Comments on: Goodbye Berlin, Hello Canada

By: designer kids clothes

designer kids clothes — Fri, 03 Jun 2011 15:48:33 +0000

Wow, what a great article! I love how you make pros and cons on both places, Berlin and Canada. I have lived in both countries, too, and I couldn’t agree more with you. It’s funny how most people think Europe is supposed to be extremely clean…unfortunately, it’s not like that (anymore).

By: Suchada @ Mama Eve

Suchada @ Mama Eve — Thu, 23 Sep 2010 20:04:54 +0000

Ok, I’m starting to feel a bit like a stalker (lurker?) but I’m really enjoying catching up on these posts. I lived in Germany (Hanau and Heidelberg) for almost 5 years in my early 20s, well before I had children of my own, but I knew many young families and saw them everywhere as well (my favorite memories are of the Christkindl Markt and all the babies wrapped up in their KinderTasche). I love their sense of family, and I’ve enjoyed reading your posts commenting on it. Thank you for sharing!

By: Sean

Sean — Tue, 24 Aug 2010 14:42:06 +0000

Yep, it always happens, everywhere in Europe, that people who half-think they can speak English switch to English when they hear me speaking English with my kids, which never happened/happens when I was/am alone. It frequently results in diminishing the efficiency of communication by a factor of at least three, but in Belgium it is apparently considered polite, though not by me (I consider it a waste of my time).

It is likely to happen with any language the interlocutor has a minimal knowledge of, not only English.

As for A/C, this was the first time in 5000 years it was so hot in Berlin. There is no economic case for airco and it is environmentally damaging. People live in the Sahara without airco. Adequate construction norms and clothing are all that is needed. Apart from the environmental and health case against airco, it also makes it impossible to dress for outings that involve being both outside and in. For the same reason, heating in stores should be kept to a minimum in winter (but never is).

By: darlene

darlene — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 00:27:47 +0000

I happen to know of a little stacked townhouse for sale on Lyon St. in downtown Ottawa. It’s our former neighbours’. You’d be just around the corner!

By: Live Laugh Shoot

Live Laugh Shoot — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 03:47:43 +0000

That’s so weird – I think of Germany as such a clean country! Oh well, here’s to the rest of your 2010 being poop-free.

Cheers,
Anne

By: Summer

Summer — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 20:09:16 +0000

Dog shit. Number one reason why we don’t have a dog. Safe traveling.

By: LaFlecha

LaFlecha — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 16:34:20 +0000

Wow – After reading this, I feel so playground-deprived!

By: Jill

Jill — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 15:02:44 +0000

I agree with everything you said about Berlin. Having spent some time there researching and living in Kreuzberg (where you were too?), I also got weary of the graffiti. And it’s not just Berlin. I lived in Tuebingen in the South for a year and there was still a lot of graffiti in Baden Wuerttemberg – perhaps not as much as Berlin but still more than I would like. This might sound harsh and I truly don’t mean it too, but I don’t miss the body odor in the summer in Berlin, especially in closed spaces in the subway. I am an American and in some respects I think we are TOO paranoid about smelling perfect all the time and perhaps overuse deodorant. But because of this, my nose was oftentimes not prepared for the subway. And I was in Berlin during a very mild summer when I often had to bring a sweater with me.

Also, it has been my experience too that Germans will often answer you in English, no matter how good your German is. I learned not to be offended and realized that it was just because they wanted to practice their English.

By: Balanced Melting Pot

Balanced Melting Pot — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 13:35:53 +0000

It’s funny – you can simply replace Berlin and Canada with Caracas and South Florida and you’ll have the same things I’ll miss and look forward to – small world…

By: phdinparenting

phdinparenting — Mon, 26 Jul 2010 05:33:52 +0000

I did live there once. I complained about the noise.