People keep asking me how Europe is, and I have a hard time answering that. It's sort of the same. There's land, there's people, there are houses and schools and stores and everything that the US has. There are a lot of struggles similar to the first weeks of college: Who's going to be your friend? Where do you fit in? How do you do your laundry? Where's the best place to eat? Drink? How in the world do I get around?
There's a lot of things that are very different too, and most are sneaky. These tiny things actually are the most apt to set off homesickness. Like their recycling- I always recycle at home, but I still can't figure out what the hell is supposed to go where. Or that they stop at red crosswalk lights even if there's no cars coming. Or that you don't pay to get on buses- you're simply expected to pay, and while they have random checks, I've seen one check in the two and half weeks I've been here for. Or that there's practically no Wi-FI and I haven't seen a single Jeep since I left the States. You wake up one morning and you realize you're in another country, with a weird fridge and a washing machine with options you've never heard of before with brand names in stores you've never seen and no idea how to get a hold of a damn chocolate chip cookie.
A lot of these things are actually nice. I like the general culture. I love how it looks, the people are all nice, and I can't find too much I absolutely dislike. Regardless, it's quite different.
And then there's the whole language issue. I've taken 5 semesters of German, which is what you're required to take to come here. My German was absurdly awful when I first got here, but it's improved a lot in the scant 2.5 weeks I've lived here. I found myself thinking in German on the way home. It wasn't as natural as thinking in English, I was thinking words, not thoughts (if that makes sense- think about it, if you speak another language) but regardless, I had to make myself switch to English. Even now there are a few phrases that I almost type in German instead of English. Still though, my brain runs too fast for my German to keep up, yet. I make mistakes and realize them right away, but I'm already 3 words in the future and it must make for very confusing German to listen to. The people here are all very nice and most say that my German is not that bad at all.
It absolutely adds another layer of complexity to the general experience. You're in a different country and everything runs differently- but you can't even understand the language well enough to figure out what IS different. Even just ordering food or asking for directions can be disheartening. Getting mail is worse sometimes, because 'official' German is AWFUL to read. Their Burokratie rivals the insanity of the DMV. It's all very well organized but it is intense.
Like I said though, I've been fairly happy. Sometimes when I'm tired I'm sick of speaking German and I just want a Big Mac and screens in my windows and a cell phone with an area code I know (I have no idea how their phone numbers work) but most of the time, I find myself entranced by how different things are and interested in really learning German and excited to spend a few months here. I'm not really homesick at all- but I do miss Chip and my friends desperately. Each day is a bit different, but it's always hard to be so far away from them.
My parents have been and on and off worry. For the first time here, I can go the whole day without worrying. They seem so far away, they sometimes don't even register on my worry scale. I feel rather carefree, honestly. It's a great realization, because I've always worried that I would have nothing to talk about and nothing to make me me if I ever didn't have to worry about my parents. I'm pretty much the same person though, just less stressed. On the other hand, I need to worry about them and I feel a bit guilty. It is so hard to get things done from Germany. When I worry, I want to do things, and I want to do them now- but I can't. I need to wait. This isn't something I'm good with, though it's a good time to work on it.
I'm going to Rome next week. It's waay more expensive than I would have liked, but it is Rome. And it will be fantastic. I'm going with two really cool girls from my program, I think we'll work out well as travel partners. I hope so. Then real classes start.
This sounds a bit depressing, but really, Germany is great in a lot of ways. I think it's really good for me to focus on me for a little- I've never gone so long without really worrying about my parents before, and I've never been able to shrug it off so well. Like I said, it makes me feel guilty, but sometimes....just what am I supposed to do? And I have the internet and I can call and IM people and Skype is amazing, so that makes it better too. It's just one semester, and it feels like forever, but the past 4 months went by so fast...I swear I was JUST in Jamaica...so these 4 months will go by fast as well
Bis später!
