Screaming American

So I’ve been in Germany for three and a half weeks. And I’ve been loving it.

I arrived in Munich on the 29th and got set up with my Study Abroad Program. I have been busy shopping for stuff I need for my room so I haven’t really played tourist yet, but will soon.

But I’ve been wondering about something. Sometimes – well most of the time – Germans and others will talk to me in English. Sometimes is on sight, but most of the time it’s after I’ve spoken (or tried to) in German. How do they know to use English? Is my German really that bad? I know it’s partly because I’ve still got that ‘tourist aura’  around me. It’s the same aura that lets me pick out tourists with ease in Boston.

Maybe it’s the way I dress? When I was packing, I tried to avoid my T-Shirts with writing, or anything that was pro-America on my shirts.

There are other possibilities.

Even though I probably scream American, I’ve been trying to pick out Germans versus Americans myself, and for me at least, it’s very hard.