I just wanted to do a post about some of the things we've noticed that are different.
Bathrooms
Most bathrooms have a variation of this to flush the toilet, which at the beginning of our arrival frequently initiated a conversation between Claire and I that went something like this:
Claire: Mom, which one, the big one or the small one?
Me: Did you go pee or poo?
Claire: Just pee
Me: And how much toilet paper did you use??
Claire: Uh???
Apparently having two options to flush the toilet really complicated the process.
Public restrooms can be challenging at times, especially with small children. One thing we've noticed on our road trips is that the Rest Stops on the sides of the road are different than ours. In many places they consist of an area where you can pull off, a garbage can, maybe a picnic table or two and some trees or bushes. It is not uncommon to see men pulled over in these spots relieving themselves. In fact, Aaron and I laughed one day when we were driving and came around a corner to see a biker standing on the edge of the road going to the bathroom as his bike rested up against him. Aaron politely swerved so as not to interrupt him. I laughed when a German friend's child needed to use the restroom but there were none nearby so she went to find a tree and said, "We're going total German here." The one time that we were desperate enough to pull over happened to be on a rainy day and behind those bushes and trees we discovered lots of discarded toilet paper. The challenge with the rain was trying to differentiate between the mud and the excrement, while avoiding stepping in any of the latter. It was fun.
Using restrooms in bigger cities requires having change because you either have to pay to get through a turnstile or you have to tip people whose sole job is to keep the restroom clean. They usually have a little table outside the restrooms with a bowl where you leave a tip.
Garbage
The garbage here has taken some getting used to. Germany as a whole is fairly eco-friendly so throwing garbage away requires some sorting. Unfortunately we didn't totally understand the sorting thing so for the first week we just threw everything in the same bag, which turned out to be really disgusting when we went back to sort through it and found rotting chicken and vegetables mixed in with everything. It smelled REALLY bad!
Different counties do things a little bit differently, but there is generally a plastics, a paper, a glass, a general waste and some places even have a bio waste which would be egg shells, food remnants, lawn clippings, etc. Needless to say we had to purchase a few more garbage cans. This was challenging for the first 3-4 months because not only was I still trying to figure out what went where, but every time one of the kids went to throw something away I'd hear, "Mom, what color does it go in?"
As far as our general waste, we took one look at the TINY garbage can outside our garage door and laughed. It was probably a fourth of the size of the can we had in the states and only gets dumped every 2 weeks! Our landlord made a call and upgraded it for a little more money each month, but it's still about half the size of the cans in the states. Other than when we first moved in, we have realized that because of all the sorting we do, we actually probably don't need the biggest size.
Grocery Shopping
When shopping at the German grocery stores here, there are a couple things that are helpful to know. First, you must take your own bags, otherwise if you need bags you have to pay for them. There have been times I have ran in to grab "just a few things" and have forgotten my bags. It's probably pretty comical to watch as I juggle all my things in my arms and get my keys out of my pocket on the way out.
The other thing is that if you want to use a cart, there is a little slot you must put a Euro coin in to unlock it from the other carts. When you return it, you get your Euro back. It's helpful to remember to keep a Euro with you for this purpose.
Money
Germany is very cash based and frequently we will eat at places or go to stores where they don't accept cards. Carrying cash on us has taken some getting used to. It isn't uncommon to be in line at a store and see a German person pull out a wad of bills because they generally just pay for everything with cash.
Bathrooms
Most bathrooms have a variation of this to flush the toilet, which at the beginning of our arrival frequently initiated a conversation between Claire and I that went something like this:
Claire: Mom, which one, the big one or the small one?
Me: Did you go pee or poo?
Claire: Just pee
Me: And how much toilet paper did you use??
Claire: Uh???
Apparently having two options to flush the toilet really complicated the process.
Public restrooms can be challenging at times, especially with small children. One thing we've noticed on our road trips is that the Rest Stops on the sides of the road are different than ours. In many places they consist of an area where you can pull off, a garbage can, maybe a picnic table or two and some trees or bushes. It is not uncommon to see men pulled over in these spots relieving themselves. In fact, Aaron and I laughed one day when we were driving and came around a corner to see a biker standing on the edge of the road going to the bathroom as his bike rested up against him. Aaron politely swerved so as not to interrupt him. I laughed when a German friend's child needed to use the restroom but there were none nearby so she went to find a tree and said, "We're going total German here." The one time that we were desperate enough to pull over happened to be on a rainy day and behind those bushes and trees we discovered lots of discarded toilet paper. The challenge with the rain was trying to differentiate between the mud and the excrement, while avoiding stepping in any of the latter. It was fun.
Using restrooms in bigger cities requires having change because you either have to pay to get through a turnstile or you have to tip people whose sole job is to keep the restroom clean. They usually have a little table outside the restrooms with a bowl where you leave a tip.
Garbage
The garbage here has taken some getting used to. Germany as a whole is fairly eco-friendly so throwing garbage away requires some sorting. Unfortunately we didn't totally understand the sorting thing so for the first week we just threw everything in the same bag, which turned out to be really disgusting when we went back to sort through it and found rotting chicken and vegetables mixed in with everything. It smelled REALLY bad!
 |
| Plastics are yellow, paper is blue, and general garbage is white |
As far as our general waste, we took one look at the TINY garbage can outside our garage door and laughed. It was probably a fourth of the size of the can we had in the states and only gets dumped every 2 weeks! Our landlord made a call and upgraded it for a little more money each month, but it's still about half the size of the cans in the states. Other than when we first moved in, we have realized that because of all the sorting we do, we actually probably don't need the biggest size.
Grocery Shopping
When shopping at the German grocery stores here, there are a couple things that are helpful to know. First, you must take your own bags, otherwise if you need bags you have to pay for them. There have been times I have ran in to grab "just a few things" and have forgotten my bags. It's probably pretty comical to watch as I juggle all my things in my arms and get my keys out of my pocket on the way out.
The other thing is that if you want to use a cart, there is a little slot you must put a Euro coin in to unlock it from the other carts. When you return it, you get your Euro back. It's helpful to remember to keep a Euro with you for this purpose.
Money
Germany is very cash based and frequently we will eat at places or go to stores where they don't accept cards. Carrying cash on us has taken some getting used to. It isn't uncommon to be in line at a store and see a German person pull out a wad of bills because they generally just pay for everything with cash.
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