Counter Space Adventures
I’m staring again. This time at the bathroom sink. It’s just that. A sink with pipes coming out the bottom of the water basin. No cabinet space beneath it and no counter space surrounding it. Where do I set my toothbrush?
As I mentioned in last week’s post, counter space is at a premium here!
Finally deciding on a ledge of tile to the right, I finish up and wander downstairs for breakfast. I grab the toaster off the metal shelf and scootch the water kettle out of the way to make toast. Once done, the toaster returns to the shelf because it’s taking up the space for the kettle and I’d also like coffee. It’s the shuffle game of appliances.
I’m thankful for the center kitchen island someone added to the room because without it, I’d be slathering toast overtop the stove while I’m cooking eggs. This was at our temporary lodging when we arrived in Germany but as we looked at places to rent, we found this difference from U.S. home design to be a common sight. Right along with no closets or pantries. I’m not sure why this is. Perhaps it’s a reflection of an older time when clothes were stored in trunks or wardrobes.
When we did find a few rentals with the space for a closet or cabinets added under bathroom sinks, those rentals jumped to the top of our list. As you can probably imagine, when we set up our home, the design differences also subtly changed the way we set everything up. There was this tension between what was familiar, and at times looking for a cabinet that felt like it should be there but wasn’t, and then punting to figure out a spot to store dry groceries, or toilet paper, or shoes.
This is going to deep dive for a moment. Awhile back, I posted about wearing socks with sandals and how, depending on where you live in the States, it makes logical sense, or it doesn’t make sense and leaves you with wet socks. Yet we rarely consider that sometimes people have a good reason for something even though it doesn’t fit into the small spot of the world we currently inhabit.
How often, I wonder, do we wind up arguing with someone because of these differences? The German way of setting up a house isn’t wrong. It encourages gorgeous wardrobes. (Narnia anyone?). And neither is the American way wrong. It’s just different.
And if we really deep dive into the language differences, this tension becomes greater. I won’t go too far with this, but German is a very literal language. For instance, the word for ambulance is “sick wagon.” Volkswagen is “people wagon.” Does this change the way Germans’ approach the world? Does it make us perceive them as overly blunt when, in reality, they’re speaking in a way that’s normal to them?
Okay, deep dive done. I just love getting to know new cultures and seeing the differences. I love taking away the ignorance that makes me assume things and replacing it with understanding that allows for grace in my interactions with others.
What assumptions have you found wrong once you truly got to know someone or something?
Blessings,
Jennifer
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