My Culture Shocks in France 

Let me take you on a trip down the lane of culture shocks I experienced in France. 

Smoking is a culture not a taboo 

When I watched Emily in Paris, I never understood why Sylvie Grateau, Emily’s French boss, always took a smoking break in the series. I kept asking myself, what’s the point of it, and why smoking specifically? 

Oh, la la! As the French say. It all became perfectly clear when I arrived in France. Everywhere I walked, every street, every corner, I was greeted with a puff of smoke.  

Suddenly, I didn’t have to wonder why Sylvie did that anymore. 

This was one of the first culture shocks I experienced as I settled into this beautiful country. I was amazed that no matter the time of day, whether early morning or late at night, I would always see someone smoking, from young adults to old. 

What also surprised me is that, unlike in my country, where smokers often get judgmental looks when they light up in public, in France, it’s embraced. 

It feels like a community of smokers, united by the shared culture.  It’s a mundane thing that even at work, taking regular breaks to go smoke is something demure which goes unquestioned.  

Nowadays, I’m more surprised when I meet a French person who doesn’t smoke. 

La bise (cheek-kissing) is very normal and a form of greeting 

Just when I thought I had seen it all, I encountered la bise culture. Greetings here come in the form of a kiss on the cheek.  

It was funny and strange to me because even when meeting someone for the first time, we would start and end with la bise. 

You go to a party or a dinner invitation, and you have to give la bise to everyone, even if you don’t know them.  

Even more interesting is that some regions in France do three kisses on alternating cheeks, while others do two.  

So, when I meet people, I never know if we’re doing two, three, a handshake or just a hi.  

Oh my God! The number of bisous I’ve had to do for the sake of culture is uncountable.  

I hope you enjoy this short read. I’ll keep updating this list with more personal experiences as time goes by.