Hey Racheal...An Intro to the German Life!

Hey Racheal,

Today is our 6th day in Germany and it has been an amazing experience. When we first arrived in Germany, I was apprehensive. I am not usually comfortable in new environments, so I thought I would not enjoy my time here. When we arrived at CIEE, however, I felt welcomed. Everyone was so nice to us and took the time to help us adapt to the environment.

I truly learned about the German culture when I visited Mustafa’s Gemüse Kebap (I recommend everyone visiting this delicious establishment before we leave). The similarities and differences between the U.S. and German culture are astonishing. Here are the ones I found to be most prominent:

The stares: Germans love it. Americans hate it. I remember a particular moment on the train where I looked up and discovered a random German man staring at me. I didn’t know what to do. Do I wave? Do I stare back? Do I look away? I went with the second option, and I have to say it was extremely uncomfortable. Looking at someone for a long period of time is creepy. You have no idea what the other person is thinking about and you begin to overanalyze everything.  

No “Southern hospitality”: When summer bridge first began I noticed that everyone from the Southern states were extremely polite. They were talkative and wanted to get to know everyone immediately. Everyone from the upper-East coast states, however, was very reserved. We did not speak unless spoken to and rarely engaged in social conversations (until we got to know each other better). I noticed it is like the latter here in Germany.

Diversity: I have to admit. I don’t think I expected to see so much racial diversity here. I definitely expected to see more Western Europeans here, but I have been seeing many from the East (especially people from the Middle East). This is very different from what I am used to at Howard. Before attending Howard, I was immersed in a predominantly black environment. My friends, teachers, store clerks, police officers. They were all black. When I came to Howard, it was the same as back home. We are, however, culturally diverse. It has been nice to see people who do not look like me, but are in the same environment as I am.

I appreciate my time here in Germany and I can’t wait to spend the next week-plus here.

Ciao!