Yesterday Ingo was awaiting a package at home, so we turned on the bell.
Bell rings.
Arrogant neighbor right next door (well, they´re to the left - German is easier and more correct, I´d say "gleich", which has no direction!) - she and I opened unisono.
By coincidence the postie addressed her first, "Hi. M"?
"Yes". Took parcel, slammed door.
He looked at me.
"Hi", I said.
"Hi, for... ... Sch... ...?" - see why I kept my name?! I helped him with Ingo´s complicated surname and yups, was for Ingo.
I said "Thank you. Have a nice weekend... soon."
He
looked at me kinda surprised, and, in a hurry and with a smile
answered, "dir auch", using the casual "du", wishing me the same.
BY GOLLY!!!
It was NOT hard to say "Hi", "Thank you" or "Have a nice weekend".
What´s the neighbor´s problem, where the heck did she grow up?!
This man carries heavy packages in minus-temps, that´s his job!
Next time, I swear (usually we take Packstation and get our stuff ourselves) - next time I´ll have a fiver (as in €5 as tip).
Ingo
sure had the answer. She, that arrogant neighbor´d never worked (we know this), her Husband is
at a huge car-selling company - and I know how most of them "work" -
they are "better" people and the postie was of Turkish descent -
second-grade person. To her. I guess.
In "Die Maus" a woman much younger than me showed Christoph a chemical reaction.
And she addressed him with the casual "du" - I´d never dared, that, boy, I am old!!!!
But the woman is right.
Times are a changing and I´m glad it reaches Germany after all - or... does it?
In a job-offer it was "du" and on my application I got as answer the official "Sie".
Decide.
I am for "du", though at first I thought, "hey, what, did we join kindy?! Show some respect, dude!"
As said, I´m old, LOL.
I consider a former professor of Curtin University my friend. In German, uhhhhhhhh.... difficult!
I´d had no idea how to address him as actually he´s "but" my dear friend´s Hubby.
"Professor F... Sie..." - so easy in English, "You, P." That´s it! No worries!
My Dad used to say - I translate best as I can - "it´s easier to say 'du' asshole as 'Sie' asshole".
With which he meant you easily loose respect when you use the casual "du".
Do you read me?
I think he was right.
On
one hand. On the other... How often do you call people assholes? And if
you feel like it .... you do it, no matter if "du" or "Sie"!
I hope for the "du".
Die Maus, The Elephant and us, we wish you a happy Sunday/Monday.
Learn from "Die Maus", right.
Henry 🦁
Oh, and I forgot! Sorry, this is for Tom (Granma´s socks match, I just showed the best in a row) - this is as a cute answer to one of his posts (Ingo is my real sunshine, of course! 🥰):
This donkey I got with a sadly now only former friend at Christmas-time in 2002 or 2003 and it still sings along on the first batch of batteries!
To a happy Sunday / new week and a casual, yet respectful togetherness.
And P.S... all pics taken of Peanut were through the closed balcony-door.
He/she is brave enough whacking my King Frog but gets chicken seeing me for real...
Lille dumbhead, that 😘
19 comments:
A Professor of the Curtin University ? I must know him, he and his wife (G) welcomes only “strange people” (hint: where are you from?-->GER ..etc)...They have a nice pool.
... And a brolly like ours that takes off at times! ☂
I can't stand arrogant people... Make me angry. Anyway, great there are always nice people too, have a lovely new week!
Same to you, in all...
...my mother always said that the two most important word in the English language were "please and thank you." Being polite is a good way to be.
It is..
I'm glad we only have you in English, which can be used both as du or sie. Whatever form, it is important to be polite though. My mom must have been schooled int he same place Tom's mom was too.
As Erika said, in English we only have You to deal with, but with inflection it can mean Du as in Hey you! When I studied German in Uni, we were told that you always addressed a person as Sie until they gave permission to use the informal Du. Is that still the case or are the younger ones becoming less formal? And your nasty neighbor? I have one like that, too. Enjoy your day!
Hey du! LOL
I also have a 'very educated' neighbor ... who doesn't even greet you when you meet her on the street!
I pretend not to see her and I'm just as "educated" as her! But if she's not home and the postman brings her a package, then I'm good and sweet!
I love you Donkey ... is that really a donkey? Did he learn to play billiards? LOL
I'm not home ... until tomorrow!
I was looking for spring but ... unfortunately, I didn't find it!
I wish you a nice Sunday!
Ich hab dich liiiieb mein 🐘 xoxo
I don't know why your neighbor couldn't be nice. We have some people like that here in the US: they think they are better than others, for whatever reason. But we have nice people, too. In English, we don't have formal and familiar words for you, but the little Spanish I remember learning, they had usted (formal) and tu (familiar). But in other ways, the US has become less formal in the work place, than it was a few decades ago. Casual / semi-casual attire is acceptable to wear in the work place, when only business attire was allowed only a few decades ago. Sorry to ramble on...
Erika, yes, being nice (and polite) is the key, glad when we happily can be the first!
____
CJ, these days you get "duzed" without permission, LOL! I even spoeke in the 4th "dimension2 when being with my French family, boy, they looked at me as if I was crazy, school-teachers, hey!
____
Hey, Ella!
We have the very same neighbors, it seems. Just. I refuse.
I have a package from 4+ years ago in my cellar!!!
I told the guy I have this three times! In funny ways, too! "Houston! We have a .. PARCEL!")
Nothing!!! Had a look after 6 months cause thought, what if.. it explodes? Food, maybe??? Some stuff for a motorbike/car - still sits downstairs....
Didn´tf ind Spring either, my dear, what did we do wrong???
Ich hab dich liiiieb mein 🦋 xoxo - Soon.
Did the postie meet you from here?
____
Anne,some people are stupid. Period.
And some are nice - period, too, in a happy way!
Yes, in French, Italian, German, Spanish, what do I know, we have that "old-fashioned "separation".
Pffft, what for?
I think now "we" all learn to be "better"!
Oh, Ella, yes, it´s a very old donkey - reckon he can beat me easily in Billiard!
Who can´t?! 😉
Sad that the service industry always gets the stick.
Seems it´s the way it rolls, that´s also why I try to be nice. He was a friendly fella.
Oh it's so complicated in German Iris, French also, English seems so easy compared but I can see how it would be complicated as a second language. I don't appreciate rude people either, there's no need for it.. a smile and thank you can make someone's day. Maybe they are unhappy, or something bad happened to them, but still! I think when P was at uni they called him Prof, term of endearment 😉
A Bouncy Fun Gem Of A Post - Rather Entertaining - Be Well This Week
Cheers
Always be nice to everyone and you will be paid back many times over!
It's good to be nice and respectful. You never know what the other person is feeling.
I think Ingo nailed it for the reason the neighbor was so rude. I don't understand why people just don't have respect. People who do that job or others like it are out in public with the germs and stuff and running around in weather good and bad. And without them...?
I think I'm glad America doesn't have to deal with the formal in that way. I'd be very confused!
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