So I've been thinking about what I said last week, and I'm really hoping I didn't come off as condescending or closed-minded. I didn't mean to put it in an "us and them" context. The so-called "German stare" (a phrase I've heard from other exchange students, I didn't make this one up) is simply a phenomenon that I have noticed and taken very personally.
However, I seem to take a lot of things too personally, and when I step back and look at the whole picture, it's not just about me. People aren't staring at just me, and they're not staring at me just for my tattoos. Yes, my tattoos attract a lot of attention, but that's not just here, it's everywhere.
And one thing I've noticed over the past week, is Germans staring at other people, not just me. I've seen that stare up and down and back and forth....and it's not only to people who look different or weird. People are just interested in other people--it's human nature--and the difference is that here, it's ok to look.
And guess what? I realized that I've been doing it too!
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