European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 11, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 10 the stars and stripes Friday january 11,1991 % it Itan waifs Pic. C a Vav Motsi. Zig Iii a readers share views on living overseas this letter is in response to the letter a she s looking Forward to going this is my second trip to Germany. The first time i sat at Home and pined away a missing shopping malls 7-Elevcns, English speaking people. And yes Denny a too. I hated Germany and the German people because i blamed them for my misery. I returned to the states vowing never to return to this awful place after returning to the states i had All the things i thought i missed. I began missing the castles the Oom pah bands the bavarian dances the Volks marches and All the things my friends talked me into doing while i was in Germany. A when l Learned i was coming Back to Germany i vowed to try to learn the German ways and not to Pine for Home. This time i have been Here five years. I have no regrets and Many Happy memories. Yes i still miss the malls 7-elevens, Wal marts English speaking peo pie and Denny a. But when i go Home they will still be there and ill have memories to take Home with me. I too thank god i was born an american with All my luxuries conveniences and Freedom. But i thank America for sending me to Europe the land of our forefathers to learn and enjoy their culture. In return i am an unofficial Diplomat an envoy a representative of Amer Iea. In a proud to be an american service member in Europe. A sgt. Carla Nagy Wiesbaden Germany i joined the air Force in 1983 to a a see the since october of that year this Milwaukee native has spent 19 months in the United states stationed in Gali fornia. In be spent the rest of my time serving in Italy Korea and England and expect to return to Korea soon. Sometimes i miss sharing the Beauty of Wisconsin with my family or friends or skiing the slopes of California. But i also miss crossing Europe by rail wandering the streets of Rome and sharing metals with family and friends in Korea. When i leave Here ill leave behind the Beauty of Yorkshire the history of Cambridge and More Good i was born a human so i can enjoy living anywhere. A . Yckowski Raf Lakenheath England Day in Day out a complaints such As the ones uttered by this writer Are tossed about by people whose eyes Are dosed As tightly As the stores in Germany on a sunday. When asked Why not get out and learn the language one hears the All too familiar reply of a i Haven to got the time a or a a it a too but if you were Back Home you would find plenty of time for that shopping you be been wanting to do and even some extra Cash for that bottle of perfume or 1-Pound bag of a amp is. A Susi Heath. Spang Dahlum Germany f or three years America has gone on without me and in that time i have discovered How other countries run and what their people Are like. I do miss those palatial Halls of air conditioned malls but 1 was having fun finding my Way around quaint Little villages. Sure there were a a products 1 missed from the states but they were soon replaced with British products some of which Mike better. Ill miss old furniture and antique shops sunday antique fairs and Cream teas. Ill miss Small local schools play groups and moms a no tots. Ill miss my daughters English accent and no fuss school uniforms. Ill miss the English Countryside and my English friends. I Hope that through me they have seen a Little of the Best that America has to offer and i Hope that my efforts have made them want to travel and explore More As Well. a Leslie Carda Raf Woodbridge England i am an american who has lived in Germany for 14 years and was Back in the states this summer on vacation. 1 experienced Many of the things your writer yearned for a but Felt myself getting alarmed. We do not have an infinite Supply of Energy and raw materials available a but americans done to seem to understand this. A a. A. Palatial malls Are air conditioned at tremendous expense kept at a temperature so cold at times that one must Wear a sweater these shopping centers a far from where people live and Seldom reachable by Public transit a try to Lull people into buying things they do not need or things that will soon break and need to be replaced and the amount of packaging and extra bags used is enormous i firmly believe that we should leave this planet a better place than what we found it a not use it up at our convenience. I understand your happiness at going Home but please open your eyes and ears and heart to other people and their ways and think about our future. A Debora Weber Wulff Kiel Germany readers have differing opinions on How much they miss . Malls like this one in Schaumburg Iii. Not although our sojourn Here in Germany has been an absolutely delightful experience i nonetheless share those feelings. There Are however some additional things that she did no to mention to which we look Forward. I can scarcely wait for genuine pain producing mexican food hot breakfasts instead of cold lunch meat and cold bread restaurants with Salt Pepper butter and ice water on. The table. I look Forward to going grocery shopping at 5 in the morning in 24-hour, seven Days a week supermarkets. A a a and gosh wont it be great for my wife to be Able to mow the Yard change the Oil and Wash the cars on sunday a a a a a -.