My family and I live in the center of Luebeck. This is a quaint beautiful city, whose core is an island, yet it has extensive outlying residences spanning about 25 kilometers outwards. There are over 214 thousand residences total.
So even though Luebeck’s city limits encompasses a large region, the core is the island. This means, in a subtle way, an island mentality prevails amongst those of us living and working on the island.
When I go shopping or walk along the streets, it is a rare thing not to meet and greet someone I know. I might not know them as an acquaintance or close friend, but I know them by sight or through a friend of a friend, or some such weak link. Having worked in the two major employers (a medical equipment company and the university), worked in sixteen local schools in the research project over the last three years, and being a loyal supporter of numerous local shops and restaurants, etc., it is amazing how many people I know by glance. This is why I just love this video:
The video is so off the top that it is perfect. Just the notion of going through the greeting and farewell rituals of the video above, instead of the customarily curt nod of the head or a barely audible “’Tag” (liken to the Aussie’s ga’day), sends me into giggles.
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