Culture shock

Since two days my girlfriend is back to Berlin. She was at home for almost two months. As i know from previous trips to the US (and I stayed at the most 6 weeks) it is hard and takes a while to adjust being back in Germany. Houses are so close together. I never thought about it before i went to the US for the first time but when I was back I felt a bit claustrophobic. People look so different, especially the teeth, it smells different (I will never get this deodorant-hating attitude some people have here). A lot of people on the streets run you over or pass very close and if you wait for a sorry you could spend the rest of your life where it happened.

Of course it was always easier for me to adjust again because i was born and raised here so i knew how it works in Germany. Back in 2006, during my first trip to the US, i always wondered why people constantly said Excuse me, when they passed 3 meters away from me, but i loved it fast because for the first time it was like my parents tought me. They told me to always hold the door open for people behind you, especially women, to offer my seat to the elderly or pregnant women on public transportation, etc. If i told my more conservative parents about my american experiences they always would say: Oh it is the fault of the 1968 student movement. They protested against the conservative and hierarchic situation in the German post-WWII society but they also declared manners as something superficial and unnecessary which were just designed to limit the potentials of people. Since I was born a lot later than 1968 I can't tell if it is true or not. I can just say that manners are not seen as something very important. I feel the need to add again, that not everyone is like that, there are exceptions, but the general observation i think, is like i said.
Back to my girlfriend. She is going through that early phase of jet laged-culture-shock. People are rude, unfriendly, the design of curtains, furnitures, rugs, etc. everything is better in the US, etc. I know this will take some days for here to really be back again but untill then i wonder if the only thing i can do is listen. But i can tell you it is not always easy because i beef about my country quite often but in such situations i feel the need to defend Germany. Life can be confusing sometimes.

The American brands of my life

Tomorrow i can start to count down untill my girlfriend E. will come back from Pennsylvania. She will bring an enormous pile of new clothes for me (at least i hope that:-) from the outlets close to her family's hometown. I think since I met her in 2006 i never bought clothes or shoes here in Germany. Since then it is ROCKPORT and TIMBERLAND which comfort my feet, and mostly BANANA REPUBLIC and GAP for clothes. I am always stunned when i go to a store here how expensive clothes are in the old world and how enjoyably cheep they are in the new world. Does anyone know a reason for that? America-The Shoppers Paradise!!!
When E. will be in Berlin again her luggage is also stuffed with other goods of COSTCO (Thanks to her G'Ma's membership), so life is at least tolerable here in Germany;-). Vanilla Extract, brown sugar, cream of tartar, evaporated milk, GHIRARDELLI morsels, Craisins from OCEAN SPRAY, SUNMAID Golden Raisins, canned pumpkin (yes, Thanksgiving is comming up), CREST toothpaste and all the female beauty stuff, i as a man never remember the name. She will have made good deals at TARGET and TJ MAXX and will have enjoyed amazing Mu Shu chicken at the best chinese restaurant i ever went to. Very important!!! she will also have had real mexican food at places like CANTINA LAREDO, etc.
My profound german friends will hopefully excuse my superficial thoughts of commerce and brands. Yes, you are absolutely right, the best american brand she will bring back is she herself!!! I miss you E.!!!

Smelly Europeans - Danny Granger Tweet

This is an insult to every person in europe. People never smell here, never ever!!!! At least not in Berlin;-).

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/09/01/danny-granger-team-usa-fo_n_700457.html

Don't give it a try it is an insult to mac & cheese lovers!!!!

