Bonjour from the land of baguettes and berets! I’ve been residing the dream in France for over a decade now and for some cause, I don’t suppose I’ve ever written a put up on issues I DON’T miss from the U.S. I’ve advised you all about things I miss about residing within the good ol’ U.S. of A, issues the U.S. does higher than France and vice versa, however I assumed it could be fascinating to get right into a handful of issues I actually don’t miss in any respect from the U.S.
Earlier than my mother handed away, Tom and I’d go to household within the U.S. however by no means spent greater than 7-10 days there. Over the course of 9 years, I by no means stayed greater than a week-ish stateside at a time.
I felt bizarre being away from France and we had our canine Dagny to get again to. I by no means preferred leaving her for too lengthy and loved getting again to my routine. Brief journeys had been the norm.
However that each one modified. As soon as my mother began getting actually sick and after she and Dagny handed away, I began spending extra time within the U.S. — over a month at a time. I’m fairly in tune with what life is like there in 2024. I’ve been forwards and backwards a bit over the previous 2.5 years and have had a number of time to replicate on what I like and don’t love about my homeland.
As I at all times say, there’s no excellent place to reside. All over the place has its fair proportion of professionals and cons. I believe we have to make one of the best out of wherever we select to name dwelling. Concentrate on what we take pleasure in and make peace with the remaining.
Listed below are 7 issues I DON’T miss from the U.S. after residing overseas in France:
1. Pharmaceutical adverts on TV
I don’t watch a lot TV, however the final time I used to be in Florida, the quantity of slick drug adverts on TV SHOCKED me. In a single business break whereas watching Jeopardy, I counted three drug adverts and thought it was a joke. Nope, it appears to be the norm!
By the tip of my journey, I knew not solely the drug names and what they had been for however the catchy jingles had been getting caught in my head too!
The whole lot from medicine for psoriasis and melancholy to diabetes and eczema (even Botox!) dominated my display in an upbeat, well-produced vignette and that’s simply the tip of the iceberg. The record of unwanted side effects they rattle off subsequent virtually makes it comical. There’s at all times a brand new medicine that guarantees the world.
Personally talking, I’m not a fan of Large Pharma usually after which after shedding my mother to most cancers and seeing the exorbitant drug prices, it turned me off much more. Earnings ought to by no means win out over individuals. However let me not go down a rabbit gap…
My level right here is that each one the drug provides are pointless and jarring. You’ll by no means see them on TV in France (or wherever however the U.S. and New Zealand really) as a result of it’s not authorized. And good luck telling a French physician what drugs you suppose they need to prescribe for you.
In France, you received’t see direct-to-consumer pharmaceutical promoting and that’s the way it needs to be. Sufficient is sufficient. Let your physician advocate a drug or analysis it by yourself. We don’t want drug adverts shoved down our throats!
P.S. You received’t see private harm lawyer adverts or cosmetic surgery commercials in France both.
2. Hustle tradition
The hustle is actual! Within the U.S., there’s relentless stress to grind 24/7, to have a facet hustle on high of the primary hustle, and the fixed FOMO about not being “productive” sufficient.
Dwelling in France has taught me that it IS doable to have a wholesome work/life stability and this stands in stark distinction to the hustle tradition within the U.S. Right here, individuals prioritize taking breaks, having fun with life exterior of labor, and never needing a remedy session after each electronic mail.
Don’t get me incorrect, there’s a piece ethic — the French are NOT lazy — however it doesn’t really feel like a hamster wheel you’re perpetually condemned to spin. And if you’re spinning, there’s a light-weight on the finish of the tunnel… your trip!
Plus, the truth that healthcare is a fundamental human proper and never related to your employment standing takes an entire lot of stress off not having to work your self to the bone simply to afford fundamental medical care.
It at all times surprises individuals to be taught that staff in France get 5 weeks of paid trip annually — that they’re anticipated to make use of — along with public holidays. Many French individuals (in addition to different Europeans) take off for 2-3 weeks in the summertime and it’s completely high-quality. The corporate doesn’t disintegrate.
Enjoyable reality: I virtually obtained fired after I booked a two-week journey to New Zealand early in my profession again in NYC.
Day without work is a fundamental proper in France (and the legislation) and never a perk of working for a very good employer. Within the U.S., there isn’t any federal legislation regulating paid trip minimums.
