FC ADVENTure CALENDAR Day20

So many things in our daily lives are very similar to life in Germany, and yet they’re not. Here are just a few:

The windows on most houses here slide open – up/down or side to side. In Germany most open inward like doors.

Most people here dry their wash in a dryer, most people in Germany dry their clothes on a line – out of doors and in. (Some neighborhoods in America don’t allow residents to hang their wash out!)

We generally keep boxes of tissues (100-250 very thin sheets) around the house, in a classroom; Germans carry packets of 10 (?) thicker tissues that unfold.

We eat a lot of breakfast cereal, esp. on weekdays. Germans generally eat toasted bread with jam, honey or cheese.

It is more common to take off your shoes when entering the home in Germany, but the practice is becoming more common here.

I found it hard to believe when my daughter’s host-parents were told NOT to expect a teen from America to know how to ride a bike, but statistics say it’s true that about 80% don’t even ride one occasionaly. Though most Germans live in dense urban areas, most know how to ride a bike.

Most American homes have a air-conditioners, and screens on their windows to keep out bugs. I have never seen either in a German home.

The post is delivered by car here, though for each block/area the person delivering will carry a bag and walk to every house, and in Fort Collins you’ll see them wearing shorts most of the year! In Germany one is more likely to see a postman deliver on bicycle, or a wheeled cart. American drop-off boxes are dark blue; German post boxes are bright yellow.

There are plenty more I could add to this list, but these few should raise an eyebrow or two!