Trying to keep up with all the change Germany was throwing at me left me on my first Saturday afternoon sitting in my kitchen eating plain white rice and kidney beans. Right then, my German roommate came in and started to make her own lunch, asking me how things were going and how I was enjoying Germany. I was honest and told her I was having trouble getting used to the grocery store. She asked if I wanted help, then took the next hour to go through her pantry and show me all the products she liked, letting me try everything as we went.
We went through just about everything she had in the kitchen! She offered to go with me to the grocery store, but I thanked her and went on my way. That day I learned two things: 1) Germans can be incredibly friendly and kind, and 2) I would be okay. While I won’t always get the chance to have a personal tour through cultural differences between the United States and Germany, everything would be okay.
That night I sat in bed and ate a new pint of Pistachio ice cream, which is my roommate’s favorite flavor. While it isn’t quite the same as my Chunky Monkey back home, I think I could get used to it. I would say this goes for most of the differences between the US and Germany. Cultural differences are often awkward and uncomfortable at first, but once you accept that this is just the way things are done somewhere else, you realize how cool it is to have a chance to participate in them. At the end of the day it’s my decision to figure out which way of doing things I like better, but for now, we’re going to try things German for a bit!
