Making Changes
Of the many differences between the US and Europe, one is certainly the money. Recently (a few years ago) , the entire continent of Europe decided to go to one standard currency. Great Britain didn't go with the other countries on this, but they are an island! The basic unit is the Euro (plural, at least in Dutch is Euro) and the coins come in 1, 5, 10, 20, 50, cents pieces and one Euro and two Euro denominations. The full Euro coins are bi-color and do stand out. The bills are colorful and smaller than American bills.
Fortunately, one of the things that I did before I came was to learn the numbers in Flemish. Not only does that make it easier for me to buy things, but it really came in handy when we called someone and the message was that we had to press 90 to leave a message. Of course, the message was in Flemish and you can't ask a recording if it speaks English.
We had one experience today that was priceless. The girls had been asked to clean the 31 student apartments so we had to get cleaning supplies. We were given directions to the store to buy the supplies, but of course with my penchant for following directions I was able to get lost without any problem. We went in a small store on a main street and asked where to buy cleaning supplies and were directed to a small store across the street.
The store, Drogenstur Edelweiss, was the sort of place we would have quickly passed by had we not been directed to go in. A faded lime green paint covered the outside of the building and we (Cathryn, Dianna, and I) entered with some hesitation. The store was overstocked with every manner of cleaning supply imaginable, with very narrow aisles. The girls went in first, and I was unable to even get around them because of the crowding situation. There were no people other than the owner, an elderly woman named Annie who could not possibly have been over 4'10" tall. Fortunately, she spoke sufficient English for our needs. I described the situation to her and she quickly went to work trying to find the items we needed -- mops, sponges, cleaners, etc. I wanted to find a pine-based cleaning solution so that the American students would think the apartments "smelled" clean, but was unable to find anything with a smell other than a small hint of lemon. During the entire time we were in the shop, no one else came in or called. We were in our own little world. She directed us to the best bargains and did all she could to get us what we wanted. She explained that she purposely kept the place overcrowded with merchandise and did not let people past the very fron tof the store to prevent shoplifting. \her shoulder had been recently broken, so I insisted on helping reach things, particularly on higher shelves, and she didn't seem to mind. Then we talked about learning languages, she gave us a lesson specifically in the Antwerp dialect (apparently they say dra instead of drei for three!) and then we got ready to pay. I held up everything we were buying and she carefully wrote down the prices on a scrap of paper. Then she added it all up (by hand) and showed me the total. No tax, since tax is included. It is 21%! I paid and asked for the receipt. She handed me the scrap of paper. Apparently, she doesn't even own a printing calculator! According to my calculations, she had added wrong and slightly overcharged us, but I certainly didnt have the heart to argue with her. We paid and hope to be going back soon.
The girls worked very hard cleaning the apartments. They already seemed clean to me, but once they got in there, we realized they weren't. After the cleaning, they will be stocking them with dishes, pots, pans, sheets, etc. The hardest part is that the apartment building is four stories tall and they have to walk 81 steps to the top floor! Ten apartments are on each floor, with the last one on the ground floor along with a storage room and an office for David.
I bought some real Belgian chocolate today for the first time. The girls said they prefer the candy bars in the stores, which are really good. The fillings are unusual. They are masterpieces to look at.
Also, I am having to go to broodje (bread) stores to buy bread and small meat markets to get meat. There just aren't any close grocery stores in the sense that we have them. Delis prevail, but it makes more sense to make our own sandwiches. Prices are reasonable, much bett erthan I expected.
Tonight we went out to dinner with Jim Kelly and his wife, Professor Van Hooeff, who teaches International Marketing. They are slightly older than we are. We had a wonderful dinner at a college hangout called 'tIngnase. I had a fish casserole drenched in a lowfat cheese with a salad. Fries are served with practically everything, but I always pass them up. Cathryn had moussaka, Dianna had a chicken filet, and David had the daily special of a pork Shishkebob. Shishkebobs are very common here. Everything was excellent and beautifully presented. Again, we did not go hungry although we had been told portions are smaller. But we did spend about twenty dollars just on water. Paying for each tiny glass of water here is really going to change our lifestyle. It is bottled only and cost as much as any other drink.
