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Wednesday, Sept 30 2009
Ahhhh the feeling of not being able to communicate is pure bliss. I was on the phone, hung up one too many times by many companies (because the telephone systems still seems to be from the 1970's! or maybe they just hung up on me) and then to reach someone and painstakingly try to communicate, they all say NEIN they don't speak english! Getting ANYTHING done here is SOOOO DIFFICULT! First, they hang up on you, then they say they'll call you back and don't. Nothing is done correctly, no customer service or very expensive to call customer service. So my cel still doesn't have internet service, Tmobil dsl still has problems and we must live with it. Oh, on a health note, we've discovered that my dry skin, dry lips and constipation is due to the HARD WATER here, the same hard water that leaves the driest, whitest scum mark on everything (coffee makers, cups, etc) so THAT shit is in my stomach and causing me to have these horrid health problems. Nice.
So this place, as ugly a town can be with seriously the ugliest people I have ever seen in one square mile-I have learned that in Germany you must dress up to get any respect around here. If you dress like a bum, they treat you like an immigrant. LOL So, my new thing is to try to dress decent, that is to toss away my go-to Cali flip flops and where closed toe flats, a nice sweater, a good pair of jeans and accessorize, with let's say a 3 carat ring?! In Cali, I only dressed up when I had to or felt the urge to be fashionable, here I must do it to get any help at the deli counter. In case, they turn me away again and I won't get my pork chop. What used to take me 5 minutes to slap something on, has turned into 20 minutes, dressing and undressing. The key is to look nice and yet still be comfortable, because you will be carrying that 5 lb bag of potatoes and the groceries home with you, meaning you will sweat your ass off. Yesterday, I actually saw a guy carrying a 20 lb bag of potatoes, I'm dead serious! The other thing is to remember to wear closed shoes that are super comfortable, I can't tell you how hard it is to walk on cobblestones in heels!!!! How these Germans ok and Europeans do it, is incredible to me. These sluts actually put on 2-3 inch heels, carry heavy bags and walk super fast, no problem! What!??! I don't know maybe I have to train my delicate feet to do this feat. (love the pun!) I am getting better arm muscles, seriously, with carrying all this weight on my arms. Finding the right shopping bag is also a trick. One that can carry a lot but still fit in your bag. One, should never leave without the essentials as stated before, umbrella, notepad, phone, keys, wallet, food, water, tissue, sunglasses, passport, ids, maps, shopping bag, vitamins, lip balm, sunscreen, mirror, bus pass, change, hat, it's like trekking out to the desert. Make sure you don't leave without these items. I've realized I have spent exorbitant amounts of money on buying extra items I cannot find here. Including toiletries, makeup, kitchen supplies, kitchen spices and ingredients, appliances, english books, travel books in english, convertors, transformers, adaptors, sheets, pillows and pillowcases, comforter and inside flat shees (completely unavailable here!), cel phones with adaptors, cameras, electrical appliances (warning: may blow up), suitcases, bags, clothes, food, snacks, anything Asian including myself, I'm even thinking of bringing a mop next time, toothbrushes, hair products, gels, shampoo/cond etc, soaps, lotions, rice cooker, broil pans, cake pans, pie pans, umbrellas, raincoats, coats, coats, coats, woolen socks, woolen underwear, underwear, bras, clothes, gloves, hats, scarves, socks, tights, boots, shoes, tennis shoes, track shoes, workout gear, yoga mat, yoga dvd, dvd player, ipods, shuffles, blankets, cleaning products, lemon juicer, cookbooks...you get the idea, pretty much everything because either they don't have it, it's a piece of shit quality or you will pay 5 times the price here.