What a funny place we live in. Even though I've been here a while, I still like to observe the local behavior like some sort of low-rent anthropologist. Here are a few things I have noticed about Hannover and Germany recently:
There are squirrels in the Hannover Zoo. I don't mean running around the concession stands and climbing the trees. I mean they are in an exhibit in the zoo, just like the lions and zebras. I used to shoo them off the patio and Brian would try to shoot them with a squirt gun. Now we live in a place where squirrels are considered exotic.
You can buy beer with coins. This is awesome and possible because the beer is cheap and the coins are worth a lot. After a few months of living in Germany, the coin pouch in my wallet split open. The one and two Euro coins were just too heavy. It's a psychological shift to know that your pocket change is enough for a big beer, or a doner kebab sandwich, or a bunch of bananas and a loaf of bread.
They can't stand the heat. Earlier this week it was hot. It was about 33 degrees, which is 92 in Farenheit. Since that makes it a little uncomfortable indoors since most buildings are not air conditioned, some schools in Hannover and the surrounding area closed due to the heat. I think this is silly. There's no danger posed by a warm summer day, other than a few kids and teachers complaining. The Germans are just not used to weather extremes. Maybe they need a Midwesterner to tell them to toughen up.
Hannover city government is worried about nothing. We got a letter from the city this week, signed and on official stationery, stating that the bike rack behind our building is to be used only by the people working in the city offices next door. Apparently someone from our building has been parking a bike there, despite a warning tag that was placed on the bike recently. What a public menace. The letter said that the bike's owner had a week to remove it or the city would take it away. This is what our local government is worried about.
Nakedness is on the rise. Along with the heat comes more visitors to the FKK beach. I ride my bike past it often. If you recall, this is what I have named the naked lake. It's the designated spot for nude sunbathing and swimming in Hannover. I am not sure if just anyone can hang out there provided they take their clothes off, or whether someone is checking ID's to see who is a card carrying member of the club. I hope it's open to anyone, because I don't know where you'd put your ID anyway.
Genghis Khan - enough said. Our friend Andy was teaching about Genghis Khan, and ran across a video clip of a German singing group from the 1979 Eurovision song contest. Eurovision is a Europe-wide competition where each country sends a musician or group to compete and the audience votes on the best one. Everyone watches it - it's like the Superbowl. And in 1979, these guys represented Germany: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qUlZUUqv5IA
You just have to watch it; I can't put it into words.
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About Me
- Julia
- Thanks for coming to my blog. It started as a way to keep in touch with family and friends, and now has become an ongoing project. I'm an American living in Germany and trying to travel whenever I can. I write about my experiences as an expatriate (the interesting ones and the embarrassing ones), and about my travels. There are some recurring characters in this blog, particularly my husband Brian and several of our friends. The title comes from the idea that living in a foreign country means making a lot of mistakes. So the things you used to do easily you now have to try over and over again. Hopefully, like me, you can laugh at how idiotic it feels. If you have happened upon my blog, then welcome. Knowing that people are reading what I write makes me keep going. Feel free to write comments or suggestions for future posts.
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