Getting Accustomed to the German way of Doing Things

Being in a different country, especially one with a different language, typically brings about culture shock for the travelers. I have been able to travel around the world for a few weeks here and there, but I have never experienced this phenomenon. I have only now come to understand what culture shock can mean.

Living in Reutlingen, Germany is an absolutely wonderful place to be. The view outside my window is of some mountains in the distance, and, besides the weather, there is nothing really to complain about. The only difficulty comes with understanding all of the surroundings. Coming into this program with a French background and an eventual Chinese minor has not set me up with the necessary German language skills, but I am trying to learn as much as possible.

The most obvious difference is being around people that typically do not speak your own language. There is very little English spoken on a regular basis unless I am trying desperately to converse with someone. Therefore, every time I have ran into a British tour group or another bunch of Americans, I have become overly excited. English never sounded so good.

Other differences are smaller – like trying to do my laundry. My roommate and I decided that we would just know how to do laundry; I thought it was a part of my womanly senses no matter what country I was living in at the time. I could not have been more wrong. There are a vast amount of buttons on German laundry machines and a variety of different cycles. When this happens, my best advice is to watch the video posted on YouTube about doing laundry here. Rather, we took a guess and ended up with a pile of sopping wet clothes that we had to ring out in the nearby sink. That experience has taught me to always read the instructions in your own language first. Here’s some help: watch this video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=essQiVHV9rA. That will get you started!

I cannot wait to see what new things will challenge me in the future. Hopefully, I will be a pro at laundry from now on, but I know there will be new cultural differences to face. And that is the fun of it all. What better way to grow as a person in confidence and tenacity than living in a foreign country for a semester? Future fiascos aside, I know this will be the best time of my life.