Three months have passed since I returned to the States, and tonight I have been on a trip down memory lane courtesy of blogger.com. A blog is a wonderful tool for rekindling past emotions by transporting the mind back into history. How do I feel as I leave my September 2011 life, and time-travel back to May/June of this year? If I look retrospectively, is it easier to understand the value of the experience and what I learned from it?
The best way to learn about yourself is to be taken out of your normal routine, and your own culture. Being immersed in a culture that speaks a different language requires adaptation. The key to social acceptance is the visitor's use of that language. What starts as a self-conscious effort to greet someone in the street in German, becomes a self-confident effort by the end of the trip. Bakery assistants smiled and returned my greeting when I made the effort to ask in German, and eyes lit up when I added a short (very) comment about the weather! By making an effort, I broke down any preconceived ideas that exist about the inability of Americans to use any other language except their own.
My own ideas of accommodation also went through an adaptation process. I soon realized how much space a person really needs to live comfortably--and it certainly is nowhere near the space that is considered the norm in America. My studio apartment became the 'norm,' providing me with everything that I needed, and then some. It was large enough to have friends around for dinner, yet intimate enough for the times when I was its only inhabitant. The green space outside was large, communal, and perfectly adequate for enjoying the sunshine and relaxing. The excesses of my previous life soon gave way to the efficiency of German culture, and I did not suffer one iota!
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