The Little Things

Studying in Berlin I have not experienced much culture shock as I might if I were studying in, say, Kenya. Germany is very westernized. It has showers, and plumbing, and toilets (though the flushing mechanism is different than in the US). The people wear the same kind of clothing I'm used to, drive similar cars, and live in similar houses. Its the little things, though, that are different, unexpected, and sometimes throw me off balance.

For instance, notebooks are more expensive and oddly difficult to find. Heating is expensive, so people do not keep their houses at the temperatures Americans are used to. In Grove City, I could get by wearing only a short sleeve shirt and a jacket inside. Here, I am never inclined to wear anything less than a giant, thick sweater. I sleep in thick socks and long sleeves. Electricity is also expensive, so I have to remember to unplug things and turn off my power strip when I'm not using it.

The temperature has dropped in the past few days, and we experienced a "blizzard" by Berlin standards. The streets are mostly paved with cobblestones, which makes it alarmingly slippery when walking and driving. I'm always terrified when crossing the street that I am going to fall or that a car is going to slide into me. Yesterday, Facebook was exploding with people complaining about the cold weather. I think the weather is colder in PA and Michigan, but it feels infinitely colder here because I have a 45 minute commute to school, which includes a lot of walking and waiting for buses and trains. I spend far more time outside here than I ever do in the winter at home.

Brentanostraße, the road my school is on

I went shopping with some friends on Sunday. We were in a department store called Yessica's, browsing through their shoe and sweater collection. As I'm turning to look for my friend Julia, I spot a lady with her dog trotting across the reflective floor of the department store.

Dogs are allowed in most places in Berlin. Owners will take them shopping, on the U-bahn, S-bahn, and on the bus, and will also walk through the crowded Berlin streets with their dogs off the leash. I try to imagine my dog, Tori, in this situation, and have to laugh because she would go insane with so many people and new smells.

On Friday, as it was beginning to get dark as it does around 4:30PM, I noticed a red light flashing close to the ground as something moved toward me. It was a tiny dog, dressed in a construction orange vest with a flashing red light on its back, so people wouldn't step on it. That definitely made my day.

Also, today I realized that I have the exact same amount of weekend as school days. 3.5 of each. And tomorrow doesn't even count because my German class is going to a museum about the Berlin Wall. And on Friday I'm taking a tour of the old Stasi Prison. And then off to Copenhagen for the weekend! It's a rough life.