It’s lots of fun for me to visit with Rolinka—not only because we share some history but because I learn so many things about the differences in the European and American cultures from her. She was reminding me of these differences last night by relating some funny stories about her past tours. We didn’t discuss all of the following but this is a list of things that I notice when I’m in Europe.1. Dealing and coping with a foreign language goes without saying…but I said it anyway.
2. There’s the 24-hour clock which if you’ve traveled to Europe in the past or were in the military is not such a big deal.
3. There are different measurements—meters, kilos, grams, kilometers—but since I don’t cook and I’m not driving, who cares.
4. There’s the conversion of temperature from Celsius to Fahrenheit, and I’m finally getting used to this. Double the temperature in Celsius and add approximately 30 to get a fairly close estimate (or pull up the BBC Weather Centre website and switch back and forth between the two—many ways to skin a cat!). Today it is 1 degree Celsius (yesterday morning I had a little sleet and spitting snow but only for 10 minutes or so).
5. Americans are the WORST at this—you can immediately tell an American by how loud they talk in public. Europeans keep their voices down because, as Rolinka explains, the cities are so densely populated and they respect their neighbors’ personal space and privacy. They quietly go up and down the stairs in the buildings and they don’t slam doors either.
6. Dates are written differently. Today (in the US) is 1/25/2007. The Europeans write it 25/1/2007.
7. And some numbers are written differently than we're used to: 1 and 7 especially. One looks almost like a 7 to us; they put a horizontal mark through the 7.
8. Always keep both hands above the table when eating; your hands are not to be in your lap. When your hands are not visible, people began to wonder what you’re doing under there…
9. When eating, you hold the knife in one hand and the fork in the other. And you don’t switch hands with the fork after cutting the meat, par example.
10. In small shops (not the super marches or grands magasins), you always greet the proprietor when you walk in: "Bonjour, Madame" or "Bonjour, Monsieur." And you always say, "Au revoir, merci" when you leave--even if you haven't purchased anything.
11. It used to be that you didn’t hand money to a clerk—you placed it in a tray between the two of you. They, in turn, placed your change in the same tray, not in your hand. In the last several years, however, I’ve noticed that even though the tray or indentation in the counter top for currency is still there, clerks are now accepting money from your hands to theirs and vice versa. 12. Phone numbers are many digits and if you’re calling from the US, you add the country code but drop the beginning 0 in the particular phone number. For example, if I’m in my apartment in Paris and calling my landlady (LL), I dial 01 45 38 88 98 (not her real number). But if I call her from the States, I dial 011 33 1 45 38 88 98. I omit that leading zero and I have to look this rule up every time. (Cell phones in Paris begin with 06.) I’m sure that was “too much information,” n’est-ce pas??
13. If you must wear a cowboy hat, only wear it in your hotel room or apartment (a very funny Rolinka story).
Hopefully, if you ever come to Europe, some of these tips will be of help to you. By the way, since I did not get to bed until after midnight and Myrtille was here by 9 this morning, I was not the stellar student that I hoped to be… After some quality studying and a brisk walk, it will be early to bed tor me tonight!
