Verschiedenheiten

or my observations on differences between Germany and the US.

1. Die Partei der Bibeltreuer Christen (The Party of the Bible-abiding Christians):
A political party whose platform is nearly the same as the American Republican party. In America, the Republicans get ca. 50% of the vote. Here, the PBC gets around 2%, not enough to clear the 5% hurdle and actually hold office.

2. Germans in general are more Umweltbewusst (environmentally conscious) than Americans. One place this shows up is in the incredibly complicated trash sorting system. I haven't figured it out yet, but there are different colored bags for organic waste, glass, paper, etc. The kitchen in my dorm apparently doesn't use the system. German grocery stores (Supermarkt) don't provide grocery bags--you either have to bring your own or buy a plastic or paper one there.

3. Speaking of the Supermarkt, there are a few other differences. You have to pack your own bags. Trying to shove all your Lebensmittel (literally life means/funds) into your bag and pay before the next customer's stuff comes piling on top of yours can be stressful. German cashiers are naturally very efficient as a result of their being German and the process moves quickly. Trying to shove my Euro coins (see number 4) into my wallet and figure out what the cashier is saying when he says "Kassenband?" definitely intimidated me the first few times. Blank looks when the cashier asks if you want the receipt definitely identify me as a foreigner.

4. I often feel as though I'm getting ripped off whenever I get change. There are no 1 or 2 Euro bills here in the Eurozone, so if I pay with a 10 Euro bill for something that costs 6 €, I'll get two coins back instead of 4 nice crisp dollar bills. It always seems like less money to me, although it obviously isn't. My wallet actually broke from the strain of all the coins.