As we transition from Kovol to Germany, here is a list of things that are ‘different’ during daily life and we have to get used to:
| Kovol | Germany |
| Filter water before drinking | Drink tap water (or sparkling water) |
| Freeze flour and rice first to kill bugs. If needed sift bugs out. | Use it |
| Crack each egg separately into a cup in case it’s rotten | Use it |
| In the village, sit on the dirt/ ground | Table and chairs |
| cough/ make noise at village doors to get attention, at coworkers house say ‘knock, knock’ | Use a bell |
| Walking inside the house can feel like an earthquake | No shaking of the house unless there is an earthquake |
| earthquakes are normal | Earthquakes aren’t normal |
| Keep oils and glass containers safe away from edges in case of an earthquake | Don’t worry where you put your glass containers |
| Grocery shop for 4-6 months learn to substitute while cooking | Grocery hop for about 4-6 days if you forget something go to the store again |
| order and plan kg’s and bulk for the flight | Shopping as you like, if you don’t find something, drive to another store |
| Wear baggy clothes | baggy and tight/fitting clothes are fine |
| Clothes have stains and holes; you fit in | If your clothes have holes or bad stains, you are out of place |
| In the night there is ‘outside noise’ (dogs, pigs, bats, insects) | Maybe some ‘car’ noises or a river but nothing sudden, loud or disturbing from the outside |
| you can’t have conversation at the table during a heavy rain: it’s too loud | When the rain hits, it doesn’t affect you much as long as you stay in the house. |
| If noise from people comes from around my house, look outside to check for visitors. It happens several times a day. | If people are on the walk way, ignore them. Random people walking around in your yard can be concerning |
| Internet isn’t reliable and it’s slow. | Fast internet, very reliable |
| Recently available dish soap wasn’t so soapy | A little dish soap and I already have trouble getting the soap off my plate because it’s so soapy =D |
| Laundry needs time… hand fill the tub for wash and let the agitator turn the clothes. Put clothes into a spinner. Put rinsing water in and rinse clothes. Put clothes into a spinner. I feel lucky I don’t have to wash clothes down the mountain at the river like my friends do. Clothes might take 2-3 days for drying | Turn on a button. Everything goes automatically. |
| Summer: save water in the house. Don’t always flush afterwards if it’s ‘yellow’. Mainly when it’s brown. Reuse laundry water. Turn water off quickly always. | Even if I want to save water, I’m not worried it will run out. |
| Kids play outside, they are always dirty, and I clean their feet (or more) every time they have been outside | They just walk in. Even if they keep their shoes on my house might not get really dirty |
| Floor and laundry water will always be dirty. Daily lots of dust comes down from the ceiling. It’s normal | House stays clean a long time even without me cleaning it |
| It’s dark at 6:30 p.m. It gets light at 6 a.m. | summer 10:30 p.m. it’s dark. Kids find it hard to go to bed at 7:30pm |
| Going for a walk, you are almost never alone. | Go for walks alone or with others as you like |
| You almost always talk to almost everyone you meet on the road. | Don’t talk to everyone on the road |
| Greeting someone on the road: ask them where they are going, or tell them where you are going | If you know someone, say hi, but asking where they are going might be rude depending on the relationship |
| Packets can take 9 months. | 1-2 days |
| If I want to go somewhere, I walk. | Use a car, train, bus, bike, or the underground…. |
| Want to get out to town? book a chopper (or hike) | Use a car, train, bus, or the underground…. |
| Covid– what is this? Everyone has colds many times. Hospital, masks, covid tests, immunizations… are not available here. (In town they are and it’s different there) | Covid always on the news, on people’s minds, many different opinions, resources all available |
There are many, many more points I could mention. I am sure my kids have many, many more. But I have to stop somewhere….
1 Comment
Wonita Werley · 09/07/2022 at 2:03 am
Quite eye-opening! Thanks, Natalie!