European Likes and Dislikes

People often ask what I like and don’t like about my frequent trips to Europe. I decided to make a list, which I’ll need to amend as I think of other things.

 LIKE:

 My friends. I’ve made some really good friends during my time in Europe. People that I keep up with through out the year and look forward to seeing when I return. They put up with my bad German. Most nights we just sit around a beer garden talking about things. Nothing special. They are not very pretentious, which suits me fine.

DISLIKE:

 Toilets. Geez, these guys just don’t get it. I know they want to conserve water but having a toilet that flushes with only a half a gallon of water means that in between flushes, those things stink like hell. Really! Only the neck of the stool has any water so the rest of the bowl is just a catcher of funk. Try going into any bathroom over there and you’re taking your life in your hands.

 LIKE:

 Open windows. They are much less likely to use air conditioning. In fact, I have only been in one building that even had AC. Most don’t. I’m talking about stores, restaurants, universities, etc. Want some fresh air? Eat out on the sidewalk alfresco or open a window. Nice cool breezes at night are boss.

 DISLIKE:

 B.O. I’ve mentioned this in many other posts but these guys just don’t appear to be into daily bathing. Of course, that’s not a blanket statement but applies generally. Remember that there is no real air conditioning and people walk, ride a bike, or take public transportation most places. You get pretty sweaty and funky even if the temperature is only 70 degrees when there is no air. The problem might be that they took a bath but then didn’t apply deodorant or are wearing the same clothes from yesterday. And I thought Europeans created colognes. What’s up with that?

 LIKE:

 Recycling. They are big into recycling and clean energy. Really cool. After my first trip over there, I couldn’t wait to get home and start sorting out recyclable stuff from the trash. Still do it today. When it becomes a way of life, you don’t even notice it. It really is a part of the culture.

 DISLIKE:

 Open windows. I know that I wrote above about how I liked the open windows. However, they need to invest in screen windows. Nothing is worse than being awakened by a mosquito or some weird green bug on your nose.  There is also the problem of street noise. And in a restaurant, seeing a fly or three buzzing around the kitchen is an appetite killer.

 LIKE:

 Public Transportation. You can get anywhere in any city on public transportation. They are integrated meaning that once you get off the train, you won’t have far (if anywhere) to go to get on the bus. Got your bike? No problem, you can load that bad boy on the front of the bus or take it directly on the train. I’ve been in countless cities where I had never been before. Looked at the map of the city and found my way around on public transportation with out a problem. Even with luggage or groceries, I still found it easier to take public transportation than drive.

 DISLIKE:

 Racism. They aren’t anymore immune than anywhere else on the globe. With the influx of foreign refugees, anyone dark is looked on harshly. And having very little experience with dark people, anyone can and will be considered “African.” In the summer of 2016, I was called a nigger in Europe. My first time there. It is a shame that I’ve been called it so much in my life that it didn’t impact me. They can do better.

 LIKE:

 Weather. When it’s a 100 degrees and frying over here in the states during the summer, it’s still rather mild there. That’s a good thing because 100 degrees and no AC is going to kill someone. Most evenings, even in the heart of summer, you’ll take along a sweater or jacket. I love those cool evening breezes. Yeah, it might rain for no reason in the middle of the day, with no warning, but I’ll take it over 106 degrees in the shade in Alabama or Texas.

 DISLIKE:

 Stiffness. Once you’ve got a friend, you’ve got a friend for life. However, making friends is tough business. They don’t believe in small talk. Go over and ask someone how they are doing and you’re likely to get a strange look as people wonder why you would care how they are doing. Smile at a lady across a room? She’ll probably turn up her nose at you. You aren’t her friend. Why would you be smiling? The point being that unless we meet, we’ll never get to be friends. Doesn’t resonate much with them.

 LIKE:

 Being respected. For some odd reason, professors are still looked at as respected members of society and treated as such. Unlike in my classes here, none of my students have ever come up to me and said “dude, what time is class?”

 DISLIKE:

 Grammar Police. As you may have gathered by reading this blog, my German is terrible. I can understand what you’re saying fine. You understanding me? That’s a different story. I know I speak bad German. It’s to be expected since I never took a class and learned it mostly from talking to people, watching TV, and a cheap set of CD’s I bought one summer. Give me a break and try to understand what I’m saying as opposed to whether I put the verb in the correct spot.