11 USA THINGS I MISS MOST AFTER LIVING IN FRANCE FOR A DECADE

As someone who has called France home since 2012, I’ve had loads of time over the years to reflect on my life here and the life I left behind in the U.S. I’ve shared many of those reflections here on YT, but something I haven’t touched on is what I miss the most from the U.S. after a decade of living in France.

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Salut! I'm Diane, an American who has lived in France since 2012 and the creator of the blog/YouTube channel Oui In France. My channel's focus is "Everyday French life and beyond." I make videos on French culture topics, France vs. US culture comparisons, food, travel, language, and give you my thoughts about what it's like living in France as an American in the Loire Valley. Thanks for being here and if you enjoy this sort of thing, please share with friends and subscribe!

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[OuiInFrance]

The Oui In France Holiday Gift Guide for Francophiles is now live on the blog! I've curated a shopping guide of 25 items I absolutely love. They're either made in France or inspired by France in some way. Most of them I own myself or have tried, so rest assured you're getting quality gift picks. Many are also items from small businesses, so I'd love it if you took a look. Merci!

[arz]

Having been in France over a decade myself, I miss people with a genuine capacity for enthusiasm. Sometimes a little enthusiam, even in the face of a crappy situation, can make the crappy situation more tolerable. That said, I prefer my life in France.

[tkmmusician]

I'm also American, from California, and I moved here in 2009. 15 years now, sheesh. I agree with nearly everything you said, in particular the not being homesick. You didn't mention if you're going after French citizenship... I am. I'm maybe 35 years older than you and starting my retirement. One huge thing you didn't mention is the French healthcare system. It has literally saved my life twice, for little to no cost, for conditions that would have bankrupted me twice if I'd been in the US. Anyway, great video and all the best to you! BTW I'm also Tom😂

[susannahallanic]

I'm an expat also living in France also and not too far from you. We have screens on our windows. I looked at Leroy Merlin's site and ordered them. We also have installed central air conditioner. We had it installed this year but we live in stand alone home in the countryside. We've gotten by with a portable unit for the occasional few nights it was too hot to sleep well when we lived in town. Installing an central unit that both heats and cools makes a barely any noise. When I gave my French friend (now husband) a glass of iced tea he became a convert. We ask for ice in our glasses when ever we eat out and plan on having plain water. I hate the parking in France but since I have had our Citroen monAMI for shopping I don't mind parking anylonger. I cook so there is not any food group that I miss from the USA. I certainly don't miss Target. I love that many of the shops are not individually owned. Every single town in France is not identical as it is in America. I like going to get a warm baguette, my meats from the local butcher, the local market day (are they still called Farmers Market in the States). Yeah. Perhaps I should have been born in France.

[francois]

Je suis content que la Bretagne vous plaise. Vous êtes toujours la bienvenue dans notre région.

[Arksin]

As a French myself, i'm apreciating seeing someone else's opinion on my country. It helps me see it in a different perspective. I will move to Japan starting from february next year for an indefinite amount of time so it's nice to see how someone else sees life in my country as it helps me getting a feel of what kinds of troubles i could expect living in a different culture !

[gsbeak]

As a Frenchman, the part about ice in the drinks made me laugh : When I was in the states I had to always ask for my drinks without ice. I hated the quantity of ice they put in. My teeth did not stand the cold and once the ice was melted, the drink tasted like water. 🙂 Cultural differences and acquired taste during childhood...

[jml]

Those sayings for missing a person (in French) are so touching! It is a lovely sentiment..."You are missing...from me." Great video Diane.

[stayfocused]

Screen windows! Drove me nuts every time we rented a vacation home in France. Considering how many diseases (like Lyme) are now transmitted by mosquitoes and spiders, it is unforgivable. French expat in the US here. Number 3# can-do attitude. The US are changing fast and not for the better. I so much loved business attitudes when I arrived 30+ years ago, it is deteriorating fast. Still better however than in France... COSTCO and WHOLE FOODS are the ones I would miss. Can return anything anytime, no questions asked, try that in France! ICE: it kills your taste buds, that is why the French do not drink icy beverages. In the US, where most of the food taste like cardboard it does not matter (I was raised on Haute French Cuisine and I suffer in the US, especially since I moved out of California) For me, I miss having interesting conversations in French. Americans do not speak French for most, not like in France where so many speak English. I am considering leaving the US as I do not recognize this country anymore. All the qualities I appreciated so much are disappearing. The destruction of Cali transformed millions of us into nomads looking from one State to another for the next El Dorado. However, we are getting too old to keep moving again and again. Returning to France will not happen as I am shocked by France in 2023, but may be a neighbouring country.... safer, calmer, more prosperous.... At the end of life, on needs to get back to their roots. It's a calling. You are making great videos, with good thoughts, and you also look more and more beautiful with time. France seems to suit you.

