During the latter part of the second semester, our French C-honors class studied differences and similarities between the cultures of the United States and France.  We read the book Rencontres Culturelles, which introduced us to many cultural differences, then did some research, and finally each student wrote three cultural dialogues.

The following collection of original stories was created to help illustrate some cultural differences between France and the United States.  Each of the stories aims to describe one specific cultural difference. One goal of this project was to learn and educate others about theses differences. Some actions that are accepted in the United States may be very offensive in other cultures. We hope that an important mental barrier will be crossed as a result. Understanding different cultures is essential in world affairs and also when visiting different countries.

Learning about these cultural differences is important for anyone who comes into contact with people from another culture.  Many expressions, practices, traditions and gestures convey different feelings and emotions. It is also important to recognize that, even though we view other cultures as “strange”, our culture may equally bizarre to people outside the United States.  Therefore, it is important for people to understand and appreciate these differences and accept them. These stories, however simplistic, try to do just that.  It is our hope that this project will open doors into others, especially the Francophone, world.  We hope that those who work in international relations, do business, travel or study abroad, and want to see the world through the eyes of others will all gain some understanding into the marvelous diversity of our planet by reading these dialogues.

In this project we learned to respect other cultures and learned more about our own. Lots of effort and research went into creating these stories because we feel that it is important to work toward mutual understanding.  Once we learn to understand the world’s peoples, communication and friendship will increase dramatically. Together we can make the world a better place!

French C honors students

Germantown Academy Middle School

May 2003