Let's take a few pointers from the French, shall we? OK, OK, so I've never actually had French healthcare, but here's the gist: French citizens have a carte vitale health card that gives them full access to the national healthcare system and covers all medical care for free.
Not only is medical care free, but the card also provides access to your entire health history. That means you never have to ask your old dentist to send files to your new dentist or explain your health history to a new doctor. Pretty genius. This one may be obvious, but it's oh-so-true. Bread in all of its forms β baguette, croissant, brioche Suisse β is just so, so, so much better in France. In France, the legal work week is 35 hours and there's talk of dropping it to 32 , while in the US it's 40 hours.
Of course, in both countries, salaried employees often work more than that without added pay. And when it comes to perks, there are even more differences. The French get a standard 30 days of PTO and 16 to 46 weeks of parental leave with some pay, while here in the US we get 10 days of PTO and up to 12 weeks of parental leave which can be fully unpaid.
This may seem a bit random, but French OJ brings me so much joy. In most grocery stores and little produce shops, they have a big orange juice machine where you grab a container, press a button, and watch as fresh oranges are juiced right in front of you. The result is insanely pulpy and delicious, putting "fresh squeezed" OJ in the US to shame. While most Americans eat a turkey sandwich for lunch often at our desks , the French go out and enjoy their largest meal of the day.
They often spend several hours seated at a cafe with coworkers enjoying a full meal β appetizer, entree, and dessert In Paris, people have a low-key approach to style. It's as if they just threw an outfit together but still look great. They look polished without seeming like they're trying too hard. In the US, people tend to put on too much makeup, over-style their hair, and overthink their outfits, IMO. In the US, we like to be busy. In fact, just talking about how busy you are at work or in life is almost a cultural norm.
