As I wandered the rolling green hills of Ireland on a recent trip, I was hit with how Germany has changed me.  Ireland just felt different from Germany, and then I realized it was me. I was perceiving these differences from a cultural no-man’s-land.

As to the differences; there was the obvious friendliness, the omnipresent CCTV, people standing in lines(!), and a million little things that showed we were not in Kansas -erm, Germany – anymore.  Time and time again I would lean over to my fellow German-residing companions  and say, “That would never happen in Germany”.

Feeling all that Irish Green PHOTO: Erin Porter

At this point in my life abroad – 9 years in Berlin – I have crossed into that zone where I am no longer just American, and will never be completely German. Especially when traveling I will point out things that remind me of life in America, or just seem wildly different to that of life in Germany. Sometimes these are things I miss, but often it is just different and noticing those differences remind you of how much your German-American (or whatever combo you are) self is a blend of cultural norms and no longer one thing.

Here is a list of things I noted while traveling in Ireland, realizing I am more German than I thought.

Red Lights

Much is made of the German orderliness and this can be more of a stereotype than a truth (note my next point).  However, they do like to follow a direct command, even if it is coming from a stationary traffic light.

My husband and I still joke about our first few weeks in Germany when he went to cross on red and a scandalized little girl yelled out to him, “Das Licht is ROT!” (“The light is red!”). We felt like daredevils every time we entered a crosswalk and the light was turning red, earning the disdainful shakes of Germans’ heads. Alas, time among the Germans and having two small children has broke us and we now wait respectfully at the light.

But in Ireland it was pandemonium! And by that, I mean it was just fine – no accidents. Irish of all ages and ilk cross whenever the way is clear, regardless of the light.

Sheepishly, we waited.

Lines

Breaking with the rule-following of my first point, Germans are terrible at standing in lines. If you come from a country that stans for lines like in the USA or UK, you will be appalled at the complete failure of the line system pretty much anywhere in Germany.

It is absolute nonsense. Waiting to get on the S-Bahn, people regularly crowd in front of the door, impeding anyone getting off and making a big mess of the situation. It is one of those everyday annoyances that never leaves me. I’m not giving in on this one Germans!

Luckily, the Irish line up just fine. It was a relief to “queue up” and not have to make a mad scramble onboard transport or anywhere else for that matter. It was downright civilized.

Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV)

I remember my first time in London I looked wide-eyed at all the CCTV cameras watching us everywhere. Every street, grocery store, back alley, or bus was well-patrolled by these cameras. This paranoia has spawned its fair share of Black Mirror dystopian dramas.

Germany is obsessed with privacy (which has its own unique holes), and this kind of surveillance would never fly these days. This reflects Germany’s complicated past with the DDR and the ubiquitous and oppressive surveillance that ruined people’s lives.

Alcohol

German and Irish cultures are commonly associated with alcohol – for better or worse. The way that both cultures approach alcohol, however, is highly dissimilar.

For all the inconveniences of life in Germany compared to America, buying alcohol is infinitely easier. There is no figuring out what store sells hard alcohol, which sells wine and beer, you can pick-up whatever you are looking for at the grocery store. If the store is open, alcohol is available.

Our first night in Ireland, after a long evening of travel, my husband and friend went to grab a few beers to unwind at home. This proved mission impossible as we had arrived too late. They got laughed out of the grocery store trying to buy a brew after 10pm.

These measures stem from trying to curb over-consumption of alcohol. Interestingly, I think Germans hold it down much better than most other countries when drinking. The freedom and availability mean there is no rush to consume as you would see in places where it is restricted. Availability seems to have led to an inherent self-control…for most people.

Green Space

As luscious and green as Ireland is, we spent several days based in Dublin and Belfast and we kept noticing how little green space there was within the cities.

Berlin has parks upon parks filled with kiddy-wonderlands of playgrounds. There are grass and trees enlivening the longest strips of gray sidewalk.

The few playgrounds we came across in Irish cities were encircled with concrete with not a wild stick or leaf to be found. Not so in Berlin where you are constantly tramping over nuts and pushing through bushes.

My Surfer Girl at a Berlin Playground PHOTO: Erin Porter

This is largely because of the development, or redevelopment, of German cities. Medieval Irish city planning could have never predicted what modern cities would look like. The wiping clean of German cities that occurred during the bombings of WWII have allowed for these green spaces. Talk about a silver lining.

Sauna

We were actually in Ireland for a wedding of Irish friends we had met in Berlin. So a fraction of the guests were German, or German-residing like us.

The day after the wedding, we caught up with the Germans and got into their impressions of the country and its people. One funny thing that came up was a German’s trip to the Irish sauna – rich ground for comedy. He didn’t have a swimsuit but figured that wouldn’t be a problem. He thought wrong. The Irish were horrified he tried to enter without a suit and he was quickly pressured to buy a swimsuit at the shop. Relaxation was not had. Worse yet, our friend complained his health had not been restored because of the offensive swimsuit.

And I found myself almost siding with the Germans. As an infrequent sauna-goer myself, I saw his side of things. This would have never happened before I moved to Germany.

I might never be German, but clearly I have become familiar with their ways. And now I have two little Berliners who might never notice this area I live in, caught in the middle of Germany and America and wherever else I travel.