“Yeah, the fool bought himself a big ol’ king size bed that don’t even fit in his bedroom.”
My ears were drawn like a magnet to the English language. I listened to the group walking being me as they spoke loudly with strong southern drawls. There were Americans in Schweinfurt – I had inadvertently found some of my people!
I wanted to turn around and ask, “Where are y’all from?” but I hesitated, thinking maybe I’d come across too strong or perhaps be found annoying. I kept walking but slowed my pace so that I could subtlety eavesdrop.
My initial excitement quickly turned to dread. The group of five or six men and women were spewing intimate details about their lives along the public street and drawing disdainful looks from passing locals. They even made fun of a man in a local döner shop that they had stopped by earlier. I learned a lot about their lives and their trip to Germany in the few minutes before their path and mine diverted. These were the kind of people who contributed to the “obnoxious American” stereotype.
Was this what I was about to head home to – people talking loudly and behaving this way in public? I suddenly relished the time I had spent in nearly silent German restaurants. I kept walking to my destination, listening to Germans all around me having more subtle conversations. I realized that by only being able to understand bits and pieces of the German language I’d been spared listening to many a conversation that I’d rather not overhear. In this way I’d been given a protective layering of immunity and peace over the past year. But that cultural bubble wrap will soon be ripped away.
When we first visited Germany I was startled at the lack of noise; the pervasive quiet nearly left my ears ringing. While there are some noises I look forward to upon our return to the US in just over a week, such as the gentle whoosh-woosh of a dishwasher running, there are many others that I’m not ready to return to. I’m not ready for the woman talking on her cell phone in the checkout line, the people I can hear talking from across the restaurant, and the people chatting away while they wait for the doctor about subjects I’d rather not be privy to.
I’ve been bracing for the effects of repatriation and reverse culture shock, I just didn’t expect that I’d start to feel them before I even left Germany.
Have you been in a similar situation?
When I returned from a mission trip to Uganda in 2007, I had intense culture shock. I wanted to sell EVERYTHING but my mattress and a handful of clothes. Those who do not travel (and I don't mean to imply internationally as you can find abject poverty in your own state and city) and expose themselves to different living conditions have a tendency to take their "little things" for granted: running water, an actual toilet, food on the table, etc
And yes, I do find other Americans to be rather loud. I encountered a few Americans in Regensburg earlier this month that were loud to the point of making me uncomfortable. We always try to blend into our surroundings, even here in the US.
So true! Thanks for sharing your insight, Katrina.
I agree, I enjoy blending in as much as we can. People always think we are Germans, which must mean we are doing something right.
I totally get this feeling! I am originally from Taiwan but have witnessed some really poor behavior from tourists from Hong Kong, Taiwan and Mainland China – it can be embarrassing and uncomfortable, and most of the time I have to hold my tongue. But stepping beyond your own borders is a good first step to understanding how small we are in the world and experience other cultures – at least that's what I tell myself! #FlyawayFriday
Very true!
I'm visiting the US right now for only the third time in three years, and the thing about "spewing intimate details," as you so aptly put it, in public has really surprised me this time. People will volunteer so many things about themselves and their friends to perfect strangers that would leave the average German reeling. I was sitting next to a group of Americans on the flight over here and the woman I was talking to told me about her family's trip to Italy, her father's Italian heritage and his health, not in detail but still more than I'm ever used to hearing from strangers in Germany. It's such a strange thing to get used to, but something I never questioned before I spent a lot of time outside the United States.
I don’t mind as much when someone is telling me stuff in a conversation, but when someone is talking loudly in public on the phone or to another person it really bothers me. But yes, it definitely sticks out a lot more after living in Germany!
I'm honestly a bit surprised that you didn't encounter more of this living in SW! Granted, I haven't been up there in 5 years, but every time I was, there were Americans all over the place and yeeeees… it was a lot of what you described. I suppose after the base closed, most of them moved on. So just think, it could've been louder! 😉
I have heard that Schweinfurt was a totally different town when the military was here, so I think you\’re probably right! I\’ve been insulated by only a few Americans living here – and nice, quiet ones at that. 🙂
As a German who's lived abroad for a decade, trust me that I also feel awkward when hearing other Germans, and they sound just as obnoxious to me as that group of Americans did to you – it's a behaviour lots of people show when they assume those around them cannot understand them.
Ah, thanks for sharing that perspective! Although, I would never want to assume that Germans couldn’t speak English since so many do…