Willkommen

After an excruciating journey to Berlin, we are here! Our first week in Germany we have already had so many exciting and new experiences. Immediately after arriving I noticed many differences between Springdale, AR and Berlin. The water and coke bottles here are huge! In the airport we noticed people taking the glass and plastic bottles out of the recycling and trash, and I guess we figured they just collected them. Once we (finally) got to Berlin we saw the same thing again and after asking Frau she told us that they are homless and can get 25 cents for each bottle. Now I notice them everywhere and I was asked a a few days ago for the finished bottle that was in my backpack. The homelss still ask for money, like at home, but the diversity between the homless here compared to at home seems to be an improvement. I find it great that Germany is giving them a way to earn money that also encourages recycling.

When Amelie took me home I almost forgot to take my shoes off and I had to ask how to flush the toilet and use the shower, but besides that I was pretty mentally prepaired for how different her flat would be from houses back home. In the school and at the house there are no window screens, but they open the windows all the time because they do not have air conditioning. I guess they have no fear of bugs here. Other more noticable differences are the lack of yellow lines on the street, the school still uses chalk boards and elmo projectors, they two hole punch their papers instead of three, they write with caligraphy pens at school (I have no clue why), there is an interest in Japanesse culture, the spoons are different, all the commas and periods are switched when writing numbers, and every blank space on the buildings or walls are filled to the brim with either advertisments or graffiti.

There are few things that I do not like in Germany including the abundance of sparkling water that the Germans seem like (do not ask me why) and how much American music they play (I did not come to Germany to listen to American music). But for the most part I love it here! The first week did not dissapoint with an abundance of new experiences including ordering food in German, riding the public transport, and going to the Baltic Sea, and I cannot wait to see what the next days hold!