different country, different rules.

View into the city from my bike ride to school

I'm having so much fun. SO much fun! Had a great week at school. Need to start writing down all the cute things the kiddos say to me. They are just darling. Had a hard core soccer game with my colleagues after school Friday. My whole body is sore from the 90minutes that we played. Afterword we had "girls night" and 12 of us met up and had dinner at a super cute trendy place that I want to go back to for drinks. I have my kiddos this weekend so we have been playing in between play dates. I made it to brunch this morning with friends - delicious, and then went over to see Charlotte and her new baby!!! So small! He is a week old now and I made sure to give Leanne lots of attention. :) My suitcase is full of chocolate. I am just really happy.  :) Don't worry - I sill miss you fam and friends! There are a few I am anxious to talk to in fact..... For now here are some fun things I would like to share with you.

Interesting things about Germany/Germans
- windows open like doors or tilt inwards and only the top part opens
- door handles are not round
- bathroom doors are always closed regardless if someone is in them or not
- staple food - bread, cheese, meat
- they (most Germans) don't like Peanut butter and don't know what a PB&J sandwich is, or s'mores for that matter
- LOVE soccer
- use bikes and trains as their main modes of transportation
- many cannot communicate in what we would think of as "friendly" English, so therefore what they say in English often comes out sounding a bit harsh/rough
- All shopping stores are closed on Sundays except for 3 or 4 times a year when there is a "shopping sunday"
- they have no problems with nudity - pretty much no big deal seeing your parents, grandparents, brothers, or sisters naked. Or anyone else for that matter i.e. naked spas, naked people in parks, etc.
- you can drink alcohol in public (on the street), starting at the age of 16 (alcohol under 10%)
- Germany is one of the top beer consuming countries (although, contrary to belief, Heineken is not from Germany people)
- windows don't just have curtains - they have these sheets of something that come down to block out all light - it is truly fabulous
- don't get their driving license till 18 (they think it is crazy that we start driving at 15 but can't drink until 21)
- there are a ton of English words used in the German vocabulary (all with a fabulous German accent) such as hi, happy, swear words, cool, and my personal favorite: sorry.
- they think that if you don't wear socks you will get sick
- don't know how big the US is - one person didn't believe me when I said you could drive all day and be in the same State. They also didn't believe me when I said I owned a bike in the States...

Bike ride to school

lovelovelove