Month: May 2010

I’m an Expat and I can’t Stop Thinking About German Packages

…I mean packaging…portions. Within the first few days of commencing my au pair duties here in Germany, I went grocery shopping with HostdDad. My primary observation was the packaging of foodstuff. Had I eaten a slice of Dutch Space cake that had caused me to grow, and subsequently my environment to shrink? [http://www.amsterdamlogue.com/space-cakes-a-5-hour-mental-party.html] Rice in 500 gram packages…Muesli, 1/4 the size of a generic Canadian box of cereal, milk sold (only) by the litre. Why? Was there literally less shelf space in European grocery stores? Had Ikea placed a quota on the size of refrigerators?  Or is this a relic of a world war- a former strategy for rationing food? With an arsenal of unanswered questions, I was later confronted with some very conflicting observations. A couple days later HostDad served me an Erdinger Weissbier dinner.  What a legitimate beer. “Okay, the rice is sold in 500 gram packages and this bottle of beer is at least twice the size of a Canadian beer. Passing judgement, I can conclude that at least Germans have their …

This & That/Dis & Das – Gray Day Ramblings

Alright, quick update. This week has largely been uneventful and the weather quite grey (but at least not wet). I’m feeling slightly deceived by the summer weather that graced my first weekend here.  HostDad left on Sunday morning for Texas and so it’s just been HostMom and I, and Matti of course! I expected this would be a hectic week full of dirty diapers, dropping Matti off, retrieving him, etc.  It just so happens though, that today (Thursday) is a national holiday. Given that the holiday falls on a Thursday, many business just say to hell with it on the Friday and call it a “bridge weekend.” Loves it. Yesterday was my first trip into Hanover. Hanover is the capital of Lower Saxony (the “province” if you will) that Celle lies in.  It is about a 25 minute train ride and will cost you 18 Euro round trip if you don’t have a discount card (which I don’t).  HostMom needed to meet with a lawyer for a couple hours so I took the opportunity to head into …

What is With German Door Knobs? (And other expat questions)

It’s beyond my understanding as to why the house I’m living in, here in Germany, does not have exterior door knobs. They are simply handles, but they don’t turn. It probes one to ask why it is even there, given that it isn’t functional…The greatest consequence of this characteristic is, that a person must carry keys with her if she is going outside and intends to close the door behind her. I’m surprised that there isn’t a population of residents wandering the streets, accidently locked out of their houses… Thoughts?

You Know You’re Abroad When…

When every lock has a skeleton key. Classic scenario:  You’ve been drinking and you get stuck in the bathroom. You fiddle with it, all the while hoping that no one on the outside can hear your struggle or smell your panic. The toilet is smarter than your phone. You use the toilet and you flush, if you’re from North America it’s a one shot deal.  I’m sorry to say though, the dignified European toilet involves a slight learning curve.  Scenerio: you make your business, turn and tap the lever to flush. Whooosh. Hey wait, that didn’t work. Tap lever again. Whoosh. Go to wash hands. Oh fuck, goooo away! Tap lever again. Whoosh! Ohmyfrickinggodalready! Flush goddam it! Hold down the lever for an entire 10 seconds to ensure that waste entirely disposed of. “Finally! Gosh, the whole house is going to think I demolished the bathroom and all I did was blow my nose and toss the tissue in the bowl!” Note to self: hold the lever down, tap not. All cell phones have a trinket …

Dirdls & Steins

Part of fully integrating into foreign cultures is obtaining a social life. This could be the single greatest fear of a potential au pair: “Am I going to be lonely for the next x months?? Will the children be the height of my social interaction? The house…a prison?” If you’re considering au pairing, you have to accept the fact that you may be sans-friends for, well, the first month (at least). Depending on the networking your host family is able to perform, you may be luckier than others. Last night, I was fortunate enough to be invited to a birthday party of a friend of a friend. Bavarian themed, I donned a Dirdl  [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dirndl] and jumped head first into what was bound to be a long night of trying to digest German.  Luckily, this was not so much the case and I was pleased to discover that Germans know A LOT of English and are quite happy to speak it.  I was even more pleased when I met another au pair! Phenomenal, this is the best possible scenario for …

Late Night Inspiration

11:11pm (aka: 23:11)* *I.e. later than I should have gone to bed already Introductions are overrated and in the best interest of me going to sleep soon (I’m sick!) we’re going to make fast friends. “Hi, I’m Jenn. I’m a Canadian spending my Summer ‘break’ in Celle, Germany.” [Vigorous handshake here.] Long story short, I am au pairing for a phenomenal Germany family in this romantic, yet sleepy, city. This is my second au pair experience. Three years back I spent 7.5 months in the very romantic, yet sleepy village of Bonaduz, Switzerland. I will admit, I am at a slight disadvantage at present. My German is less than stellar, though tolerable to most who dare converse with me. This brings about my first observation (which was inspired by a friend). North Americans are language snobs. We know that the international language is English, so why strain one’s cerebellum when everyone in Country X can understand you just fine? Certainly, they must want to practice their English skills – oder nicht? Unglaublich! But of course, you …