Here is a preliminary list of things I find a bit different here (my goal is to take photos of each of these phenomena and post them soon):
The toilets: there's this weird shelf that your contribution sits on that is NOT in the water (it does nothing to help with the, um, smell . . . ) and then a rush of water shoves it all down the hole when you flush, and there's a button that can stop the flushing early
The public bathroom stalls: the doors are solid wood and go from floor to ceiling, always with a well-functioning latch- unlike the rickety old metal doors in the States with big gaps between the sides and latches that never have anything to latch onto
Getting into the public bathrooms: you often have to pay 50 or 60 cents to use a public bathroom
Shopping carts at the grocery store: you have to put in a 20 cent piece to release the cart from the chains that hold them all together, and you get the coin back when you reattach the cart when you're done
Washing dishes: I've now witnessed several different people wash dishes in a tub of soapy water and then place them on the drying rack without rinsing them- seems perfectly acceptable to them but I find it odd that the dishes dry with the dirty soapy water still on them . . .
Right-of-way: whether driving or cycling, the person on the right always has right-of-way, regardless of who is on the main road (meaning you sometimes have to stop for people who are already stopped and are trying to turn onto the road you're traveling down), unless there is a sign that says otherwise . . . gives the RIGHT in RIGHT-of-way a whole new meaning
Noon: the Dutch language doesn't have a word for "noon"
No comments:
Post a Comment