Mini-OE to Germany – Day -1

Finished work! Yay! As usual last day before the holidays the day ended after about 10 hours and I just finished all the things I needed to do. Why is it always the same. I was so on time with my plan until my colleague spoke the magic words: “I forgot to tell you … “ and came up with some additional requirements. Anyway, it is done and dusted. The laptop is gone from my desk. I always do this. Some sort of a ritual I guess. This empty spot on my desk spells out H O L I D A Y S for me.

Tomorrow will be full on. We need to pack, I have a list of things I shouldn’t forget which of course does not include the things I forgot to put on the list. Another holiday rule: It is not a proper holiday if you haven’t forgot something. Or more scientific, the quality of your holiday is equivalent to the importance of the things you forgot to take with you. I think it is called “Goethe’s law of tourism” (I made that up, don’t google it!). Goethe was one of the early tourists.

Tomorrow is also the day our dogs will go to the kennel. That’s all I am going to say. Lilo said I should grow up. Ok so I will. I might just wear some dark sunglasses tomorrow. Because I am sure the sun will shine. And the wind will blow, which always makes my eyes water.

I am trying hard to get my expectations out of my head. I want to go to Germany without any prejudice, without any expectations of seeing grumpy people and barking customs officer. It is hard. I was just chatting with a friend who lives in New Zealand. She is German and is currently staying in Germany. She just confirmed to me all the the stereotypes I have in my mind. The competition at the check out. The fighting at the baggage carousel. The races on the autobahn to show “My car is faster than yours”. I don’t want this in my head. I want to have an open and empty mind. I want to go ahead with my experiment. My experiment is like this: When I lived in Germany I was the same grumpy German as everybody else around me. What would happen if I am a happy friendly smiling person? Would that make the grumpy Germans smile at me, too. I think that’s a nice experiment don’t you think? You will read about this here in the not too far future, I am sure.

And our Plan B? Plan B is playing the tourist, speaking English with grumpy Germans because they usually are very friendly to foreigners. Just not to Germans. That’s another experiment we will conduct. It would actually be good if we could find a not too clever individual to use as our test object. Someone who can’t remember us from one day to another and who is grumpy. We would then act as Germans and then the second time as tourists and see what difference it would make. If it would make any difference.

But you see I am doing it already. Getting into a way of thinking that they are all grumpy and unfriendly. I need to have an open mind.

Ok, Lilo is getting the bubbly out. Tomorrow is going to be a hectic day.