Things that are different/I miss
Hello there!
Obviously things are very different here so I thought I would list somethings that are different/I miss. (PLEASE NOTE that this is NOT a list of complaints. Many of the changes I do like and don’t bother me…others do I’ll admit haha) Oh and this in no particular order..because obviously my first thing on the list isn’t that big of a deal)
1. Ketchup. Two things about Ketchup…you have to PAY for packets. 40 cents at McDonald’s for one weird looking packet. The other thing is most people don’t even eat it. They eat mayo with fries. GROSS. I don’t like mayo but I did try fries with mayo and it was still GROSS.
2. Biking vs. Driving. Everyone here bikes. Yeah people drive but I see way more bikers than drivers. Even old people like 60+ bike. It’s crazy. But I love love love biking. Except my thighs can def feel it. Which isn’t a bad thing. Oh and people ride on the back of other peoples bikes. Either right behind them on the little metal seat, like you would ride a motorcycle (not tandem bicycles either) or off to the side. And people put their babies on their bikes. (See Pictures)
3. Grocery Stores. All stores make you bring your own bags or you can buy them. Yes I know some stores in the U.S do this like Aldi (which we have in the U.S.) but You would never go to Walmart and expect to pay like 20 cents or whatever for a plastic bad. I like the idea though…as long as I remember to bring a bag haha
4. Dryers. Yeah there are no dryers here. That means I have to hang up all my clothes on a little rack. It was rather tedious I’m not gonna lie….but did have like two weeks worth of clothes..which for me is A LOT. Never thought I would miss having a washer. Oh well.
5. Sharing a bathroom/kitchen/showers. Ok I know this is not like a European difference but it is different for me. I have to take toilet paper with me to the “toilet” as it’s bluntly referred to here. Which is really annoying. The showers are gross..no one cleans it when they are done so I have to spray with disinfectant before I shower. And I’m pretty ok when it comes to gross things but this is bad. Oh and the kitchens. People leave pans full of who knows what on the burners. You have to clean all the shared items before you can use them basically then cook, then if you are a decent person, clean them again.
6. Language. Ok obviously this is big difference. People will start talking to me in Dutch and i’ll just have this look on my face like huh? I am learning though!! I had my first lesson Thurs. I will post an entire blog about that class later.
7. Metric. Yeah another big one. I have no clue the size of anything. For example, when we were on the canal boat ride, the sailor person said the water was 2 meters. How much is two meters you ask? I had no idea. Some of you might but I had no clue. For your information it is about 6.5 FEET.
8. Clothing. Girls here where tights, boots and heels at all times.. it could be 10 in the morning or 10 at night but i will see a girl in high heels. Also girls ride bikes in heels. It wasn’t as bad as i thought though. I tried it once.
9. Uniforms. All the uniforms here are so cute. So many of them include little scarves. Not like the U.S where you wear whatever + a name tag. So cute. The Manager at McDonald’s has an entire ensemble that include a hat and a scarf haha.
10. Everything is super. Clean. No trash on the side of the road..if there is its getting picked up by some trash person haha.
11. Movies. I went to a movie last night with Camilla, Cat and Kate (see pictures) We saw “My Sister’s Keeper” Very good btw if you haven’t seen it. Anyway. In the middle if a heart-wrenching moment, 45 mins in. PAUZE. They paused the movie. It was like an intermission. Us girls were so confused, thinking did they really just pause the movie? It was nice to go to the “toilet” without missing anything but it kind of killed the mood. Especially in that movie.
Well that’s all I can think of for now. I will be posting more pictures of the town soon, since that was a request. Please feel free to ask me questions. Even if it’s something stupid like “Do you have Pizza in the Netherlands?” Yes. They even deliver.
<3
