when we decided to move to Frankfurt, i knew there would be some cultural differences, but i also knew life would go on in essentially the same way. i mean, it’s not like i have to cart water from the well or beat my clothes with a rock in the river to get them clean. but i was surprised at how many small cultural differences there actually are and how much that impacts my day-to-day life. one small example: most people go to the grocery store every day or two and nothing is sold in bulk. this makes it difficult to stock up on things and makes self control for this impulse buyer a must. but it does make it easier when you are using only a stroller and your own two hands to lug groceries.
so, germany is hard right now because...
everything is slower here, except grocery store checkout clerks
you must bring your own grocery bags
you must bag your own groceries at the speed of light
nothing is open past 8
EVERYTHING is closed on Sunday and many things are closed on Monday
most places close down from 1-3pm
customer service is pretty terrible
the internet is distrusted so very few merchants have websites or conduct business over the web
the kids’ parks are medieval and not at all toddler-friendly
everyone speaks german (teehee)
most places are cash only - no credit cards
they don’t refrigerate their eggs
the eggs often have feathers and poop stuck to the shells
peanut butter costs about 5 euros for a pint-sized jar. and it isn’t even good
there are no regular story hours or activities for children under 3 at the library
my house doesn’t have AC
housing is constructed much tighter – very energy efficient, but very stuffy
3 words: the metric system
the oven is too small for most of my bakeware and also has no moveable racks
the washer and dryer cannot be run at the same time
the dryer doesn’t dry all the way
you have to pay for playgroups
my go-to cheap-and-healthy meals are expensive here
the weather sounds so much worse in celcius
but the bakeries – THE BAKERIES! oh, i could write sonnets about the bakeries
the eggs taste better here
most people are actually very friendly (they apparently just haven’t made their way to customer service)
you can walk almost anywhere - even city to city - it’s very bicycle friendly and the public transportation is pretty awesome
alex slept 12 hours straight for the first time ever in Germany
germans. do. Christmas.
if you’re invited to a birthday party, you bring a present, even if the host tells you it’s not necessary (i was on the awesome end of this)
i think the curl is coming back to my hair
oh, and we have this view (it looks thuper great at night)
so, germany, i think you're stuck with us for a while.
Peanut butter is subpar outside of North America. I think this is why people outside of the US don't understand the divine combination that is peanut butter and chocolate. No one cared for it! Sacrilege. I also didn't like Australia's ketchup. And we had the opposite problem - no central heating! Australia is where I became converted to snuggies.
ReplyDeleteBut the produce, oh my the produce... Not to mention the chocolate is way better.
It's so good to hear that you're living well (if not large) in Germany. I think of you often...but now when I think of you, I imagine the eggs on the non-refrigerated shelves with poop and feathers on them. Eww! But hey, if they taste better...
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