Having doubts about shifting overseas? Chill out, you’re regular! >>
3. Spammer/scammer calls
Final time I visited my dad, he’d get a handful of spammy/scammy calls a day. He stated it was a traditional prevalence. As soon as he realizes it’s a scammer, he’ll mess with them and it really turned my nightly leisure.
From faux Geek Squad and Microsoft calls to Medicare scams and other people promoting photo voltaic panels, People are getting preyed on. A pal of my dad’s really had a relative who obtained scammed out of $70k. Yeahhhhhhh.
Rip-off calls are a typical nuisance they usually usually come from fraudsters posing as authorities or service suppliers, cluttering each day life.
If it’s a rip-off name, you’ll be able to block the quantity however they at all times appear to alter numbers and name again regardless of your greatest makes an attempt to do away with them.
Quite a lot of these scams originate out of Indian name facilities. And whereas scams completely exist in France, the quantity of widespread, organized rip-off calls aren’t on the identical degree in any respect. One cause for that is that these scammers don’t converse French, so they aim the English-speaking market as an alternative, not France.
You continue to must preserve a watch out for scammy phishing textual content messages and emails in France however scammers have taken it to the following degree within the U.S. You received’t get nightly scammer calls in France. Or they atleast haven’t found out my French quantity but.
Stricter rules and enforcement play a job in decreasing all these intrusions in France. You can too signal as much as have your quantity added to Bloctel, which helps defend shoppers by blocking undesirable business calls (not essentially scammers).
Comic story time: One night time throughout dinner, my dad and I stored getting interrupted by a really persistent scammer. On the fifth name, I took my dad’s lead and placed on my greatest voiceover sounding voice, and cheerily stated, “Thanks for calling the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Please be aware that your location and telephone quantity have been forwarded to a federal agent to raised expedite your name. To talk to an agent now, please press 1, to get an replace on a earlier case, please press 2, for all different inquiries press 3.”
I really pulled it off, didn’t stutter as soon as, and guess what… we by no means heard from him once more!!!
This can be a nice YouTube channel that takes down scammers by scamming them again.
77 Little issues which might be totally different in France >>
4. Weapons in public
I don’t need to make this political, however this must be stated and is a really actual a part of my record of issues I don’t miss record. It’s a security factor for me. There’s a sure degree of hysteria that comes with understanding the individual subsequent to you in line on the grocery retailer might be packing warmth.
Florida, the place my household lives, is a hid carry state and other people do have weapons on them and of their automobiles. Different states are open carry. A few of my relations personal weapons. I don’t like every of it. I grew up in NJ the place gun legal guidelines had been rather more strict.
Consider it or not, my dad and I obtained an Uber experience in Florida and our feminine driver had a gun wrapped in a towel that she had tucked into the motive force’s facet door. Simply in case. 😲
In France, it’s a refreshing change to know civilians aren’t legally allowed to hold firearms round in public. Gun laws is extremely regulated.
5. Over-the-top tipping
I admire good service and suppose ideas are applicable in a number of instances. I fortunately tip my nail tech, server, and so forth. within the U.S. 20-25%. However ideas shouldn’t be a substitute for an employer paying an worker a residing wage.
The entire American tipping tradition looks like a endless recreation of likelihood. Did you tip sufficient? Did you tip an excessive amount of? Do you have to tip the barista for making your espresso? What about whenever you order on the Starbucks app? It looks like there’s an expectation to tip now that wasn’t so blatant a decade in the past.
Then individuals get fed up with all of this and stiff the waiter (not his or her fault) so some locations have instituted an auto gratuity that you just may miss in the event you aren’t your invoice intently sufficient. This occurred to me after I was eating out with two relations. We had been solely a celebration of three however 18% was added to our invoice to cowl the tip. The waiter pointed it out, which we had been appreciative of, however some don’t!
In France, tipping is a courtesy, not an obligation. Costs are clear, and precisely what you’re paying forward of time. Servers are paid a residing wage and have work contracts. It’s not the shoppers’ accountability to make up the distinction so the individual will get a residing wage and pays their payments each month.
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The USA will at all times be my first dwelling and there are such a lot of issues I like and miss about it. I wouldn’t commerce my American upbringing for something. However residing overseas has opened my eyes to alternative ways of life. A little self-reflection and a wholesome dose of humor by no means damage anybody, proper?
Hope you loved this one! If that’s the case, I’d find it irresistible in the event you shared it with a pal. 😉
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