Salut!
I’m writing this relatively close to when I leave, which is sad to think about. I’ve become accustomed to life in Tours, and the time really did fly by since I’ve been here. I guess that all great things come to an end at some point, however.
There are two things I’d like to talk about in this blog post—one, my recent weekend trip, and two, some conceptions about the United States that some people I’ve talked to have. Let’s get into it!
Last weekend, I took a weekend trip to the south of France. I’d heard a lot about the south of France in my classes and from other people and some of the differences one might encounter there, so I was excited to see the cultural differences in place. I spent about two and a half days there and was able to visit three amazing places—Toulouse, Lourdes, and Carcassonne. Each place was wonderful and had its own charm!
I visited Toulouse first, also known as “The Pink City” (La Ville Rose) because of the distinctive pink/red bricks used in most of the buildings. I was able to see the Basilica of Saint-Sernin, the Convent of the Jacobins (where the relics of St. Thomas Aquinas are kept!), and other amazing sites. The food there was fantastic too! My favorite sight was probably the Capitole de Toulouse at night—it’s a magnificent building that’s lit up by red lights at night, giving it a magical air.
The next day, I went to Lourdes, which is home to the original Grotto. In that spirit, I made sure to wear my Notre Dame jacket! My short stay there was amazing; Lourdes is a tranquil place with beautiful architecture. They got rid of the famous baths due to COVID restrictions, but I still was able to do most of the major “must-dos” there. And, of course, I went to the Grotto!
Finally, I visited Carcassone, a massive medieval city next to Toulouse. The architecture is well-kept there, and my breath was taken away on my walk up the hill to the “Cité de Carcassonne,” the main area there. I was even able to walk along the walls and see the entire city sprawled in front of me from on top of the hill, which is a sight I don’t think I can ever forget. I’m so glad I was able to go on that trip! I’ve attached some pictures below.
For the second part of this blog, I’d like to talk about some preconceptions of Americans and the U.S. that some people I know here had. I’ll split it into three parts below. My overall takeaway was that American culture had a large sway over France and, likely, other parts of the world, as most of the answers I heard had to do with movies, songs, and other cultural marks. There were some differences, however:
My First Host Parents: I asked my first host parents (middle-aged French man and woman) about what they had heard about Americans, and what they thought of America. They talked about the idea that Americans love guns and country music, which I found interesting. They also spoke about the politics of America, which were apparently somewhat well-known in France, especially the presidencies. They found it surprising that politics were so divisive in America, which I thought made sense. Perhaps politics were less divisive when they were growing up!
Jules: Jules was a male French student–around the same age as me–at La Guinguette, a popular hangout spot on the Loire, especially for college students. When asked about what he thought of America, he said that he wanted to move there (specifically to California) and had a generally positive perception of America. He knew of the divisiveness of politics in America but seemed not to think too much of it, as he thought everywhere had divisive politics. He also talked a lot about American culture in the form of visual mediums like shows and movies, specifically referencing Pulp Fiction and Stranger Things. I thought that these comments were especially interesting, as movies and shows like that are popular among Americans our age, so perhaps the similarity in age influenced his perceptions of America.
My French Teacher: I asked my French teacher at the Institut de Touraine (male, around late twenties, early thirties) about what he thought of America after class one day, because the topic had come up during class that day. He had the most negative perception of America out of those I encountered. He mainly talked about some cultural stereotypes of Americans, like eating burgers and listening to country music. He specifically talked about his dislike of America’s current foreign policy towards France–he thought that even though the two were allies, France was not being respected in recent foreign policy. He did say, though, that he appreciated all of his students, regardless of their nationality. I was especially intrigued to hear a more outside perspective of American foreign policy and was grateful that he shared his honest insights.
And that’s it for this blog post–Thanks for reading!
Garrett