By this third week of January, I've already traveled 5600 miles (9000 kilometres) from New York City to Stuttgart, Germany. This is not counting the 4000 miles (6440 kilometres) for New Year's in Las Vegas. Mostly laziness and a bit of jet lag kept me away from this blog.

I've debated whether to write about my experience in Germany. First of all, let me state that everyone I work with treats me with respect and courtesy. Most of the folks I encounter are enthusiastic and even possess a deft sense of humor. They most certainly do not speak like Governor Schwarzenegger; the people that work in this multinational firm are exceptionally fluent in English.

The other people I have encountered however, is a much different story.

From the moment that I set foot onto the airport in Frankfurt, I get the sense that foreigners are not welcome. Passengers rudely responded to a South Asian woman who asked about the seat numbers on the plane: "No! It's not here. It's back there, ja." The staff at the metal detectors roll their eyes at the simplest request: "Ja, ja, ja, ja!" was the response when I politely asked for a plastic tray to hold my laptop.

I can't tell whether they despise me because I'm non-European (frankly, not white in complexion) or because speaking in English is a hassle for them. I loathe to jump to conclusions but it's hard not to think that way when it's thrown at your face every day.

Restaurants are also a hassle. Except for cafeteria and buffet lunches, meals tend to take one or two hours. I've waited 40 minutes for someone to take my order for a 10 Euro burger at a large hotel. Honestly, it's next to impossible to wave down a waiter once you are seated at a table.

Not everyone is so hostile to visitors. I was at a fantastic traditional Swabian restaurant yesterday where the waitress even asked about the novel that I was reading. The family-run hotel remembers my name and room number as I ask for the keys to my room. Then again, these places serve the many North American visitors that work at the HP and IBM offices and the massive DaimlerChrysler factory and headquarters in the area.

I did meet one or two non-Europeans working in the office. One of the students in my class appears to be of Cantonese descent, although she mostly spoke German to her co-workers. I'd be curious to ask how visible minorities are treated in this country. Perhaps my experiences were unique.