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.
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