First Days in Berlin

I don't think any one of us was excited about all of the delays while traveling to Berlin but that made finally getting into Berlin and seeing our exchange students that much better.  Jenny's family is super nice and I'm so excited to spend two weeks in Germany!

Berlin is a lot different than what I would've expected from a big city.  They are extremely dilligent about recycling and while Berlin is a big city there are still countless trees and parks everywhere.  Everyone for the most part speaks English (thank god) and are not bothered if you ask them to speak in English.  So most transactions are pretty easy but it is fun and challenging to order in German.

My time in Germany so far has been so much fun.  I love the difference in scenery, people, and how the city functions as a whole.  Jenny and her family have been wonderful and helpful the entire time.  We've been shopping, sight-seeing, eating döner, and indulging in many other things that you can only do in Berlin.  The food here is so amazing and super easy to access since there is an Imbiss stand on practically every corner that you can just walk right up to.

I have seen many cultural differences between Germany and America that aren't immediately noticable but will strike one as strange if they pay enough attention.  For example, Germans greet every single one of their classmates.  Two girls will hug and put their cheeks together and make a kissing noise kind of like what an American would imagine a stereotypical European greeting to be like.  If a guy and a girl are greeting each other they will hug and if two guys are are greeting each other they shake hands or do the handshake and chestbump/half-hug thing that guys do a lot.  But while Americans see this as strange, the German probably think it's weird that some Americans will just say hi to random people on the streets or at the store.

There are also a plethora of different cultures within the German culture.  It is plain to see that Berlin has a very diverse 3.4 million people within its city limits.  I have seen Turkish, Muslim, Black, Indian, and Asian people and this is most likely just a fraction of the diverse culture that Berlin has to offer.  It has also been interesting to observe how all of these cultures interact,  Take döner for example, it it a Turkish dish that many Berliners have come to know and love, and if there wasn't a Turkish presence in Berlin this wonderful dish may have never come to be.  I have also noticed that supermarkets carry alcohol-free beer, wine, spirits, etc.  This could (I am using the word could because I'm not 100% sure that my inference is correct) be extremely helpful to the Muslim population of Berlin and Germany as they can still participate in one of the most prominent aspects of the German culture while also remaining faithful to their religion.

Berlin so far has been nothing short of amazing and I'm ready to continue observing and soaking in the culture for the duration of our exchange,