American mom living in Paris reveals the MAJOR culture shock
Sacred blue! American mom living in Paris reveals the strangest ‘REVERSE culture shock’ she’ll face when she returns to the US – from food issues to bizarre social interactions
- Isabelle Bertolami, from New York, shared the reality of her return to the US
- She praised the healthcare system, customer service and even the size of the cars
- And social media users were mesmerized by the mum-of-one’s revelations
An American mother living in Paris has revealed the major culture shock she will face when she returns home.
Originally from New York, Isabelle Bertolami took to TikTok to expose the reality of her return to the US.
She posted a clip in which she praised the US health care system, customer service and even the dimensions of cars, among other things.
And social media users remained mesmerized as they rushed to praise the insight.
Isabelle Bertolami, originally from New York, took to TikTok to expose the reality of her return to the US
In the clip, which has been viewed more than 157,000 times, Isabelle talks to the camera as she begins, “This is my reverse culture shock as an American living in France and back visiting America.”
She says, ‘Everyone is so nice – so so so so nice. It’s not that the French aren’t nice, they just aren’t nice in the same way Americans are with the small talk.
“I keep acting so awkward, like doing the “are you talking to me?” thing because I’m just not used to it anymore.
“It kind of puts me back when people come over — just strangers — and start talking to you, but it’s fun, I like it.”
Isabelle continues: ‘In terms of food, the food here [in the US] is very salty and very sweet. My mouth keeps twitching over a lot of things. In Europe or France at least – it just has less salt and sugar than the processed food here.
“Also like very painfully bloated since I’ve been here.”
But Isabelle doesn’t stop there, adding, “I was super pleasantly surprised when I had to take my daughter to the emergency room that it was affordable.”
“We don’t have insurance here, so I paid $100 and I think it was $39 to see a doctor and then $12 for a prescription.”
She posted a clip in which she praised the US health care system, customer service and even the dimensions of cars, among other things
Isabelle said she was “super pleasantly surprised” when she had to take her daughter to the emergency room and praised it for being “affordable”
Turning her attention to fashion, the mother of one child said, “There is such a difference in the way the kids dress here. There’s so much Disney.
“They’re much more mismatched and my daughter is definitely always mismatched because she dresses herself and doesn’t let anyone choose what to wear.”
“We realize that in France or where I am in Paris, the kids dress a little bit more like adults. The children’s clothing is more like adult clothing.’
Isabelle continues: ‘The cars are so big. I’d love to drive like a giant black suburb, but you just can’t have a big car in Paris. The parking lot is small, it’s impossible.’
While discussing the food, Isabelle revealed that she had been “very painfully bloated” since returning to the US
And social media users were quick to praise the insight, as one wrote, “It’s nice to hear nice things about America”
She also adds, “Dinnertime. We’re going out for dinner tonight and our reservation is for five.’
‘My god, customer service. People are so nice. They are just so happy to help. I love this. I miss this from the US.’
And social media users were quick to praise the insight, as one wrote, “It’s nice to hear nice things about America.”
Another added, “I like your perspective. Feels so real.’
And a third said, ‘Your stories are so interesting! Would love to hear the differences.’