My Biggest Dilemma of Forever
I'm pretty sure anyone who has learned anything about Germans know that they love to recycle and sort. Put that together, and viola! You have their trash system. So here's my problem that keeps me tossing and turning nights on end:
I have a trash can in my room. Yes, one trash can. Now I know better--I have to go downstairs to throw away paper, bio trash (basically anything that can be made into compost), plastic, etc. in their respective bins and sacks. However, when I first got to Germany, I had no clue, and filled up my trash can in a matter of days. And I filled it with everything. Everything mixed together. That means: glass, food, paper, and plastic. Now, I have absolutely no motivation to bring my trash can downstairs and sort it in the kitchen where the bins are, and am a bit afraid at my host mom's reaction :D She's a really eco-friendly person..as you will read more about later.
It so happened that today at church, someone (a Chinese exchange student) asked about throwing away a used sofa that's in her dorm. I proceeded to ask the German guy how he would go about solving my problem. After cracking up for ten minutes (not humored here -.-), he gave me three options:
a) Get a dark (black?) sack, put everything in it, bring it to Edeka, and throw it in the Restmüll;
b) Get rid of everything at the nearby university which doesn't monitor where you throw your trash (because Germans do, not shamefully, point out that you put your trash in the wrong bin, thus making you feel super guilty); or
c) Wait until Easter, where some Germans in the countryside burn wood for I forget what (his idea was that I would put all my trash under the wood and make sure it was all covered up). I told him I didn't live in the countryside anymore. He contended that my town is (pretty much) one.
Na ja. Ich weiss nicht, was ich machen soll...
Krank
Yeah, I'm sick, and have been sick for about 4 days now. Since my parents are super Bio, they refuse to actually give me medicine. According to them, a cold goes away on it's own--with the help of tea. Yesterday, I drank one cup of tea. My host mom said, "Yeah, that's why you aren't getting better! You need to drink more--like at least 6 glasses a day." And she said this in all seriousness. Well, today they made me chug down exactly that much...and I don't exactly feel better. But wait, there's something weirder:
-For lunch, she made fried fish. I have a sore throat. Not quite sure how that works...maybe it's just a Chinese concept that people shouldn't eat fried foods when they're sick. Who knows.
-For Kaffee Trinken, she piles sugar loaded cookies and candies in front of my face. I'm pretty sure she didn't do that on purpose--more like she really doesn't know people shouldn't eat sweets when they're sick. I'm kind of stunned.
Morever, my host mom has this really weird concept/rule, where, if you aren't going to school that day, you have to wake up at 5:40-6:00 in the morning (when my alarm clock rings) to tell her that you aren't going to school. Man, I'm sick. I don't feel like waking up at 6. At all. In fact, I don't even have the energy to go downstairs to inform her of my misfortune. When I forgot to do that 2 days ago, she wasn't a happy camper. So now I just suck it up and deal.
I'm Not Lesbian
Anyone who knows me in person knows that I have a foot disability. Today, it proceeded to snow, and the roads were slippery. On the the way back from church, one of my friends held my hand so I wouldn't fall. Almost all the people we walked past stared at us as if we were nuts, and also laughed really loud. I know what they were thinking..it's pretty obvious. In China, 2 girls holding hands is completely normal..but I often forget that Germans think otherwise. But that's always the problem--if I hold onto a guy, they think we're in a relationship. If I hold onto a girl, they think we are lesbian. Am besten, just hold onto nobody. And that's why I dislike snow...
Ich Komme Aus den USA
I'm Chinese. Chinese-American. I do not come from the land of 안녕하세요 or こんにちは. But unfortunately, Germans can't tell. Today, when I was walking to the Bahnhof, a group of students shouted hello in first Japanese, then Chinese, then Korean. Lots of people think I'm Japanese--it might be due to the presence of manga. It gets on my nerves, but I'm used to it now.
At the Berlin Film Fest, someone mistook me for one of the Korean filmmakers, and another person mistook me for a character in the film. I don't look anything like them. I think people need to learn that just because we have the same haircut, doesn't mean we are the same person. But I guess I can't blame them, because Germans look all the same to me...
To Give, or not to Give
While we were on our Berlin tour, we stopped at the top of the Kölner Dom. While the guide was speaking, a woman came up to me with a clipboard. She basically wanted me to donate money to help support those who were both deaf and mute (as she was, maybe). My friend quickly waved her away.
While we were leaving the Dom, another guy came up to me with the same clipboard. This time, my friends were further away, and weren't there to wave him away. I felt so bad. A part of me really wanted to give money; a part of me trusted him. A part of me just can't help being sympathetic towards those who have physical and mental challenges, because I relate to them so well. But I also didn't know if they were faking it or not, so I just..froze. At this point, the guy sees my frustration, and continues trying to get me to sign and donate. Just then, my friend sees me, and yells, "Michelle, we need to go!" And so..I left. And this matter is still bothering me. It sucks :( I think if I wasn't disabled, it would have been easier to walk away. But that's not the case. You live with what you have, and you make the best of it. I try to, at least, even when it's hard.
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| They even have separate bins for glass: white and green. There's also other stuff, like bins for batteries, cartridges, light bulbs, and stuff that I don't even know of. And apparently they just introduced a new red bin as well. Oh Germany. |
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