30 January 2004

Culture Shock?! Part 1

I just finished re-reading my posts from the past week, and realized that my readers might think that I have nothing better to do than complain about things here in Germany. Well, I must admit I have been feeling grumpy off and on about Germany the last few months and until last night I really couldn't explain why.

I am currently unemployed in Germany and the other day, quite by accident, I came across an advertisement for a library job in the States that sounded like a dream.

In all honesty, I did put my career as a librarian on hold to move here and be with my husband and while I enjoyed learning German last year, I have felt aimless since I finished in August. From what I have been able to learn, being a librarian in Germany is not quite the same as being a librarian in the USA, and in all honesty, I am still a bit unsure of my (German) language skills. I have applied for some library jobs here, but so far I haven't had any luck, and this has made me feel a bit down.

So the other day when I came across the "dream job" coupled with my current state of unemployed aimlessness, I naturally began wondering if the choice I made to come here was the right one and I started pondering the idea of getting a job at home and leaving this behind. In all honesty I have been pretty miserable the last few days with the whole mess.

I love my husband and don't want to be without him, but I also want my career back. I guess you could say that I want my cake and I want to eat it too. :) Last night after he fell asleep, I kept going over the two situations in my mind, which left me unable to sleep. In order to combat the problem, I decided to surf the web a little bit and see if that could either A.) solve my problems or B.) at least make me sleepy.

And what do you know what I found? Through the maze of the web, I stumbled upon some articles about "Culture Shock." Things started to clear up a bit for me. Could I, perhaps, be suffering from culture shock? I remember when I was studying French in college and was getting ready for my junior year abroad we talked about culture shock, and I tried to remember everything I could about it.

I had forgotten that culture shock doesn't just apply to foreigners coming to the U.S. or to Americans that are going to very exotic cultures like China, India, or Africa. It can also happen to Americans living in Western Europe (and vice versa). I guess I had forgotten this because there are so many similarities between America and Western Europe that it doesn't seem all that different.

However, as I read, I realized that I identified with many of the symptoms. For example, a major symptom is sadness, loneliness, and melancholy. I have been sad and melancholy and even though I do have my husband, I haven't made any other friends here and do feel quite lonely a lot. Another symptom can be insomnia or desire to sleep too much or too little. I have always liked sleeping (in fact I have been known to joke that it is my favorite hobby), but it seems like now I want to sleep all the time. Loss of identity and/or lack of confidence can also be symptoms. This one was a bit hard to swallow, because I have always prided myself on my self-confidence, but I don't feel as confident in things anymore and often I feel that my only identity is that of A's wife. (OUCH! That one really hurts!) And finally, exaggerated cleanliness can also be a symptom. Why, I don't know, but I am afraid I fall into that category. I am not a slob and have always had a bit of a clean streak to me, but my husband has often asked why I have become more extreme since we came here. Since we haven't been married that long I thought maybe I was doing it to be a perfect wife, but now I wonder...

Of course, this is by all means not a complete list of Culture Shock Symptoms, but they are the ones I identified with. I have decided that it is time for me to learn more about culture shock, if it is truly effecting me, and if so, how to combat it.

However, I came to the conclusion that I still want to examine the ups and downs of living abroad here in my blog and think it might be a good way to help in my transition here. So, what better name for my blog than "Culture Shock?"

CULTURE SHOCK! part 2 will examine the different stages of Culture Shock

29 January 2004

Snow Removal in Germany

Happy Anniversary!

Today I have had my blog for exactly one week! Unfortunately, I don't really have too much exciting to relay today. It has been extremely cold and snowy here in the Munich area the last few days, (Gee, in some ways, I feel like I never left the MidWest!) and I actually have barely been out of the house since Monday.

However, I do have a few words to say about Snow Removal in Germany.

First of all, people are supposed to scoop their walks, but in actuality they don't do a very good job. On top of that, our apartment building is on "Main Street" in our little suburb. So the street that I have to take to the train station has businesses on it. Now, you would think at least these people would scoop their walks. BARELY! Usually it is just a little path that may or may not be ice-free. Overall, I guess people aren't as "sue-happy" here in Germany as they are in the States and so these businesses are not afraid they will get sued if someone falls on their ass in front of their store.

