Miscellaneous Miscellani

I occasionally realize that there are things I have adjusted to “not knowing how to do” that normally I would not give a second thought to until it comes time to needing “to know how to do” this or that.

As examples….

ATM receipts: I still can’t figure out how to get a receipt from the ATM machine. When I obtain cash using my US bank account, an English language option appears, thus allowing me to select the options I need, including obtaining a receipt for my transaction. Yet, when I use my German ATM card, German is the only language option. Thankfully, I can select the right button to get the cash, as this is, after all, the main objective. The streak is alive at 5 months and counting, and I still have never gotten a receipt.

Pizza home delivery: Should be simple to order a pizza by telephone, but no can do. Buddy, however, has mastered enough basic German to get a pizza ordered and delivered 80% of the time. Just when we think we have this mastered, and we get a bit “cocky”, is when the pizza gremlins throw us a curve ball and we get the one pizza worker who can’t understand our German…To his/her credit, I understand why….

Dry cleaners: “Can I get starch in those shirts – Three dry cleaners later, we finally have figured out that indeed shirts can be ordered with starch (or the rough equivalent). After the fiasco of the lost dress shirts, we switched to a cleaners where one of the staff (weekend day mornings only) can speak a little English. I tried looking on the translation website and the language books for the phrase, but it does not appear that “can I get those shirts with starch?”, is really on the “need to know” phraseology list.

Customs forms: Another good use for French, as I can at least fill out the customs at the post office because the forms are in dual language…whew! Dodged that issue.

Moral of the story: Language school can’t come quick enough; bring on the German classes!