Pandoraah gets her end away

So... Stench of oil/fuel. Erm, not good. Ignore it. But there's a snail trail and... Hmm. What's this? A puddle? Ohhhhh shit. Long story short - gleich am 8 Uhr, we find ourselves at the Reparatuer or however it's spelled. "Wait half an hour" he tells me. Erm, ok. Nervous. Ruby sniffs her way around the back of the neighbouring supermarket. Ok. Back to the waiting room. "Damen Magazine" distracts me for a few minutes. "Fertig!" calls a lady from behind the desk. Oh God, primed for painful revelations. But what's this? It's fixed? "Es ist nicht so schlimm" she says. 35 Euros. Half an hour. German efficiency. Impossible in England, incredible to experience. Thank God.

For those who have been wondering what it is I do all day.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eY4MpL-Evj4

definition

Keren, n.

One who says what everyone else is thinking but is too polite to say. One who must exercise great awareness of the junk coming out of her own mouth lest she say something incredibly offensive. Sometimes funny, sometimes appaling, never boring.

:/

other weird things about Germany, these more disturbing than the last

1. EVERYTHING IS CLOSED AT THE WEEKEND. That's right, in Germany it's Sunday evening all day Saturday and all day Sunday. I mean even the clothes shops are closed on Saturday afternoon. So are the coffee shops. The only thing open is the odd chain store and the supermarkets. But even then it's a half-hearted affair. Town is empty. Even big cities - EMPTY!! I have so many questions about this, I don't know where to start. Firstly, WHAT DO PEOPLE DO ON SATURDAY????? Correction - what do 24 year olds do on Saturday? Cos there don't seem to be many around to ask. And how does one go clothes shopping? Do you have to take a day off work for Chrissakes????

2. No-one dresses up - or down. It's the same clothes every day: weekend, daytime, evening, workwear... A generic unflattering T-shirt with a waterproof jacket on top, badly-fitting jeans, and the ugliest shoes I've ever seen! It's bizarre. Needless to say the girls don't wear make-up - it's very rare to see even some mascara. And the hair is either tied back in a generic ponytail or hanging loose. That's it. It's so freakin' weird, I can't actually get over it. No-one is wearing a skirt, even! I mean don't they get bored of the same clothes all the time? I love dressing up and picking new outfits! Don't they do that here? I guess clothes are ridiculously expensive compared to the UK but still... It doesn't mean you have to buy boring identical ones does it? Or... does it? :S

3. Work starts super-early. 8.30 is medium, 8 is ok, 7 is good, and 9 is just lazy/late. Unbelievable. I mean, starting at 8 and finishing at 4 - now that would be good. But no! Start at 8, finish at 5 or 6 - sometimes even later! What the hell!!! Combined with point #1 above - when do these people go shopping? When do they drink coffee with their friends? When do they do anything at all?!???


I'm gonna find some Germans ASAP and demand ANSWERS. (I can't go on like this for another 8 weeks.I will seriously crack. They'll be picking bits of my brain off the ceiling for WEEKS, man! It's Saturday! AND THERE IS NOTHING GOING ON! NOTHING IS OPEN! NO-ONE IS IN TOWN!! Not even any cars about! Even in Penrith, there'd be a traffic jam about now!! ARGH!!!!!)