Ok, I've been informed by my parents that they are sending me to Europe pending my graduation on May 12, 2001!!! Now, any advice, tips, or anything else I should know. I know a lot of folks from across the Pond frequent the bulletin board, and I was hoping perhaps some insight on faux pas I don't want to commit, like "Parlez-vous anglais?" as my first line. So, can the Lit faithful help out one of their own (I've normally confined myself to the chat, but have been reading the board more frequently)???
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- Thread starter SweetNick
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Closet Desire
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My short list?
Don't make fun of how the toilets flush.
Don't compare everything with America and then say how much better it is in America.
Don't make fun of how the lights switches work.
Don't eat at McDonalds and don't ask for Coke with your meals.
Don't ask for diet, lo-fat, or sugarfree anything.
Unless you like cheese that will eat chrome off a bumper don't order anything that translates into "four cheeses" (quattro fromaggio). Three will be lovely...the fourth will water your eyes.
Do learn enough of the language to say yes, no, thank you, please, this one, how much, etc. Most of the people you run into will speak English, but it is very polite to make an effort...no matter how stupid you might (will) sound.
Pack your bags with what you think you'll need and then throw out at least half of it. Forget the hair dryer even if it says 220v...it'll fry in your hands.
Don't bring any food with you. Make sure your suitcase (not cases) has wheels on it because you're gonna be hoofin it. If you're young and want to be like the Euro students, get a backpack.
Don't forget your travel insurance.
Don't buy travelers cheques...nobody knows what they are. Take a credit/debit card with your pin. Everybody takes plastic. Be aware that some American Credit Cards (ie Aspire) don't work over here unless the merchants calls into the company and authorises it.
Do eat things you don't recognise. Get small books about the food in all the places you will be and try what the natives like...you'll be delightfully surprised.
We'll...gotta go finish cooking dinner. Lamb Balti and Chicken Korma and Pilaw Rice. Gosh...never had that in Arkansas.
Above all...have fun.
Don't make fun of how the toilets flush.
Don't compare everything with America and then say how much better it is in America.
Don't make fun of how the lights switches work.
Don't eat at McDonalds and don't ask for Coke with your meals.
Don't ask for diet, lo-fat, or sugarfree anything.
Unless you like cheese that will eat chrome off a bumper don't order anything that translates into "four cheeses" (quattro fromaggio). Three will be lovely...the fourth will water your eyes.
Do learn enough of the language to say yes, no, thank you, please, this one, how much, etc. Most of the people you run into will speak English, but it is very polite to make an effort...no matter how stupid you might (will) sound.
Pack your bags with what you think you'll need and then throw out at least half of it. Forget the hair dryer even if it says 220v...it'll fry in your hands.
Don't bring any food with you. Make sure your suitcase (not cases) has wheels on it because you're gonna be hoofin it. If you're young and want to be like the Euro students, get a backpack.
Don't forget your travel insurance.
Don't buy travelers cheques...nobody knows what they are. Take a credit/debit card with your pin. Everybody takes plastic. Be aware that some American Credit Cards (ie Aspire) don't work over here unless the merchants calls into the company and authorises it.
Do eat things you don't recognise. Get small books about the food in all the places you will be and try what the natives like...you'll be delightfully surprised.
We'll...gotta go finish cooking dinner. Lamb Balti and Chicken Korma and Pilaw Rice. Gosh...never had that in Arkansas.
Above all...have fun.
CelestialBody
Starlet of India
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Re: My short list?
Re: My short list?
Originally posted by Closet Desire
Don't eat at McDonalds and don't ask for Coke with your meals.
Personally, I like McDonald's in Europe. Can't stand the ones here.
Forget the hair dryer even if it says 220v...it'll fry in your hands.
What? Why CD? I know the plugs are different, but the voltages are the same. In my experience, if it says 220 volt, it should work just fine.
Originally posted by Closet Desire
Don't eat at McDonalds and don't ask for Coke with your meals.
Personally, I like McDonald's in Europe. Can't stand the ones here.
Forget the hair dryer even if it says 220v...it'll fry in your hands.
What? Why CD? I know the plugs are different, but the voltages are the same. In my experience, if it says 220 volt, it should work just fine.
Closet Desire
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Go figure...
...yep...you're absolutely right...240 volts...although it's 50 cycles and not 60. Still, not a scientific theory but an observation and a box in the cupboard of dead hair dryers from my friends and relatives in the US. I don't understand it either. So far, none of them would work on "hi" and when turned on low they heated up like blowtorches, smelled like burning hair, and finally tripped the GFCI on the house. I'm a pretty smart fella but someone else will have to explain this one to me! Oh yeah...almost forgot...they did remember to change the setting to 220.
As for McDonalds...it wasn't really a dig at the chain (hey...I'm not French!)...it's a suggestion to steer clear of the familiar and experience the culture. I watched too many of my friends go into cultural overload and spend all their time looking for mama's cooking. It's like the English pouring into pubs and chip houses in Spain, Portugal, or Mallorca resort areas rather than eating the grilled sardines, paellas, and drinking the local vino instead of Newcastle Ale. Been known to partake of the local Big Mac drive thru myself and, if I must admit it, the KFC as well (I'm so ashamed...I always go under cover of darkness and wear a hat).
[Edited by Closet Desire on 01-27-2001 at 02:24 PM]
...yep...you're absolutely right...240 volts...although it's 50 cycles and not 60. Still, not a scientific theory but an observation and a box in the cupboard of dead hair dryers from my friends and relatives in the US. I don't understand it either. So far, none of them would work on "hi" and when turned on low they heated up like blowtorches, smelled like burning hair, and finally tripped the GFCI on the house. I'm a pretty smart fella but someone else will have to explain this one to me! Oh yeah...almost forgot...they did remember to change the setting to 220.
