A few years ago I took the opportunity to apply for a fellowship to study in Germany. Now, you guys don't know me, but I'm one of those people who rarely wins contests and drawings, so I didn't give it much thought after submitting my entry.
What I didn't know at the time was that I was the only applicant. Period. Although several others submitted theirs after mine, I was the only one who made the deadline and the only one who actually read and followed all of the rules. So to my utter surprise, I was announced as the winner.
Normally only one person gets to go from each institution, but since no one else had bothered to apply at the others, we got to send two people. Thus I was accompanied by a shall-we-say "low information voter" type of girl who was a vile, nasty drunk.
The Ties That Bind (Or Not)
Once she found out she could drink in public, she went hog-wild. She was already drunk (and angry, and still drinking) at the airport when I landed, having already had alcohol on the plane. Drunk in the car, and continued drinking her entire first day in Germany.
Her behavior was so out of control that the local supermarket in Germany threatened to ban her and have her arrested for drinking the booze in the store without paying. After two weeks of such bizarre, argumentative, drunken behavior with everyone around her, I cut her off and never spoke to her again.
Now free from being associated with such a person, I was able to enjoy the country in a peaceful environment. What struck me after arriving in Stuttgart was how clean the country was. Unlike my hometown where people throw their soda cans on the ground, Germany had a kiosk in the local Penny's market where cans could be traded in for cash.
There was this machine where plastic and metal cans could be placed into this hole which ground them up. You were paid the equivalent of 0.25 per can, so we'd save up our bottles and take bags to the store every couple of weeks. This was one of the reasons the streets were so clean as it didn't pay you to throw cans and bottles on the ground. You were throwing away cash and nobody wanted to do that.
I also didn't see any homeless people living in tents on the sidewalk. Believe me, I looked all over the city and saw not one. Nobody dressed in rags and reeking of urine. I was told that the area that we lived in was controlled by the local green and communist party and it seems their policies were what kept things equtible so that poor people had the support that they needed.
A Place Of Refuge (For Some)
The German people were nice at least to us. Their opinions of the refugees were another matter entirely. In five months of living there, I never saw the two groups interacting. The refugees complained about everything European, instead of being grateful to have found a place of sanctuary from their "war-tor" countries. The local Germans told me about the increase in crime that came along with the arrival of the refugees and how nothing that they did ever seemed to please them. It was a sad situation.
However, there were some recent arrivals that appreciated their situation. I will never forget the hospitality shown to me by the owners of a Turkish restaurant. Upon hearing that I was American, they insisted on serving me a free meal and refused my repeated offers of payment. They wanted to know all about life in America, and I was happy to oblige.
Most of my time in country was spent answering such questions about my homeland, and I made a point not to sugar-coat anything. I gave it to them straight, the good and the bad. This way they had a realistic picture of my country and wouldn't be shocked if they ever made it across the pond.
I hear a lot of apologizing about the Nazi's and WWII, so much so, that I told my instructor "enough already, you've apologized and paid reparations. You Germans need to move on from this." Germans are some of the best people in the world and I didn't want them to continue being weighed down by something that happened in the distant past.
Industry And Peace
The area that I lived in was originally settled by a people called the Swabians, and we learned about them in the German history class. We also learned that the country lacked many of the essential natural resources, which was one of the reasons for the many wars. I wondered what made Germany the economic powerhouse of Europe, as opposed to say, Poland which was of similar size.
It seems that lack of resources forced the people to become more industrious and inventive to make the most of what they had. Innovation was at the heart of everything that Germans did, which is one reason for their successful auto industry. We were lucky enough to have the chance to tour the Audi factory in Stuttgart. I was impressed enough to ask for a free Audi at the end of the tour! :)
Used to hearing gunshots at night several times a week, and afraid to go out at night, I was pleasantly surprised at how quiet things were. There was very little crime, and peaceful evenings without the loud booming music coming from cars at all hours of the night back in the US.
I was encouraged to go for walks at night as there was nothing to worry about, and I did. There was never a negative interaction, and in Germany, a lack of the innate fear and suspicion that someone out at night my incur. Here I was free to wander and did so on numerous occasions.
When classes were over in December, instead of going back home right away, I decided to stay into the new year. This would give me more time to enjoy the country without worrying about classes.
Thankfully I had paid extra for my own private dorm room, and was surrounded by Chinese and English students who were very peaceful and quiet. I heard horror stories from people who lived in shared dorms, and how loud, dirty and filthy many of the students (including females) were. Not for me, I paid the extra 30 Euros a week and enjoyed my serenity.
Seeing Your Country Through Someone Else's Eyes
Sometimes people don't realize what they have until they see it through the eyes of another. I was surprised at the many people German and otherwise who wanted to move to the US. I was like: "You want to leave this? You already live in paradise!" They had it made and didn't know it until I explained what my area was like. Filth, trash, noise, fear, suspicion (along with many good this as well) is what awaited them in America.
Homeless people live under our bridges here and fill the streets of our downtown. Our homeless shelters are packed to the brim and staffed by psychopaths who treat the homeless with disgust. People go to church on Sunday and then make fun of the poor as they drive by. Pastors also drive right on by in their fancy cars after leeching their congregation of money to live well on. Nobody gives much thought to these homeless people, ignoring the example set by the Savior.
That is why living in Germany was such a welcome respite, that I stayed an addition month after my studies were over. So if you're German and you're reading this know that you live in a beautiful country filled with wonderful people. You have so much to be proud of and can even teach America a thing or two. It was an honor and a privilege to live in Germany and I hope that someday I can return. What an amazing country! :)
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