Second of all, in the "snow bound" states in the US, the DOT uses salt and sand on the roads (and many people do on their sidewalks too!) to help manage the ice and snow accumulation, right? The salt is particularly helpful, because as we all know, salt water freezes at a different temperature than salt-free water. (If you want some scientific information on the subject, just click here... http://www.picotech.com/experiments/freezingofwater/freezingofwater.html)
But, anyway, here in Germany they do not use salt and sand on the roads, (I think it has something to do with the Environment... the Green Party is powerful crazy here) instead, they use CAT LITTER! Of course it has a different name, but when it gets drug into my house... well, as the owner of 3 cats, I know cat litter when I see it! Does this really help? NO! It just makes a mess in my hallway!

Boy, I can't wait until SPRING!!!

26 January 2004

The State of Pillows in Germany

When we got ready to move to Germany, I made sure that I packed all of the pillows that I had... I sleep with 3. However, my husband's pillows were old and nasty, so we got rid of them with the intention of buying new ones when we arrived here. Well, let me tell you.... BIG mistake.

We go out looking for normal pillows... approximately 26" x 17" (give or take a bit), which translates to about 66 x 43 centimeters (ah, the metric system, but that is another blog topic), but do we find them? Hell no! What we find are either very small (like the size of a little kid's head) rectangular pillows, these long "sausage pillows" that are 70 x 30 centimeters or these huge 80 x 80 centimeter things that are called "Kopf Kissen", which translates to "Head Pillow!" What the?! Who has that big of a head?

Well, at first we bought him a "sausage pillow;" it seemed to be the closest to the American pillow, but when he laid in the middle of it, the sides of it wrapped around his head. So, then we bought him a "Kopf Kissen" which he has managed to wad up so it is approximately the size of an American pillow.

However, I have been made to promise that the next time we go back to the US to visit my family, we will go to Sears or Target or somewhere and buy him a couple of "real pillows!"

24 January 2004

100 Things About Me

  1. I am naturally blonde.
  2. I have been married for 2½ years.
  3. When I got married, I didn't change my last name.
  4. I have three cats, but no children.
  5. I am not sure I want children.
  6. I have a fairly small family.
  7. I have a younger sister.
  8. I also have a younger step-sister.
  9. I am 5½ years older than my sister and 16 years older than my step-sister.
  10. Growing up, I wished I was an only child.
  11. Now I am glad that I have sisters.
  12. My sisters and I aren't as close as I wish we were.
  13. I was very close to my grandmother.
  14. Sometimes I miss her terribly.
  15. If I ever have a daughter, I will name her after my grandmother.
  16. My ancestry on my mother's side is Norwegian.
  17. I was a bridesmaid at my mom's second wedding.
  18. I was a breech baby.
  19. I was born on a Wednesday.
  20. I am a Gemini.
  21. I was named after my dad's two prettiest cousins.
  22. I used to suck my thumb.
  23. I used to bite my nails.
  24. Sometimes, I still do.
  25. When I was little and I got mad, I would bite people.
  26. I took ballet lessons when I was a kid.
  27. I can still do cartwheels.
  28. I wasn't Homecoming Queen.
  29. I was a cheerleader.
  30. I play tennis.
  31. During my teens, I wasn't as rebellious as I thought I was.
  32. I always wanted to be a groupie.
  33. I still find guys with long hair that wear leather sexy.
  34. I went to my 5 year class reunion, but not my 10.
  35. I studied in Paris for 6 months during my junior year of college.
  36. I speak English, German, and French.
  37. I can't spell (in any language)!
  38. I can count the vegetables I like on one hand.
  39. I like to cook.
  40. I hate to exercise, but I try to do it twice a week anyway.
  41. I love Coke. (Coca-Cola, not cocaine)
  42. My favorite comic strip is Garfield.
  43. I like stripes.
  44. My favorite colors are blues, purples, and greens.
  45. I hate to wear skirts and/or dresses.
  46. I love roller coasters.
  47. I love horror movies.
  48. I don't like to cry.
  49. I like to fly.
  50. I like nuts in my chocolate.
  51. I like to be alone.
  52. I like to travel.
  53. I am not very fond of orange juice.
  54. I love to read.
  55. My favorite author is Anne Rice.
  56. I don't like to talk on the telephone.
  57. My favorite season is Spring.
  58. My favorite flowers are violas.
  59. I have two tattoos.
  60. I got my tattoos because I had wanted them since I was a kid, not because it is the "cool" thing to do.
  61. I have smoked pot.
  62. I have lived in four different states and on two different continents. (North America: Iowa, Texas, Mississippi, Oregon and Europe: Germany and France)
  63. I have ridden on a Harley Davidson motorcycle.
  64. I read "Dear Abby."
  65. I used to drive a red Mustang.
  66. I can read a map.
  67. I have been known to confuse left and right.
  68. I have never bungee-jumped.
  69. I am afraid to do so.
  70. I can cross-stitch.
  71. Despite many attempts, I can't crochet.
  72. I have small feet (US size 6, Internation size 37) for my height. (5'7"; 170cm)
  73. I wear contacts.
  74. I have 5 wisdom teeth (even though only one has broken the surface).
  75. If I don't eat enough, I start to throw up.
  76. I am right-handed.
  77. I have a sweet tooth.
  78. I have a birthmark on my neck that looks like a hickey.
  79. My ears are pierced a total of 11 times. (7 in the right ear and 4 in the left)
  80. My ears are the only part of my body that is pierced.
  81. I don't wear thong underwear. (I spent most of my life looking for a pair of underwear that doesn't go up my butt... I refuse to buy a pair that does so on purpose!)
  82. I think I am getting hard of hearing.
  83. I can't sing, but I like to do so anyway.
  84. I can be rather vain about my hair.
  85. I used to be a waitress.
  86. Normally, I don't have any problems falling asleep at night.
  87. Someday I would like to get my PhD.
  88. I don't know why.
  89. I don't believe in PMS (though I have been known to become hormonally imbalanced from time to time).
  90. I don't believe in God.
  91. I don't NOT believe in God either.
  92. I started studying Wicca, but decided I wasn't spiritual enough to take it seriously.
  93. Medical needles freak me out.
  94. Crowds try my patience.
  95. I have never been to a friend's wedding.
  96. I am bad about writing letters.
  97. I have published 2 articles.
  98. I haven't worked for two and a half years.
  99. I miss working (sometimes).
  100. I found this list easier to compile than I thought it would be.