As for McDonalds...it wasn't really a dig at the chain (hey...I'm not French!)...it's a suggestion to steer clear of the familiar and experience the culture. I watched too many of my friends go into cultural overload and spend all their time looking for mama's cooking. It's like the English pouring into pubs and chip houses in Spain, Portugal, or Mallorca resort areas rather than eating the grilled sardines, paellas, and drinking the local vino instead of Newcastle Ale. Been known to partake of the local Big Mac drive thru myself and, if I must admit it, the KFC as well (I'm so ashamed...I always go under cover of darkness and wear a hat).
[Edited by Closet Desire on 01-27-2001 at 02:24 PM]
Weird Harold
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Re: Go figure...
The dual voltage hair dryer I had in Germany worked just fine on 220/50. It switched voltage by locking out the Hi setting and turning up the heat on the low setting, which probably explains why none worked on the hi setting. It did get hotter when used with 220 than the hi setting with 120, so the thermister in it would shut it down every so often. I think the fan turns slower on 50 cycles than it does on 60 cycles, reducing the air-flow which causes it to overheat.
A better solution to the power problem, is to drop by Radio Shack, and by a travel converter kit. It's a small (1000W?) transformer with adapters to fit the wide variety of European outlets. It's good for shavers, travel sized coffee pots, small hairdryers, radios, etc.
Forget packing an alarm clock that doesn't use batteries. If it runs off the mains, it will run slow on 50 cycle power. (Unless it has a switch to compensate for power differences. Very rare creatures in the US.)
Digitally tuned radios are another thing that won't work quite right in Europe -- Especially AM radios. The Europeans assign AM frequencies in 9 Khz increments and the US assigns them in 10 KHz increments. There's a similar difference in the way FM frequencies are assigned, but I don't know the exact differences. I just know from experience that a digitally tuned radio for the US market doesn't have reception as good on most stations in Europe as a radio configured for European use. (Analog tuning works fine anywhere.)
Do listen to European radio stations. You'll hear a lot of very good music that never makes it to the US.
Closet Desire said:
The dual voltage hair dryer I had in Germany worked just fine on 220/50. It switched voltage by locking out the Hi setting and turning up the heat on the low setting, which probably explains why none worked on the hi setting. It did get hotter when used with 220 than the hi setting with 120, so the thermister in it would shut it down every so often. I think the fan turns slower on 50 cycles than it does on 60 cycles, reducing the air-flow which causes it to overheat.
A better solution to the power problem, is to drop by Radio Shack, and by a travel converter kit. It's a small (1000W?) transformer with adapters to fit the wide variety of European outlets. It's good for shavers, travel sized coffee pots, small hairdryers, radios, etc.
Forget packing an alarm clock that doesn't use batteries. If it runs off the mains, it will run slow on 50 cycle power. (Unless it has a switch to compensate for power differences. Very rare creatures in the US.)
Digitally tuned radios are another thing that won't work quite right in Europe -- Especially AM radios. The Europeans assign AM frequencies in 9 Khz increments and the US assigns them in 10 KHz increments. There's a similar difference in the way FM frequencies are assigned, but I don't know the exact differences. I just know from experience that a digitally tuned radio for the US market doesn't have reception as good on most stations in Europe as a radio configured for European use. (Analog tuning works fine anywhere.)
Do listen to European radio stations. You'll hear a lot of very good music that never makes it to the US.
Cheyenne
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Re: Re: Go figure...
I DID that and my hair dryer STILL got too hot on the low setting and burned up when I was in Germany a few years ago!I think it is a plot against all Americans, just to give us bad hair days on purpose.Weird Harold said:
Mmm, wow, sure are things there I hadn't thought of. Don't worry about hair dryers, mine is short enough that a few swipes of the towel normally are ok, once i run my hands through it. I was planning on taking a backpack too though I'm still not too sure of what to stuff in there. And don't worry about trying different foods, I hardly eat to begin with, don't want my figure going to hell!!!
ShyGuy68
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Re: Re: Re: Go figure...
No not at all! You crazy americans can just change so you have the same volt and cycles as we do! Why do you have to be so different??
Cheyenne said:I DID that and my hair dryer STILL got too hot on the low setting and burned up when I was in Germany a few years ago!I think it is a plot against all Americans, just to give us bad hair days on purpose.
No not at all! You crazy americans can just change so you have the same volt and cycles as we do! Why do you have to be so different??
Closet Desire
Literotica Guru
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Well, because...
Americans originally thought 120 would be safer, but it now turns out that 120 V at 60 cycles causes a unique problem when a human gets shocked. Instead of stopping the heart it causes fibrillation which is much worse (learned that in the Navy).
Personally it doesn't make any difference to me except that with 240 and 15 amp circuits my water kettle boils much faster than one in the states and I can buy a plug in electric heater that will actually kick out some heat.
Glad to see I wasn't hallucinating about hair dryers! It is sort of a joke. Americans have "big" hair and need hair dryers. Most of the people I know here don't have any use for a hair dryer. My point was try not to take anything unless it's really necessay.
Americans originally thought 120 would be safer, but it now turns out that 120 V at 60 cycles causes a unique problem when a human gets shocked. Instead of stopping the heart it causes fibrillation which is much worse (learned that in the Navy).
Personally it doesn't make any difference to me except that with 240 and 15 amp circuits my water kettle boils much faster than one in the states and I can buy a plug in electric heater that will actually kick out some heat.
Glad to see I wasn't hallucinating about hair dryers! It is sort of a joke. Americans have "big" hair and need hair dryers. Most of the people I know here don't have any use for a hair dryer. My point was try not to take anything unless it's really necessay.
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