I have been trying to come up with something as clever as the key story to blog about...but not to be. So instead I thought I'd highlight some of the similarities and differences between life in the States and life here in Deutschland. Overall it has been relatively easy to adjust to the "culture" here. But there are a few differences...
1. Grocery stores...you have to put in 1 Euro to get a shopping cart. You get the Euro back when you return the cart, but it's definitely important to always make sure you have a Euro with you. Otherwise you get stuck trying to carry all your groceries through the store...which I've learned from experience can be a little difficult. You also have to pay for your grocery bags. So most people have baskets or reusable bags they use. We have some bags we reuse but I'm hoping to get a cute German basket soon to carry my groceries in!
2. Apartments...rarely come with closets, of any kind. The top pictures is of our 2 "Schranks" in our bedroom...otherwise known as wardrobes. It's been a little tricky to figure out where to put linens and all those things that we typically throw in a closet, but I think I'm starting to figure out a system that works. You'll notice in the second picture that refrigerators are a lot smaller here than they are in the States. Definitely learning how to be more efficient with the space we have! It is not uncommon to have to furnish your kitchen in an apartment in Europe, which means you have to purchase and install the sink, cabinets, stove and refrigerator. Fortunately our apartment came with all these things in place. Another difference is that most people do not have a clothes dryer. The last picture is our version of a "clothes dryer". Much more energy efficient! I'm sure there will be more differences to tell you about as time goes on! I have had a few cooking "adventures" that I can share sometime...
1 comment:
Yes, Europeans are much more conscious of the environment than we Americans. I remember in Sweden the "drying rooms" in some of the places we stayed. A room in the basement with clotheslines. If it was humid, there were electric heaters on the wall to speed the dry time.
I do use canvas bags at Scotts. They just feel stronger than the plastic bags. Just my way of helping if only in a little way.
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