They say everything is bigger in America… Well it’s true.

Yesterday, I went back to Bautzen to visit the girls that we met on our faith walk. Through out the day- because I couldn’t really understand anything that was going on around me- I was thinking about the differences between America and Germany. So this is my list.

1. Everything really is bigger in America- One of the last things we did before we went home yesterday was go to a McDonalds. After a long day of walking and listening to people speak in a language I can’t speak I was in desperate need of coffee. I had no idea where to get one though, which ties into my next point: gas stations. Anyway, I saw the golden arches and told Mel and Ilga that I needed to stop there. Mel agreed. We went in and I could not find where the sign with the price of coffee was. I only had 2 Euro on me so I was trying to make sure that I could get the most for the least. All that to say, after much confusion I got what a European would call a large cup of coffee.  I would say it is about an American Medium and it cost 1,99 Euros. Which I really didn’t have a problem with that; however, when I saw the milkshake that Ilga got, I thought about how if someone was served that in America there would probably be a lawsuit. I forgot to ask her exactly what size she ordered, but I hope it was a small. In all honesty, it looked like a child’s size.
2. Gas stations are for Gas- I shouldn’t say too much about this because I didn’t actually go into a gas station. The thing is I really miss TurkeyHill, Sheetz, SevenEleven, and all the other ones. You name it I miss it. American gas stations. As scary as they can be, they have some of the cheapest best snacks ever. And it’s so nice to be able to just quickly run into one to get a drink. Now again I say, I haven’t gone into a gas station, because I don’t drive, but when I was telling Ilga about how I go to the closet gas station to get super cheep coffee she didn’t exactly say “oh yeah we do that here too”. Maybe I’ll try going to a gas station just to see if there are any similarities- that is if I can find one in walking distance. Have I told you yet that Herrnhut only has two Traffic Lights? It is tiny. I’m pretty sure the closet gas station is in the next town.
3. Der Tramper- This is a pretty obvious difference between Europe and the States. I mean how often do you hear some say “oh, yeah. Last weekend I hitched a ride to Philly.”? That is what we have been doing here. Granted, Bautzen is not as far from Herrnhut as Philly is from E-town, but Dresden is and people have hitchhiked to there as well as Prague. So. Yeah. I would say hitchhiking is much more acceptable in Europe. The reason why people don’t hitchhike in America is because they say they don’t trust other people. I think Hitchhiking is about trusting yourself. Use common sense. If there are two guys in the car who are probably half drunk and have driven past you three times just to check you out, don’t go with them. Wait for a women driver to feel sorry for you. Also only go hitchhiking with God. Seriously, ask him for protection and a safe ride. He will give it to you.
4. Dogs, a man’s best…shopping partner?- That’s right. This blows my mind. We went to the mall yesterday, and people had there dogs right there with them. And I don’t just mean little purse puppies. I mean big dogs! Always on a leash, but, still, we were at an indoor mall. This is something that I notice every time I go somewhere. I think I was talking to my friend Trixi about this. She said that people didn’t want to leave their dogs at home because they would get lonely. Could you imagine an American saying that!
5. Countdown till Christmas- Ok, so here is one I didn’t think about till now. When we were at the mall I noticed that it was very beautifully decorated for Christmas. But how can that be, it’s not even thanksgiving yet. Right? Wrong. Thanksgiving is an American holiday. Here in Germany Christmas is the next big holiday. Thusly, everyone is starting to decorate.
6. America the Great- Now, I’ve pointed out all these differences between where I am and where you are. Yet, I couldn’t tell you what is good or bad. But I want to tell you about the reputation my homeland has in the minds of the kids that I have met. One of the things that made Goldy, the girl we met on faith walk, super excited to be my friend is the fact that I am from America. She loves to brag about that. Yesterday, when we were hanging out, both Mel and Goldy were talking about how cool they thought America was. Goldy said how she really wants to go to America when she was older. But my feathers were ruffled when Goldy said she wished that she could go back in time to when her Mom was young and get her mom to move to America so that she, Goldy, would be born in the States. Something about that statement really bothered me. I’m not sure why. I guess it just seemed like Goldy thought there wasn’t anything bad in America and if she lived there she would have a perfect life. I don’t know if that’s what she meant, but that made me worried about the view that other countries have of America.
7. There’s one in every family- Actually in every city. What is in every city? Dunner (I really don’t think that is how you spell it). In fact there is more than one in every city. There is even one in tiny little Herrnhut, which only has two traffic lights. It’s kind of like fast food places in America or more specifically pizza places in E-town. Each one is a little different, but they sell the same type of thing. A dunner is the name on a Turkish food place as well as the food they sell. Have you ever heard of Turkish Tacos? I think that is what a dunner is. Then they also have durums, which is my favorite, and Turkish pizzas. The pizza thing is why I though of this one. I miss good old Pizza Hut. When I come home I’m throwing a pizza party and ordering pizza from every place in E-town!

Well, I wasn’t sure how many differences I would come up with, but I think seven is a good number. I’m sure I could come up with some more, and maybe I will later. But for now I am done. Hope you enjoyed. BTW. Pray for my outreach team and I. We are getting closer to leaving. I have all the finances I need, but I’m still asking God to provide some necessities, like snow boots and a backpack. However, I know for a fact that there are people on my team, including one of my good friends, who do need to raise some money for both lecture and outreach. If you feel like you want to send some money their way email me! BJGraybill@gmail.com I know they would appreciate it.
~Bethany Graybill