- Life without our kitty. I’ve been trying to entice some neighborhood cats to visit me with saucers of milk on the patio but they’re skittish. Maybe they are freaked out by the strange language I’m speaking. I should start practicing my Dutch with them.
- Not being able to BBQ. We’ve heard that Belgians think it’s an unhealthy way to cook. We’ve seen funny, one-time use BBQ’s at Turkish shops but haven’t gotten that desperate yet.
- European bedding–there’s no such thing as a top sheet
- Our dorm-sized fridge
- The miserable exchange rate
- Going to the pharmacy (Apotheek) to get even basic, over-the-counter drugs like aspirin
- There are some shoddy household products. It’s surprising to me that things like garbage bags, plastic wrap and aluminum foil here can be so sub-par.
- The metric system. Cooking is a new adventure. Troy accidentally made enough rice for 10 people the other night!
- The weather. It’s pretty gray and drizzly most days.
- Dog poop on the sidewalks. Many people don’t pick up after their doggies! And there are even designated, sandbox type areas for dogs to go around town.
- Not being able to find ingredients to make Mexican food. There’s a big Turkish population in Ghent though, and so there are lots of other interesting ingredients!
- Biking on roads with tram tracks. I’ve had a couple of half-wipeouts as I try to cross over them (my back tire catches)!
- Not having a place for one-stop shopping. It would be handy to have a Target-like store for setting up house. Don’t get me wrong though, Europe doesn’t need Wal-Mart!
- Not being able to call family and friends easily (with the time difference)
- Fumbling with the language, which is Flemish, a variation of Dutch – thank goodness for Google Translate!
- Not having a clothes dryer. I didn’t realize it took 2 days to dry jeans!
- Biking on cobblestone streets. Arghh!
- Not having ice cubes or a freezer
- Not having free tap water at restaurants
- Paying to use public toilets
I have a European combination washer/dryer in my place, and it’s like not having a dryer at all (3 hours and one bath towel doesn’t get dry). It stinks. I don’t understand why anyone who can afford it would live without a dryer, when they have a washer in their house!
I also hate paying to use public toilets. Especially when you don’t have any change but really have to go… Or don’t speak the language and don’t understand the currency, and REALLY have to go…
By: Shana on September 30, 2009
at 9:16 pm
Hope all is well on the Continent – we’ve had several feet of snow so you would have liked this winter in Virginia.
By: Pace on February 25, 2010
at 6:45 pm
Thanks Pace, I’ve heard about all the snow! Troy and I are bummed we missed it. I would have been x-country skiing to work!
Hope all is well with you and at OVPR. Miss you guys.
By: belginians on March 2, 2010
at 9:50 am