“I’m just going around the corner.” To many people, this means that I moving, and am physically walking, or driving, around the corner. I will go out on a limb to say that this phrase is more often heard sitting at a bar with friends. This may seem odd, but when I say it in German, “ich gehe mal um die Ecke,” it means that I am going to use the restroom. Sometimes, it is even shortened, from the “I need to go around the corner,” or “ich muss mal um die Ecke,” to just stating that “I need to,” or “ich muss mal.” No further explanation necessary. Physically, yes, the restroom is usually around one, or several, corners, not to mention up or down at least one set of stairs. Interestingly, this shortened version is very close to the slang, “I need to go,” in instances where the speaker is clearly not leaving the party. No one has ever seen the need to explain exactly where they are going.

The next closest phase in the English language actually comes from the Navy, in which sailors “hit the head.” The location refers to the bow, the front of the ship, where the salt water sprays washed over the area which had a cleansing effect. The “head” refers to the carvings of figureheads, attached to the bow, which were thought to ensure a safe voyage or a successful battle. These carved heads took the form of mermaids, pirates, Vikings, as well as religious and mythological figures. I will still never look at a historical ship in the same way.

I realize that I am running into the danger of countless examples of bathroom humor, but it is still amazing that there are so many euphemisms on this topic. Few people use the word “toilet” in the Americas or in Europe. Instead, we have the “WC,” common in Germany, which is literally translated as a “water closet,” referring to the indoor plumbing that took care of waste. But who actually rests in a restroom? While some high-end hotels have small lounges as an entry into the actual restroom, I have never seen anyone linger. Most of us prefer to rest elsewhere.

*Birgit

Here I am again, in a hotel, unable to get housekeeping to find me a box of Kleenex. Excuse me, a box of facial tissue. I have no idea which brand is provided by this hotel. This problem of the disappearing tissues is not unique to a hotel in a particular country; I always seem to be that one guest that gets the last six tissues in the box. I now pack the small tissue packages in my purse, in my computer bag, and in my suitcase, so I will never again need to use the (in hotels) typically not-so-soft toilet paper to blow my nose.

There have been debates for years about the use of a brand in writing. On the other hand, casual conversations cannot be regulated. The term “tissue,” in German “Papiertaschentuecher,” literally translated as “paper handkerchiefs,” is only one example. In the United States, Kleenex is synonymous with facial tissues. In Germany, the brand that has this distinction is Tempo.

Looking at the companys’ histories on their respective Web sites (ref: http://www.kleenex.com and http://www.tempo-web.de), the companies have had a remarkably similar history. Both started their path in the 1920’s, both were the first company in their respective countries to produce a facial tissue, both have used popular cartoon characters in their packaging as advertisement, and both have expanded their packaging options. Kleenex has managed to penetrate the European market more than Tempo has done in the Americas, but neither has lost its place in its home language.

On a more personal note, I grew up on the pocket packs in Germany. When my family moved to the US in the early seventies, these pocket packs were not prevalent, at least not in our supermarket or drug store. That led to carting around a large box of Kleenex in the back seat of the car, typically wedged between the back seat and the rear window. At the same time, during those long summer vacations in which we would visit Germany, we had trouble finding large boxes, so we purchased stacks and stacks of the pocket packs.

In the meantime, every color, aroma, lotion, and design are available, in all sizes and packages, on both sides. Maybe it is the power of suggestion, but I think I feel a sneeze coming on. Please pass me a Kleenex. Oops, I’m in Germany right now; please pass me a Tempo.

*Birgit

Birthdays. A very timely topic, considering that I just celebrated one. In my family, birthdays have always been bigger than Christmas - many people celebrate Christmas, but my birthday is, well, mine. While I rationally know that there are others who share my birth-date, and lists of celebrities are published regularly, I still have the proud feeling that my birth-day is my own.

The typical German greeting, "Alles Gute zum Geburtstag," literally meaning "wishing you everything good on your birthday," is best translated to "Best wishes on your birthday." In recent years, though, the phrase "Happy Birthday" has been accepted into other cultures and languages. On German Internet sites, I find that at least half of the selection for online greeting cards is an English-language, "Happy Birthday" greeting. Of course, there is the odd phonetic version of how "Happy Birthday" would be spelled in the way it is pronounced in German ("Happi Boersday" is one variation); while this was common a few years ago, the German-phonetic version is now difficult to find, and the typical English-language spelling is now prevalent.

There is one big difference, in the timing of congratulating the birthday-boy or birthday-girl. For example, if my birthday were to fall on a Saturday, my German colleagues would either send an e-mail on the actual day, or wait until they returned to work the following Monday. In Germany, wishing someone a happy birthday prior to the actual, momentous day, means bad luck, so everyone is careful to make sure that they do not send greetings too early. It is better to be fashionably late.

In the US, my colleagues would wish me a happy birthday on Friday, before I left for the weekend. Late is apparently bad....although, I have to admit, on some Internet sites, the belated birthday cards are funnier than the "regular" cards. I have explained the German tradition to colleagues in the US, and while they understand that early wishes are not a good omen, three hours later on the same hypothetical Friday, one day prior to the actual day, they will still congratulate me.

I have since decided to accept the message, considering the messenger. If someone from the US wishes me a Happy Birthday early, that is attentive. If someone from Germany does it, I worry. One colleague just told me on the phone that she had waited until it was definitely my birth-date in my own time zone before she sent me a greeting. That's a good vibe!

Of course, I was born in the German time zone, at 2:50 am. Meaning that in the US, I would have been born on the prior day (in the Pacific time zone) at 5:50 pm. But - a date is a date, or so my license tells me.

At any rate: Happy Birthday to Me ;) (and this is not posted too early!!)
*Birgit

p.s. I still opened the champagne a day early, with the excuse of the time zone calculation. And by the way...in the US, the party would have started the evening of the birthday. A common German tradition is to celebrate "into" a birthday, starting the day before and going past midnight to initiate the birth-date, is often part of the celebration. Cheers.