- The independence – thanks to the public transportation and walking distances, I can get anywhere I need to go without having to ask anyone to drive me.
- The huge emphasis on caring for the environment - opportunities to recycle everywhere, fewer cars, etc.
- The food: particularly brotchen (warm, crispy rolls from the bakery –the most wonderfully delicious thing ever), Doner, the meats, and (of course!) the chocolate.
- Sundays, which are truly days for relaxing and spending time with family
- People are generally very punctual, which I really appreciate
- The excellent driving (here it is much more difficult to obtain a driver's licence, so the drivers are generally much more qualified and can go way faster)
- Pet friendliness – dogs are literally allowed everywhere (buses, trains, malls, etc.)
- The lack of insane competitiveness among students, even in the top classes (and also hardly any homework!)
- So much fresh air – the windows everywhere are ALWAYS wide open! Also the windows are really awesome – they can open three different ways depending on what type of air flow you’re in the mood for. And speaking of cool appliances, I also really love the light switches.
- The lack of extremely processed / chemical-ish foods and overly sweetened desserts
- The money is color coded, making it way easier to find whichever bill I’m looking for
- The simplicity of getting dressed: jeans, a plain-ish shirt, boots, and a cargo jacket are the “everyday style”
- Stores are generally a lot smaller with fewer options (aka the opposite of Target or Walmart). This is far better for indecisive people such as myself
What I Miss Most About America (other than friends and family, of course)
- The general friendliness of strangers (i.e. how the grocery store cashier always asks how you’re doing), and also how when you make awkward eye contact with people on the street, you usually exchange a smile. (Here I’ve tried smiling at strangers, and most of the time they just look confused).
- How asking for a glass of uncarbonated water was always completely socially-acceptable
- The classic American breakfast foods (pancakes, waffles, French toast, etc.)
- Free public bathrooms everywhere
- Wearing Nike shorts and flip flops to school
- Whole Foods grocery store and Barnes&Noble
- Being “friends” with my teachers
- Free wifi
- Bodo’s Bagels, Goldfish, self serve frozen yogurt, Mexican food, and the free sugar cookies at Harris Teeter. Oh yeah, and also peanut butter (Nutella is pretty great, but it’s just not the same)
- Water fountains and ice cubes
- Having millions of extracurricular options at school
- Being able to watch movies without subtitles
- Girl Scout cookies, Snow Days, ABC Family’s 25 Days of Christmas movie marathons (well, I don’t actually miss any of these yet, but I think I will in the winter when all of my friends back home are enjoying them)