German google streetview paranoia

Last week google announced that google streetview Germany would be online later this year. Since then hell broke loose on the media. Something I can not understand at all. The german secretary of consumer protection, Ilse Aigner, seems to be on a personal crusade against google and other politicians assist her.
I can understand that people in this country are more sensitive with their private data because of 2 undemocratic regimes within the last 80 years which misused personal information in the most disgusting ways posssible. Google also has to hand in the personal wifi-data it collected. Besides that, every German got the right to object the publishing of the streetview fotos of the own house. That is something unique to Germany. Other countries just didn't care. Every other european country west of Germany has google streetview. What happened there? Do any numbers show that in these countries the burglaries skyrocketed beause thieves can now plan the escape routes when they rob a house? And why does Heinz Müller from Recklinghausen think that someone could be interested in his neat garden full of lawn gnomes or the wonderful homemade bobbin lace curtains...
The most ridicoulus thing i heard was a politician who said he has a friend in France and he could see on streetview that he didn't trim his bushes right so the next thing he did was to call him and tell him that. Aaaarghhhh...Congratulations Germany, these are the leaders you have!!!! The saddest thing is that these politicians inspire the paranoia of internet-resitant pensioners and they actually don't really know what they are talking about because grandson Kevin, Norman or Justin never shows them anything on the computer. The only thing he does is playing violent computer games. Something else that has to be prohibited!!! Hey Germany why don't you make a law against life? It is totally dangerous and you have a 100% death rate. That can't be tolerated in this country!!!!
Here in Germany you normally focus on the negative aspects of something new. Even if the positive aspects outperform the negative 99 to 1. There is a possible chance that something really bad can happen and so we have to fight it.
Germany has the best economic growth since 1990 now, does that make anyone happy??? Waewaewae... it won't be long and i don't feel anything in my pocket of this. Everything just gets more expensive, health insurance, food, etc.
Why do people have to complain all the time here? It makes me really depressed. Look arround people, we have the best living standard of all times in this country. Sure, we have problems but what about doing something against it and not just complain and complain and complain.
Enough negative things said. I am very happy that google streetview will come to Germany. I am looking forward to walk through streets i never were before and maybe never will be. It is fun to see and learn something new. Don't be so small-minded Germany, let something new come to your life.

Complains, complains, complains

Today I had to work from 9 to 4 pm and of course there are nicer things than getting up on a saturday and head to work while most of the people still sleep or enjoy the weekend.

It takes like 45 minutes to go to work and I felt kind of lonely at my station with just arround 5-6 other people. On a monday or tuesday it would be like 10 times more.

Besides that I was in a pretty good mood untill I arrived at work. The two women who had to work, too welcomed me with a great look on their face. You could see the passion and the joy like it would be christmas day in august. Groaning alternated with constant cpmplains about the wheather, neighbors, public transportations, how awful it is to have to work on a weekend day, what a disgrace it is that the company asks you to do that, how limited the technical capabilities are to do your work etc., etc. They also had the time to discuss private problems which made me think: Your job can't be so bad if you have the time to have so many private conversations. I kind of could not really focus on my schedule for the day.
What is wrong with these people??? At one point I made the mistake and said in the most joky way I could how I was in a good mood before I came to work. Mistake!!! Big mistake!!!! I now know that they both can't stand people which take life as easy as I do. I must have never had real problems otherwise I couldn't talk like that. Yeahh bi.. what do you know about me and my life!!! Thank god, work is over, tomorrow i have a day off and on monday there are more people at work and more people I like. It is hard to stand this depressed attitude towards life and especially work here in Germany. Not that it couldn't be like that in other places on this planet but sometimes I think my countrymen (or women) upgrade this to a whole other level.

Riding a bus in Berlin

Riding a bus in Berlin is a real great adventure. The bus drivers are known for their friendliness they always have a smile on their face and they answer your question with the most polite voice you could possibly think of. They drive through the city with a moderate speed so you don't have to hang on for dear life when they have to use the breaks when another berliner gentleman accidently (of course) passes very close to the bus. The occupants of the bus all use deodorant and shower on a daily base so you are not bothered with the smell from hell like in other parts of the world. They would also never try to get in front of you even when they were behind you in the line. People in Berlin always let people get of the bus first before they try to get in. There is so much culture and good manners here in Berlin always.....Wait, can anyone tell me, what is wrong with my story????