Drivers

I would like to ask the drivers of trams and buses whether they learn at driving school to wait for pedestrians approaching to their wagon for letting them taking it, or whether it is just a general, cultural, overall diffused polite obviousness.

German health system

I would like to ask some guy who made the laws in Germany what is the logical reason for which an employe who is ill has to spend most of his illness time walking from one doctor to the other and bringing some certificate to the work place. Let say that you are ill: it is not enough that you call your boss saying you will be absent for the next two days. You have to go to a doctor, wait there a couple of hours, let him/her visit you, let the doctor tell you that you are sick, get a piece of paper which says that you are sick and for how long and bring it to your work place or, in best case, mail it to the human resources people of your company within three days from the begin of your absence from work. Then, you are safe.

the present organizer

I would like to ask that colleague who joined us briefly at lunch whether he came up with a nice idea for the birthday present for another colleague. A necessary present, apparently, as he told us, "we absolutely need something more than some flowers, she is becoming 40 and she will for sure be depressed, because she has no kids". Silence. One of us shyly whispered, "I don't see that much of special in a 40th birthday, is that so important? We can just organize the flowers...". But no, the answer repeated: "She has no kids, she will get depressed, she needs something more, a nice present or so".

the boys on the tram

I would like to ask the boys on the tram who sat around me yesterday evening whether the mixture of coke and vodka they shaked in the plastic bottle tasted good. Or whether they preferred the liquids of one of the other bottles - beer, wine, plain vodka. I would like to ask them why they left the empty vodka glass bottle on the seat of the tram when they arrived at destination, why they did not use it to show off proving that they had already emptied it at 6pm and still could arrive safe at the party.

And I would like to ask them whether they appreciate that no German law prohibits them to drink and mix alcoholic drinks on a tram. All my American and Canadian friends are so happy about it when they first arrive, but they generally miss such law when they have to walk somewhere or take a bus, tram, train in the early morning of a Saturday or a Sunday.