“home” with my recent trip back to the USA and it was interesting the things I noticed since this was the first time I have been home since I left. In some respect not much has changed, afterall it’s only been 9 months since I left. On the other hand though, I noticed many little things about the differeneces between Germany and the US.
You could probably guess that the biggest is driving. I quickly got used to the fast paced and aggressive driving over in Germany so driving on the expressway for 3 hours between C-bus and Michigan was painful– and SLOW. The same distance would probably take me no more than 2 and 1/2 hours in Germany. So I had to spend at least 1/2 hour of my life in a car (each way). Maybe I need to talk with my congressman about speed limits here. I also realized how much more efficient round-a-bouts are when compared to 4-way stops. Seriously..they are 1000 times better.
The other big differences I quickly noticed was the services at restaurants. I haven’t really blogged about this before, but the service at restaurants is much slower in Germany than in the US. It’s not that the customer service is bad, but the Germans don’t want to bug you or make you feel like you are being pressured to leave, so they don’t come to your table too much. In America it’s all about fast, quick, in & out service and I can understand why the Germans (or really all Europeans) probably feel rushed when they come over here. I personally like aspects of both systems — some times i want to get in and out, but other times i don’t mind relaxing for awhile. If i had to chose i would probably go with the US system, i guess i’m not that patient when it comes to my food and drink.
The other plus of the US is something that Germany will never be able to compete with…seeing family and friends. Thanks to everyone who carted me around and took time out to see me. Especially mom, dad, little brother and a few good friends. Hopefully be back soon — but maybe not too soon. The 12-14 hours of travel time is not a fun thing.!!