ROAD CONSTRUCTION:
Like in the US, Germany has passed legislation to jump start the economy, and it has to do with road repairs. Since I've been here I've noticed that roads are in much better condition, and that very few require any type of repair, but since Germans insist that the roads are in need of repair, a lot of construction has been going on.
In Radolfzell alone, there are like 8 construction zones. Two are directly on my way to school. Interestingly, one is only about a 50m stretch of road but also required new sidewalks, and the other one was about 300m long and didn't require new sidewalks. The roads being repaired has no potholes, no cracks, and no signs of ware, yet both are being repaired. The small stretch that's being repaired has now been under construction for over 4 weeks. Luckily this week they just paved the sidewalks with pavers, which is extremely normal here. Seems like a lot of work for not much use. The road is still under construction and only has a rock base, which was installed several weeks ago, and is now being torn up yet again. The other stretch (300m) was literally torn up in a matter of 1 day, and was completely repaved by the 3rd day. Today workers were painting lines with paint. (I think in the US they use reflective tape.) Now they are completely done.
BUILDING VACUUMING
So apparently buildings can be vacuumed as today I witnesses a building in fact being vacuumed. There was a person on what looked like an electrical line repair truck parked in front of the building. In the basket raised up to the 4th floor was a man with a normal industrial vacuum actually sucking up things from the walls near where the walls meet the roof. To the defense of the Germans, there was dirt on the building but I didn't know that it could be vacuumed. It actually worked. I guess it's sort of the equivalent of power washing. However, many buildings in Germany need to be power-washed, but this one didn't.
ENERGY SAVING TRAFFIC LIGHTS
At night, often times traffic lights simply do not work. They shut off to save electricity. In fact, it's a very good idea as there is very little traffic. Mostly this happens in residential areas. In the event someone is driving, the person to your right has the right of way, and you treat the intersection with care and proceed as if you had a yield sign.
RIGHT BEFORE LEFT
Naturally, we have the same driving rule in the US, but it works differently. For some reason, it is thought here that traffic signs are not needed, so it's very rare to actually see stop signs. Instead certain roads have priority over other roads, usually indicated with a sign in the form of a yellow diamond. When you have this sign, you have priority over other roads, and you do not have to yield to traffic coming from your right. However, if both roads are the same size, then the person to your right has priority and the right of way before you do, even if you are driving straight. You are forced to yield to the traffic to your right. Also, if you are at a stop sign or trying to turn left at an intersection and both directions have a stop sign, the person turning left is still require to yield until all traffic turning right has passed.
GERMAN DRIVERS LICENSE
I have applied for a German driver's license. Luckily Michigan has a partnership with Germany that allows me to swap (or actually just get) a German license within 2 years of moving here, however, my Michigan license is invalid after six months of living in Germany. The reason, however I'm getting a German license is so that I can driver legally in Russia and have it as a souvenir.
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