CSI Germany

Like we have CSI or Law and Order, Germany has its own crime series. It's called Tatsort (Crime scene). On Sunday night, a few friends from work and I went to a cafe to watch it, as is a tradition of theirs. We lounged on white leather couches with tea and juice watching it on a big screen TV. There is a 20 Euro per month tax on everyone who owns a TV here, so many choose not to have one. Instead, many cafes open their doors weekly for popular series.

This show had a lot of what our crime series have: dramatic music, suspense, romantic tension between two of the detectives, and of course, an unrealistic falling of the pieces of the puzzle into place just in time for the show to conclude.

The show is film length, and 45 minutes into it, we all had to guess who we thought the murderer was. Whoever guesses right has their name put in drawing for a free cocktail coupon at the cafe. Not to anyone's surprise, I guessed wrong. But the waiter screwed up and drew my name from the hat of people who guessed right. I tried to give the coupon to the rightful winner, a co-worker of mine who apparently guesses right every week, but he wouldn't have it. So now I have an excuse to go back.

Lesson learned: Maybe I made a better crime reporter than detective. At least with fake TV crime investigations.

So much for blending in

So earlier I mentioned that I was starting to know what celebrities feel like (with all the photos they have been taking of us). Well that feeling rose to new heights today. We had a news story about us that ran in local paper with a circulation of 230,000 today. But since I'm a slacker and can't read Japanese characters, I have no idea what is says. But there is a fantastic photo of us all dressed up in white shower caps and trench coats during a noodle factory tour.

Then news cameras followed us around on a few tours today. I think the camera was the weirdest thing. They get really close to your face, and you have to pretend that there isn't a big bright light shining in our eyes, or like you're not wondering if they can see into your pours with that huge lens. They chose me to interview, since I am a journalist and we were touring a broadcasting company. I really just wanted to melt into the floor, but instead, I managed a few complete sentences for the reporter interviewing me.

It was equally embarrassing watching the whole thing with my host family tonight. They thought it was the greatest ever.

Lesson learned: I just need to come to terms with my Americanness.