Cultural exchange
Things we learned in the exchange
During these days of the Erasmus, while we were knowing about each other we taught the French students some common Catalan words and they have also shown us some French words and expressions. A part of that we showed to them some of the most popular artists in Spain, common food, Catalan and Spanish traditions and also during the weekend some of the French students had the opportunity to visit other places of Catalonia like Girona, Cardedeu, popular streets of Barcelona like Passeig de Gràcia, some little villages, etc.
CUltural differences
In this cultural exchange there were some things that made us see how big are the cultural differences, for example some French students were surprised that the Catalan ones eat a lot and also very late compared to how much they eat and also the time that they do it, because in France they only eat a little bit and very early, this is the same with the sleeping schedule. Also they have the idea that we do a lot of things in group, like making plans, also that we stay a lot of time with our friends during the weekend, etc. However maybe these ideas are a little bit exagerating because usually we don't do a lot of plans compared to the ones we made during the exchange week. And finally one thing that was very obvious about the cultural differences was how we talk, because in France they don't talk as loud as we do in Catalonia, and they noticed very quickly that in here we usually talk very loud.
But the French students weren't the only ones to be surprised by the cultural differences, because we were also shocked about some common things that they usually do, for example we were surprised that they go to shcool in the afternoons or also the fact that they're not very open to other people compared to us, because they don't tend to talk a lot and they do it very quietly, or also the fact that they don't say goodbye to their friends as we do, because Catalan students usually say goodbye in a friendly way, for example with a hug, but in France this is not very common as we see it,so French students are quite the opposite of the Catalan ones, but even with the cultural differences we had the oportunity to make new friends.
Catalan students and French students may have some cultural and behavioral differences due to their distinct regional and national identities.
Catalan teenagers might adhere to specific social norms and values that are typical of Catalonia, while French teenagers may follow social customs and norms prevalent in northern France. This cultural variation could affect in the way of made new relations. What I want to say is that, at least in this case, the Catalan students made new friends in way easier than French people. So it’s a fact that French students are shyer than Catalan ones.
Catalan partners may commonly speak Catalan in addition to Spanish, and also English. While French correspondents may primarily speak French, with some also speaking English (we could appreciate that they have a lower level than us, at least in speaking) and also a bit of Spanish