We are continuing to feel blessed to have had the opportunity to come here and are learning and enjoying this wonderful opportunity.
Fortunately, one of the things that I did before I came was to learn the numbers in Flemish. Not only does that make it easier for me to buy things, but it really came in handy when we called someone and the message was that we had to press 90 to leave a message. Of course, the message was in Flemish and you can't ask a recording if it speaks English.
We had one experience today that was priceless. The girls had been asked to clean the 31 student apartments so we had to get cleaning supplies. We were given directions to the store to buy the supplies, but of course with my penchant for following directions I was able to get lost without any problem. We went in a small store on a main street and asked where to buy cleaning supplies and were directed to a small store across the street.
The store, Drogenstur Edelweiss, was the sort of place we would have quickly passed by had we not been directed to go in. A faded lime green paint covered the outside of the building and we (Cathryn, Dianna, and I) entered with some hesitation. The store was overstocked with every manner of cleaning supply imaginable, with very narrow aisles. The girls went in first, and I was unable to even get around them because of the crowding situation. There were no people other than the owner, an elderly woman named Annie who could not possibly have been over 4'10" tall. Fortunately, she spoke sufficient English for our needs. I described the situation to her and she quickly went to work trying to find the items we needed -- mops, sponges, cleaners, etc. I wanted to find a pine-based cleaning solution so that the American students would think the apartments "smelled" clean, but was unable to find anything with a smell other than a small hint of lemon. During the entire time we were in the shop, no one else came in or called. We were in our own little world. She directed us to the best bargains and did all she could to get us what we wanted. She explained that she purposely kept the place overcrowded with merchandise and did not let people past the very fron tof the store to prevent shoplifting. \her shoulder had been recently broken, so I insisted on helping reach things, particularly on higher shelves, and she didn't seem to mind. Then we talked about learning languages, she gave us a lesson specifically in the Antwerp dialect (apparently they say dra instead of drei for three!) and then we got ready to pay. I held up everything we were buying and she carefully wrote down the prices on a scrap of paper. Then she added it all up (by hand) and showed me the total. No tax, since tax is included. It is 21%! I paid and asked for the receipt. She handed me the scrap of paper. Apparently, she doesn't even own a printing calculator! According to my calculations, she had added wrong and slightly overcharged us, but I certainly didnt have the heart to argue with her. We paid and hope to be going back soon.
The girls worked very hard cleaning the apartments. They already seemed clean to me, but once they got in there, we realized they weren't. After the cleaning, they will be stocking them with dishes, pots, pans, sheets, etc. The hardest part is that the apartment building is four stories tall and they have to walk 81 steps to the top floor! Ten apartments are on each floor, with the last one on the ground floor along with a storage room and an office for David.
I bought some real Belgian chocolate today for the first time. The girls said they prefer the candy bars in the stores, which are really good. The fillings are unusual. They are masterpieces to look at.
Also, I am having to go to broodje (bread) stores to buy bread and small meat markets to get meat. There just aren't any close grocery stores in the sense that we have them. Delis prevail, but it makes more sense to make our own sandwiches. Prices are reasonable, much bett erthan I expected.
Tonight we went out to dinner with Jim Kelly and his wife, Professor Van Hooeff, who teaches International Marketing. They are slightly older than we are. We had a wonderful dinner at a college hangout called 'tIngnase. I had a fish casserole drenched in a lowfat cheese with a salad. Fries are served with practically everything, but I always pass them up. Cathryn had moussaka, Dianna had a chicken filet, and David had the daily special of a pork Shishkebob. Shishkebobs are very common here. Everything was excellent and beautifully presented. Again, we did not go hungry although we had been told portions are smaller. But we did spend about twenty dollars just on water. Paying for each tiny glass of water here is really going to change our lifestyle. It is bottled only and cost as much as any other drink.
We are continuing to feel blessed to have had the opportunity to come here and are learning and enjoying this wonderful opportunity.
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