Topic: Seeing Culture
Source: My trip to France really opened up my mind to other cultures. I learned a lot during this trip in how not just are we all different but how every society share different cultures.
Relation: I like how our textbook in chapter one Robbins explains on page 14. how anthropologists must be able to look beyond everyday appearances...and how it questions "Is it possible to see the world through the eye of others?"I felt that during this trip that I had the opportunity to see the french culture with my own eyes.
Description: Two years ago my French teacher from high
school planned a trip to France and it was an experience of a life-time! I
learned so much about the French culture and what accustoms they have. We
traveled to Paris, Brussels, and Luxemburg in the course of 11days. Everything was completely different than what
I'm use to here in California. The cars seemed smaller, and with there subway and metro transportation system I felt like you didn’t even need to car to roam around
because you could pretty much go anywhere in the subways.
My first meal that I
had was a chicken sandwich and I realized their food servings are much smaller.
I confirmed this the next day when my breakfast contained of a small piece of
bread, with a small bowl of cereal and a small mug. I told my French teacher
“Is this really all they eat?” and she told me “Yes the servings here in France
are more proportionated” so I had too reserve myself 2more times to be
completely full.
As we walked around Paris it I learned how common it was for
teens to hangout around plaza’s smoking cigaretts and drinking. See I wish we
could be allowed to drink at the age of 18 as it is in France. I was kind of
amazed to see how smoking was so common between teens it was like ‘the thing to
do’. On one of the restaurants a
waitress asked our French teacher for permission if we were allowed to drink
beer because she knew we were Americans,
it sucked that obviously we weren’t allowed. 
Also, there big on pastries
and bakeries, there desserts are so good!! I was in love with nutella crepes
and Belgium waffles!! It was interesting to see how French people don’t grocery
shop as Americans do. See here we grocery shop usually once a week and we buy
everything we need for the whole week, as for French people they buy what there
going to need in that one day. Basically everything is fresh, because every
food group is divided in different local stores or food stands. If you needed
bread you go the bakery, if you needed milk or anything dairy you go to a dairy
store and if want meat you go the your local butcher shop. Fruits are usually
sold in food stands.
How can I FORGET one of the main culture differences; its
true French people do greet each other by kissing each other’s cheeks. I was often greeted by my teachers friends and let me tell you, it is a little uncomfortable when strangers kiss you. 
As many of us know Paris is famous not just for its Eiffel Tower but for its museums and art. I loved Eiffel Tower and I got to see Mona lisa in the Museum of Le Louvre. We also got to see Notre-Dame, Napoleon Tomb in the Orsay, Concorde, Champs-Elysees, Etoile, Moulin Rouge, Palace of Versailles, and many more places to name a few. I enjoyed this experience so much I like them french people and I definitely look forward to visiting France again!
Commentary/Analysis: Overall my point in choosing to write about my trip was not just to describe a little of what the french culture is like but also to give an idea of how were all human beings but we each individually do things our own way. We can never be sure of whats right nor wrong, therefore who are we do judge others cultures? Just because we don't do things a certain way or believe in certain things doesn't give us the right to criticize others that are different from us. We see culture on a daily bases but its an amazing experience if you actually get the chance to live and be part of whole new culture.
