We’ve officially been in the states for 5 days now and it has been…hmm…what is the word. Peaceful? Eye-opening?
All the anxieties I picked up in Germany are shown in full color here in the US. For example, I was at the deli section in the grocery store yesterday and I saw that the sliced chicken breast that I love was empty in the case. So I asked the young girl behind the counter if she had anymore and she said she would just have to slice some up. Instantly, I got nervous and anxious and very timidly asked her if it would be ok if I asked her to cut me up some. She gave me the strangest look and said, “Of course! Thats my job!” In Germany people would huff and puff about helping you out. This shield will hopefully break down eventually. 
People in general are SO friendly here. We took Harley out to swim at a little park area and an older man got out of his jeep to take some pictures of the water. I got really nervous about Harley because as we know, he loves to go up and say hi to everyone! The man said, “Oh hello there!” and Harley went back to the water to play. We had a great conversation with him for a while. Its just so easy to meet people and make friends here, I just completely forgot. This shield will hopefully break down eventually too.
We have a cleaning lady come every week to our apartment. She’s so happy and friendly and we ended up talking to her for a long time, keeping her away from her job! oops! But she was talking to us about dogs and letting us in on the know-hows about the area, she called the Vet she goes to to let them know about our pup needing to come in to get his check up. For the first time in a long time, I didn’t feel so alone. This shield will hopefully break down eventually too.
Its all just a matter of figuring out which culture to fit in with. I did my best to fit in with the German culture when I was there and now I have to relearn what it means to be an American. Although, I’m not so sure I will ever be like how I was. And I’m happy with that. I’m a better person because of the time I lived in Germany and for that, I am truly thankful!
So 5 days in and we are looking at our second round of houses today. The first round was ok but man, some people just do NOT take care of their homes! The search is on for our perfect place and we are optimistic and excited! Our container should be arriving in a few weeks so we are slightly rushed to find a place because we have no where to unload all this stuff! Yikes!
Will update you all later with our travel over here (and how to travel with a dog) as well as our going away party and Omi’s 90th birthday party!!!
Until next time, Readers!!!! xoxoxoxo
The Diary of Sugar and Spice 
Where I live in Germany, the people behind the deli counter are happy to help! If I asked someone to cut me some meat I can’t imagine they would get huffy. It makes me sad that other expats seem to live among such unfriendly Germans.
I guess I’m the total opposite! Maybe it depends on the country you come from. After living in Latvia for four years, I find the Germans so cheery and open and friendly. And the customer service here is amazing. In every shop, I get a hallo, (usually) a smile, and they wish me a good day/evening at the end of the transaction. And get stuff for me when I can’t reach it 😉
Good luck with the adjustments. We are having your experience in reverse. New to Germany, I’m learning not to wave hello to strangers on the street (I get very, very strange stares), but to try to match their reserve. I like the German people, they seem to be kind and good, but they are definitely more socially rigid. It will be a challenge to fit in with my southern-American mannerisms, my silly teenage kids, and my two less-than-well-trained dogs.
Anyway–best wishes to you. Sounds like you are off to a good start!
Best of luck! I’ve just moved here too 🙂 Three weeks now! I’ll pop over and check out your blog! Linda.
Best advice I can give is to try to “blend in.” I started to just accept that I was there and I would make the most of every second I could. It got a lot easier after that!
Welcome to MI!
Thank you!! So far so good!!
So glad to have you back in the states! It looks beautiful there and Harley seems to be loving it. It’ll all be “old hat” soon enough! Good luck with the house hunting!! 🙂
Definitely looking forward to it all being “old hat” soon! So hard because everything feels so new again!
I never really had anyone behind a counter become huffy and puffy with me here in my area in Germany either. Maybe the old people who stand in line behind me might..lol, but that’s something I have dealt with everywhere. I guess we all have different experiences, but I always found people in the USA to be extremely rude most of the time, and plenty of times people would rather look at their mobile phones than help you in a shop.