LYON I
I am Antonia Hengstmann (19 years old), studying Business Administration in my third semester and I always wanted to spend a semester abroad. In school I learnt French for six years, unfortunately I never had the chance to visit France before. Therefore, I wanted to travel to France to get to know the French culture and improve my linguistic skills. I arrived in Lyon the 22nd of August 2021, one week before the lectures started. During the orientation days 25th, 26th and 27th of August I met many students coming from different countries and with different ethnical backgrounds.
The first thing I noticed when I arrived in Lyon was that even though the traffic lights were red for the pedestrians everybody crossed the street as long as there were no vehicles in sight. In comparison, most people in the DACHLI region (Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein) wait until the traffic light turns green to cross the street. This surprised me since I was not accustomed to it but I adapted fast to this behavior and now you would not notice that I am a foreigner regarding this aspect.
When I entered a supermarket for the first time in Lyon, be it Carrefour or Lidl, I noticed a second difference between the DACHLI region and Lyon. First of all, the supermarkets offer many croissants, pains au chocolate and baguettes at a reasonable price. Secondly, if you go to the bread section in the afternoon almost all the shelves are empty and the bread is sold out. I had not experienced this phenomenon in Austria before.
I have the feeling that the French demonstrate more than the people living in the DACHLI region. I have already observed two demonstrations, one in Lyon and one in Annecy. Additionally, the public transport was limited because of another demonstration. I had not observed that at home.
In conclusion, I have fallen in love with Lyon and France in general and I am looking forward to explore this magnificent country even more!
ANTONIA HENGSTMANN Lyon, 25th of September 2021