The Little Things Count

Well, today is my first (full) day here, and let me tell you. I was nervous. SO nervous. But now I realize there is no reason to be! :) It is already the best time. EVER! And I love German culture, the countryside, and my host family. But there are a few things that are different from the USA, and I find that stuff very interesting. So, here you go!
1) Recycling. "PET Cycle". I had a long discussion about what Pet is auf Englisch. :) But here they recycle everything, which is great. And they compost as well. They also get more money for turning in water bottles here. I think it is because they use so many water bottles. We never drink out of the tap here, except when it is boiled for tea. Always bottled, and half of the time carbonated water.
2) The toilet. There are two buttons. One for #1 and one for #2. :) I have seen that in big cities in the US, but not in homes. It is quite cool. It saves water!
3) I have noticed that they say oder (or) like we say right. For example, I have school tomorrow, right? They would put or. Like, I have school tomorrow, or...? At least I think this is what is happening. :) Haha.
4) Lunch is the bigger meal, not dinner!
5)There windows are different. http://img.diytrade.com/cdimg/429626/2227447/1/1147854742/Wood_Tilt_and_Turn_Window.jpg Just a small difference. :)
5) They iron. Everything! :) Good thing I know how to iron!
6) Their clothes are awesome. They have great style. I, do not. I guess I will just have to buy clothes ;) Thanks, Mom. Haha.
7) In my experience, we (Americans) eat quite a bit of peanut butter. They definitely don't! Nutella, all the way.

So, anyhow, today has been great. I went to my school and met a few teachers/the 'principal' and they were not as scary as I thought! I don't know why I thought that but I did. :) I also registered with my city, so that was great. And easy! Much easier than I thought. I went on a bike ride with my host-sister, Victoria, and I saw down into the valley, three mountains, and the rhine. It was a very beautiful sight. Today has also been hard, though. As are the days to come I am sure. Listening to German most of the day is tiring! I can't imagine what it will be like when my host brother isn't here to help translate/explain. Or when I go to school. Oh well, sink or swim, I suppose. And I intend to swim!

Mit besten Grüßen,
Beth Macnab

P.S. If you are an exchange student, or going to be. Or you just are interested or have a question, feel free to ask! I am at Beth.macnab@gmail.com or leave a comment, or facebook me! Feel free to ask me anything, anytime! Haha. Tschüss!