May We Never Forget

Hey everyone,

Today, it is with a heavy heart that myself, and my fellow Americans remember the tragic events of September 11, 2001.

I was a mere 4th grader at the time, and I remember my mom driving to the gas station before I started school that day. She came back to the car after hearing the radio inside of the gas station, and said" the towers in New York were attacked". I didn't really understand just what that meant, but I knew it sounded serious. When I got to school, the teachers had the tvs on, everyone was in shock. I understood how serious this was when I saw a clip of the towers being attacked on the television. I remember how united we all felt afterwards.

My country has never been the same since the attacks. It has brought us into war, and increased  security everywhere.

Today I heard a song tribute to 9/11. It was the song "Heaven" slowed, and a small girl was talking throughout the song to her father who had lost his life that day. She was telling him how she had started kindergarten, and how much she missed him, and asked if it was true that he wasn't coming home. Naturally, I bawled my eyes out. It is so heartbreaking to think that because of the creul actions of a group of people, so many people lost their loved ones.

I would like to thank all of the troops, police officers, firefighters, medics, and rescue animals for everything they do for my country.

I have America and all of those affected by these tragic events in my prayers today. May god be with all of us today.

I am so beyond proud to be an American. I know that other countries sympathize with us on this day.

Remember everyone: Tomorrow is never promised. I hope each and every one of you remember to live in the moment, not just today, but everyday. Be kind to people, make ammends, and live life to the fullest, because you're never garunteed the next five minutes, and neither are your loved ones.

May we never forget.

Amanda

A German/American Compare and Contrast:)

Hello Sunshines!
Today, I wanted to make a breif post about some differences I have noticed between America and Germany. This is just a fun little post, I will post again later today! :)

Food:
Germans do some weird things with their food. For example, they eat their hashbrowns with applesauce. In America, most people use ketchup. Mac and cheese, anything mexican, and maple syrup are practically unheard of here. There are no twinkies. No pancake mixes, and no Cool Whip! NO COOL WHIP! In fact, whipped cream in a container is a very new concept here, and you usually have to just make it yourself. When in an American grocery store and you want pasta sauce, you will find tons of options, both red and white sauces. After searching in grocery stores everywhere, I am going out on a limb to say they dont have alfredo, etc. If they do, you probably have to craft that yourself. There are also very few premade cake mixes. Almost all cakes are made from scratch, and they don't really sell cake mixes like you would find at an American store. I also have yet to see frosting. Cakes simply aren't the same here. They do have brownie mix, but it just doesn't taste the same.

Drinking:
As you may be aware, the legal age for alcohol consumption in the states is 21. Here in Germany, you can legally drink beer and wine at 16, and hard liqour with 18. I like this better than the American law. My reasoning is that when people under 21 get together to drink, they do so to get wasted and it gets out of control. They have to hide it from their parents, and hide from the law. Here in Germany, when young people get together, it's mainly to chill while having a few drinks. It's not too overdone here because it is not forbidden.

Driving:
Alright, both countries have some mad-crazy drivers! The cars here in Germany are so much smaller as a whole. I have litterally seen 1 pickup, and the average car is about Prius size. The gas prices here are MUCH higher than in the states. Because Germany doesn't have natural oil resources, ALL fuel is imported, and very expensive. Because the Euro is stronger than the dollar, and gas is sold by the liter, not gallon, when you convert liters to gallons then dollars to Euros, the gas price here works out to about $9.00 a gallon! Here, you also need to be muc older to drive(about 18), and driver's education is very expensive. One thing I like here is the lack of drunk driving. Drivers here are severely punished when they drive intoxicated, much more so than the states, so they don't risk it. Most people I know here won't get behind the wheel if they've had a beer within the last few hours. Also, the majority of cars here are stick shift, few automatics!

Other General Things:
Germans seem much unfriendlier than Americans. In alot of places in America, it is common to recognize people with a smile, nod, something! Here, people come off as extremely cold. Recycling is much more common than in the States. You actually have to seperate your garbage, recycle glass, and there's a .25 Euro cent reward at the stores for every plastic bottle you bring in. I love all the recylcing. Also, alot of towns I have been to have a recycling bin for old clothes, which they donate to the needy. All in all, Both countries have wonderful things about them. It's such a priveledge to be able to experience a new way of life.

Have you been to other countries? Tell me about them!