Sunday, January 6, 2013

Adventure Level Rating: Moderate

When I announced that I was moving to Germany, many folks commented on how adventurous they felt that the feat would be. Sure, there's always adventure in moving somewhere new, even if it's to a new town in one's own country, and a bit more so when moving abroad.

However, I feel as if I need to give this disclaimer on my move to Kaiserslautern area: please know that on the adventure scale, it's totally cheating to be here :) I don't personally have to go through any of the German red tape for residency status since my job is taking care of that; I have great coworkers who are taking me to work and official appointments (and they even made the appointments for me!); I have a database of approved rentals to consult; I can shop at the Commissary and buy American products at American prices (basically) if I want; and I have spoken very little German since I've gotten here (but will continue to work on that one). 

Heck, looking at the broader picture, I can say that I'm even spoiled because it is a very Western culture here with very few major culture shocks. Some people might say, hey, having to be a good citizen and sorting my trash correctly IS a culture shock, but be realistic. Things are not hugely different here; we share the same alphabet (basically) and some of the same cultural norms. It's not as if I moved to an Asian country, for example, where there would be a different alphabet and I'd be the tallest person for miles (unless there were other foreigners around).

Having said that, though, I do have to make clear that I hope to experience the adventures that DO await here and enjoy (and yes, I will admit, be occasionally frustrated by) the differences here.

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