�����?�. A Tommy Thompson Wiesbaden Germany four years in one of the pillars of Western culture and she still Felt she was in the wilderness. Our nation is very much an Extension of european culture. Christmas was celebrated 1,000 years before America was even discovered by germans. For her having things is More important than being someone who can grow with experience in a foreign land. Her thoughts Are symptoms of the victim of a technological society that thinks living is Only consuming. Things. A a a v a . Longworth kit Zingen Germany maybe you never Learned the language. Perhaps you never explored 2,000-year-old cities. Maybe you never talked to a German about the War years. Perhaps you never watched the Way they build houses or grow asparagus or repair the streets. I too am glad i an american. But i am aware that there is More in the world than just a us a and that there is More to life than consuming things which americans do far out of proportion to their numbers. I know there is much to be Learned from other cultures and languages. . Lee a. A Heidelberg Germany the grass is always going to be Greener on the other Side of the Fence or at least Back in the states. When we lived in Spain we had our complaints about just about everything and now that we Are living on a Small base in Scotland we see All of those complaints As silly. It can always be worse just keep that in mind. Get involved with your Host nation Community As Well As the american Community. If you become involved in your Community and can talk to other people in it you might be Able to change some of the situations that people have problems with. If there is a Chance for you to go to what the Navy Calls a captains Call a a question and answer session with the commanding officer a gather your thoughts cares and concerns and talk to the commanding officer. Maybe something will change. If you want a problem done to just talk about it or complain. Do it even if you Are due to Transfer soon try to remedy the situation if not for yourself then for those who Are going to be there for a while to come. A Chris Farrington Edzell Scotland can you imagine if All countries were alike How Boring that would be so you have to change your routine a bit. What a wrong with getting your milk before the stores close at 6 p.m.? the people Here Are Down to Earth and not materialistic. They work hard and appreciate the freedoms they have. They done to expect the world to Cater to their every whim they work for what they have. A Andrea n. Harper Schwabish Hall Germany Reading Over your list of a great things to do a in be found a lot of that stuff Over Here. If you find any of those things where you re stationed you should have looked around both at larger military installations and on the Economy. Once you keep looking around for things you re bound to find More and More of the things you like maybe not everything but if you can to do without everything you have a problem. A a to think that when you Are in America All will be Fine. Well done to be surprised if it Isnit. Done to expect everything to be the same As it was when you left four years ago. I Trust that you be kept up with news and heard that America does have its share of problems it has the greatest National debt in the world incompetence in government Many homeless and hungry people High crime rates drugs on the streets problems with youth a and Many More. This is also America a Randy Lasalle Mannheim Germany Back in �?T87 and �?T88, the Dollar was reasonably Strong. Did you use this time to travel and see for yourself How Beautiful Europe is Trust us a shopping and dining in Paris is equal to or better than the local mall and pizza parlor. Done to get us wrong a we be had our share of malls and fast food and we do like the states but not for the same reasons you do. A Christina and Gretchen Tompkins Heidelberg Germany my family and i just came to Europe two years ago. We expected a Beautiful glorious trip. A we Athens Greece which can be summed up easily a expensive rude people and filthy. We be had our car smashed into four times in two years. We re ready to get out of Here. A so when our base got closure notice we said now where can we go lets try somewhere else. We scoped it All out. Friendly people. Grass Yards might be Nice. Everywhere seems to be expensive so we wont worry about that. When we searched libraries and friends for information we chose Germany and we can to wait. We re Down to 24 Days. We be rented movies and Germany looks like the most cultural Beautiful place we be seen. A a a a Quot when we went to Europe i thought id die without a mall. In a a mall maniac. I loved them. Two years latest care less. They re overrated and expensive. A minimal charge for Cable to is about $60 a month a not minimal to my pocketbook. A Debra strand Athens Greece. Bound for Kaiserslautern Germany when i was stationed in Germany i had no trouble finding stores of every imaginable size and shape with anything i wanted to buy. I even found things i could afford. However i did this by venturing out into that wonderful country away from the Exchange and . With the help of something marvelous called a language classes a i had no trouble understanding my Ger Man phone Bill then or my turkish phone Bill now. A staff sgt. Jeffrey a. Wayman a a Izmir Turkey
