*Diagonal Pictures*

What do all these pictures have in common?




























They're all diagonal. And they were all taken by German guys. I'm not saying all Germans do that. I'm just saying.

*Cup Holders*

I never noticed that cup holders are missing from European cars.

*Uncapitalized First Words in Letters*

The differing German grammar and editorial rules have left my brain completely confused. But one thing that I will never remember is the uncapitalized word at the start of letters. Like this:

Liebe Michelle,

hast du einen schönen Tag gehabt?

To the American/English eye, the H needs to be capitalized because it's the start of a sentence, but to a German eye, the H needs to be lower case because "Liebe Michelle" is actually the start of the sentence. It makes sense, but a new paragraph that starts with a lower case seems so weird to me. I guess it's just the sense of tradition.

*Besteck in der Geschirrspülmaschine*

I don't know if this is just a German thing, but I've noticed everyone here puts the handle down in those dishwasher silverware baskets. I think they think they'll get cleaner that way, but isn't that why there are holes in the basket, so the water can get everywhere?



I like to put handles up so that you don't cut yourself with knives when you put them away and so your spoons and forks and other utensils don't end up with fingerprints on the part that's going to be in somebody's mouth later.

Then there are those racks at the very top of the dishwasher, where the silverware can be washed laying down. Those are cool.

Which way do you place the silverware in the dishwasher?

*Toilet Paper*

I think this "new easy and fast to open" toilet paper is hilarious. Was it ever difficult to open toilet paper? And are people that desperate to open a new pack of toilet paper that they need a serated corner? Notice how whoever opened the package didn't even use the easy-to-open corner.



Speaking of toilet paper, did I ever tell you the story of how Elder Dixon put some toilet paper in the shopping cart and Sister Dixon, who can't read much German, but who understood the word "Recycling," yelled, "Eeeew! We can't buy recycled toilet paper!" (She thought it had been used as toilet paper before. Ha ha.)

*Alu Folie*

Aluminum foil in Germany is noticeably thicker and thus stiffer than the stuff I always saw in the States. Maybe the American stuff isn't really aluminum anymore? Who knows.

*Insulation*

It's no wonder I freeze in German houses. Instead of having insulation between 2x4s and sheet rock, there are enormous stacked rock-bricks covered with bumpy wallpaper that just emanate coldness. They may be sturdy, but I miss the warmth. When you knock on a wall here, there's no way anyone on the other side is going to hear it, the knocking just gets absorbed into the rock. Thus the cold walls and the cold floors and the house shoes and sweaters around the house.

*Emergency Vehicles*

This is what a German ambulance sounds/looks like:



This is what a German police car sounds/looks like:



Quite honestly, I don't even remember what they sound like in the U.S. So I looked that up too:

American police car:



American ambulance:



Now that I've heard both of those, I think they have the same siren. Is that true? I never noticed before. Maybe we should take a look at fire trucks? Ah, yes:

American:



German:



I think I'd rather get out of the way of the American fire truck, with that annoying honk.

*Trunks (or "Boots" for You British Peeps)*

(Again, maybe another Mormon German thing.) Germans use the trunks of their cars a lot more than Americans do. I don't think that any American ever first led me to the trunk of their car to put my bag there or asked me if they could put my bag in the trunk when giving me a ride somewhere. When I had a car, I just threw things onto the front or back seat or even onto the floor, and when I got a ride with someone, I just held my bag on my lap. It seems like for Americans, the trunk is kind of forgotten about unless someone is transporting a large suitcase or a stroller. Then again, most German cars, because they're small, don't have a real trunk--it's just the space behind the last row of seats.

*Pencil Cases*

Remember pencil cases? Those hard little tupperware-like things that you bought each new school year according to the latest styles?

Well check out the ones pictured on the right. Those are German pencil cases. And everyone has them (there are much prettier ones, I must say, like Lisa's). That's right, boys and girls, in Germany, pencil cases are not just for boys and girls.

I've never felt like buying an extra bag to put in my bag to carry around a bunch of pens, so every college student pulls out one of these doohickeys while I dig around in my bag for a pen that may or may not work. Hmmm. Who's missing out here?

*Crutches*

Seeing as how I'm a bit of a cripple myself right now (who knew physical therapy would do that to you?) and a friend of mine who is currently a gimp just spent the last few days here, it's about time to write about crutches.

In America, most people have the crutches that go in your armpits. Very few people have the ones that you hold in your hands, and if they do, they're old guys with replaced hips or knees. Thus, I was surprised when I first saw young people in Germany using what I always viewed as old-people crutches. I thought it was just an exception until I realized no one ever had the kind of crutches I thought were normal.

I asked my friend about it, and he said that the armpit ones must be very uncomfortable. I wonder which ones help you to stand up the straightest.

*Water Boilers*

Every real German household has one of these:


That's a water boiler. Maybe Americans do too. I wouldn't know because they are mainly used for making tea and Mormons don't usually make tea (unless it's herbal). I find it very useful. Instead of having to wait forever for water to boil, this thing does the job within 1-3 minutes, depending on the boiler.

