my 2nd favorite holiday ever

Since we are very quickly approaching my favorite Holiday ever, I thought I should back track (or fast forward from the Italy posting?) a couple weeks to my second favorite: Halloween! After two years of appreciating the slowly growing German Halloween but always longing for a little something more, I was glad to finally get the chance to celebrate a good ol' Murikan Halloween! 

I, of course, repurposed an old German costume (from Karneval, as you may recall). 

And while I was worried the heavy German theme would not carry over into American culture very well, I ended up being the hit of town. Well, at least in my eyes! But despite the many comments on got on my look, it's still the home-made/witty/hilarious costumes that I like best

yes, his back feet did roll. It was impressive.

This guy was probably over 10 feet tall

lolz, assholes. get it?

But probably my favorite part of Halloween spending it with my biffle Jess! I don't know how it happened, but many years ago Halloween became our holiday, and whenever we're in the same country together, you better believe we will be taking Halloween for all it's worth!

Marshmallows and Spray Cheese

Today while perusing the aisles of Rewe (a German grocery store), a familiar box caught my eye. There, in the middle of this regular German grocery store in the middle of Dortmund I found myself face to face with Pop Tarts. Real live Kellogg's brand Pop Tarts. For 7€, granted, but a sighting like this has never been made in your plain ol', run of the mill Rewe. 

 

After a solid 30 seconds of shock, I stepped back and took in the entire 7 foot display standing alone in the middle of the store. 

Sweet mother of over-priced American imports! 

 

It was an entire "American" themed shelf of some "classic" American foods. There I stood taking in all 6 shelves of BBQ Sauce, Peanut Butter, and Pop Tarts, wearing a stupid grin that probably said something like "why, yes, I am a crazy American rejoicing in the super-processed, disgustingly unnatural food of my homeland." And I'm not just talking American-themed foods made in Germany. These products were so American they had stickers translating ingredients and instructions into German. And there, sandwiched between the Marshmallows and spray cheese, I saw it. My weakness. 

Of course, I had to splurge and spend the 2.50€ for what is normally a $1 off-brand box of mac and cheese. But don't worry, since it wasn't the real blue-box Kraft favorite, it wasn't convincing enough to buy all that often. 

 

It was also good fun to see what kind of foods seemed quintessentially American enough for the Germans to make it on the list for this display. Among the previous mentioned products, you could also find legit maple syrup, Betty Crocker cake mix, microwave popcorn, Campbell's soup, Swiss Miss hot chocolate mix (with and without marshmallows, of course), some random candy bars I had never seen in my life, and so much more. All exorbitantly overpriced. 

 

Some things (read: the spray cheese) I got a good laugh out of, but you better believe I will be baking a Betty Crocker cake at some point in the very near future! 

Things I Forgot I Missed, part 5

After arriving at the airport and being surprised by my friends (remember how my friends are a lot cooler than yours?), they wanted to take me out for my first American meal. Since it takes about 2 years to get through customs at Atlanta airport (that's another story entirely), meaning I didn't actually make it out till about 11, the original plan for Chik-fil-a was scrapped and switched to Steak-n-Shake (I mean, c'mon, we were going for the painfully American here!). 
 
It was at Steak-n-Shake that two very amazing things happened. The first, I had this fantastically delicious milkshake (go team). Second, I was reminded just how wonderful it was to be in a world where costumer service existed. 

Now, that isn't to say that no one in Germany is capable of good costumer service, or even that people aren't at least nice when you go out. It's something you don't even notice until you go back to the costumer service standards of the US.  There is definitely something to be said for people who are working for tips. I guess it is part of the same culture that has Americans classified as polite to a fault and completely superficial. But what can I say, I like my people super nice, even if it is a little fake. 

Things I Forgot I Missed, part 1

Over the course of my visit home, I've realized there are certain amenities or little treats of the American life-style that just don't exist (or don't exist to the same extent) in Germany. I'm calling these "things I forgot I missed" because they are things that are not necessarily noticeable when they're not there at all. They might be things I just didn't really need in Germany, but have since been reminded what an added pleasure they can be to everyday life. 

This first one has a lot more to do with the general different climates between Georgia and Germany, which has made it something missed less for the simple fact that it is needed less...

