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Samstag, 15. August 2015
Yada yada yada
durhamfamily, 22:54h
Hello again internet people.
Some weeks it is difficult to summarize the important points. For the most part, everything was completely normal. I rode my bike to work, worked, did some running, watched X-Files, and comically failed at learning German.
Today was the typical long run. Thanks to a tip from a colleague, I ran to Lorch where there is a nice little fitness trail. It was difficult to enjoy it fully since I had already ran for 50 minutes before I found the trail. Next time I'll ride my bike there.
Have I talked about our pigeons yet? Of course there are a lot of pigeons around our apartment... we live directly above an outdoor restaurant and a fountain. It is strange because most of the time these fellas don't sound like the pigeons I grew up watching in films. Don't get me wrong, every now and again I'll hear their trademark "cooo". But it's not their primary noise. No... their favorite noise to make is sound of someone dry-heaving. All day, every day.
We had more hot days this week. It is a new experience, sitting in an office covered in sweat. In the afternoon, when walking past coworkers in the office, you get a strong whiff of body odor. You immediately think, "oh my gosh, they smell so bad". BUT... it quickly hits you... that smell could just as easily be me! I'm not blind - I can see sweat stains on my armpits, forearms, back, and butt. There's no way of knowing where the smell originated! All you can do is keep your head (and arms) down, and leave for home as quickly as possible.
Speaking of the office... coworkers of mine were discussing the movie Office Space recently. One was recommending it to others. He called it a great example of the absurdities of the American workplace. I had always watched it and thought, "that's funny... that's totally a typical workplace". It had never occurred to me that Germans could watch it to "learn" about Americans. It's brilliant.
Lastly, I was discussing fast food with a young, poor college student. We have McDonald's and Burger King here in Schwäbisch Gmünd. The quality and prices are all the same as in the US. While he likes the food well enough, he says he never eats there. He says it's TOO EXPENSIVE. I think that is beautifully hilarious. I'm sorry... if you can't convince college kids that your terrible food is worth the money, then you are dead in the water.
And that's the biggest lesson I will take back from Germany. Everywhere I look, everyone is emphasizing the importance of personal time, of family, and of health. It's very inspiring. I will always work in a place where I can leave on time, spend time with Elizabeth (and maybe some kids), and be healthy. Otherwise, what are we working so hard for?
Until next week.
Some weeks it is difficult to summarize the important points. For the most part, everything was completely normal. I rode my bike to work, worked, did some running, watched X-Files, and comically failed at learning German.
Today was the typical long run. Thanks to a tip from a colleague, I ran to Lorch where there is a nice little fitness trail. It was difficult to enjoy it fully since I had already ran for 50 minutes before I found the trail. Next time I'll ride my bike there.
Have I talked about our pigeons yet? Of course there are a lot of pigeons around our apartment... we live directly above an outdoor restaurant and a fountain. It is strange because most of the time these fellas don't sound like the pigeons I grew up watching in films. Don't get me wrong, every now and again I'll hear their trademark "cooo". But it's not their primary noise. No... their favorite noise to make is sound of someone dry-heaving. All day, every day.
We had more hot days this week. It is a new experience, sitting in an office covered in sweat. In the afternoon, when walking past coworkers in the office, you get a strong whiff of body odor. You immediately think, "oh my gosh, they smell so bad". BUT... it quickly hits you... that smell could just as easily be me! I'm not blind - I can see sweat stains on my armpits, forearms, back, and butt. There's no way of knowing where the smell originated! All you can do is keep your head (and arms) down, and leave for home as quickly as possible.
Speaking of the office... coworkers of mine were discussing the movie Office Space recently. One was recommending it to others. He called it a great example of the absurdities of the American workplace. I had always watched it and thought, "that's funny... that's totally a typical workplace". It had never occurred to me that Germans could watch it to "learn" about Americans. It's brilliant.
Lastly, I was discussing fast food with a young, poor college student. We have McDonald's and Burger King here in Schwäbisch Gmünd. The quality and prices are all the same as in the US. While he likes the food well enough, he says he never eats there. He says it's TOO EXPENSIVE. I think that is beautifully hilarious. I'm sorry... if you can't convince college kids that your terrible food is worth the money, then you are dead in the water.
And that's the biggest lesson I will take back from Germany. Everywhere I look, everyone is emphasizing the importance of personal time, of family, and of health. It's very inspiring. I will always work in a place where I can leave on time, spend time with Elizabeth (and maybe some kids), and be healthy. Otherwise, what are we working so hard for?
Until next week.
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