*McDonald's*

There is a German obsession with McDonald's, no matter how American they think it is. I personally haven't been to McDonald's for years and it doesn't even whet my appetite to think about it.

I have friends whose families went to McDonald's for family night, and those who will pick that as their first stop after a long train ride. But the most prevalent pattern I've seen is people giving directions in relation to McDonald's. "It's across from McDonald's," they'll say, or "you know you're almost there when you see McDonald's."

After picking up 9 strangers to give them rides during the holidays, I must say I now understand this, as I made that the meeting place in every city because there was guaranteed to be a McDonald's at the train station, and it's not like it's hard to find with that big, yellow M. This doesn't mean I'm going to start endorsing McDonald's or even start picking up a Big Mac here and there. It just means I recognize its usefulness as a meeting place since it's everywhere.

*Cooking Ingredients*

There's something different about the cooking ingredients here, I am telling you. I'm pretty sure it's the flour. This is what my bread dough looks like, every time, no matter how much flour I add. It is so sticky that I have to scrape it off of whatever it touches, including my hands, and it has ruined many an innocent sponge trying to clean up the damage.

You should see me trying to form it into flat portions to make scones--it's a joke. And cookies? Forget it!

Whatever I make always still tastes and looks alright, though. That's a relief.

Oh, and just a side note: I find it funny that yeast and baking powder come in little packages, and the recipes actually call for the packages instead of a measurement. Helpful when you have a box of baking powder someone gave you. A package, huh?

*Environmentally Aware*

I read a post giving advice to Americans on being better to the environment, and in evaluating my life in Germany, I think Germans might laugh because these things are so obvious to them. Read my reply:

Reading over your suggestions, I think I'm about as green as the Emerald City.

Small:
I have one energy-saving lightbulb but mostly rely on daylight. This threw me at first when I'd go to public offices and they wouldn't have any lights on. 2. I always use re-usable water bottles that my roommates bought. (I like to replace now and then because of those studies about plastic wearing down and causing cancer.) 3. I never let the water run (even when brushing teeth, and I take short showers, no baths). 4. We, like everyone in Germany, split garbage into a. packaging, b. paper, c. biodegradable, and d. leftover stuff. Even the bags that hold each of those categories is separated into the packaging bin. 5. I use cloth grocery bags or simply a backpack to carry groceries.

Medium:
1. German apartment buildings are made of super-thick stone. 2. My window isn't old or leaky and it takes care of the fact that 3. we don't have air conditioner.

Large:
1. I use a bicycle/public transportation (and not just because I'm a poor student), which is better than a hybrid vehicle and which hopefully makes up for the lack of personal involvement for the next two. 2. I personally don't have solar panels. But Germany is all about wind and solar energy. 3. I vote for people who like the environment.

So, Germany. A+. Or should I say "1,0"?

*Windows*

Here's one of those oxymorons you can find in all cultures. If you've read previous posts, you know that Germans seem to think that any exposure outside will cause you to get sick, whether it be a bare neck, bare legs, or not wearing house shoes inside.

However, Germans are fans of saying that the air is "fat" (I think that's our equivalent of "stuffy") and the window needs to be opened. They firmly believe that windows are meant to be open. All the time--regardless of bugs, cold air, or noises from outside. In the middle of winter, I would go into the -10 degree bathroom (where the window had been left open all night) and wish that I was dead instead of having to shower when it was so cold. (Forget about shaving, you're only taking goose bumps off with the hair.)

Every time I complain to someone that I didn't sleep well, they say, "You need to sleep with your window open." Even though they think that being cold will immediately make you sick, they suggest being in the cold for 8 hours every night. How does that make sense? I have yet to understand. I finally tried it one night and was so disturbed by the sound of the tram going by, I closed it again.

Fortunately, their nifty German engineering kicks in to support this need to have the window open. Every window has the ability to swing open or be tilted so only the top is open. Check out this video.





Also, there are these nifty things called "Rollos" that roll down over the outsides of the windows to secure them when people go out of town or if they simply want to be more secure. (No, I don't have one. I wish I did sometimes, but I think my problem with lights/noise outside would be solved enough if I just got some real curtains, not the lacy one I've shoved in the window.) I took these pictures at a friend's house.

Nice and sunshiny outside:












The rollo can be let down so there are still holes letting in some sunlight:












Or all the way down, which effectively blocks out all light:

*Ingenious German Binders*

Although I'm a big fan of having three holes for more secure paper-holding, binders in Germany are so cool/useable. Not only do they click firmly closed, they have a hole on the spine to easily take the binder off the shelf, they hold the paper firmly in place, etc., etc. See for yourself:

*Taschentücher*

I've never seen so many people who religiously carry tissues around with them. I don't mean wads of toilet paper folded in a pocket like I have. These people must spend loads on keeping their backpacks and purses stocked, because everyone here carries the professionally-wrapped, mini packages of tissues, and a free package comes with each purchase you make at the pharmacy. Even boys who have nothing else with them will at least have a package of tissue. How funny.