Return to Culture Shock and the blondelibrarian.

23 January 2004

Wal-Mart in Germany Too!

It's a new day and I have spent most of it fiddling around with the template for my blog. I am still not sure if I am happy with it, but I like it better than I did yesterday...

I am so glad it is Friday! My big adventure today was going to the grocery store. I am embarrassed to admit it, but even though I live in Germany, I still shop for my groceries most of the time at the local Wal-Mart SuperCenter! It really isn't because I am a loyal Wal-Mart customer or anything (in fact, when I lived in the US, I tried to avoid going there whenever possible), but I found out that the grocery store with the best selection of groceries in our area happened to be Wal-Mart... go figure!

Anyway, the other "good" part about Wal-Mart here is that occasionally I happen to find some imported American products that I have sorely missed. Who would have thought I liked Kraft Macaroni and Cheese so much?! Today, I was delighted to find Carmex. This was a good thing, because I have never been a Blistex fan and the supply (of Carmex) I brought from the States was just about gone.

Now, in case you don't know about Carmex, it is the best chapped lip medicine that you can buy, and headquartered in Wisconsin. Because of the fact that the headquarters are in Wisconsin, I really figured the next time I went home to visit my family would be the next time I had a chance to buy some.

22 January 2004

Welcome

So, I have been thinking about creating a blog for some time now, I just never got around to it. However, I have run out of ideas for improving my website, so I decided it was time to try something else.

Originally, I thought that my life wasn't interesting enough to have a blog. However, after viewing other people's postings, I realized my life is no more or less interesting than anyone else's, so what the hey?!

I suppose I should start off with something about myself... so here are the usual things:

Who am I and What do I do?

I am the blondelibrarian. By education and training I am a librarian and I am a natural blonde, hence the name! :)

I have worked in libraries since 1992, but I am currently considering a career change, but to what, I don't know!

I am married to a great guy who is a theoretical physicist (you know, like Einstein!) and we live abroad.

I spent last year learning German and now I am looking for a job.

In my spare time, I fiddle around with the Web (you know, web design and now blog), play with my 3 cats, read, write, cross stitch, and watch The Bold and the Beautiful (in German!).

If you want to know more about me or just see what kind of web things I do, visit my web site!
http://www.geocities.com/blondelibrarian