stern.de: Living in America

Ein Journalist berichtet über seine Erfahrungen, die er als Deutscher in Los Angeles macht. Für mich war es amüsant und erleichternd, dass andere offensichtlich meine Erfahrungen teilen : )

In guter Wegwerfgesellschaft

ABM auf Amerikanisch

Wo der Eismann zweimal klingelt

Wenn Heidi im VW Leberwurst isst

Heimweh geht durch den Magen

Abenteuer Autokauf

Der unsichtbare Fußgängerüberweg

Wenn der Cable Guy tackert

Amerikaner mögen's mündlich

(This post has been taken from my former "Living the Cross-Cultural Life" MySpace Group)

MARRIAGE: Don't take it personal

"Knowledge about differences in cultural belief systems can help spouses who take each other's behavior too personally. Couples might experience great relief when they can come to see the spouse's behavior fitting into a larger ethnic context rather than as a personal attack (p.27).(McGoldrick, M., Giordano, J., & Garcia-Preto, N. (Eds.). (2005). Ethnicity and family therapy (3rd ed.). New York: Guilford Press.)"

Solution: book

More reading:
Article: It's all about being understood, Smart Marriages
http://lists101.his.com/pipermail/smartmarriages/2001-November/000857.html

Thesis: Stress and Coping Techniques for Successful Intercultural Marriages, Sarah Donovan
http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-12222004-125301/unrestricted/thesis.pdf

Article: Is my Way the right Way?, Marriage Missions International
http://www.marriagemissions.com/intercultural-marriages-assumptionsmy-way-the-right-way/

(This post has been taken from my former "Living the Cross-Cultural Life" MySpace Group)

Our LOVE is Different: Compromises

Blankets, Sheets and Pillows

German couples usually share the bed but traditionally they don't share ONE blanket! They have TWO- one for each person - no nightly fights for the blanket (and I thought Americans were so concerned about being independent, ha ha). They usually also have to separate mattresses in the bed frame which has the advantage that depending on ones' individual back the mattress can be adjusted.

There are no tugged in SHEETS with LAYERS of one or more loose heavy blankets on top of it. I was used to sleeping on a  fitted sheet under a light but warm comforter which was placed INSIDE a duvet cover. (This tugged in business makes me feel like being strapped to a bed in a mental institution. I can't stick my feet out when I'm hot, I feel restricted by the weight from the layers of blankets, and I don't find it very hygienic since the only thing that seems to be washed is the flat sheet that separates you from the blanket(s). So the first thing I do in a hotel room bed is untugging all the sheets! My husband however  associates a cosines and safety with being tugged in).
 
Mattresses are not very high - neither are the beds usually but there is still space underneath for storage.

German bed with slates

In the US (and everywhere else the British had established colonies) first of all you have to learn about different SIZES of beds (Twin/Single , Twin/Single XL , Double/Full , Double/Full XL, Queen, Olympic/Expanded Queen, California Queen, King, California King, Super King , Grand King) and mattresses which can be somewhat confusing to begin with. I seriously walked into a mattress store one day and had the guy explain to me why the mattresses are so high (compared to German ones). I learned everything about the BOX SPRING (which goes under the mattress and has to be covered by a BED SKIRT) and COILS inside the mattress etc.

Sheets

Bed Skirt

Box Spring

So what did we end up getting in the end? We got a so-called "European Style" Plateau Bed which is high enough to use the space under it for storage. Therefore we only have a thick mattress on it , no box spring and no bed skirt, so it ends up being the same height.

We agreed on ONE blanket which is INSIDE a cover and no extra sheets on top of the linen. We also got a couple- not a whole load - of decorative PILLOWS which I was not used to having either. Works pretty good so far!

Storage Plateau Bed

(This post has been taken from my former "Living the Cross-Cultural Life" MySpace Group)