You Americans? You want to go to Burger King?

I love being inside when it's raining. Currently, I'm sitting at my desk with a cappuccino and listening to Norah Jones while looking out at the rain - it's very relaxing. However, I did have to walk over a mile in the shitty weather to get to work this morning, so my rain-soaked shoes make "squish-squish" noises whenever I walk. It's been six hours and they still haven't fully dried yet, consequently I sound like this:

*squish-squish* "Hallo! Guten morgen!" *squishsquishsquishsquish*

I'm so weird sometimes.

This weekend was good - Margo came to visit! We stumbled upon a gay festival, which sounded like it was a great party... good music, good food, unbelievable people watching. We saw a transvestite dominatrix - and that was one of the tamer outfits there. We got hit on (well, Margo got hit on) by this guy who used the worst pickup line ever: "Oh, you Americans! You want to go to Burger King?" Um no, but thanks. He also assumed that didn't speak German and started translating what was being said on the loudspeaker; Margo finally started answering him in German to shut him up. I wanted to tell him we were lesbians (we were standing in the middle of a gay festival) but thought that would be awkward. Turns out, it was more awkward having to give one-word answers to someone who has no idea how to take a hint.

Maybe we were being oversensitive, but we were both really offended by him. He heard us speak two words of English and made huge generalizations about what type of people we were and what kinds of things we liked to do. I realize that generalizations have a function - we use them as shortcuts to make important judgments. If our brains had to constantly analyze every situation separately, we would be so overwhelmed by information that we wouldn't function well. It's more efficient this way. For example - a woman walking alone in a dark alley and meeting a large man wearing a ski-mask is generally not a good situation. Maybe it's the wintertime and the other person was legitimately cold, and wearing all black because he likes the color. Could happen, but generally not. Generalizations are simple mental shortcuts. I guess I'm not offended that this random stranger in the Marienplatz made generalizations about us, but it was a stark reminder of the kinds of things associated with Americans. We like greasy fast food and are culturally ignorant. We don't know any other language aside from our own, and don't care to learn one. I guess it was just upsetting to know that everyday people actually think that about us.

Saturday night we perpetuated some American stereotypes when we went to a bar with her friends from high school. I have to admit, I've been here for so long that I've forgotten how Americans act. For example, we all met up on Saturday night at the Hofbräuhaus (über touristy bar) for a drink or two before going out for the night. What were the American guys wearing? Basketball shorts, stained t-shirts, and running shoes... on a Saturday night. Needless to say, they needed to go back to their hotel and change clothes before we went to the club. Also, the American drinking culture was out in full force. The guys chugged their beers, kept count of how much they drank like a badge of honor, and ordered rounds of Jäger shots at the club. Hey, no judgment... okay well maybe I am judging a little bit. I really shouldn't be though, because I used to be just like that. I did finally go to a German club though... and it was insane. I can't really describe it, except to say that they played the Macarena at 2:30am. Insane.

I think that going back to the US is going to take some major adjusting. Honestly, I'm not sure which country I like better. Aside from the bike lanes, Germany has some advantages over the US. Small side note - it finally happened. I got fucking nailed by a bike. I had a handlebar-shaped bruise on my back for a solid week. Ouch. Aside from bike lanes and the fact that my family and friends live in the US, life in Germany is perfect. Quasi-perfect, at least. I could see myself being happy in either country, which is making my future plans very complicated. The first question I have to answer is, "where do I want to live?" I don't know. This makes it pretty difficult to think about jobs, future schooling, etc. Hm.

I'm going to go think.


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