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This ain't Kansas
May. 24th, 2007 12:43 pmMore ways the US and Germany are different:
1. So today I went back to the store to stock up on necessary summer clothes for kids. I'm trying very hard not to think about how much I spent. Certainly more than I've ever paid at any one time for clothes. (When you have four kids, pass-alongs make sense--but if you've just tossed them so you could move across the world, everyone starts from scratch. I'm trying to remind myself it's still cheaper than mailing all that here.) Anyway, so I'm looking at the receipt because a few things didn't fit quite right, and I'm reminded once again of sales tax. NINETEEN PERCENT. And yes, you really notice it when you buy a lot of things at once.
2. I walked from the store to the kindergarten to pick up my daughter. Yesterday when I walked in there was a naked kid in the hallway. A toileting accident, so she was putting on pull-ups and getting new clothes on. Kindergarten starts at age three, so whatever. Accidents happen, and hooray that the kid can take care of it herself. Today the kids were still playing on the kindergarten playground, which is fenced, and--sort of--shielded from public view by bushes. It was really hot today, so they had some wading pools out. Kids were playing in them, totally stark naked. And they weren't three year olds, either. Kindergarten goes up to age six in this country. Try that in the States and find your kindergarten shut down for good and everyone running it arrested. This is completely normal in Germany.
3. And finally, we sent in the form today for our oldest son's mandatory week-long campout with his class. It's during a school week. They go parentless to some place I've never heard of and stay with their class. My son is NINE. I can see this when you're 12. But there's a huge difference between third grade and seventh grade! Okay, if he'd been with these kids since the pool party days of kindergarten and had a best friend, etc., it would probably feel differently. But my son is still struggling to make really good friends in the class. I guess he'll either be totally miserable, or he'll finally bond with the other kids and have a good time. It's going to feel really weird to me, though. He's never even been to a sleepover.
1. So today I went back to the store to stock up on necessary summer clothes for kids. I'm trying very hard not to think about how much I spent. Certainly more than I've ever paid at any one time for clothes. (When you have four kids, pass-alongs make sense--but if you've just tossed them so you could move across the world, everyone starts from scratch. I'm trying to remind myself it's still cheaper than mailing all that here.) Anyway, so I'm looking at the receipt because a few things didn't fit quite right, and I'm reminded once again of sales tax. NINETEEN PERCENT. And yes, you really notice it when you buy a lot of things at once.
2. I walked from the store to the kindergarten to pick up my daughter. Yesterday when I walked in there was a naked kid in the hallway. A toileting accident, so she was putting on pull-ups and getting new clothes on. Kindergarten starts at age three, so whatever. Accidents happen, and hooray that the kid can take care of it herself. Today the kids were still playing on the kindergarten playground, which is fenced, and--sort of--shielded from public view by bushes. It was really hot today, so they had some wading pools out. Kids were playing in them, totally stark naked. And they weren't three year olds, either. Kindergarten goes up to age six in this country. Try that in the States and find your kindergarten shut down for good and everyone running it arrested. This is completely normal in Germany.
3. And finally, we sent in the form today for our oldest son's mandatory week-long campout with his class. It's during a school week. They go parentless to some place I've never heard of and stay with their class. My son is NINE. I can see this when you're 12. But there's a huge difference between third grade and seventh grade! Okay, if he'd been with these kids since the pool party days of kindergarten and had a best friend, etc., it would probably feel differently. But my son is still struggling to make really good friends in the class. I guess he'll either be totally miserable, or he'll finally bond with the other kids and have a good time. It's going to feel really weird to me, though. He's never even been to a sleepover.