AIR CONDITIONING

Oh, sweet breeze of AC sweeping through my room as I write this. How did I ever survive without you? Oh right, because in Germany it wasn't 90º+ (that's 32º+ for my European friends) by 10am everyday. I've forgotten the chilled rush of comfort you can get from walking into a building after powering through the scorching outside conditions afforded by the single push of a button (at least that's all I can contribute to making the AC work). Instead, in Germany, on the days it was hot (we're talking mid-80ºs at the heat of the day), after riding my bike up the hill that leads to my apartment and passing the landlord's pool without being able to just jump in, I'm greeted inside by an air that sometimes hotter and definitely stiller than the outside. It's all I can do to stop from tearing off my clothes and hanging out my window. Oh wait, that IS my solution. But really, unless I come in already sweaty and hot, I don't think it ever gets noticeably unbearable without the comforts of AC in Germany. Georgia, on the other hand would be a straight up death sentence come 3pm when we've hit the standard summer triple digits (that's 37º, Germany).

Hopefully this trip home won't have spoiled me too much and I can continue being blissfully unaware of the comfort and pleasure I'm missing out on when I head back to Germany. 

Re-Americanization

I've only been back in Georgia for a week, and already I feel myself starting the process of re-Americanization (We're going to pretend that's a real word with a real meaning...). 

Re-Americanization is the process by which a person displaced from the USA for an extended length of time, upon returning to the homeland, reacquires old habits, customs and cultural idiosyncrasies. And since I've spent 22 years of my 24 in the US, the re-Americanization process set in quite quickly after my re-entry last  Friday. 

So here is a quick list of some recent behavior that has made me feel a little bit more American after 10 months of living in Germany:

1. I exercised my legal right to vote. I mean, it doesn't get much more American than that does it? Taking part in that time-old tradition we call democracy. And because this is the land of the free, you get an awesome sticker displaying your active participation in such patriotic duties. 

2. I text. A lot. I don't know if this is so much a Germany vs. America thing, as much as it is a 19 cents per text vs. unlimited text messaging thing, or maybe it has to do with the simple fact that I actually have people to text here. But, regardless, functioning without texting for the past week would have been very difficult! Especially when my parents text me from downstairs to see if I'm awake. 


3. I watch TV in bed. Now, granted, I watch a lot of TV shows (read: How I Met Your Mother) and movies on my computer in bed in Germany, but here in the US of A I have a real-live TV conveniently located 3 feet away from my bed. And it's not only my bedroom. But out of the 9 different rooms we have in my house, I could watch TV in 7 of them. If that's not a point for team USA, I don't know what is. 


4. I make small talk with the people at the bank. In Germany when I have to interact with people at the bank, it's generally very cut and dry: "Here are some numbers. I need money, I have an account. Thanks, bye." But in the US when you go to the bank, the man behind the counter asks how your week was, feigns interest in your plans for the coming weekend and discusses the pronunciation of your last name. And despite this unnecessary ritual adding a good 90 seconds to my bank visit, I quite enjoyed our  shared pretend interest. 

5. I drive! Ah, I've missed driving. And, as is the American way, I've gotten to drive a lot and everywhere in the past week! Now, for things like going to Athens which is too far to bike and lacks appropriate public transportation, it really is just unavoidable, but that car gets me anywhere, even if it is just to the store that is closer than the distance I would walk to school in Germany. I mean, I could bike, but who wants to show up everywhere covered in sweat. and my bike is currently hanging upside down from the garage ceiling. The car is just sitting there, asking me to drive it...

Happy birthday, Murika!

Well, internet people, I made it back to my beloved homeland in one piece and have been enjoying this, the 235 anniversary of our country, the American way - with hotdogs and hamburgers, of course!

All in all, my flight back went swimmingly. But the best part of my 2 day trip came at the very end. After the 3 hour train ride to Munich (during which I lost my German phone). After the 20 hour lay over in Amsterdam (more on that later). After the 9 hour transatlantic flight. And especially after the 2 hours it took to get through the ridiculous process that is customs at the Atlanta airport. The best part was waiting for me at the top of the stairs heading to baggage claim. 
 
But first let's back up.
 
See, the whole week leading up to my arrival, while arranging the pick up with my mom she kept saying things like "well, I'll be there, your dad might come, but I'll definitely be there." or "We'll probably come in to meet you." And if you know my mom at all, these reactions came as a bit of a shock in place of the expected "I'm sending your dad, I'll see you when you get back" or "we're just going to pull around outside, come out when you've got your stuff." I even told Gemma, by these responses, it sounded like my mom really missed me! 

