Looking back at the last batch of entries, perhaps I have been razzing my adoptive countrymen a bit harshly. It is the differences that make living in a different country so unique and, well, foreign, so I choose to write about them. I mean, if I went into multiple entries about subjects like how paying our phone bill is exactly like it was back home or how great the public transit system is, I think most people's eyes would glaze over. We came here (among other reasons) to experience a foreign culture; if we wanted to live in America lite we could have tried living near an Army base where local merchants attempt to cater to soldiers' families. There are a lot of things about German and European living that are unique and superior to North America, from the mundane (comprehensive recycling) to the major (the attitude towards driving as a solemn, serious privilege makes for predictable and incredibly safe traveling). So I kid because I love. Germans as a whole are a very proud and resilient people, and it's the quirks that I bring up here that makes them relatable to us folks from the colonies.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
I Kid Because I Love
Looking back at the last batch of entries, perhaps I have been razzing my adoptive countrymen a bit harshly. It is the differences that make living in a different country so unique and, well, foreign, so I choose to write about them. I mean, if I went into multiple entries about subjects like how paying our phone bill is exactly like it was back home or how great the public transit system is, I think most people's eyes would glaze over. We came here (among other reasons) to experience a foreign culture; if we wanted to live in America lite we could have tried living near an Army base where local merchants attempt to cater to soldiers' families. There are a lot of things about German and European living that are unique and superior to North America, from the mundane (comprehensive recycling) to the major (the attitude towards driving as a solemn, serious privilege makes for predictable and incredibly safe traveling). So I kid because I love. Germans as a whole are a very proud and resilient people, and it's the quirks that I bring up here that makes them relatable to us folks from the colonies.
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3 comments:
how great the public transit system is
Well, when you're from Detroit, pretty much any public transit system is something to write home about.
What's it like in Portland?
Portland is generally seen as having some of the better public transit in the States, though it is heavily bus-reliant at present, with some light rail in the long-range forecast. That being said, it doesn't hold a candle to, say, Munich at the moment.
G
And don't forget one of the better perks of living (and working for me) in Germany. It's much harder to get a pink slip here than back in the states which has been going through a pepto bismol pink blood bath the last few years. -B
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