Challenging My Perceptions of Germany

So being in the Cross Cultural Communication class is making me realise some things about Germany that I didn’t realise before. I am not sure what I expected Germany to be like or what kind of values I expected Germans to uphold but I am definitely getting some idea of these things now. 

Firstly I am starting to realise just how environmentally friendly Germany is. I have already noticed the bins and how they are separated into different sections for different types of waste. However, I did not realise just how concerned with the environment they are. Conversations with my Cross Cultural Communication class have made me aware that Germany is concerned about saving water (although maybe not to the same extent as Australia) even though their need to save water is not particularly crucial. They also decided to opt out of nuclear power after the crisis in Fukushima in 2011, and are planning to shut down their remaining 9 nuclear reactors by 2022. They made the decision to immediately shut down 8 of their oldest 17 reactors after the nuclear crisis last year. On top of this Germany also has decreased its greenhouse gas emissions by almost 24% since 1990, already fulfilling their obligations to the Kyoto Protocol. These facts have really impressed me and have made me realise that maybe Australia is not as environmentally friendly as I had originally thought. 

I am also realising a bit more about German people. While some of them find the fact that you are foreign a novelty and are always willing to help, others are a bit reserved and wait for you to make the first step. I find that when I make the effort to talk to my host family more and encourage conversation, then I get a rewarding response back that leads to interesting discussions. This also helps me to feel more at home. So I am coming to realise that German people are quite friendly but some of them need you to make an effort to talk to them first. My Cross Cultural Communication teacher described German people like a coconut, hard on the outside but really nice once you get past that. 

So I’m finding that Germany is starting to feel more like home. I am getting used to the people and the places, and I think that I could find my way home from most places now. But I think that I still call Australia home! And I’m looking forward to celebrating that tomorrow. Happy Australia Day Everyone! =)

Just a little something extra

So today I’m home sick and I decided to write an extra blog because there is nothing else to do. It is kind of frustrating that I don’t know what medicine to take, and that I am not confident enough in my speaking ability, nor do I know the area well enough to take myself to a doctor.  So I decided that rest was the best option. I think it’s the small comforts of home that make you miss it. Like how all of your stuff is arranged in the bathroom, how you know where to go to look for snacks if you’re hungry or even just something as insignificant as your pillow. Like I’ve said previously, I do love it here. I think it is just the challenge of settling into the area and environment that I need to get past, just like moving into a new house. 

The description for one of my photo albums says that I think I see a new castle every day. While this might be an exaggeration it represents how amazing and filled with history Germany is. On Saturday my host sister took me and Kai to Tübingen and the Ritter Sport Chocolate Factory. It still surprises me that there is so much to see and do in Germany and I am really enjoying getting to visit so many old and historical places. Tübingen has the feel of a student town, with the university based there, and like most of the cities in Germany it is a really beautiful place. Almost everywhere I walk I see something that makes me feel amazed and in awe.

                                                   

                                                       Ritter Sport Chocolate Shop

                                                        Entrance to Tübingen Schloss

I am starting to realise that people here are similar to people in Australia. They seem to hold the same values and care about the same things. There is some graffiti in Tübingen that represents the students’ attitudes to politics and economy and to me this is not dissimilar to some of the things written on the bathroom walls back home. 

                                                                Interesting Graffiti

I am also enjoying the fact that I could go from one place in Europe to another without much hassle and for a relatively cheap price. I haven’t planned anywhere special to go yet but knowing that I have the option to is really cool. At the moment I am really excited about the possibility of seeing the Dropkick Murphys play in Ludwigsburg, which is only about 30 minutes from me. The tickets are only 30 Euros! So yeah, Germany is proving itself to be pretty damn awesome!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-64CaD8GXw&feature=related 

 ^ I'm Shipping Up To Boston - Dropkick Murphys

Settling into German Culture

The last week has been spent trying to settle in here in Germany. I have started to form a routine and I am starting to get used to my life here. It has been a bit of a challenge for me to get used to waking up at 6 every morning as it has been a long time since I had that kind of routine. But now that I am working my way into this routine I am finding it a lot easier. I still haven’t formed an afternoon routine as I am always conflicted over whether I should stay with my friends a bit longer or go straight home to study. However, I think that I will always be undecided in this area because I want to try and pack as much fun into this trip as possible.

I am hoping that by the end of this week I will have formed a study routine so that I can get the most out of my learning experiences here. I am enjoying class as I think that going over some of the topics we have already covered is really helping me to understand them more. I hope that I continue to learn a lot and that my speaking will start to improve soon. 

While I have been here I have noticed a few similarities and differences between German and Australian culture. Both Australia and Germany seem quite concerned about protecting the environment but they deal with this in different ways. For example, Australia is particularly concerned with water saving techniques. I have noticed that the German waste disposal system is a lot more complex and effective than ours. They have separate bins for paper, plastic, food waste, and other waste almost everywhere you go. There are also other small differences such as the taste of Coke being different here and the massive breakfast on Sundays. 

I was missing home quite a bit last week but since I have settled in a bit I am feeling more content here. The trip to Heidelberg on Saturday was an amazing experience and I would love to go there again. On Sunday my host family took me to the Hohenzollern Schloss, it was a nice day and so the view was incredible.

                                                                  Hohenzollern

I am enjoying learning new things about German culture and experiencing the joys of travelling as I have never travelled before. This trip is also helping me to learn things about myself. I find myself becoming more confident in general and I hope that this trip brings out an eager and confident side of me that is usually quite hidden away. I am also finding that the excitement of being here counteracts the feeling of missing home and I am looking forward to the things I will learn in the next few weeks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CX_EQHvxTG4

I've been listening to this song a bit in the last few days. Me First and the Gimme Gimmes put an interesting twist on well known songs :)

My First Week In Stuttgart

My first week in Stuttgart has been an interesting experience. I have already learnt a lot in the 5 days that I've been here. For instance understanding the train system was an adventure. I have also learnt that Germans drink a lot of coffee and like to offer you one at least 10 times a day.  Not being a big coffee drinker this has been a bit of a surprise for me. The cars driving on the different side of the road has also been a shock, and I have had to look twice when crossing the road. But these differences have been really interesting for me and I have loved having to relearn which side of the car to get into.

While I am here I expect to learn more about the culture of Germany. I have already experienced different aspects of their culture and I am excited to discover new elements of their lifestyle. I would like to learn about their family lifestyle in particular and compare it with my own lifestyle in Australia. I also hope to learn more about the language and become more fluent in it. 

As I had my first day of real classes today I am looking forward to becoming better at using German grammar. The teachers only speaking German in class is a bit confronting at first but I think it is helping me to understand the language to a greater degree. I hope that by the end of these 6 weeks I will be very familiar with the German language and that I can use my grammar and vocabulary in appropriate places. At the moment I feel a bit intimidated when speaking to German people but I hope that I will gain confidence as I practice my speaking and listening. I am excited about my future adventures in Germany.