welcome the little reminders of my American life

A common sentiment amongst people who’ve spent time abroad is that small things make the biggest difference. I mean the interactions with strangers, the random comments your roommates make and the small reminders of home that help get you through a rough day.

Germans are stereotyped as being closed off and cold. But some of the most touching random acts of kindness I’ve experienced have occurred here in Germany. For example, a friend’s nice black shoes got stained with salt as a result of walking the streets in the middle of winter. This left him understandably upset. Yet when we were in a crowded train station, with people rushing past us in all directions, a man paused, came up to us, and gave him a tissue to rub the salt off. But what’s funny about this act is it might’ve been easily interpreted as a snarky comment regarding the state of his shoes — such is the German culture.

The Germans also like to call me out on my stereotypical American "personality." While waiting for class to start, I started making small talk with some of my classmates. One mentioned — in a pleasant way — how typically American my friendliness is. Its weird – I’ve always thought my personality is my own and not a mere national stereotype.

Finally, though I love German culture, there are times when I welcome the little reminders of my American life. It’s hard to describe the feeling you get when biting into a BLT after being deprived of them for months or the feeling of stumbling across your favorite cold medicine at the drugstore. I’ve never enjoyed the disgusting licorice taste of NyQuil more than I have this past week. It still tastes gross, but also a bit like home.

Shoobees developed from my need as a parent to have safe, non-slip affordable pre-walkers for my son Jack, who’s now four. He was slipping on floors in his socks and what I found on the market was quite expensive. I went in search of a soft, safe leather that would allow movement and growth of the feet and would give the barefoot feeling so that feet weren’t restricted.

I needed the soles to be non-slip to negotiate wooden floors and tiles; I needed elasticated ankles to keep the shoes and socks on; and I wanted them to be attractive. But the most important thing was that I needed them to be affordable.

Although it is an online business, there is a high level of customer care through emails, phone and face-to-face contact. Customers can phone and ask about sizing, I love to hear from them.

 Bountiful Police have posted a "missing and endangered person" advisory for 46-year-old Sharon Ann Chatwin.

The five-foot, one-inch tall woman was last seen Jan. 31. She weighs about 115 pounds and has green eyes and long brown hair.

Her family and friends haven’t seen or heard from her and tell police that its very unusual for her to be gone so long, said Bountiful Assistant Police Chief Ed Biehler.

Her bank and Facebook accounts have also been untouched since the end of January, police said.

On Facebook, a man claiming to be her son-in-law has started a campaign to look for her. That man, Devon Bell, and Chatwin's daughter, Jamie Bell, report online that she left her shoes and jacket behind. She talks to her four grown children regularly, they posted.

Chatwin may be with 49-year-old Ector Martinez Medina, a neighbor she may have had a relationship with, Biehler said.

Medina was “last known to have plans of traveling to Wendover, Nevada for the Super Bowl,” according to the police department. He may be in a blue 1999 Jeep Cherokee Sport with the Utah license plate C899HS.

Police visited Chatwin’s home after her family called and found that “some of the things you would normally take are still there,” Biehler said. “She hasn’t packed a bag to leave or anything.”