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One of the best parts of German culture is the Apotheke, the pharmacy! Not because of the prescription drugs, but because of the products you can buy there. And the freebies--don't even get me started. I once bought some facial care products and make-up and they gave me a HANDBAG. A HANDBAG!!! I still have it. Die Tasche ist fantastisch! I even got a tea candlelight holder one year and since it was Advent/Christmas, the candle holder was in the shape of a star. Ja, das habe ich auch noch.
Every time you go to the Apotheke they give you things for free! Wunderbar! The Apothekerinnen und Apotheker are extremely knowledgeable and sensitive to your questions, so go ahead and ask all your questions. It's all about service and care in the Apotheke, that's for sure.
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If you've been hanging around this blog for a while, which some of you have, you'll know how excited I get when it's German week at ALDI. Apparently it just was, but I missed it, as there was no more regular Frischkäse when I arrived, only the Meerrettich kind, which I don't like. Schade.
This week I did a huge Einkaufstour and went to ALDI and filled up the cart. Käse, Champignons, Paprika, Toilettenpapier, Taschentücher, Bratwürste--ich habe echt alles eingekauft.
When I reached the check-out there were only two people ahead of me, and one, a young man, was carrying only three items. In his hands he held a package of blueberries, a package of raspberries, and a huge stack of styrofoam plates.
"I'm just going to hold my items," he explained, "so go ahead and use the whole belt."
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This year is the Reformationsjubiläum, the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther nailing his 95 theses to the church door in Wittenberg, which was a key event for the Reformation. This day now symbolizes the beginning of the Reformation and the far-reaching effects that have reached around the globe. All year long there are activities all over the world to celebrate this anniversary, most especially in Germany.
They're celebrating the life and work of Martin Luther: the man who lived secretly under the name "Junker Jörg," gave us the word Rotzlöffel, and translated the New Testament into German.
Rotzlöffel
This descriptive insult translates literally to "snot spoon," and correctly translated, it gives us "snotty-nosed brat." How Luther helped this word get into better circulation, I have no idea, but you can find out more in Mit Feuereifer und Herzenslust from DUDEN.
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A lot of folks in the US ask me what German health insurance is like. As a former resident of Germany (2003 to 2008) and a participant in their public health insurance program (there is also a separate, private system, which I know nothing about) here are 7 differences I noticed:
1. It has a different name.
It’s not “health insurance.” It’s Krankenversicherung, or illness insurance. Krankenversicherung is a protection against financial devastation, it’s no guarantee you’re going to be healthy.
Personally, I refer to my policy payments every month as Illsurance. We have car insurance for our cars, and home insurance for our homes, why not Illsurance for illnesses?
2. Your payments are percentages, not flat fees.
Depending on your Krankenversicherung, you pay roughly 14% of your income towards your policy. Your employer pays a bit less. Thus the monthly payments change depending on and related to your income changes, but there is a cap on how much you pay when you’ve reached EUR 4,350/month gross.
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and make German a part of your everyday life.
Sometimes it amazes me how quickly people can pick up German words and sentence structure, even though they've never been to Germany and haven't learned German before. Clients come to a lesson and they have no idea what German bread tastes like, but they can talk about German breakfast: das Brot, die Marmelade, der Kaffee.
It can be a source of frustration, however, to learn German, but only to have all these North American elements around us: speed limits, white bread (igit!), and 2 weeks of vacation a year. (Germans have a minimum of 4, on average 5, and many have 6 weeks). German culture sometimes feels so far away.
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