Grubenshife.. which means nothing because i made it up. Although it certainly does sound like it can be mean something like How are you or Go screw your mother. Regardless this is what i have been hearing all around me. I arrived in Germany for work on Wednesday and will be here for another 2 weeks. It certainly has been a culture shock. The look and feel certainly seems similar to back home but there are just little things that make me realize i am certainly not at home.
Like for example..
- Every channel on my television in my room is in German. Boo me.. But the good thing is i get to watch soccer.. YAYYY
- There is a 6hr difference. So right now it is 2AM and im sleepy and tipsy and will be going to sleep while anyboyd reading this back home is eating dinner or getting home from work or enjoying happy hour. It is crazy. I wake up to go to work and see on Facebook that some people are still up as it is about midnight back home. So funny.
- I have to get used to the fact that they are allowed to show topless women on the television, on news websites and in store front windows as i previously put on facebook. Im still amazed by this and like a little kid i say to my German friends.. WOW.. like a little kid. How embarassing.
- The trains actually come on time.. like on the dot!!
- People here actually follow the sign that says Walk or Do not walk at a crosswalk. There were no cars coming and there were 8 Germans just standing there staring at the sign waiting for it to change to Walk.
- Germans have no clue what Das Boot is.. Sure they know the movie but it is unheard of to drink a 3 liter beer in the shape of a boot let alone what it is.
- You dont have to travel to far to have a fantastic beer. Back home I drink Guiness because it tastes like heaven and it is pretty much everywhere. Here there are tons of Hefeweizens and pilsners and other great beers but i havent seen any Guiness yet. But i am certianly not complaining
- I have to get used to this language they speak. It sounds like everyone is yelling at me or at each other. To say "i love you" even sounds offensive like your spouse called your mother a whore or something.
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| Only in the movies kids |
So far i must say it has been a good time. I FINALLY got over the time difference and got to enjoy a nice night out with some friends. A good friend of mine here that i met last year in Brazil, Marc, has been nothing but nice. Taking me out and showing me good times. This is the dude that i blogged about .. read it here. Then another buddy i am working wiht here Michael has also been so kind as to invite me out with friends tonight. Tonight we enjoyed bar hopping in a very strange area of Mannheim (city i am staying in) where there are nothing but dive bars. Apparently this was on purpose. At first i was like .. huh? why would i want to finally have a night out and go to shitty local bars.. but it actually was a really fun time. I bailed early in fear for my life. I have no idea where i am and dont want to get too shit faced.. at least not the 4th night here. I still have 2 weeks to do this!
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| Please where can i find you so i can get you in my belly! |
Everyone seems to think that all Germans eat is sausage and Shnitzel but when i mentioned this they thought i was crazy. In fact, i have eaten nothing German at all. I had Tai food for lunch my first day which i thought was funny. I eat this all the time at work so traveling thousands of miles to eat this as my first meal was just funny. When i asked if we can eat a "German" restaraunt that showcased German cuisine for my first dinner they had no idea where to go. We ended up at this restraunt not too far away from my hotel. It served America, French, German, Austrian and a few other country cuisines. Certainly not what i expected. Regardless i tried the Jaegar Schnitzel.. sounds like a meat shot.. It was basically 2 pork filets in a red wine sauce with mushrooms. It was good but not like HOLY SHIT GERMAN FOOD IS THE BOMB. I found out the next day that this was more Austrian and not German. Booo.. The American section in the menu offered nothing but "XXL" Hamburgers. WTF??! For my second lunch i had a half roasted chicken with some pasta and veggies on the side.. Sooooo German.. cricket cricket. Then for dinner my friend Marc invited me over to eat at his house. I met his wonderful girlfriend and enjoyed homeade Goulash. It was very good. Instead of the usual egg noodles that this goes over, he made these bread dumplings. It rocked. Today for lunch i had a rump steak.. i dont knwo what that means but it was basically just a steak in a brown sauce with tons of onions. And then for dinner i had "American" pizza. Marc said that American pizza is a must for me to try to see if it really was American. It was anything but. The "american" pie consited of BBQ sauce as its base with grounded beef, bacon, red onions and cheese. It was really good but ive never had this back home. Perhaps i am eating too healthy. I am not sure. I just thought this was funny on how they call this American pizza. They must think we are just fat bastards.
Tomorrow i will go see a real German soccer game. I am really looking foward to this. I dont follwo the German league so i cant tell you the names of the teams but apparently it is a very big game. Cant wait. Of course its supposed to rain as it has done so far everyday since i have been here.
Until tomorrow or the next day.. Gute Nacht. Bis bald.
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