I feel like it has been awhile since I have written you all ( Nov 1st I apologize for the lateness). Ok so what is their to talk about... hmmm...
Well how about friendship.
So from what I have seen female friendships are pretty much the same in Germany and in America. Females are allowed to be close and give each other hugs and scream when something exciting happens. I think in America there is still a bit of a stigma that if women hang out a lot or kiss each other on the cheek that they are lesbians. I think this idea is declining in popularity, which is good, but male friendships on the other hand have always been tricky.
From my experience in the U.S. I see a lot of males holding back their feelings regarding other males. When men greet one another in the U.S. they shake hands give a quick pat on the back or something to show their appreciation but because there is a stigma about emotional men being gay I don't see any true emotions. In Germany I have seen many male friends greet the other with a hug or a quick peck on the cheek. No one questions their sexuality, no one makes fun of them, no one cares. I found it particularly heart warming to see a male student run to another male student and pick him up during one of the breaks during the school day. Another male student asked his friend to go grab something for him the other student said yes and while he was walking away the 1st student yelled out "your so sweet." It was absolutely adorable. I enjoy seeing two grown men singing Call me Maybe while taking a walk, or a girl kiss another girl on the cheek to show her appreciation, or a teenage boy hugging his best male friend and saying that he loves him. I enjoy how normal it is here to express the love you feel towards someone else without being called gay or a fag or a lesbian. I have not only seen it in German culture but in other cultures as well. At the school I was at their were a group of spanish men always hugging and kissing each other and every time I saw them they made me smile. Shouldn't we be able to live in a world where we are not afraid to love someone because we might be judged? I think so.
<3 <3 <3
Thursday, November 22, 2012
Thursday, November 1, 2012
Top 5
People always ask me what are the biggest changes that I have had to adapt to since being in Germany. Well for all who want to know:
1) Germany has a different weather pattern depending on where you are in the state.
No matter where you are in Germany it rains but places in the south are generally colder than places in the North. It is really cold, wet and windy where I live but there is no snow. Some laces also get this strange wind from Switzerland that makes them have headaches, but that also depends on where you are.
2) I have to bike everywhere.
I am not against biking but there are sometimes where I feel that a car would be more useful. I have to bike to school when it is freezing and to the bank and to friends houses. I would not mind it if everything was warm but it is getting to feel like winter and when riding a bike to school wet and cold I miss having a car and a Starbucks near by.
3) Everything is closer.
When I do have to bike to town it is not that long of a trip (15 minutes) and I can park my bike at the bank and walk around. There is generally everything you need in a town and more. Within walking distance there are clothes stores, grocery stores, bakery's, a toy store, restaurants, a post office, a specialty designer store, etc.... The only thing is that selection is low and prices can be high.
4) Dogs are everywhere.
So to my dog lovers out there you may be thinking that is so cute... its not. Dogs are allowed pretty much everywhere and it is a bit strange at first but generally many of these dogs are well trained and very quiet. I have a dog of my own at home and I do love dogs but not everywhere. I was out to dinner with my family eating a nice meal and I saw an owner come in with their dog and as the dog kept walking I saw it leaving a slobber trail. It was kinda nasty.
5) I cannot always express my emotions.
I have been helping teach English at my German school and I have found it difficult to tell the class what to do because I have to make my English easier to understand. Generally I am very sarcastic and that has been another thing that the majority of German people that I have come into contact with do not understand.
All these things said I would not give up my experience here for anything. Part of being in a new country is acknowledging that their will be some changes, and if I didn't feel like I could handle them than I would not have accepted the scholorship.
<3 <3 <3
1) Germany has a different weather pattern depending on where you are in the state.
No matter where you are in Germany it rains but places in the south are generally colder than places in the North. It is really cold, wet and windy where I live but there is no snow. Some laces also get this strange wind from Switzerland that makes them have headaches, but that also depends on where you are.
2) I have to bike everywhere.
I am not against biking but there are sometimes where I feel that a car would be more useful. I have to bike to school when it is freezing and to the bank and to friends houses. I would not mind it if everything was warm but it is getting to feel like winter and when riding a bike to school wet and cold I miss having a car and a Starbucks near by.
3) Everything is closer.
When I do have to bike to town it is not that long of a trip (15 minutes) and I can park my bike at the bank and walk around. There is generally everything you need in a town and more. Within walking distance there are clothes stores, grocery stores, bakery's, a toy store, restaurants, a post office, a specialty designer store, etc.... The only thing is that selection is low and prices can be high.
4) Dogs are everywhere.
So to my dog lovers out there you may be thinking that is so cute... its not. Dogs are allowed pretty much everywhere and it is a bit strange at first but generally many of these dogs are well trained and very quiet. I have a dog of my own at home and I do love dogs but not everywhere. I was out to dinner with my family eating a nice meal and I saw an owner come in with their dog and as the dog kept walking I saw it leaving a slobber trail. It was kinda nasty.
5) I cannot always express my emotions.
I have been helping teach English at my German school and I have found it difficult to tell the class what to do because I have to make my English easier to understand. Generally I am very sarcastic and that has been another thing that the majority of German people that I have come into contact with do not understand.
All these things said I would not give up my experience here for anything. Part of being in a new country is acknowledging that their will be some changes, and if I didn't feel like I could handle them than I would not have accepted the scholorship.
<3 <3 <3
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)