Walking versus Driving

Well, we all knew it was coming at some point... so here's my first weird rant on a completely random cultural topic: everyday transportation.

The French don't drive the way Americans do, and especially not the way we do in southern New Hampshire (where I take a ten minute drive in one direction to go to school, a twenty five minute drive in the opposite direction to go to swim practice, an hour's drive north for exchange student orientations, about an hour south to get to the region's largest city, et cetera).  Nope.  In France, you have all your basic amenities like food, clothing, school, and sports within walking distance, and everything else is a road trip.

This is truly the first time in my life where I've lived within walking distance of just about anything, and I have to say, I like it a lot.  It's really nice just to be able to take a stroll through town when it's nice out, and having some independence with walking has kind of taken the edge off of the fact that I can't drive in this country (kind of... ;) ).  Residents of Montbrison don't consider the town anything special, since it's a pretty average town for the French.  I, on the other hand, have lived here three months and still haven't gotten over the thrilling fact that I'm free to roam around, checking out cafes and boulangeries at my leisure, whenever I have nothing else to do after school or on weekends.

The French view on driving has admittedly been harder to get used to.  In my New Hampshire/Vermont Rotary district at home, it was normal for host parents to have to take their exchange student sometimes several hours' drive from home for exchange student functions, which happen about once a month.  Here, it's been a pretty significant complication every time I need to attend a Rotary event in Lyon (about an hour away), and so far I've always needed to contact my local Rotary members to see if someone can give me a ride.  There are a significant number of people in Montbrison who don't own a car at all, and get by solely by foot, by bus, or by train- something that's just not all that possible in Hollis or Brookline.

Speaking of buses and trains, I've actually taken each one twice since I've been here, and found them both impressively safe, clean, and on time.  I can certainly see how locals here can use them as primary means of transportation.  Honestly, I think they're both kind of fun, since I never have the opportunity to take public transport (other than school buses) at home.  Doing something like that can sort of make you feel like you're someplace truly different- which I certainly am!