Born to Stand out!

Since it has been so long, I thought I should start with a few truths before we really get going
1.  I have been thinking about writing another blog for at least 3 weeks but can't seem to come up with something worthy of your time.
2.  Experiences that would have certainly graced the pages just a few years ago now seem boring and ordinary.
3.  Now that the reality of returning state side has set in I am growing increasingly impatient with our European way of life......although I have thoroughly enjoyed this experience I AM JUST READY TO BE HOME ALREADY!

Ok....now that I got that off my chest I feel a little better about letting you into our reality once again!  Now, I know you are craving to hear about more fabulous adventures, and to be honest we have had quite a few since the last time we talked, but blogging about the delicious treats and jaw dropping sights just doesn't seem quite fair so instead I will let you in on part of our day to day life here on the other side of the pond.

Now, when you move overseas you are constantly reminded about fitting into your environment.  It is critical that you are not seen as an outsider, and for safety reasons you are not aloud to flaunt your American or military pride for everyone to see....I mean my over cautious husband won't even let me hang my "welcome" sign on the door because it is written in English instead of German (even though half the stuff they sell in the stores comes this way anyway).  But to be honest, no matter how hard we try to fit in with the locals there are just some things that seem to just give us away.....

Dead give away number one.... Our cars have little license plates.  For some reason our American spec cars do not come equipped with a large enough indention in the bumper for the traditional long European license plates.  To combat this problem the government has graciously adapted them to fit our vehicles....sounds smart when they are encouraging us to blend in right???

Number 2....we can be seen trying to load our arms with as many groceries as possible so that we only have to make one trip from the car after our weekly grocery run!  Germans are all about freshness and tend to make grocery runs daily.  Get behind a German at the local "grocery" store and you will often find 1 container of yogurt, enough meat for one meal,  a couple of pieces of fresh baked bread, and a bottle of wine or a six pack or too.  Call me crazy, but I would much rather spend an hour at the store once a week than 20 minutes on my way home from work EVERY day.  Although this does make the tiny kitchens and fridges seem reasonable. 

Give away number 3...We wear flip flops in public!  If it were up to me it would be warm enough outside to wear flip flops every day of the year, and I have no shame in wearing the plastic concoctions anywhere.  The Germans however wouldn't even wear them to garden. In the words of one of my German friends...."American's are lazy dressers."  And as I sit here in my t-shirt and yoga pants I have to think she might be on to something here :)

#4.  We are constantly running from bee's.  I have never in my life seen so many species of bees buzzing until we moved here.  To put it in perspective we can no longer open our windows after about 5p.m. because the two nests of hornets living on our roof will make their way to the light, and since bees are protected (under the animal cruelty laws) we have been told there is nothing we can do about it.  I am not sure if it is because they have grown up this way or because they realize that compared to a 1 inch bee they have the upper hand, but Germans just swat away the little buggers like flies....my family on the other hand can be seen running and ducking as if our lives depended on it....Although to be honest, I no longer tell people that I am allergic just so that I don't seem quite so crazy, and I think that is a step in the right direction don't you?

And the most embarrassing of them all......OUR DOGS ARE CRAZY!  I have never in my life seen so many well behaved four legged friends walking quietly beside their owners.  Due to this dogs are literally aloud everywhere; in restaurants, at the zoo, on trains, in stores....you get the gist.  We have never had the experience of running into someone who's dog begged at the table, barked at passing dogs, ran off, or even jumped up to greet you....our dogs on the other hand, do ALL of this!  It has gotten so bad that our neighbors will literally check to see if we are outside before choosing to take their little angels for a walk....EMBARRASING.   (the ironic thing...we have recently been informed that our neighbor of nearly 3 years is a retired dog trainer).

Although it is definitely important not to stand out on purpose it has become increasingly obvious that we are not "locals."  That being said our little village has been nothing but gracious to us and  seem to accept our brand of crazy.....that or I still don't know enough German for them to let me know how they really feel!!