Snow boarding, Anecdotes

Yesterday my whole research group went snow boarding and go-kart racing at an indoor facility in Den Haag (The Hague). It was a blast! I'm dying to get on a snow board again so I can add some steering skills to my existing ability to remain upright. (It's tough when you can stay upright at high speeds but can't steer very effectively ... snow boarding in the mountains would surely end with me plummeting off the side of a mountain.) I also found out two illuminating pieces of information yesterday with regard to customs here, which I thought I would share.

After spending Monday and Tuesday giving people handshakes and "Best wishes for the New Year" like a good transplant, I was told last night that January 6th is generally the statute of limitations on best wishes. I noticed people still doling them out today, though, so it must be more like a guideline than an actual rule.

I think Laura and I have well-documented the regular occurrence here ("here" meaning "on the European mainland") of cashiers expressing disdain when given inexact change - for instance, a purchase of €3.90 paid for with a €5. Several of my Dutch coworkers let me in on the secret - apparently the reason cashiers are so tightfisted with their change is because banks here charge businesses money to get the change in the first place. Whether it is a substantial amount of money or businesses here are tightwads remains a mystery to me. (I know that when I worked for Radio Shack, I got change from the bank for free.)