Culture Electrocution
Willkommen in Weiden!
We have officially lived in Germany for about a month! This is beyond wild for me to comprehend. How can we, random Joes from Missouri, get this incredible opportunity to live in such a beautiful country? I’m still figuring that one out. Though this feels like it should be an absolute fairytale lifestyle, I have to say it is not that simple.
Culture shock is such an understatement.
Since arriving here, I have definitely dealt with some of the issues many immigrants to America face. Not being a German citizen has definitely had its impact on us. We learned that the people in our building did not want us to move in since we are from America, and have expressed their disinterest in us in some unkind/unhelpful ways. This really puts things into perspective in my opinion. I get hurt by their frustrated words when I have a hard time understanding.
“You’re in America, learn English.” “You’re in Germany, learn German.”
We. Are. Trying.
AND no, not all Germans speak English.
Right now we are having a hard time with getting residence permits, it has not been as easy as it should be. We are hoping that they are just communication issues and can get worked out soon, but nonetheless, it has not been an easy-going process. Basically we are being told that we need 2x the amount of money than we were told in order for Kyer to stay. Dealing with this has sent us in circles talking to one person to another, being shoved from one room to the next. It’s quite exhausting. I’ve been given a letter that says we should not need as much money as the foreign office says, but ultimately whatever they decide has to happen. We are trying to stay positive!
The Fairytale:
The area we live in is SO BEAUTIFUL. Every direction around us there are mountains covered in green trees fading into beautiful fall colors, streams, parks, and hiking trails. Amazing. Living in a smaller city has its ups and downs. We are stuck with not a lot of entertainment options in our local area, at least that can be reached by foot (our only means of transport here). Needless to say, our legs are going to be pure muscle by the time we come home. But also… maybe not. We live way too close to a Döner shop, and we are surrounded by cafes and ice cream shops.
Despite being stressed, I have been granted A LOT of free time. I have 3 day weekends and work less than 12 hours a week. What a blessing! I’ve taken this time to get to know our city a little better, write in my journal, read more, and experiment with new recipes!
I get to work between two Gymnasiums (basically a middle/high school). My students are so curious and eager to learn English, they’re brilliant and very advanced already. Here in Germany, students begin to learn English in 5th grade. I’ve been in grades 5th–12th, and have enjoyed working with all different skill levels. I get the fun part of giving lessons on American topics! Last week my students obviously had a lot of questions on politics in the US. This week we discussed the differences between schools in the US vs. Germany. They were really fun topics to discuss and most of the students are able to talk about really complex ideas.
This last weekend we took a weekend trip to Munich for Oktoberfest and LOVED it. On day two, I was able to show Kyer around some of the most memorable places in Munich. We watched people surf on a river, walked around Marienplatz, visited HofbrauHaus, Odeonsplatz, the Englische Garten and more. Hopefully we will be able to visit Munich often, but our next adventure will be to NĂĽrnberg or Prague! If you have suggestions of cool/cheap places to travel in Europe or Germany specifically let us know!
As this crazy journey continues we ask that you keep praying for us. We could really use your prayers that we do not need to come up with more money, that we can both stay here, and just enjoy the next 9 months in Germany. We could use prayers for finding community. We do not have any peers here, no colleagues our age, cannot find a church and are unable to take language classes right now due to the residence permit issues.
Fear of the unknown has definitely left us in a pickle, and staying positive is not a trait I’m known for. Monday we will go back to the office to try again for our residence permits. I am hopeful this time will go well, we are bringing my mentor teacher to help.
Thank you for all of your love and support!
-Johnna