So on Friday night around 10pm (you know, only 2 hours after landing) when I reached the top of the escalator to the arrivals hall, I didn't find my parents, but a group of very familiar voices and signs both exclaiming things like "Welcome home, Emily!" and "Go America!" A group of my friends had gathered at the airport for my pick up, to my complete surprise! Suddenly my mom's unusual affection made sense - she was just covering for them. It was very exciting to have an entire welcome crew :) 

So this whole time I was thinking there was no way this return could live up to Christmas when I surprised my parents, but this time, it was me who got the surprise! 

America: the land of ethnic diversity

or at least according to the English books used at my school.*

I'm supposed to be lesson planning (I think I see where this is going), but got sidetracked by completely unrelated details in the book (no surprise there). 

In the 7th grade US unit, you get a closer look at three states: Florida, Alaska, and California. And, for the sake of continuity, there are three characters that tie together all three states throughout the unit. 

It all begins in Florida at space camp, where our 3 friends (oh, and a random British girl) meet...

If you can't read that, their names are (from left to right): Margo Blair, Glen Oktollik, Conchita Gonzales, and Scott Truong, and are from the UK, Alaska, Chicago, and San Fransisco, respectively. 

So, according to this book, if you were to take a random sample of three American children, chances are they're all going to be incredibly ethnic, both in appearance and name. Because we're the melting pot. Right? the land of equal opportunities for all... or something. Apparently this book did not take a sample from Oconee County, Georgia (or else there most definitely would have been at least one very white kid name "Bubba" with a shotgun and a pick-up truck... or am I generalizing again?). 

and my favorite part? the text to the left says "Find the places they are from on the maps of the USA and the UK. Which kid is not American?" hmmm... which one of these is not like the others. 


Maybe in the next edition they'll include a tribute to our native American population as well...

*Obviously I can't say they're wrong, I mean, we are a pretty diverse place. 

I just love that that's how they classify the American kids: they're ethnic.

Coming to America

When I left the US in August, I remember planning on not seeing dear old Murikah again for a year, at the very least. That's me all excited in the Atlanta airport on August 23, 2010 before my flight to Edinburgh! ----------->

Well here it is 9 months later (omg, has it already been 9 months?) and I've just booked my second trip home. I was honestly amazed to find a cheap flight home for Christmas, so I was surprised to find out I could be lucky enough to find another good deal in the middle of summer. 

After fighting with the Delta website for an hour or so (I ended up just having to call the service people and buy the ticket over the phone), I finally booked my visit home for June 30th. Since I couldn't get a direct flight out, I opted for a ridiculously long lay-over in Amsterdam to be able to spend a day in a city I've never been too, before heading all the way back to Atlanta on July 1st. 

You'll notice, however, that I keep referring to this trip only as a visit home. And alas, it is true. I'll heading back to Germany on July 24. I can have a week or so back in Forchheim (for Annafest, really... as it's all anyone has talked about since I got here), before heading off for the next big adventure back in Zürich for a year.  But more on that later. 

Vlog time!

OMG! It's here!


Emily's Vlog #8


British English Edition!

Let's talk about sex

Sorry to disappoint, but we won't actually be talking about sex. We will, however, be talking about Germany's amazing - albeit uncomfortably open for most Americans - safe sex campaigns. 

I noticed it back in the fall when I saw these posters plastered all over our school. Now keep in mind that my "high school" includes 5th grade to 13th grade. So, while it may seem reasonable for the older crowd, it was highly amusing for me to see 10 year olds running pass these posters every day. 

Amusing because I know these posters would NEVER be allowed in American schools. *gasp* Admit that people have sex before marriage? We don't want to give these kids any silly ideas now! I've never been a believer in the effectiveness of the preach abstinence stance most of the US has taken. But that's besides the point...

If I saw these posters all the way back in September, why waiting till now to post, you may ask. Well, tonight we went to see the King's Speech (don't see where this is going...?) Ok, it had nothing to do with the movie, but the ads before the movie. 

