Culture Shock?

A week ago, arriving back in Germany after Christmas in the States, I was in a very unexpected, very strange state of being really uncomfortable in Germany.  I’m not sure culture shock is the right word, but I was (sort of still am?) suddenly very annoyed about a lot of things “German,” as though my two weeks at home over Christmas erased all of my cultural tolerance and understanding.  While things are already settling back into place – going to school and getting my schedule back has helped, along with some time with the roommates and other assistants – my “culture shock” made me want to introduce you all to some more aspects of daily German life. 

This (http://www.uberlin.co.uk/what-i-know-about-germans/) is an amazing list that describes various aspects of German life.  Thank you to whoever compiled it, it’s brilliant and most of it rings absolutely true with my experiences!  If you’re not interested in reading the whole list (it is pretty long) check out these numbers:

True things that I hate about Germany:

2 (cheese everywhere!)

8 (ability to eat…yet stay really thin)

25 (fair to the point of frustration)

32 (inability to jaywalk plus an inability to then look in both directions before crossing. dangerous?)

37 (rules…again, they become frustrating)

40/41 (busses and supermarkets)

51 (supermarket check out – without a doubt the most stressful part of my week, every week)

64 (paperwork)

87 (inability to queue/line up – while the other things I “hate” usually amuse me as well, I suspect this never will.  It sets me on edge every. single. day.)

True things that I love about Germany:

2 (cheese!)

5 (punctuality!)

23 (sun and  outdoor cafes!)

25 (fair!)

28 (GERMAN BREAKFAST)

47 (lack of desire to do small talk)

55 (the stares when I go into stores in workout clothes amuse me)

67 (public holidays = time for travel!)

95 (go read it…I’m totally amused by this).

So, I apologize for the slightly confusing format, but if you make your way through the list, or even a tiny bit of it, I’ve no doubt you’ll have an even better sense of my life here.