Ich bekomme seit letzter Woche 2x2h pro Woche Englischunterricht – der Satyr zahlt’s. Anyway, ich weiß nicht recht, ob das wirklich so viel bringt, ich bin wohl seit Jahren der “most advanced student” meiner Sprachlehrerin, ich nehm das halt mit, und so ein paar Kleinigkeiten nehme ich durchaus mit, auch wenn mir mein Englisch nun völlig verhunzt veramerikanisiert wird. Nun, dann muss ich eben auch ein paar Jahre in U.K. leben um das wieder auszugleichen 😉

Jedenfalls soll ich mal was in Englisch schreiben, und das besprechen wir morgen in der Stunde, also: Los geht’s!

Observations about space
Something most Germans bring up in conversations about the United States, even if they have never visited America before, is the fact that everything on the other side of the Atlantic is “just bigger,” more spacious, and wider than on good old Europe.
Distance, as it is sometimes put, is mostly relative. And the same is true for space, especially over here.
Something I didn’t notice on my previous trips — probably because they were very short — is that personal space is different. Germany might not be very crowded compared to e.g. mega-cities in Asia, but still, Germany is pretty jammed. And even if it were not, people make it feel crowded, as they get very close and personal. Using public transport or shopping in a local grocery store, it’s very common to get in touch with each other. People brush each other while passing by, sometimes pretty violently, but mostly it’s a short, painless brush, without bruises. Okay, I’m exaggerating. People don’t notice, and equally don’t care about those contacts, whereas in the States, each encounter, say, that’s closer than 1 1/2 feet (50 cm), starts an exchange of “excuse me”s. People are way more careful to not enter other people’s personal space, even in crowded areas, say Pike Place Market on a Saturday morning.
I don’t know if that really originates in the country being way bigger, the cities being usually way more spacious, but true, the country is way bigger, there are less people per square mile and everything is just…well…bigger. Mountains, parks, cars…. Is it just me, perceiving it as bigger because that’s what documentaries, movies and books tell you about the US? Honestly, I don’t care much, because to me, the sky is always wider in Seattle than anywhere else I have been. And I love it.