Lately, I've run into some German women who have helped me navigate the ins and outs of this area. I'm always on the look out for interesting and fun things about my host nation. One of the things I've discovered is that certain beauty products here are seriously pricey! I love O.P.I. nail polish but had trouble finding it on and off base. I asked at the exchange salon and they informed me that it's really hard to find off post and, when I find it, it's expensive. Something like 16 Euro a bottle. I was chatting it up at baseball practice with a few other mommies who informed me that beauty products in general off post are just more expensive. Unfortunately, I can't even order it online because it can't be mailed via USPS. (Nail polish must be a threat to national security?) Anyway, I'm able to get other brands of nail polish. Just recently, I went for glitter toes. A suggestion by Joshua. Up next is blue and suggestion by Samuel. :) Just recently we all got Birkenstocks so this way, my toes can be interesting!
Having European friends in the past has helped me a lot here. One of the things that a French girlfriend of mine always did was use homeopathic medicine for common ails like cold symptoms, bruising, or insomnia. The US has just started jumping on the homeopathic bandwagon with Hyland's brand leading the way. Just about every American mother is familiar with the Hyland's teething tablets. I ran into another German mother at the hospital. She was venting her frustration over tri-care so, I listened. Unfortunately there wasn't much I could offer other than comforting words. For any woman who's been up since 3:00AM this is really all they need! She was a nice woman and new to the area. We struck up a conversation and I asked her if Germans also used Homeopathic medications and if I could just walk into a drug store and buy some. She said yes and in fact the pharmacist could help me figure out what I needed. She suggested that I try Dm-drogerie next time I was in a bigger city and Alnatura. Alnatura looks almost like a Whole Foods Market. She said that some common medicines that she always asked her mother to mail to her while she was in the US were Hustagil, Prospan, and Mucosolvansaft.
I suppose in closing for any German woman/mother moving to the US, stock up on your favorite pharmaceuticals! They are very pricey to buy on line apparently and even if German family members are sending them, the shipping costs can be astronomical. On another note, for any American woman moving to Germany, stock up on your favorite beauty products. Most everything is available here but I guess the prices are much higher!
No comments:
Post a Comment