Marika and I go for a walk around town nearly every day. More often than not our walks include a stop at one of the local grocery stores--we have definitely fallen into the habit of buying fresh items just in time to prepare same day. We had an interesting incident about a block from the store earlier this week:
I still have the American habit of smiling and saying "hello" (or "guten Morgen" as the case may be) to nearly everyone we pass when we are out and about. After wishing an older lady who was heading home with her groceries a good morning, she stopped and asked us if we needed a new toilet brush.
Okay, now both Marika and I understood the German right away, but we convinced ourselves that we MUST have misunderstood--I mean, who asks you if you need a toilet brush, just randomly, while you're walking down the street? We must have looked as confused as we felt because she went on to explain.
It seems that her son-in-law accidentally stepped on her toilet brush holder over the weekend, cracking it. The holders are not sold individually, so she had just bought a new brush in a holder. She lives alone now and has recently replaced her brushes and will not need that new brush for long time and hates to see it going to waste. A mom and teen walking together indicate we are a family, and families need new brushes often, so she thought she could give it to us and know it would not be wasted.
Which is how I became the owner of one brand new toilet scrubbing brush.
Sometimes life in Germany (or anywhere) is very random.
--Hadley
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