Not only was the first ad an explicit (by any "prude" American's standards) condom ad, it was an explicit condom ad starring a gay couple. WHOA. I mean, I was incredibly impressed, because as equal rights/homo-friendly as everyone thinks Europe is, there is still quite a bit of stigma... And even more amazing was that there were no "OMGs" "ughhhs" or snickers in the entire (incredibly full) theater. I know that if that ad were played in the US, aside from the uncomfortable giggles from a condom commercial being played, there would also be a strong reaction to a condom commercial being played using a gay couple.  In the end, they had played 2 condom commercials before the movie (don't worry, the 2nd used a straight couple...). They were both commercials that went with the poster to the left, which I have also seen at school, around the city and on tons of billboards. 

I think this is one of the most interesting differences for me. Not only that subjects like sex, safe sex or (dare I say it?) condoms are openly discussed here, but that they are discussed openly in with high school students.  It's not uncomfortable or silly or poked fun at. It's just normal. And I think that's awesome.  

A taste of home

Last night Gemma, Andy and I met up with our friend Zach in Bamberg for a night out. The night included two reminders that home is still out there. The first was a sign of the harsh reality that awaits across the Atlantic, while the second brought back nothing but fond memories.


We'll start the night at the Irish Pub. We met up for dinner because it is a pretty authentic taste of home for Gemma. Unfortunately, as Bamberg has a big US military population, the Irish pubs tend to be filled with Americans. And even more unfortunately, they tend to be the loud and boisterous, bad-name-giving Americans that have ruined our reputation in the entire western world. On top of that, the throwback to bars like Buddha Bar and the Winery (the ones I tried my hardest to avoid in Athens), was a little more than I could handle. 


Of course, Gemma, in all her wisdom, reminded us (the three Americans) we had to look past our embarrassment and realize they, unlike us, are not in Germany by choice. They're not here because they want to learn the language or are interested in the culture. They're here because that's where work tells them to be, so they make their own little America however they can. 

True - but still giving the rest of us a bad name.

The second taste of home for the night was at a very "German" bar we went to compensate for our super American adventure in the Irish pub.  I would just like to put it out there that this bar was amazing! It was super tiny - probably only about 6 tables in the whole place, and it had the kind of atmosphere of a bar you would go to drink and maybe play some cards (which we, and several others, did) or chess (which they had available to use).  My kind of place (and as my friends so kindly reminded me, I have the drinking habits of a 90 year old man)


So Zach comes back from the bathroom: "Hey, Emily, I found a sticker for a beer from Athens, isn't that where you're from"
me: "OMG TERRAPIN?!!!"

Zach: "yeah, that's it"
me: "OMGOMGOMG! I WORKED THERE!" 


This absolutely made my night! And made me very thirsty for a Hopsecutioner! Definitely a good reminder of what's waiting on the other side of the Atlantic to cancel out the fact that it will be filled with its fair share of obnoxious people too. 

Hyphenated America

I'm supposed to be teaching a text in a few hours in am 11th grade class called "Hyphenated America". So, as usual, I decided to actually read through it about 5 minutes ago.

Now, I've never been your super enthusiastic, "GO MURIKAH," red, white and blue-bleeding patriot, but having been raised in a country, you can't avoid a little sense of pride or at least national identity. So when I read the article for class today, I was a little less than thrilled to have to be presenting it.

Within the first sentence, America is described as "retaining a strong flavor of intransigent non-cooperation." The very next sentences describe all Americans to consider the US "the best country in the world", but even beyond that, apparently every American believes, in comparison to other Americans, "he is better." By the third paragraph I have been informed that Americans "speak not a word of any language besides English and have never been farther east than NYC or father west than Chicago." Eventually the entire text is capped off with this gem of a paragraph:

Some Americans believe that foreigners really do speak English (they study it in school, you know), but refuse to do so out of prejudice. The delusion that "they're just like us except for their language, food and clothing" comes from the reality that nearly all Americans descend from foreign immigrants. Thus people in other countries aren't really aliens, they're just potential Americans, or rather, potential hyphonated-Americans.

Aside from the sweeping generalization that all Americans behave and think this way, the article seems to be written less to inform and more to mock. Now, I can't say that I haven't said more or less everything in this article about some people, but it's the equivalent of picking on your brother or sister - you're allowed to do it, and sure, it might be true to some extent, but you'll be damned if anyone else picks on them.

Never does this text approach the question of why we, but no other countries, have this culture of "hyphenation". Never does the author discuss address any positive reasoning behind the hyphen.

But I think I've just been inspired for my lesson plan: have the students re-write the article in with a positive tone and reasonable sense of understanding.

Oh, and by the way, the text comes from a book titled The Xenophobe's Guide to the Americans published in London.