"Mind the Gap"

This weekend, I had the opportunity to travel to Paris, France. Although it was quite an unorganized hassle to travel in a large group, I was surprised at how quickly we were able to journey from one country to another. France is just a train ride away from England, but when I stepped onto the platform, I felt like we were in a whole new world. I stepped back to observe my surroundings; herds of people walking in a fast pace, speaking to each other in French, security officers walking around in camouflaged uniforms and carrying intimidating guns, all surrounded by signs and advertisements displaying foreign words that I did not understand. In England, where English is the native language, it is much easier for me to take in and adjust to my surroundings when I can see and hear things I comprehend. It was a vulnerable feeling to be in a country where I was the minority, as I do not speak nor understand the French language. Besides the language barrier, there were a number of vast differences between the French train stations and the British ones that I am accustomed to. In Gare du Nord, the station in Paris, France, even boarding the subway was a foreign experience. I have become accustomed to the polite nature of the British underground where people would wait for all the passengers already on the tube to get off before boarding themselves. In France, it was every man for himself as a scrum of people tried to force their way on the subway while others tried to get off it before the doors closed. In England, the phrase “mind the gap” is plastered all along the platform and echoed in constant voiceovers throughout the tube to warn you about the small distance between the subway and the station. In France, we had to practically leap to clear the distance between the platform and the train. Even though the gap was significantly larger, there were no written or auditory warnings cautioning people to be wary while getting on and off. I never thought I would experience culture shock coming from one foreign culture to another. However after the trek back from Gare du Nord to King’s Cross Station, hearing the familiar woman voiceover saying “This is a District Line Train to Richmond,” has never made me feel more at home in London.