LOVES & Hates, Part I

First, an update on how I am doing, and what I am feeling...

As of Thursday I have been here for four weeks, and in only a few days it will be a whole month. Adapting to Germany hasn't been without difficulties, but what an amazing time it's been. I couldn't have hoped for a better introduction, and now I feel completely comfortable in my family, my soccer program, and my school. Plus, traveling is a breeze. As I move forward I plan on taking fewer day trips and more long journeys. I am settled in, and now it's time for me to start utilizing every opportunity. I don't ever want to say "no." 

So far in this blog I've made a lot of observations about Germany, but I've been doing plenty more than watching from a distance. My best memories so far are those moments when I am the most involved--when I feel the most alive. It doesn't matter where I am in the world; those time will always make the biggest impression. It could be an intense soccer practice or a family dinner when all seven of us are sitting and eating at the same time. Those descriptions don't have anything to do with Germany, but to me, they mean the most. I want to start sharing more details about the relationships that have been so important to me so far, so expect those in coming posts. 

LOVES & Hates, Four Weeks In

For now, I want to have a little fun and share insight into those things, big and small, that I have liked and disliked about Germany so far. Trust me, I could write pages about what I love (that's the reason it's all caps in the title), and the "hates" will seem trivial. This is a running list to which I'll add as I experience more and more. By December I am going to have a long list of "LOVES" that will be tough to leave. So here we go... enjoy. 

LOVES

These are not necessarily the things I love to do the most, as those have been covered in other posts. Instead, I want to list the differences I've discovered and enjoyed the most in the lifestyle. In no particular order...

Parking Problems

• Biking Anywhere & Everywhere - Bad Homburg may have as many people in it as Pittsfield, but German cities are built a little differently. It's so easy for me to hop on my bike and get where I need to go. The two sports venues are three minute rides, two minutes for the nearest bakery, five for the grocery store, and only twenty to the other side of town where I teach. It's easy, sensible, and not a terrible thing to work up a bit of a sweat in the mornings. 
• The Cheese - Cheese is a major staple of German cuisine, and its not the classic American or Cheddar, either. We probably have eight different types of cheese in the refrigerator right now, my favorite being a Spanish Manchego that definitely cracks the top five on my all-time best cheese list. Goats cheese is also very popular, which is just fine by me.
• Recycling - Eventually I am going to focus a whole post on the recycling system here, because it is so much more advanced than in America. Nearly everything has a place that isn't the garbage can, and the system works so well that we spend less time dealing with it here than all of the trash back home.
• Fresh Bread & Pastries - Germans expect freshness and quality in their bread, and it's no surprise that town and cities have developed with bakeries lining nearly every street. And you don't buy a loaf of sandwich bread for the whole week; no, German housewives are expected to get the homemade bread and rolls everyday. In my home it's a little different, but there's still always a variety of fresh options to choose from. I enjoy stopping at any of the bakeries to grab a pastry, and even better, everything is half off in the last hour before closing.
• The German Hello - I'm not talking about speaking "guten tag" or "hallo" when meeting someone, I'm talking about the sports team greetings. Before setting down your bag or taking off your shoes, it's expected that you walk around the room or circle of players and shake hands with everyone, saying hello as the bare minimum. There isn't much joking, and it doesn't ever take long; it's just a nice way to arrive when participating in a group activity. 
• Sandwiches Any Time in the Day - I credit Hank Barrett for really getting me hooked on the craft of making delicious sandwiches. Even before arriving I considered myself a pretty decent sandwich chef. Well, I've certainly had the chance to practice my skill, as sandwiches are an acceptable meal, snack, dessert, anything. In addition to the freshness and variety of the breads, rolls, and cheeses as mentioned, the meat possibilites are right in my wheelhouse. I find myself throwing together a sandwich at random times in the day because it's easy and most often delicious. 
• Windows & Shades - German's are fond of their own craftsmanship, and when it comes to most things "Made in Germany," there's a tremendous amount of precision and skill involved. All of the houses are built well, and some of my favorite features are the windows and shades. Windows can be locked, opened like a swinging door, or cracked slightly--all based on the position of the handle. Shades go on the outside of houses, they are made of study wood panels, and can be lowered from the inside. They are crafted so that even at high noon a room can become pitch black. 
• History in the Air - I absolutely love United States history, but if it's an age competition, Europe wins every time. Some things feel old; the don't have to stand out or be impressive, they just seem a little special. I walk by a wall each time I help at school, and it has a small plaque that says it was built in the fifteenth century. It's just a wall in a small neighborhood of the city, and I'm sure most people in Bad Homburg don't even know about it. Still, it's been standing since before Europeans even knew about the Americas.
• The Weather - If you look down the page you'll see that I have "The Weather" listed under my "Hates" list as well. So, here's why I like it: I arrived in a heat wave that gradually cooled to an absolutely stunning two weeks of end-of-summer warmth. Every day that I traveled was perfect--cool in the morning, warming up to a glorious day. You'll read the down side to the weather later. 

Hates

It's not a long list. Sure there are things that annoy me and things I wish were slightly different, but those don't merit mentioning. Again, in no particular order...

• The Turf Fields - It's hard to complain about turf fields in a country when come November the grass will be unplayable, but I'm not a fan of turf quality here. Most fields seem better for field hockey than soccer, and even the soccer specific fields have short, sparse grass and too much rubber. Even with turf shoes it gets pretty slippery.
• Bubbly Water - One of the most disappointing things that can happen to an athlete coming from America is getting stuck with only bubbly water to drink. It's possible to get normal, bottled water, but for the most part the German athletes prefer the big glass bottles of bubbly water for hydration. Trying to quench thirst with that stuff is nearly impossible.
• The Weather - While I've had excellent weather so far, the way people talk about the climate here makes me think that it could start hailing tomorrow and never stop. I'm going to have to deal with my fair share of rain, and the winter season is slushy and gross. Damp cold is the worst, so I'm crossing my fingers for sun as the days begin to get shorter. 

I suspend my lists for now, knowing that by the end of the day I will think of more items, at least for the  LOVE portion. Expect at least a few more posts adding to my LOVES & Hates lists.