Sunday, November 19, 2006

The little differences

I am here only since two days and I already noticed several differences between how things are done here and how they are done back in the old world.
First, at the airport I had some trouble using a public phone. I have no idea what I did wrong but instead of reaching Sebastian on his mobile, I got connected with the operator. But in the end he connected me with Sebastian and I even got my money back, so everything went fine.
Second, food prices are outrages. I had to pay 4,99 U$ for a 100 gram pack of regular cheese and 6,99 U$ for 100 grams of President's Camembert...
Third, everything is low fat or no fat. It is hardly possible to find a yoghurt or milk that would have more than 0,01% fat... Also most chocolates are sugar-free. How can they be the fattest nation in the world with all those dietetic products?
Fourth, the shops are open long hours and also on weekends - yes! yes! yes!
Fifth, there is some kind of system for buying shoes and clothes, which is not perfectly clear to me. It seems that you can not simply take what you like and go to any cashier you like, but that you have to stick to one shop assistant to both help you find what you like and also to charge you the money.
Sixth, it is really annoying that they display prices without tax and in the end you never really know how much you will pay.
Seventh, they have great selection of shoes, bags, clothes and jewelry. Shoes are truly great and not so expensive (as compared to other things), but nice clothes are really expensive. With my unique talent I managed to spot a nice skirt for 850 U$ and an equally nice blouse for 2500 U$.
Eighth, I really enjoy discovering all those tiny little differences...