Tackling the Nerdiest of Fears...

As the weeks pass and the end of this fall semester is approaching faster than I ever intended, I am realizing that my departure for Germany is literally just around the corner...and I am still in a state of horror and excitement about the entire process. As I mentally prepare for this adventure, I am forced to think about how in the world I am going to face the dreaded "culture shock." It goes without saying that there are some major differences between the southern American culture I've grown to know and love and the southern German culture that I've read about in textbooks for the past four years of my life...how am I supposed to adjust to that dramatic of a culture change without completely breaking down? 

This question is going to be a reality for me in just a few short months, so it's about time that I start seriously thinking about how I'm going to handle the changes...

Naturally, I'm going to start by trying to adapt to the most important part of this entire journey: what in the world I'll eat. German food is quite different than the food I find at home, so I'll most definitely need to ease myself into this new world of cuisine. 

Luckily, Germany has some fast food chains that I have at home, so when I'm feeling overwhelmed I can always resort to there...even though some of the menu items are different...but it's close enough. I'm also a little concerned about the whole grocery shopping scene...my school gives me a stipend to purchase food to prepare, so unfortunately this fear of my is absolutely inevitable. I feel really nerdy when I admit this fear of mine...I mean, who is afraid of going to the grocery store?!

 Me, that's who. 

This fear is valid, so just hear me out...I'm not necessarily afraid of the physical store, I'm afraid of the whole process of buying groceries...just thinking about it makes the questions start to fire throughout my mind: "How will I know where things are?!" "What if I can't read the signs?" "How do I pay?" and so on and so on...

I plan to tackle this fear by taking it slow...I'll try to walk through the store and get a feel for things; observe how everyone else is acting and try to understand the general customs of German grocery store shopping...

I'm realizing that the more I explain this fear, the lamer I'm sounding...it's inevitable, really. 

All grocery fears aside, I am fully aware that there are going to be numerous times throughout my time abroad that I will be overwhelmed by the change of culture, but instead of running away from my fears, I am just going to try to take things slow. Listen. Watch. And most importantly: just breathe.