Week 7: A Neighbourhood Stroll

Lately everything has been so hectic. Between school, homework, planning, and exploring new places I haven't actually had the opportunity to take time and smell the hypothetical roses.  On Saturday and Sunday I decided to take a break from the insanity and take time to appreciate some of the differences between America and Germany.

Just before bedtime every night, my host mom asks me when I would like to have my breakfast. Occasionally on Saturdays and Sundays, we'll have a late breakfast around 9am, but it's generally closer to 8am. Marianne sets the table with all the china, butters, break and other toppings, and serves tea from the tea pot only upon request. While we're eating, Marianne reads articles from the daily news paper to intiate the morning discussion. When we're done eating we each put up our dishes and recycle our garbage in their respectable bins. In Texas, I'm accustomed to eating breakfast alone and helping my parents set the tables as well as clean up afterward- But lately I've found myself waiting quietly for Marianne to begin reading the German news articles.

While walking through the neighbourhood, you'll rarely see any identical houses. Even the apartments vary in shape, size, and color. Many of them have large windows that open in two directions- diagonally at the top, and inward; completely open. Instead of curtains, or blinds, the windows have adjustable shutters outside of the house to control sunlight.
A vast majority of houses are equipped with solar panels to conserve energy.
And also the toilets can get pretty weird.

Many German towns have multiple parks and playgrounds dispersed through out the neighourhood in addition to wooded/forested areas with small ponds or running streams. The paths through these parks are well maintained and worn down enough to make for lovely strolls or a self loathing run.






A major difference between the U.S. and the Germany is this little machine right here. The German Government allows for cigarette dispensing machines as well as advertisement- provided that they include photos of the effects of smoking. This absolutely boggles my mind because it doesn't seem to deter anyone from smoking at all.





On weekends, after dinner we eat a fancy dessert off of more china, served with tea. I'm going to hate the day when I got back to eating off of three dollar plates with plastic forks.