How are you today?

Edward is mad at me. I haven’t seen him in a loooong time, it seems like he doesn’t want to talk to me at all. Whenever I meet him on the streets he jumps away from me in huge, hectic steps. I think someone told him about my latest blog entries. Well, yes…. I have to admit that I was quite mean in terms of American food. And I don’t want to leave a bad impression of Americans. Therefore it is time to point out the really great things about American culture. (No, I won’t be mentioning the free refills in most restaurants because I’m finally not talking about food! ;-) )

 I perceived Americans as the most friendly and helpful people I have ever met in my life. It all starts with the genial “Hey, how are you?” whenever you enter a room, like a store, a restaurant or a classroom. At first I was a little bit confused, are they really interested in how I feel? And if so, what am I supposed to answer? “Thank you, I have constant stomach cramps since I had that egg sandwich for breakfast”  ???  So I decided, that a simple “Thanks, I’m good, and how are you?” might do it as well. It is always “nice to meet someone” and you always wish everyone a “good day” when you leave. That’s such a nice habit! Some Germans might think, that this is a superficial behavior, but I enjoy the fact that you treat everyone friendly and with respect

Most Americans I met try to help you whenever they can. They offer you to drive you to Wal Mart when you need something, even if it is more than a 30-minute ride away. They help you with homework, take you grocery shopping or to the pharmacy. Besides, my friends’ families are always happy to have someone around, they invite you for lunch, or to spend the whole weekend with them. There are at least three families that suggested celebrating my birthday at their house. Let’s see, where I end up partying at…. ?

The University of Memphis

When we arrived in Memphis, the study abroad office organized an orientation day for all the international exchange students that included a guided tour through the U of M. When I first saw the University I was totally impressed by its beautiful campus. I had the impression of walking through a park with a lot of green spaces, tree-lined wide walkways, and a fountain with benches to relax for a while.

The University is approximately 4 miles (6 kilometers) east of downtown and includes an area of 1 1600 acres, which is 4,7 km2.

The houses are built in red bricks and the ones I study in are very modern and provide the latest technical equipments. You can tell that the school’s first buildings were erected in the early 1900 so that the campus did not develop historically as much as the Mainz campus did. Therefore, you get a very consistent style of the buildings, everything fits together and it harmonizes well.

It is easy to tell, that the Memphis students are very proud of their University. The tiger bookstore not only provides a Starbucks cafeteria but also a section where you can buy University- Fan- articles: T-shirts, shorts, sweaters, pens, stickers, and many more.

The “Tiger Den” is comparable to the “Mensa” in Mainz. You don’t have to worry that one day they might not provide the food you prefer because there is always the same stuff to eat: There is a Subway, Chick-fil-A, Grille Works, a pizza and pasta place and so on. Well, at any rate you can change lunch once every two or three days to get at least some variety in your meals.

When I first saw the university’s rec-center I couldn’t believe my eyes. I never expected the school to have an indoor and outdoor pool, sauna, steam and whirlpool, volleyball, basketball, and tennis courts, weight and cardio rooms and aerobic and gym facilities. Every student who paid the annual semester fee can use the gym and all the training programs for free. 

As long as I can see my toes, I’m still good, right?!

„Don’t worry about your weight, you’ll get fat anyway!” That was the very first secret former exchange students revealed about college life in America. And ever since I arrived in Memphis, people seemed to be more concerned about what I eat than what I study.

Well then, here comes the information to satisfy your hunger. I arrived in the land of supersize me, ruled by Burgers, Pizzas, Sandwiches and Microwaves. What is the point of cooking when each of the 82 American fast-food chains has a drive thru that throws your Double-Fatty-Greasy- Burger with Coke and fries directly through your open window while passing the restaurant? And come on: it comes with meat, lettuce, vegetables, bread and potatoes (that’s what fries are made of, isn’t it?), is there any way to eat healthier than that?

Well… yes…. There is. Americans keep asking me (totally astonished) about German food. I guess there is no rule about German Food in general. Although we are known for sauerkraut, knödel, hog roast and Bavarian sausages - this is not all there is to eat back home. As far as I am concerned, every family I know tries to eat as healthy as possible. That manly includes fresh vegetables and fruits, meat, rice, noodles and potatoes in all kinds of variations. But here is the secret about it, and please don’t tell it anyone else: we- cook- every- single- day! And by cooking I’m not talking about taking a “hungry man” out of the fridge and putting it into the microwave. Using a pan and a pot to actually fix something to eat is a more than surprisingly behavior to most of the Americans I met.

Most of the German exchange students on the other side try to eat the same things here, as they’d eat at home. But living healthy in America is really really expensive. I spent most of my dollars on vegetables and fruits. But against all German prejudices: Americans do have fresh vegetables to buy in their grocery stores! Here is the photographic proof: 

Now that I am trying to eat as healthy as possible, I think my roommates are actually enjoying the food we cook. And eating together with them is really a lot of fun! But there is one thing that I really miss over here: German bread. Not toast. Bread! 

My first American friend

Edward and I finally got used to each other. I’ve stayed in the apartment of Carpenter Complex on the University of Memphis since two months now and I think the little squirrel finally accepted my four months- presence in the room right next of his personal tree. It took quite a while to get to know to each other. Edward- don’t think I got inspired by the Twilight- Series here, I’m pretty sure that’s always been his name- was very curious in the first place, about the strange girl that is talking with this weird accent he has never heard before. He spent hours sitting on my windowsill, gnawing on his hazelnut, and watching me with excitement while I told him, who I am and where I come from.

I said that I am a 21-year-old German who flew all the way from Frankfurt to America to study Communication and Journalism at the University of Memphis. In Fall Semester 2009 I want to experience the college life with everything that is considered to be typically American: The University, the culture, the food, the environment, the music, the youth and everything else that is part of being an American college student.

When I finished my speech I figured that Edward isn’t really much a talker. But I could tell by the speed of his gnawing jaw that he wants to know everything about my experiences and especially about the cultural differences between Germany and America.

Well then, there is a lot to say. First of all I gave him some basic information that he definitely seemed to lack, eventually he has never seen anything else besides the tree he is living at and as never done anything else but finding, eating and hiding his beloved nuts. So this is what I told him: Germany is a country in Europe. It is neither the capital of Europe nor a part of Ireland. Belgium, France, Luxemburg, Denmark, Switzerland, Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic and the Netherlands surround the country. Although the Netherlands is a neighboring country, we don’t speak Dutch in Germany, we speak German (it was quite hard for him to figure THAT out!) Despite all of Edward’s argumentation, I am pretty sure that Frankfurt is not the Capital of Germany and has never been so. Instead, Berlin is Germany’s capital. By the way: there is no gigantic wall that separates eastern from western Germany and Hitler is neither alive nor my friend. Most of the German girls don’t wear “Dirndels” every day and beer is not the only thing we drink back home. He was quite impressed, that we have dishwashers, washing mashines and microwaves and that we shower every single day. 

I guess it takes quite a bit to explain Edward how I see the American World through European eyes. Give that little friend of mine a voice if there is anything you want to know about how I experience America or Germany. I’d be more than happy to tell him and tell you about it afterwards.