Things I Do in Germany That I Never Did in the USA

Trash and Recycling:
There are so many things that are different here in Germany.  When I was younger and living in New Zealand, there were a lot of differences and I loved seeing the differences.  Perhaps I had more support (missionaries always have a partner to work with - most of my co-missionaries were from Australia or New Zealand), or maybe I was just young and ready to go with the flow.  I still go with the flow, but I'm a little confused about the flow and which way it's going.  The first confusion I had was the trash.  You think - how can trash be confusing.  Well... let me tell you!  Okay, too confusing, so let me show you:

In theory, you have 4 trash containers.  A trash trash bin, an organic waste (any scraps of food, peelings, meat bones, you can see the list.  (Sorry it's not so clear - blame my selfie phone again.), a blue paper bin - the trash bags MUST be blue, and the yellow packaging bag - the trash bags MUST be yellow.  I have this in my kitchen as a cheat sheet where things go.  I have no blue trash bag or trash can, so I have to walk all my paper, cardboard,.... to the paper recycling containers that are at various points all over the city.  This does not even mention glass - which is next to the paper bins.  This does not come every week at the same time.  

Here is the second page:

I also got a calendar showing which zone I was in and when to have the bags ready for pickup.  It's once every 2 weeks.  I started putting my organic waste into the freezer so it didn't bring flies or stinkiness to my apartment.

I do WHAT with my bottles? 

So obviously Germany is serious about it's recycling.  So, in Germany, you pay extra for bottled drinks.  So, you take them back to where you bought them so you can get money back.  Yes, you TAKE THEM BACK WHERE YOU BOUGHT THEM!  There is an exception.  If there is another place that has the same type of bottled water, fanta, random drink, you can take them there.  So, let's say you are walking down the street and say, "Wow, I'm parched" and decide to buy a bottled water, you will have to pray that other places take the same bottle.  They actually have machines in grocery stores for returning bottles.  It's electronic and reads the label on the bottle (I have to break myself of the habit of taking the labels off) and you get a receipt to take the cashier for the credit.  Luckily, I have a drink place next to my house.  It does sell beer and wine, but it also sells orange juice, apple juice, water, fanta, and almost every drink imaginable.   I took my bottles back there and surprisingly they took all the bottles I had!  Woo hoo!  In theory, it would be great if I just had my own water bottle I can re-use, but I have yet to buy one or remember to refill my old one.  One day, I'll be a pro at this bottle thing..... (Trick if the hassle isn't worth the money - you can put the used bottle in the waste cans in the middle of the city and homeless people or cheap people will go through and pick them up to turn them in.  Sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do.  Meanwhile, I'm collecting bottles in my house until I decide to go buy more drinks.)

Open Your Window!!!

I heard a rumor that in Germany you must open your window at least once a day for several minutes during the winter.  It's actually in my apartment contract.  "All rooms have to be cleaned and aired out regularly."  Supposedly if you don't do this, mold could start forming on the walls.  My plan is to do it when I shower.  I'll open them, jump in the shower with really hot water, jump out, close the window and turn up the heat!  We'll see how I survive this....  I am very cold nurtured.

Things I Have in the States that I Don't Have in Germany:

1.  A car - by choice - I don't really need one.  The bus and train system are great and I am getting a bike from a member of my church.

2.  A dryer & dishwasher - I miss these most of all.  I have to iron all my pants and I think that's tragic!  People have given me hints and things to do, but none of them have worked so far.  :(

3.  My fleece blanket.  I miss it so bad! I need to buy one, but I don't know where to get it.  I'm thinking Amazon.  Everyone in Europe have duvets which are nice for normal temperatured people.  I'm a cold person and I need my snuggly blanket - I had to kick it out when I didn't have room in my suitcase.  :'(  So tragic!

Things I Have in Germany that I won't in the States:

1. Bakeries on every corner with super fresh bread and amazing pastries. YUM!

2. Beautiful historical cities that are walking distance. I get to walk beside a gorgeous river almost every day. It's just breathtaking.

3. Buses and trains are clean and safe. I can take a train or plane for a pretty reasonable price and be in a different country where they speak a different language and have a completely different culture.

4. Outside time. Any excuse to be outside and Germans are there! If it's cold? No problem, we'll provide a blanket for you. By the way, the indoor places during cold weather are extremely hot. (okay, now it is coldish, not really cold, but I still sweat indoors.) Hot enough to make you wish you had warn your bathing suit under your clothes.

5. Games - there are so many new games that I have never heard of! I played something called Camel up at game night and it was amazing!

6. Groups - If I wanted to, I could join a group, a class, a get together, a meet-up and be busy every night of the week. I'm currently in a English group (so Germans can practice English), a Game Group (so Germans can practice their English), and I'm contemplating seriously about taking a flamenco dance class.