New Country.. new troubles

So, as we start settling in and moving into the new place I'm learning TONS about the cultural differences. The hardest for me to get past is the lack of common courtesy and drive to help other people. Let me start by saying, I'm from the south. Southern hospitality is something I'm accustomed to, and I believe that you should help other people when you can. Noah has introduced me to some very nice and helpful people. One girl has helped tremendously with everything from finding a good OB/GYN to finding somebody to do my waxing. She has really been a lifesaver. People like that are the minority though. Yesterday, I was at the new place all day building our Ikea furniture (side note- I will never again do the cheap furniture thing. What you save in money you put back in two-fold with time and effort.). The washer/dryer was to be delivered between 12 and 4. There was a buzz between 1 & 2. Awesome! It was right on time. I buzz the delivery guy in, he comes in and informs me (from what I gathered as my German is shaky at best) that he is only supposed to bring it to the first floor, so I politely ask him to please help me out by bringing it up seeing that I'm 7 months pregnant and can't move the damn thing a centimeter. He laughs and says no. So, a little frustrated, I offer him 20 euro. It was worth that to me, he still declines. I'm thinking this better be really heavy. So I follow him downstairs. He hops on his truck and rolls our washer/dryer off on a mechanical dolly that lifts the thing up and down. HE DOESN'T HAVE TO PUT FORTH ANY EFFORT. WTF?!?!!?! It was really just too much for him to wheel his electronic dolly on the elevator and to the 3rd floor. I've never wanted to punch somebody so bad in my entire life.

To top off all the horrible "customer service" here, our property manager had a complaint today about all the boxes being in the way when our kitchen was being delivered. Our move in date was supposed to be June 1. The reason it wasn't is because he didn't do the kitchen on time. If he would have had our kitchen delivered and installed on time, our boxes would not have been in his way. For him to have the nerve to complain about our stuff being in his way in our apartment when he is the one who is inconveniencing us is absurd!!! Even though the reason our boxes were in the way was because the moving people did not unpack them like they were supposed to. Getting people to do their job is hard, to go a little above and beyond- practically impossible.

Moral of the story to my American friends, be thankful for America. Be wary of this socialist model economy Obama is trying to put into effect. That is the type of "customer service" that will come out of it. People won't care about their jobs and will refuse to work hard because they can always fall back on the welfare system. Seriously, what I would give to hop on a crowded subway and have somebody say, "Ma'am, here take my seat," just out of common courtesy because I'm female and pregnant.

Wow.. what a bitch session. Things I'm thankful for: 1. My husband- it is so nice to be able to talk to him about anything going on, especially during this trying transition period. 2. My mom- she listens to my rants at all hours, and I know they can get bad. 3. My healthy little gobble monster growing at a rapid pace in my belly. 4. Jenn- she helps remind me, "I'm not crazy, I'm not crazy." 5. This experience- while frustrating at times, it is helping me grow as a person more than I ever would have at home. Germany really is a good place. It is just different, and I'm a spoiled brat. I'm guessing 6 more months here and a baby will undo the 25 1/2 years of being a spoiled little princess. BOB SAGET!!!