Now that I live with an American family who has figured out a nice way to blend the German and American cultures here, I realize that I made a terrible mistake when I first arrived in Germany.
I knew I wouldn't be able to work for the first few months and that I'd have a lot of free time on my hands. When I was asked if I wanted to get an English TV package from the cable provider, I declined for the reason that I didn't want the temptation of sitting on the couch all day everyday last summer. While it's possible that was a good decision at the start of my transition, I realize now that having that comfort and connection to my own culture could have made a tremendous difference in my experience here.
There were times when I felt alone or disconnected from home and had only CNN and BBC telling me stories about conflict around the world. It wasn't even US-specific stuff. And yes, I know I also had the internet, but I'm not a technically savvy enough to know how to block my IP address so the American TV stations don't know I'm in Germany. Every time I tried to go to a website to watch a TV series I knew and loved, my laptop said I couldn't view the content from my location. It was very frustrating.
The family I live with gets American food on the base and has a British TV package, which includes many of our American shows as well. It's so comforting after a bad day to eat Honey Nut Cheerios and have a great sitcom to help you escape.
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Monday, June 6, 2011
The Birds & The Bees
I just heard there are no bears in Germany! Well, my students told me there was once a bear in Germany, but it just escaped from Italy by accident.
Also, they have no lightning bugs here, so the kids never get to experience running around the yard to catch them only with the goal of seeing the soft glow on the concrete as you squish them under your sneakers on the pavement! My sister said Dad also used to put the lights on her fingernails to make them glow. I don't remember that, but it was her favorite lightning bug memory.
They have a really cool bird here in our area too that I've never seen before (and no one seems to know its name so I can't find a picture of it online). It hovers over the fields and glides more than it flaps its wings. It can amazingly stay in one place for a long time with its wings stretched out to the limit. The best part is its tail that twists and turns like a rudder while it's hovering. That's why Leah and I named it "The Rudder Bird."
Also, when Leah and Nick were visiting, a few of us were standing outside our Zurich hotel late one night when a fox ran through the parking lot just a few meters from us! It was amazing to see him so close. And he was FAST!
As far as pets go, dogs, cats and fish are typical here, just like in the States. I know a few people who have guinea pigs and several people have indoor or outdoor pet rabbits. That's a big portion of the pet store shelves, so I guess they're pretty popular.
That's my German animal wrap-up for you. :-)
Also, they have no lightning bugs here, so the kids never get to experience running around the yard to catch them only with the goal of seeing the soft glow on the concrete as you squish them under your sneakers on the pavement! My sister said Dad also used to put the lights on her fingernails to make them glow. I don't remember that, but it was her favorite lightning bug memory.
They have a really cool bird here in our area too that I've never seen before (and no one seems to know its name so I can't find a picture of it online). It hovers over the fields and glides more than it flaps its wings. It can amazingly stay in one place for a long time with its wings stretched out to the limit. The best part is its tail that twists and turns like a rudder while it's hovering. That's why Leah and I named it "The Rudder Bird."
Also, when Leah and Nick were visiting, a few of us were standing outside our Zurich hotel late one night when a fox ran through the parking lot just a few meters from us! It was amazing to see him so close. And he was FAST!
As far as pets go, dogs, cats and fish are typical here, just like in the States. I know a few people who have guinea pigs and several people have indoor or outdoor pet rabbits. That's a big portion of the pet store shelves, so I guess they're pretty popular.
That's my German animal wrap-up for you. :-)
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Carless...(sort of)
So I had to give up my Yaris last week and things are a bit different for me now, logistically. I'm living with the most amazing American family (who have been such a blessing in my life) and they've offered me the use of their cars when they aren't being used for caravaning the four kids to soccer, baseball or Irish step dance practice. This transition meant I had to lighten my teaching load, because I can't get to some of my classes without a car and the afternoons are packed full of practices for the kids. So I recently went from teaching 35-42 hours per week to now teaching 17-25 hours per week. I feel like I'm on VACATION!!!!
And while you might be thinking the loss of hours would be tragic for me financially, you have to realize that car insurance here is unbelievably expensive compared to the States (lots of luxury vehicles on the road and NO speed limit on some parts of the highway), plus gas is $8.44 per gallon (when liters and euros are converted to gallons and dollars). So now I have no car insurance payment and little gas to pay for since I'm only driving a few times a week. The car expenses were actually the biggest part of my budget anyway, so it's working out okay...for now.
While a bit more planning is needed now for scheduling the times I need the car, not having my own car is actually not as bad as I expected. Thank goodness and God bless my new host family!
And while you might be thinking the loss of hours would be tragic for me financially, you have to realize that car insurance here is unbelievably expensive compared to the States (lots of luxury vehicles on the road and NO speed limit on some parts of the highway), plus gas is $8.44 per gallon (when liters and euros are converted to gallons and dollars). So now I have no car insurance payment and little gas to pay for since I'm only driving a few times a week. The car expenses were actually the biggest part of my budget anyway, so it's working out okay...for now.
While a bit more planning is needed now for scheduling the times I need the car, not having my own car is actually not as bad as I expected. Thank goodness and God bless my new host family!
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Keep Both Hands Above the Table
Germans think all Americans eat with just one hand while they put the other hand on their lap under the table and hover their chest over the plate. I didn't think it was true, until I started noticing it more and more.
They have a completely different style of eating here and it's hard to learn to eat a new way after you've been doing it one way for 29 years! Here, if you are right-handed, you keep the fork in your left hand and hold the knife in your right hand to cut and also to shovel things onto your fork. That way you don't have to use your fingers to get the last few peas onto the fork. Your knife does the work for you! They even do this when they eat salads or mashed potatoes...whatever! They also keep both hands above the table.
Try it! It's more difficult than it sounds, but you might like it after some practice!
They have a completely different style of eating here and it's hard to learn to eat a new way after you've been doing it one way for 29 years! Here, if you are right-handed, you keep the fork in your left hand and hold the knife in your right hand to cut and also to shovel things onto your fork. That way you don't have to use your fingers to get the last few peas onto the fork. Your knife does the work for you! They even do this when they eat salads or mashed potatoes...whatever! They also keep both hands above the table.
Try it! It's more difficult than it sounds, but you might like it after some practice!
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