[frenchable]

I was born and raised in France. I met and happily married an American in Belgium and have been in the USA since 1987. I have been very happy in both countries. However, I really think that you have to be born American to love Oreo cookies and root beer😀 Being serious now, I totally agree with you on all your points and would miss them all should I go to live in France again. I love the respectful way you talk about both countries. You are an inspiration to me and hope to many viewers.👏

[yannsalmon]

Few bits from a French :
- some of the « can do » attitude is indeed something we miss in our culture. The French attitude is OK as long as it’s a « let’s think it through thoroughly before » and not a systematic « no can do ». I personally think that a balanced mix of those spirits would be the best approach ;
- the screen windows and AC are just something that we didn’t really need this far. France is particularly one of the countries where weather conditions have been very temperate and rarely went into extreme heat, rain or cold. Same goes with wild life, bugs included, that sure are always annoying, but are very rarely life-threatening. That said, with climate change repercussions needs might change…
- the ice in the cup thing is partly due to the fact that we didn’t really had a taste for ice cold drinks in the first place. But also the main difference is that we don’t do the free refill thing like in America. So in this context it’s hard for us to pay for a drink made mainly of ice cubes. Talking about that, I suppose that the dilution from ice cubes is taken into account while setting the dosage of syrup in soda machines, and so American soda will be dosed stronger than in France;
- and finally about the parking spaces for cars : French cars used to be even smaller than what they are now. Lots of parking places were designed at a time where people almost all had really tiny cars (from an American perspective). Nowadays, it’s all SUVs and the size of the average car has augmented quite a lot, but parking spaces are still made like they were in the 70’s. At the time, it was plenty of space, but not anymore.

[richardcorona]

On one return trip to the states from France a woman next to me in line said that the first thing she was going to get when she returned the the US was Mexican food. I literally almost burst into tears because I grew up in a Mexican family and it is my favorite food!! <3

[tedrich]

Great insight, as usual, Diane. I would like to point out that some of the things you miss are based upon living in a different geographic area, not a different country. I grew up on Long Island, NY and moved to the Midwest after high school. I can tell you that foods like great (or even tolerable) pizza, authentic bagels, good bread, Mallomar cookies (which aren't distributed in the Midwest), and fresh and relatively inexpensive seafood are as foreign here as the food you miss. Your comment about Target is funny to me because the first job I had out of college was at Target and that's what got me to Minneapolis, which is Target's headquarters. However, for the entire 10 years I worked there, my parents never shopped there because Target didn't open stores on the East Coast for many years. None of my relatives had even heard of Target. Although Minnesota, is the "Land of 10, 000 lakes, " there is nothing that can substitute for a walk on the beach while waves are hitting the shore. I love the lakes, but dearly miss the ocean. So this too is a malady of not living on any coast.

However, other items on your list I can relate to, not as an ex-pat, but as a traveler: ice in drinks for me is HUGE, A/C was missed on an abnormally warm visit to Switzerland. I was surprised about your comment concerning window screens because my wife and I have always been amazed at the lack of bugs, especially mosquitoes, in Europe. Even at night with the lights on, it always seemed magical to have the windows open. So apparently, there ARE bugs in Europe!

Finally, your last item concerning friends and family being missed is another thing I can relate to. Yes, it's a much longer trip from France to New Jersey (or Florida) than from Minneapolis to New York, but still it's something that I cannot do frequently. This has to do with distance, and I'm sure is an issue for anyone who does not live within close driving distance of where they grew up.

I'm not one who ever wanted to move back to New York (despite what I miss) because for me, the positives of my life in Minnesota outweigh what I miss from New York. However, being aware of the things that are different does make you appreciate both what you have and what you miss.

[lauranieves]

First time watching your channel. You are a very entertaining lady! Thanks !

[rosiebowers]

(French person living in North America) Window screens are all kinds of awesome and I don't know how I've lived without them for so long! No mosquitoes buzzing around all night, no flies or wasps constantly entering the kitchen, you can open the window without the cat getting out, it's just great. Ice in drinks, though -- still haven't gotten used to it in all these years, and I still regularly forget to precise "no ice" when I order water. I could see it when it's very hot (though I still prefer ice-free refrigerated water) but I've been served water with ice by -25C too! What is wrong with you guys and what's with the ice obsession?

[misstoujoursplus]

Diane, you are absolutely right about the "you can" mindset : it's one of the things I appreciate most in American people. As a french woman who lived many years abroad (mostly in Germany and the UK), I do not miss much in France. I stay here because I have no other choice.
When watching American ladies on YouTube finding treasures at Goodwill, doing great DIY with enthousiasm, I envy you. We have no Goodwill and the antique markets are super expensive.
Thanks to nice and gifted American ladies, I learned to upholster a sofa and armchairs, to paint furniture and other great stuff. In France, this kind of videos are rare and when you find some, they are horrible !

[mgparis]

Thanks Diane for another interesting video! I genuinely enjoy your thoughtful content and articulate delivery

[melissalyons]

You’re so sweet and genuine, Diane. I just love to hear your perspective on things. My husband is French living here in the US so I’ve seen him go through all the same things you have over our years together. Someday soon we will move to France and then I’ll be the one in his shoes, lol. I’m really excited fir the new experience, though!

[timduch]

ah, from South Jersey and now live in Mississippi - I always loved the fact that there were no screens in France but then I haven't stayed there for longer than a month at a time with friends in Riom, so there is that. The heat in Mississippi is deadly (one day of rain since June and still it is moist here) and even with family in Florida - it is much worse here. I so miss NJ it hurts my heart sometimes - the beach, the city, the rural farms, and horseback riding all within an hour's drive - so I get it. Even in NJ, the moisture is nothing like here and there are no wolf spiders like here - so I get the spider thing too. As you spoke, I remember my time in the Philippines - so beautiful but again, lots of different bugs and things to get used to so each place has its unique fun vibe. We spoke of moving to France several times so that's why I came to your channel initially - so thank you for your wonderful content. The older I get, the less I think I will ever truly move but I have to say my time in France has always felt like going home too - so thank you for bringing a bit of my second home to me.

[haschenhupf]

Thanks for a great video! I have lived in France for nearly 8 years (first Lorraine, and now the coast of Brittany), and I agree with everything on your list, with the exceptions of ice and A/C. I especially appreciated your comments at the end stating that missing things from the US doesn't mean I need to move back or that I love my life here less.