Things I've Learned

Awhile ago I promised an entry describing things I have learned about Europe and Europeans.  Well, no time like the present!  Keep in mind that this is the second time I've lived in Europe (I lived in Italy for a year when I was 14) and not the first time I've been in Europe as an adult.  (I did a lot of traveling throughout Europe, Russia and the Middle East in college.)  I guess what I'm saying is that I didn't expect to find much that surprised me here.  And, I think that, due to my past travel experiences, the culture shock has been minimal.  However, there has been a certain element of discovery in everything I've seen and done this time around.  Mostly I've just been reminded of things that I had forgotten and struck by the differences between the culture here in Germany and the culture (as I remember it) in Italy.  And, compared to my life in Georgia, everything feels foreign.  (Of course, Georgia felt completely foreign after having lived in Baltimore, so I guess it's all a matter of perspective, which in turn is a matter of experience.) 

Okay, enough with the introspection, and on with my first blogging Top Ten.  I guess I should have some kind of witty title....hmmmm.....how about Top Ten Random Thoughts on New(ish) European Experiences.  Kind of wordy, but it's getting late and will have to do.

10.  Driving stress in Germany is directly proportional to the size of city (which is in turn a function of the number of one way streets and pedestrian areas in said city).  Although German drivers drive FAST, they are polite, they know how to merge, and they use freeway lanes correctly.  This is most definitely not true in Italy.  I'm thinking at this moment of a time when our family (as in my parents, myself and my siblings) followed a ward member to Stake Conference in Milan.  Let's just say, the driver we were following never could choose a lane.  That pretty much defines Italian driving. 

9.  Parking stress in Germany is directly proportional to the size of the car you are driving.  (Okay, that might have something to do with driving stress as well - just ask Ben...)  Today I parked our minivan directly in the center of a parking spot in Heidelberg and had 4 inches between the tires and the lines on each side.  Hooray for small European cars and sliding van doors!!!  Minus these two factors we may well have been stuck inside the van.

8.  Modesty is passé when visiting a German doctor.  Coverups?  What are those?  Just drop your drawers and walk on over!  Now I have to admit, the only doctors I saw in Italy were looking at my ears and throat, so no disrobing was required.  It is likely (probable, really) that the same casual attitude exists in Italian doctors' offices, but not having experienced it first hand, my first appointment with a German doctor was, shall we say, a little shocking.

7.  German beverages aren't always warm.  Now this has been a HUGE surprise.  I haven't had a warm Fanta yet.  On the other hand, I don't think I had a cold Fanta the entire year I was in Italy.  I've wondered if I'm getting served cold drinks because by the time I've ordered my meal, any server of even moderate intelligence has determined that I'm obviously a dumb American and, due to the large number of Americans in the area, is accustomed to our strange drinking habits, OR, if German's just like their drinks cold.  Still not sure on this one.  Maybe there has been a beverage temperature revolution in Europe.  I just don't know.

6.  Playgrounds aren't safe.  Neither are castles, mountain pathways, cathedrals, or sidewalks for that matter.  Given that I was 14 the first time I was in Europe, and a fancy free college student the other times, I didn't really notice playgrounds much.  Or safety precautions in general.  I am, however, understanding more and more why my mom felt stressed as she and my dad hauled the four of us (aged 5-14) through some of the major cities of Europe.  Europeans seem to have this idea that parents should be the ones responsible for their children's safety (revolutionary, I know).  I have no problem with being the one in charge of keeping my children from falling off Il Duomo.  I wouldn't, however, mind a more substantial guardrail to help me in my endeavors.

5.  Everything here takes longer.  I'm sure that this is mostly me at this point.  I'm still not sure where everything is, or where to find the best place to park, or which stores carry which merchandise, so errand running is still not smooth.  But people here just aren't in as big of a hurry to get places. (The one exception to this is when they're driving on the Autobahn, but I think that speed on the autobahn can be attributed to the fact that Germans just like to go fast.  Really, who doesn't? And here, it's allowed!)  Restaurant eating is an experience to be savored, not rushed.  What is the point of a shopping trip if you don't stop for a pastry and a drink when you're done?  Or gelato.  Or a pastry, a drink and gelato.  But I digress.  People here just don't seem as frenzied.  It is nice. 

4. When it comes to fashion, German women look like Americans.  When I go to Globus (a German SuperTarget-like store, but even larger) or to the Reve (a supermarket) the employees assume that I'm German.  Granted, I look more German than Italian, but here I can wear jeans and a t-shirt here and blend in.  This never, ever, ever happened in Italy.  Granted, the blonde hair kind of tipped the Italians off (olive toned complexion, as well as dark hair and eyes definitely would have helped me not feel SO conspicuous), but in Italy just the fact that I wasn't wearing black, gray, leather, fur, gold chains and sunglasses (not necessarily all at once) set me apart.  Italian women wear fur coats to the grocery store.  And they never, ever, ever wear tennis shoes.  It is quite a relief to live in a place that is not quite so obsessed with fashion.  Of course, now I don't have a good excuse to go spend a fortune on clothes....

3.  The same is not true for men.  I think one word sums it all up.  Manpris.  Okay, maybe I'd better explain a little.  When Raphael Nadal blazed on to the tennis scene, one thing the commentators noticed (aside from his incredible game) was his attire - particularly his capri length bottoms.  That's right.  Manpris.  Men here wear capri pants.  My favorite pair so far were sported by a gentleman (with a wife and kids in tow) at a resort we stayed in on our Netherlands trip.  They were the color of lime sherbet and were accompanied by a matching widely striped lime green and pink shirt.  Wow.  When I told Ben that I was going to get him that same outfit for his birthday he wasn't amused. 

2.  There are just as many fat Germans as there are fat Americans.  (Just so you know, these last two observations are a direct result of our stay at het meerdal in the Netherlands.)  Okay, I've always lived under the assumption that Americans were the fattest people on the planet, and I think that statistics prove that we definitely struggle with obesity.  However, we are not alone.  When one considers the foods that are available (particularly the chocolate, the cheese, the yogurt, and oh, did I say the CHOCOLATE?!?!) this really shouldn't be surprising.  What is surprising is that it isn't typical of Europe as a whole - I mean, all these fantastic things are available in Italy and France as well, and I definitely remember feeling large (and this was when at 5'8" I weighed somewhere around 120) in Italy.  I don't know what makes the difference, but I do know that I have eaten way too much chocolate in the last 2 months, and now I'm paying the price.  Back on the elliptical I go.  Drat.

1.  One should never be too shy to wear a speedo or a bikini, or, really, to bother with a bathing suit at all.  I don't know that anything more needs to be said on this subject, except to clarify one point; we haven't seen any nude swimmers yet, and we really hope not to.  We will have to be careful, though.  I hear Wednesday is nude day at the local pool.....