Moving from the U.S. to Europe has proven to be both exciting and confusing. Everything seems familiar and so foreign; such a whirl wind of emotions. Visiting with the children several times over the years have made the transition for all of us much more seamless than it could have been when moving with an 8 and 10 year old. The kids are looking at the move as another vacation and not fully understanding that they are here to stay and that they will have to make new friends, go to a new school, and get used to new traditions and social norms.
An example of some differences that have popped up are:
1. People smoke everywhere; in restaurants, bathrooms, etc. They haven't yet picked up on the second hand smoke issue :)
2. They LOVE their dogs. I've seen just about every breed of purebred pooch known to man. I am a dog lover myself, but wish they would pick up their poo. There are little land mines on the sidewalks! People can even bring their dogs on public transit. Because of the close relationships people have with their dogs and bring them everywhere, the dogs are very well behaved. They patiently wait outside the shops for their owners to return without any leash and won't leave. I wouldn't believe it if I didn't see it for myself.
3. Everything is closed on the weekend. Europeans really love their personal time and make no bones about taking time off for their families and friends. I suspect the U. S. consumerism culture and economy has brought us to the point that buying stuff is more important. In this, we have something to learn from the Europeans.
4. Everyone walks everywhere. Believe it or not, I really love this about Prague. You don't really need to have a car if you live in the city because the tram, metro, or buses will take you everywhere you need to go. Short walks from each station or to your final destination is exillerating. The down side to no car is having to carry your groceries and having to shop everyother day to keep your supplies.
5. Be prepared to pay to use a public toilet (genrally 10-20 cz = .50-$1.00) in some restaurants and metro stations. One German women about 20 yrs old tried to go in without paying and the Czech attendent chased after her and refused to let her in the stall...mental note; always carry change!
Ciao for now!
Wow. Paying for a public toilet. And th ey're serious about not letting people use it! LOL How funny. I see you finally got the blog up. Yay! I can now add you to my blogroll. Miss you much.
ReplyDeleteOkay, I'm dating myself here, but I recall having to pay for public toilets at rest stops along the road back in the early 70's; it was ten cents. We cheated the system by having one of us crawl under the stall - usually me since I was the youngest and smallest - and then letting my mother and three sisters in one in a time after me. The pay toilet was "flushed" when a class-action lawsuit claiming discrimination against women was won. Check this out in NYC http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/01/10/a-pay-toilet-opens-no-need-to-hold-everything/
ReplyDeleteYou'd better belive it. I found the history of pay toilets. Hear ye, hear ye. Read all about it! http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Committee_to_End_Pay_Toilets_In_America
ReplyDelete