Embracing the European Livestyle

I've been stateside for a week and a half now and I keep trying to separate the recycling to German standards, I have to stop myself from saying "danke" when I leave a store, and even though I have endless amounts of ice at my disposal, I'm no longer clamoring to fill my glass. I think I've lived in Germany so long that being in the U.S. finally feels strange to me. I can fill my time by watching useless TV shows and repetitive advertisements. There are so many more choices of products in the stores that I'm used to - and it's overwhelming. I feel bombarded with things to buy and you just don't realize it until you move to Europe. They have smaller stores because there are fewer products to chose from, but all the options are pretty solid.

There is no Costco to tempt me into purchasing bulk products.

Don't get me wrong, I like that I have the option to go pickup some Kraft products periodically at the commissary, but with that comes the rest of the American experience - the obnoxious kids running around, slow people milling about, and what I can only assume is a strange, strange job saving tactic that involves someone bagging my groceries and taking them to my car (thereby expecting a tip) without the option of declining. You also get to experience consistently bad drivers in huge cars right around the commissary. A mini-'merica.

No thanks... I'd rather be challenged to bag my groceries as fast as the checkout girl can scan them at the Reve near my apartment, continue to practice driving, and watch less TV. Also, nobody is out on the street asking people to sign this petition, donate to that organization, or otherwise bug me, unlike the DC area.

In short - after this trip you guys need to start making plans to visit me, because I won't be coming back for a good long time. I'll introduce you to the calmer, more relaxed side of life. And Spundekäs.