I have been in Germany for a little over three weeks. I have had so much fun so far and I have also learned so much in these past weeks. So I decided that on this blog post I would do a little update and some differences between Germany and the United States that I have noticed.
This past week I went with my host mom to Hannover and Luneburg. It was my first time riding the train and I really liked it. Hannover was so pretty I really liked it. In Luneburg we visited my host mom's parents and they were so nice. It was so cool getting to meet her family.
Over the weekend I met up with exchange students in Oldenburg for a festival. It was so fun getting to meet some of the exchange students in my district that will be living in Germany for the year. I rode the train for the first time by myself. I was so nervous I would get off at the wrong stop. I had also forgotten to stamp my ticket and of course they came around to check the tickets. The lady started to speak to me in German and I had no idea what she was saying so I said "I speak English". All she told me was to remember to stamp my ticket next time and that if not it would cost 60 Euros. Yikes. I will definitely remember it.
So I was supposed to be starting school tomorrow, but I just found out that instead I will be going to a language course from 9 to 12:30, so I will miss the first 4 weeks or so of school. I think its better because I would be sitting in class not understanding anything, and now I will be learning German so I can understand things. I also got a package from my parents that made me very happy because I forgot my American Flag back home. I have no idea how I forgot that. I seriously bring my flag EVERYWHERE. No joke.
Okay now to the differences between the United States and Germany so far.
BREAD. So many types of bread. In the United States we eat a few different types of bread, but here oh my gosh. There are so many to choose from. A normal breakfast here is bread and you can put cheese, meat, jam, Nutella, or peanut butter on it. Also on the table is fruit and cereal. I normally have cereal and bread.
Paying to go to the bathroom is a big difference. I found that so crazy to pay to go to the bathroom the first time I did it. Its not super common to have to pay to go to the bathroom, but in the train station and on the streets you would normally have to pay.
Small talk. Germans do not have small talk. Last night I even talked with my host family and heard their opinions on small talk. They said it would kind of be considered weird and rude if you were on the train and someone just started a conversation with you. In the United States small talk is totally normal and I love getting to know people from a small conversation at the store or anywhere.
Having to pay for plastic bags at the supermarket. Woah this really shocked me. The plastic bags are harming the area and also killing fish in the sea because of the bags getting thrown everywhere. Most people bring their own bags or backpacks to the supermarket.
No air conditioning. In Germany it doesn't get hot enough to need air conditioning, so no one has it. It is not worth buying for the few days out of the year you might need it. They have heating though because winter in Germany is pretty brutal.
Okay these are some of the differences so far :-)
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