informed that orange juice is served at the end of an evening as a sign for the guests to leave.  Apparently I don’t travel in the right circles, because my experience has always been that the imminent closing of the metro is the best predictor of when guests will depart.  It may be useful and it is certainly interesting to read about specific cultural differences and peculiarities in various countries, however in my experience, how you adapt to life in a foreign country, whether you are living abroad for an extended period of time or visiting a short period, depends a lot on how you react to and interpret new situations.  The current trend is to focus on cultural differences, yet cultural similarities abound, especially between Europe and the United States.  Let me introduce two simple rules, based on my own experiences in foreign countries and those of my American students in Paris, as well as one important, and often overlooked tool for navigating foreign settings.

Rule 1: Look for similarities in new environments.

            When my law students arrive in Paris for their summer study program, I try to orient them to common differences between French and American life. I also warn against the wholesale assumption of dissimilarity, which can lead to misunderstandings and confusion. In many respects, Paris is much like many major American cities, except when it is different.

            In my Survival French class, I focus on practical everyday skills such as shopping, taking public transportation and telephoning. A few years ago, public telephones in Paris could only be used with smart cards. Purchasing the card was relatively easy. Since the instructions in the phone booth were in French only, and involved low frequency vocabulary such as décrocher, to pick up (the receiver) and volet, the sliding cover for the card slot, I would give the students detailed instructions on removing the receiver from its hook, inserting the télécarte in the slot and then pulling down the cover.

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This preparation was usually sufficient and I rarely heard any further questions on the matter.  One summer, I had a student who was having a particularly difficult time learning the ropes.  She came to my office several times for advice on telephoning.  After a few fruitless attempts, she flopped herself down into a chair, completely undone.  “I found where to put the card, but I cannot for the life of me locate the receiver!”  Now we were both stumped.  How could one possibly go to a public telephone and not be able to locate the receiver?  Could some hooligan have lopped it off during a vandalism spree?  I could think of no other explanation.

Her story was so bizarre that I asked her to show me the mysterious public telephone in question.  She led me several blocks from the institute, passing a perfectly serviceable bank of phone booths next to the metro, all clearly marked with the word TÉLÉPHONE with the receivers all neatly on the hook, to head down a small side street.  By now my interest was piqued.  My student led me directly to the object of her consternation.  “See,” she motioned triumphantly, “here is where the card goes, but there is no receiver!”  My gaze shifted to my student.  What could I say and how could I put it?  This young woman, who would later clerk for an appellate judge, had been trying to telephone from --- a parking meter.

The point of this story is that sometimes things are pretty much as they appear to be. Telephones can look just like the ones at home, or at least share enough common characteristics as to be readily recognizable. Searching for the differences obscures the similarities.

Rule 2: Sometimes things aren’t what they appear to be.

            Now that I’ve suggested that the differences between France and the U.S. aren’t so great, I offer this exception to Rule 1.  If something looks the same, it may well be, but if your experience doesn’t fit your original hypothesis, it may be time to reevaluate whether it really is similar or not.  In language, these false similarities are called faux amis, or false friends.  Sensible in French means sensitive and as health-food conscious Americans quickly find out, les préservatifs in France are for preventing pregnancy, not for prolonging the shelf life of food. 

 

© Supermarchés Casino

Navigating a culture also requires sifting through “true” and “false” friends.  Recently, another student announced to me that she and her friend where going to the casino over the weekend.  I assumed they were headed for Monte Carlo, but they informed me that there were casinos, “all over Paris.”  Since I had been coming to Paris for almost twenty years and had never heard of gambling in the city, I expressed my skepticism. “We’ve seen the ads all over town,” they assured me.  It wouldn’t have been the first time my students had taught me something new about Paris.  Curious, I queried a few Parisian friends over the weekend who were as uninformed as I about gaming in the City of Light. The following Monday, I asked the girls about their casino adventure.  Disappointed, they admitted that they hadn’t managed to find the casino, which was strange since they had seen ads for inexpensive casino meals, just like in Las Vegas, at every bus stop.

A few days later, I was leading my students on an excursion when one of the girls pulled me aside to show me the advertisement which did indeed depict an impressively low-priced plate of roasted chicken and French fries with the word Casino arching across the poster in bold red.  I had to explain to my students that Casino is the name of a supermarket chain.  They had clung so tightly to their original interpretation that they were unable to process other clues, such as Casino supermarkets they might have passed on the street or other Casino posters with pictures of articles not usually associated with gambling halls.

Helpful Tip: Sometimes an accent comes in handy.

            Learning to spot and interpret similarities and differences in a new environment is an important part of cultural adaptation.  Acculturation is a very long process and individuals adapt with varying degrees of speed and success.  Perhaps unexpectedly, being identified as an outsider can be an asset for someone finding her way in a foreign country.  Indeed, the accent that we generally strive to eradicate along with identifying characteristics such as mannerisms and clothing serve a very useful function.  For example, if you learn to ask a question with perfect grammar and an excellent accent, but are only minimally conversant in a language, there’s a good chance you won’t understand the answer.  Your interlocutor will assume that you speak the language fluently and it may not occur to him to slow down or make other speech adjustments as people naturally and unconsciously do when speaking with foreigners. 

            On the other hand, if you are a native speaker, but have not lived in your native country recently, you may find yourself in the uncomfortable position of understanding and speaking the language, but not the customs and nuances of everyday life. 

© Bill Madison.blogspot.com

In an instance of reverse cultural misunderstanding, my colleague Isabelle and I had a hilarious, but frustrating experience with French telephone operators in Paris.  In the early 1990s, Isabelle returned to France for the summer after several years of college in the U.S.  At the time, we were working together at a French university and found ourselves in possession of a Minitel, a pre-internet terminal hooked up to an early local version of today’s web.  It offered on-line directory assistance and a plethora of other information.  You could not take the metro without seeing ads promoting Minitel services of a romantic nature, called Minitel rose, pink being the code name for romance.  Each of these sites was accessed by a code with the number 3615 followed by a word, such as ULLA, for the Swedish girl chat line.  There were more practical applications, such as 3615 SNCF, for the train company, or 3615 RATP, for the bus company. 

We were delighted with our treasure, but had no idea how to access directory assistance.  I suggested calling directory assistance on the telephone and asking the operator how to use the Minitel.  When Isabelle called and requested help, the operator hung up on her.  Surprised, she called back, explained that she had been cut off and repeated her question.  Again, she was disconnected, but only after the operator yelled at her, saying she didn’t have time for pranks.  Isabelle, by this time, was incensed.  She called a third time, asked to speak to a supervisor and repeated her story.  The supervisor, noticeably annoyed, advised, “Call this number and they’ll explain everything.”  That number turned out to be the Central Income Tax Office. 

We could not get the information because the operators were convinced that the woman with the careful enunciation and educated accent was playing phone games with them.  Finally I called, and assuming an obvious American accent and imperfect grammar, explained that I was visiting France and had access to this machine, but had no idea how it worked.  The operator, encountering a foreigner who could not be expected to understand the workings of the Minitel instantly provided the needed information.

It is important to remember that many aspects of life in France will be familiar.  Assume similarity if it seems warranted, but pay attention to clues that indicate otherwise.  Some things will be different, but not necessarily the ones you expect.  Part of your task is to adapt to a new culture, but take your time, don’t be hard on yourself, and finally, take advantage of your status as an outsider to ask for clarification.