Love / Hate Part I

Just in case anyone mistook my candor for a lack of appreciation for Germany, please allow me to clarify. God knows I wouldn’t want to offend anyone. Let me tell you about some of the things I love about Germany:

I love the way the windows can open from the top or from the side, I usually choose to keep the top open.

I love my balcony, even though I’m not using much in the cold.

I love the chocolate here, because let’s be frank, it’s on an entirely different plane than American chocolate. Same with the yogurt. There is no comparison between the organic, plain, low-fat yogurt here and that of the U.S. It’s fantastic here.

I love that wine and beer are cheap here. It would be nice if water was also cheap, but hey, you can’t have everything.

I am simply amazed that everyone can walk around with their dogs off leash, and the dogs follow them and stay out of the roads and away from the bikers.

I love that I can bring my dog into almost any store or restaurant, and on any subway or train without her having to be in a Sherpa bag.

I love that by New York City standards, nothing here is that crowded.

I love and sincerely appreciate the subway system here. It is infinitely cleaner, quieter, more efficient, and more pleasant than New York’s subway system. There is a screen that tells you when the next trains are coming, usually just in 5 minute increments. So you are never left wondering if you are going to have to wait for 3 minutes or 30 minutes. And the trains actually arrive when they are supposed to. You don’t have to go that far underground to catch the subway, there are no cards to swipe, and you don’t have to be subjected to that horrible screeching sound that NYC subways make. I see people drinking on the subway all day long, and yet I have never really seen anyone drunk or behaving badly. There are tv screens on each subway car that show the weather forecast and news (no audio, just visual). And the recorded announcements are very clear, so that a person with zero German could understand the names of the stops. The subway and tram system is truly one of Berlin’s best features.

I love that Germans are devoted to environmental protection. Everyone drives tiny cars, has a tiny washing machine (ok, I don’t love that), and a tiny refrigerator (ok, I don’t love that either). But I applaud their commitment, and I hope that some day I finally figure out the trash system here. I live in fear that when I’m in the trash room sorting everything, some scary Trashfrau is going to come down from the sky and yell at me for putting paper in with cardboard, or milk cartons in with paper, or Good God, I don’t know, it’s just so complicated!!! When I first got here, I found myself skulking around the neighborhood at 2 a.m. trying to find a trash can with an opening bigger than my arm where I could deposit my trash. None to be found. But I am facing my fears, and since that low point in my trash behavior, I have been sorting like a pro, sort of.

I am impressed and somewhat stupefied by everyone riding their bikes everywhere, even in the sleet and rain. It seems masochistic. Last week we had two days of black ice, and people still rode their bikes. With their dogs or children on board. I saw several people wipe out, and it didn’t seem to faze them at all. They just hopped back on their bikes, on the ice, and kept going. Huh.

I do love that no one seems to care about what they are wearing all that much. I think this is specific to Berlin, but in general, people don’t seem obsessed with having to have the best car, the best bike, the best clothes, the most up-to-date hairstyle or color. In fact, many people look like they are straight out of New Jersey in 1987. But what’s great is that no one cares. Unfortunately this attitude does not prevail in the opera world, but I am enjoying it in day-to-day life. I have quite literally only seen one ad for cosmetic surgery since I have been here, can you imagine? I’m sure it won’t last, but it is worth appreciating.

And now, things I am learning to love…..

There is no such thing as customer service here. When you are at a restaurant, you practically have to tackle a server to make a request. And then it might be 30 minutes before you get your drink, if at all. Yesterday I had brunch with 7 others, and after one round of drinks, our glasses sat empty for the next hour and ½. The restaurant would have made a lot of money if they had stayed on top of our drink requests, but the servers themselves wouldn’t make any more money, so why should they care? And indeed, they do not. However – it IS nice to not have servers trying to up-sell constantly, trying to force-feed you appetizers and dessert and more drinks. It IS nice to be able to stay long after you have finished your meal, and to feel no pressure from the staff to spend more or leave. And it’s nice to know that your server is not counting on your tip to pay his or her rent.

And what I am trying to love but so far just HATE……

I can’t stand that everything is closed on Sundays!!!!! It just makes me freakin’ crazy!!! I feel like a caged animal!! How can anyone just arbitrarily take away my shopping rights, just because it is a Sunday? And how can those businesses stomach losing an entire day’s worth of income?? Here I am, a left-wing, tree-hugging, anti-corporation hippie musician and I don’t understand how they can willingly lose a day of money!!! If I feel that way, how can the business owners stand it? I am amazed, and frankly, still in the anger and denial phase. Thank GOD I live in Berlin, where at least the restaurants stay open. But you are on your own if you need toilet paper on a Sunday! Of course I do realize how ridiculously self-entitled, spoiled, and obnoxiously American these feelings are. But I’ve made peace with that. This is where I am today. My friends who have lived here a while tell me that I’ll get over it and maybe even appreciate it. We’ll see.

Next time, I’ll tell you what I miss the most about New York, because those things are starting to add up. Bis dann…..