I've been back in Germany for a week after two weeks in the USA. I hadn't been back to the USA for a year and wouldn't you know, I was sick for the like the first 5 days and barely left my parents' house. And now, I'm sick AGAIN and missed two days of work this week. These international germs are really getting me right now.
To occupy myself while on some of my long flights, I reflected on my two weeks in the USA to think about things I've gotten used to in Germany and things that I will always miss about life in the US. Although, after walking with my groceries in torrential rain this week while my umbrella continuously turned inside out, I think I might have something to add to the list of things I'll miss. However, upon further thinking, I think part of it is the difference between life in a urban city and life in the burbs/smaller town/city instead of what country I live in. That whole "parking your car in front of the grocery store" thing sure is nice! I'm sure people in NYC have to carry their groceries in crappy weather too!
To occupy myself while on some of my long flights, I reflected on my two weeks in the USA to think about things I've gotten used to in Germany and things that I will always miss about life in the US. Although, after walking with my groceries in torrential rain this week while my umbrella continuously turned inside out, I think I might have something to add to the list of things I'll miss. However, upon further thinking, I think part of it is the difference between life in a urban city and life in the burbs/smaller town/city instead of what country I live in. That whole "parking your car in front of the grocery store" thing sure is nice! I'm sure people in NYC have to carry their groceries in crappy weather too!
Things I'll miss/Things I won't
Some thoughts on the American restaurant...
I legitimately felt like the waiters got nervous when we just wanted to sit there and chill for awhile. This is totally a double edged sword because the service is so great at American restaurants (and it isn't necessarily bad in Germany- the expectations are just different) and you can get in and out quickly, you have a million choices, waiters are totally attentive, etc. But, if you just want to sit and chill for awhile, they literally tweak out and don't really know how to handle themselves. They just keep checking and checking and checking to make sure you are "okay." Maybe sitting for long dinners/lunches is also a city thing and not a suburbs/smaller town thing? I feel like you can have a table forever in Düsseldorf, (provided you have a reservation, of course) and nobody will constantly bug you to order things- but will generally be okay with you ordering drinks every now and then. I'm not saying one or the other is better, it is just something I noticed about how my own expectations for eating in restaurants has changed. The super fast pace of the American restaurant just seems to stress me out a bit when I used to just be used to it as normal.