Orangensaft!
My favorite word in German happens to mean orange juice! For the first two days everything I saw plainly read “orange juice” in English I was very disappointed because I wanted the chance to order orange juice using the German term or at least see it written in juice bottles. Then all of a sudden in the midst of a lecture I look at the center of the table, where there were refreshments for us and there it was Orangensaft! As soon as there was a break in the lecture I stopped pured myself a glass, took pictures of the glass bottle of and drank the orange juice!
Speaking of glass bottles they seemed to be used for the majority of drinks here in Germany. Glass bottles, silverware, trees, bikes and mass public transportation all make up the green city of Berlin. I have noticed that this city is very environmentally friendly with recycling cans all over the place along with reusable containers and utensils more widely used than the disposable plastic ones used commonly in the United States.
Also on our journey today I have realized that when it is said “Americans are much louder than Germans” they are not exaggerating as I sit on the U-Bahn and we are all chatting and laughing most people are sitting quietly or conversing softly. In both our actions and in our countries I am noticing many differences, that I am sure to write about everyday in these blogs.
Today we experienced many learning opportunities, from the planned lecture to the U-Bahn explorations. We learned about media in Germany and how the locals get around Berlin. From broadcasting regulation to book sales we learned that Germans are more traditional in their media than Americans are. They have a much higher newspaper subscription rate than us but a much lower Internet usage rate. These numbers and information is all very interesting and somewhat hard to understand. It is hard to imagine Americans reading newspapers and books rather than being attached to the smart phones and laptops. During out trip to Free University where we listened to this lecture you could see that the students in their cafeteria do not have their cell phones out while chatting with their friends and eating their lunches. Our group was more likely to have their phones in their hands and we aren’t even able to use the internet while here unless connected to the Wifi.
On a less scholarly but still educational note we spent a large portion of time learning how to use the bauhn or what we would call a subway system. Though somewhat confusing this is a very efficient way to get around. Many people seem to use this form of transportation during their everyday life. Compared to Pittsburgh Berlin’s public transportation is more timely and accessible.
Auf Wiedersehen!
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