I decided to write this blog as part of my cultural integration process. After 2 ½ years of living in California I realize more and more that cultural integration is not a one way street but requires mutual openness and willingness to dare to think outside one’s own cultural box of concepts of “right” and “wrong”, “normal” and “weird” without judging and/or ridiculing what is foreign to one’s common ways of doing life. With this blog I hope to make a contribution to the improvement of this mutual understanding and invite my family and friends both American and German to be part of this process. Please note that this blog does NOT intend to reinforce any stereotypes or make unsophisticated generalizations but only portrays the personal experience of a German girl born in the heart of Swabia and her story of immigrating to a Californian metropolis of the extra large kind namely Los Angeles (4 million). Whenever I will post general articles with general opinions I will mark the content that relates to MY personally experienced challenges, struggles, discoveries and revelations. As I am writing part of this in retrospective there is no particular order to the postings. Feel free to share comments on YOUR experience with keeping in mind that the purpose of this blog is to foster UNDERSTANDING and not to OFFEND anybody! Due to the nature of the subject offense of some kind will probably occur at some point so I apologize before hand and encourage everybody to be a constructive part of this. As a good friend of mine who lives in a inter-cultural marriage as well always says: “Remember, it’s just different.”

Friday, August 10, 2007

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)




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