High tea with Maureen

Loose ends…

Posted on 6 April 2011 by amandalindsey

When you travel things are often very intense and happen very quickly, so here is a brief wrap of how some of the issues of the past few weeks have resolved themselves, (or not):

The $1000 I transferred eventually came back to my Australian bank account albeit less a few additional exchange and transaction fees. So there was an $85 lesson in how NOT to transfer money internationally. Oh well. I’m sure it won’t be the last expensive lesson.
I still don’t have my tax number thing. The story goes – I went to get the tax number, only to be told I should have registered my arrival in Germany (see post a day of wins and loses). At the next available opportunity I registered and then went straight to the Finanzamt only to be told that the registration takes up to 10 working days and I needed to wait to get an identification number in the mail. Thanks guy at the council who didn’t tell me that when I registered! Thanks a lot! So I’m still waiting for that precious little number before I can get a proper job and earn more than 400 euro a month.
I found headphones for 12 euro (and they’re pink).
I did a trial shift at the Aussie pub, it’s not for me, I’m not a pub person and I can’t count change quickly, the whole concept was well out of my comfort zone. I also realised after having positive feedback from some other places that I got too desperate too quickly and that I shouldn’t have any problems getting a job in a fashion retail store and other cupcake, ice cream shops etc. with nice normal hours and who don’t mind me using a calculator to work out people’s change. I’m now going to delicately manage my not ever going back there again in such a way as to avoid burning any bridges in case I do end up desperate enough to need to work there.
I have bought myself a little pocket calculator for my work in the cafe.
The Swarovski owner wasn’t sure if I was ‘qualified’ to work in his store, I bit my tongue so as not to point out that actually I was well over qualified and if he thought otherwise he could… well you get the picture. Instead I was very nice and said I’d be willing to do a trial shift. He hasn’t called me.

Have I missed anything?

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Strangers with razors

Posted on 5 April 2011 by amandalindsey

On my first complete day of freedom, with nowhere to be, nothing in particular that had to be done, I went and sat on a log in the park and knit.

I sat for hours watching as children raced around on bikes, played basketball, tried to shoot pigeons with Nerf guns (don’t worry, the pigeons were faster, much to the boys disappointment).

It was a lovely, sunny, spring day and, with the promise of the next days weather being the same, it was time to get organised and sort out some poorly neglected self-maintenance so that I could begin to wear skirts and dresses (it’s been winter, don’t judge)!

Another girl sitting nearby asked me to keep an eye on her things while she ran to the bathroom. When the girl came back I asked her if she knew where there was a supermarket open today (its Sunday and all shops are shut except for restaurants). She said no only newsstands and asked me what I needed, I told her I was mostly just after a razor to which she replied ‘oh well I work for Lufthansa and have some at home. I’ll go get you some, do you need anything else?’ just like that! I said no and off she went (turns out she hadn’t gone to public toilets but lived around the corner in the nice part of town – lucky girl). She came back with a lovely little first class pack from Lufthansa airlines with two quality Gillete disposable razors, a decent sized can of shaving cream and several bottles of L’occitane products which I know retail for a fortune.

There are some wonderful strangers out there are there not!

Unfortunately the weather turned again so it’s still been too cold to lose the tights, but when the sun shines again I’ll be ready!

Posted in fashion & wardrobe, Life, travel & culture experiences | 1 Comment

Europe on a budget Tip 2: 2nd hand shops

Posted on 4 April 2011 by amandalindsey

I have discovered, here in Germany, that there are a great many rather expensive second-hand shops. These shops stock second-hand Louis Vuitton, Chloe, Prada and other brands which second-hand are just as much out of my reach as new.

Today however I chanced upon an Oxfam shop.

Unlike in Australia, Oxfam shops here in Europe seem primarily to be an op shop similar to Vinnie’s or the Salvo’s, they still sell a few fair trade bits and pieces but mostly second-hand clothing at real ‘op shop’ prices. I would have spent hours looking through everything but after 3 weeks of tying a scarf through my belt loops to hold my jeans up I went straight to the belts. What a score! For 6 euro I am now the proud owner of this gorgeous genuine-leather-made-in-italy belt. Yay!