Ten Things I Have Learned So Far

I have been making a mental list of these things for a while now and thought it might be fun to put them up on here. So without further delay here are the top ten things I have learned while living in Germany so far.

1. Always have at least 30 euro cent! I pity pregnant women in this country. You feel like making a trip to the mall? You better go before you go or have change in case nature calls. That is right, you have to pay to use the restroom in public places here. Forget about stopping in a restaurant or cafe unless you want to endure numerous evil glares from employees for using their toiletta without purchasing anything from them first.

2. Never go without a leash. Nevermind that it is understood rule around here to have a leash on your dog when outside. This place is crawling with dogs and little kids, two of poor little Cash's favorites. It is pure torture for him to not be able to reach them when all he wants to do is be their friend.

3. Ashudengan. This is German for "sorry" or "excuse me." I have sadly not learned very much German so far but this word has come in handy more than any other. Although, do not expect to hear it very often from the Germans. Thy are not known for their consideration for others but then again they were not raised in the south as I was.

4. NO personal bubble. One thing you notice upon going anywhere remotely crowded that there is no such thing as personal space. I never would have imagined it more dangerous to manuever myself through the mall than through actual traffic. Making a left to cross over the walkway in the mall can often be more difficult than making a left turn across a busy road in a vehicle. This is also where the excuse me comes in handy...sometimes!

5. Marketplace Heaven. Every Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday there is a market place in downtown Mannheim. You will find the court swarmed with fresh produce, cheese's, flowers, and breads. It makes shopping at the grocery store far less enchanting. Whenever I go to the marketplace I feel like I have pulled back in time to a fairy tale town where you can manuever your way through booth after booth of the most delicious looking strawberries and grapes you have ever seen.

6. Happily ever after. We were told of all the castles but I never dreamed of anything like this. It is romantical to imagine what these grand structures looked like back in their prime. We have already been to a few different castles and obviously things are really never what you imagine they were but it sure is fun to!

7. No casual Friday. I never considered myself a slob by any means but I, like most people, like to just have a jeans and t-shirt kind of day. It is much harder to have those kind of days here. Going to the mall here feels like everyone is looking to be cast for Germany's next top model. Everywhere you look people are dressed like true fashionistas. Skinny jeans, high heel boots, scarves, and oh so cute jackets! It is a nightmare for a bargain shopper!! :)

8. Pet Parade. As I mentioned in a previous blog a few weeks ago, dogs are pretty much allowed anywhere you go as long as they are on a leash. Jonathan and I have learned the hard way that just because you are allowed to take your dogs places does not mean that you should. Cash had one trip to the mall and that will be his last for a long while if not ever because of his "accident" in the shoe store. Crazy dog!!!

9. Weather Forecast? What is that? You really never know what the weather is going to be like here. They do have so-called weather forecast but the weather forecast is hardly reliable here. It could be sunny and beautiful one minute and down pouring within the next hour!

10. Confusion is now an everyday thing. I never imagined myself as someone who could or would ever live in a foreign country. Confusion has become a part of my daily life. I mist admit that I feel that I am blending in a little better. Just the other day a lady turned around and said something to me in German about this older couple and was laughing about something so I simply laughed right along with her.

I still have much to learn and experience about Germany but for now these are the top ten. I have enjoyed myself immensely thus far but as everyone knows it can be all sugar and creme filling. Maybe within the next few years I will have another top ten. Guten tag!