Spent some time with some folks from Germany last night

[captain]

I had a great opportunity to spend some time with about 5 German police officers that were in the US on a 2 week exchange program. We sat and visited for hours and after a few hours I realized I took a lot of things for granted.... We spoke about freedom and our opportunity to chose a lot of things.. A few things that we spoke about were the cost of things.. Here are a few items we spoke about...

1. Gas is 7.50 per gallon
2. 501 Levi Jeans are 130.00 a pair
3. Once you choose a profession as a young adult you are pretty much obligated to that profession.

A Captain of the Hamburg police told me that if he lived in the United States he would never leave our country because we have everything right here.. Mountains, desert, flat land, water you name it... He told me that our country is beautiful and that we should be very proud... We had a great time talking and had a lot of laughs...

Kinda funny that a man from Germany had to remind me how great our country is.....

CAp

 

[J'Man]

After traveling to other countries, I felt the same way. America has her problems, but most of us don't realize what we have (at least until it's gone).

 

[omslaw]

Both of my parents came to this country to enjoy the freedom we have here. Let's hope it remains free and that we will always have the ability to enjoy everything she has to offer.

 

[dadofthree]

I wonder what they make a year with the price of gas and jeans ...

 

[captain]

I wonder what they make a year with the price of gas and jeans ...

We asked those very questions... Not a lot was the answer, everything had to be broken down to the Euro vs dollar and after kinda working it out we came to the conclusion that the basic necessaties were covered and pretty cheap, food, housing, clothes.. If you want anything above and beyond the basics of living then you pay dearly for it.. Was a little weird to hear them talk about not being able to just change professions though, it was like being a police officer seemed like a great idea 29 years ago, now Torson has another 16 or so years until he can retire.....

The things we take for granted they see as a huge opportunity and they were not really understanding that you could retire from a PD after serving between 20 or 25 years and go to a completely different job and work or have as many jobs as you wanted and having the opportunity to make more money at a different profession....

 

[Bosshound]

After traveling to other countries, I felt the same way. America has her problems, but most of us don't realize what we have (at least until it's gone).

Well Said................Get out of your Comfort ZONE PEOPLES......It's a BIG WORLD out there

 

[TruWrecks]

I'm trying to get back to my life, and sell my house, just so I can enjoy what we have more. Doing a bike bike trip every year was part of how I was enjoying or freedoms. I have ridden in more states than most people in this country have ever been to. Many of the people I ran into in Arizona and Colorado couldn't believe that I rode there from Washington. The looks when they noticed the WA plate was usually priceless.

 

[Strife]

I never once ran into someone from another country who claimed theirs was better overall. Yes a lot of countries have beautiful aspects,but as a whole,we have the potato's and gravy to go with it.

 

[B@DA$$08BUS@]

If you very the govt in germany paying for EVERYONES education and higher education would you want everyone changing their minds and having to go back to school.
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[B@DA$$08BUS@]

The point of this whole thread is that everyone is dumb to b(t±h about their own country but not smart enough to do something about it.
Posted via Mobile Device

 

[StromBusa]

Let's try and protect our freedoms, and keep our way of life. It was built on a foundation that needs constant care.

 

[Projekt]

Its all relative. They live in their reality and we do in ours. Your reality is what you make of it in a sense and how you find your comfort zone. What is unimaginable to us in regards to being committed to a profession is, on the flip side, a source of security against uncertainty for them. Besides, their domestic economy probably can't support workforce competition like that which our hyper economy generally is able to cope with or demand at times.
We take Levi's 501's for granted because we grew up with them and at one point may remember when they were $14.99 just in time for back to school. To people in Germany Levi's are something quasi exotic, a taste of Americana.
All in all, this is an example of "the grass is always greener".