Germany is, well, completely different from our life in Turkey. Here are just a few things that have "stuck out" at me in comparing these two different countries. Okay, well it's probably comparing three different countries as America is still very in my blood.
- Parking places are VERY narrow here in Germany. This, in comparison to Turkey where you can park anywhere you darn well please. Am I getting old or is that spot just too small for me try to fit in? Veronica says that she agrees. Way small. Okay good. I'm not old. Well, I am, but the oldness isn't the reason the spot looks small.
- Driving, on the whole, is very similar to the USA. There are laws. And people follow them. Except the speed thing. Man people go fast!
- Round-a-bouts. I think I finally figured them out. They make SOOO much more sense without lights in them. America doesn't have these things. Turkey has them, but they put like, three lights in them. What is the point of a round-a-bout if you are going to put lights in them? You might as well just have an intersection. But round-a-bouts without lights? Brilliant! It's sort of like jumping rope. Time it. Wait for your turn. Jump in. When you are done? Jump out!
- On the whole, the German culture seems to have an attitude of: "We don't need to make a lot of rules. We just expect people to listen to common sense." In America, this is not the case. There are rules for everything because without them, people would run wild. In Turkey, they just decide to not have rules at all and let people run wild. But in Germany. There don't seem to be a lot of rules, and somehow, the culture acts appropriately. Take my trip to the zoo. People bring their own bikes into the zoo. Their own lunches. Their dogs! In America, none of these things would be tolerated.
- Back to driving. Total tangent here. All of the intersections on Base that are not "major" intersections ... well I don't know what to do when I get to them. There is no stop sign. There is no yield sign. Casey can you help me out here? The first week I went through all of them, assuming the people going the other way had the stop or yield. But then I was the person going the other way, and I had no stop or yield. I am clueless.
- Everyone speaks English here in Germany. At least the younger generations. I can see how people don't really try to learn the language when they move here. It seems barely needed when so many people in customer service positions speak English.
- We haven't been out and about too much, but when we are, people seem nice. They are kind. But they also don't really seem to want to get too much into my business. The boys don't get a ton of hugs and cheek pinches and stares here. Either do I. We blend. Honestly, I probably blend in Germany better than anywhere in the USA or in the world. That's sort of a nice feeling.
- The Base seems to be staffed by mostly German employees. Similar to Incirlik being staffed by Turkish employees. The difference here is that this is an American Base so things are done "the American way." And that is a comfortable feeling.
- The people on Base are a major conglomeration of the world. There are retirees that live here. People on vacation just stopping through. Deployment returnees. It's quite a bustling place.
- Oh and the food. The food choices here are wonderful. We've eaten a lot of Chinese. (There are two Chinese restaurants on Base.) When I went to the Commissary I saw a real pineapple! A whole one! It was awesome. Bluberries. Raspberries. Strawberries galore. It's so very exciting. They also have a bakery in the Commissary that is just fantastic. I am sure there is a lot more we could participate in if we ventured off-Base more, but for now, we are incredibly thrilled with the options on Base.
- We are still dealing with an E-Coli scare here. They are not serving raw vegetables (not even salad at Macaroni Grill) for the time being. I'm not sure how long this will last.
I'm sure I will think of other things, but that's all I got for right now. Can't believe this kid from Florida has had an opportunity to live and travel in places like Europe and Turkey. So very cool. Can't believe my parents are coming in a few weeks to share this with me!
12 comments:
I would have to agree with many of your observations.
I go very few places on my own, on the "economy," without Ryan simply because I am paranoid about parking my big van in a tiny spot, or having to parallel park it (I'm not so great at it). Often times, if going somewhere new, I ask "what is the parking situation?" I can't tell you how happy I will be to be back in the States someday with big roads and (gasp) parking lots!
As far as speed, I would say in general people drive at a normal pace on the city and neighborhood roads, but get a little crazy on the autobahn. Most people believe all autobahns are no speed limit, which is simply not true. There are actually very few no speed zones on it anymore. I would say I feel much safer driving here than in America though. People follow the rules, and are very orderly! Watch out for the speed cameras on the smaller roads though!
With regards to roundabouts, you may have noticed the little arrow signs in the middle of them (in a circular pattern). This basically means you have to yield to whoever is in the roundabout at the time. If there is a break you are free to go.
As far as the roads on base, have you noticed any signs with yellow diamonds when driving? These mean you are on a "priority road" and you have the priority when driving. All other traffic must yield to you. The person on the priority road has the right of way when driving or exiting the priority road, and all other drivers must yield. I would imagine that would be what you have on Ramstein. I'm sorry I don't' remember from my time there. We have them all over our bases here in Stuttgart, so I feel sure you do as well. Take a look. :)
The "loose" attitudes of the German people relating to rules are definitely true. They give few, but do expect you to follow the ones they give. If not, they'll really crack down on you. Take the drinking age for example. German teenagers can drink at 16! I don't see a bunch of drunken kids running around though.
As far as the commissary, yes it is great! I would really encourage you to try a real German bakery though. They are on every corner practically. Is the one in the commissary a Sehne? If so, that is a good one. We love walking into town to get fresh bread for dinner and of course... pretzels!
Enjoy your time in Deutschland!
if there is no sign at an intersection, german law declares, right before left. Has nothing to do with major road or minor road. If a major road doesn't have a sign, right before left implements.
There are no signs at the intersection AT ALL going either way. (We have checked.) But what is right and what is left? How do you know which is which?
Germany sounds wonderful. It's my dream to visit some day.
We do have a few roundabouts in MN especially when 2 major highways intersect in the country. It's cut down on many accidents. I'm still not used to them but my husband loves them.
Glad you're enjoying your time there.
Bethany
In the US when two vehicles come to an unmarked intersection at the same time, the law says the one on the right has the right of way. Sounds like Germany is the same.
As Bethany said, there ARE roundabouts in the US.
If you come to an unmarked intersection you yield to the person on your right. This means the person on your left would yield to you. Always yield to the person on the right. If no one is there, you can keep going. Otherwise, yield to the right. This is true if you are not on a priority road (road marked by yellow diamond), and there is no other signage.
This is all helping me out SOOO much. I really can't wait to make the move, and it's nice to somewhat know what to expect. It's also great to know they accept dogs pretty much everywhere! Wendi, I'm not sure if you've checked out these websites, but Ramstein Air Base has a Facebook page (everyone on there is extremely helpful! They've answered a million of my questions so far). There is also the local Bookoo site (ramsteinyardsales.com). I'm not sure if they answer questions, but might be useful if you need anything while you're there
Which intersections are you talking about Wendi? I'm trying to think of ones without signs or roundabouts and I'm not picturing any.
I agree with Jenny that a stop at a German bakery is a must. Mmmmm. So much better. The ones I like best are called Backhaus Klein. I went to the one in Landstuhl.
Also, English, please feel free to email me if you have any Germany questions. Wendi has my email.
Casey, all the intersections in ALL of the housing area have NOTHING. They have these white dashed lines but no markers at all. No yield, stop, anything.
The white dashed lines mean to yield. The main road through housing has priority, and those side roads with the houses on the yield.
We've got roundabouts in Michigan too! Actually, we have a double roundabout just a mile from my house. I like it but most people are not familiar with them and it makes it a hazard. In my town, we have four! yikes!
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