Tag: bureaucracy

The surprisingly slack standards of food safety in Germany

On By Alison HaywoodIn CultureLeave a comment
In the U.S., food workers are required to wash their hands multiple times a shift.
In the U.S., food workers are required to wash their hands multiple times a shift. Photo: Kelly Thomas

For a country known for its bloated bureaucracy and strict regulations, Germany has comparatively lax food safety laws – at least in comparison to Washington state.

To get my Washington food worker’s card, I had to watch a little video online about various food-related rules and answer simple questions related to them afterwards.

In Germany, I showed up one evening at a repurposed furniture store, sat in a crowded room, and watched a video on an ill-fated food worker who got a bad case of food poisoning and had to stay home three days from work. Continue reading “The surprisingly slack standards of food safety in Germany” →

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At a Wendepunkt … turning point

On By Alison HaywoodIn City Life, Studying Abroad, work1 Comment

As the weather in Hamburg slowly shifts and is now firmly entrenched in fall, so, too, is my life changing, and instead of a supermarket warehouse worker, I’m starting to feel like a student again.

I grew up in Washington, the Evergreen State, so living somewhere with dramatic fall colors never ceases to awe me. If you like my photos, follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/alison_haywood/
I grew up in Washington, the Evergreen State, so living somewhere with dramatic fall colors never ceases to awe me. If you like my photos, follow me on Instagram: https://instagram.com/alison_haywood/

I quit my job at the supermarket, which had been bringing me down and taking up a lot of time for a while now, and now have three new jobs – the most exciting of which is definitely teaching German to refugee children.

Continue reading “At a Wendepunkt … turning point” →

Bureaucracy and birth control: Navigating the Danish health care system

On By Alison HaywoodIn City Life, Culture, Erasmus MundusLeave a comment

Denmark has free, universal health care. One of the perks of paying 37-55% of your income in taxes, I suppose. It’s free to visit a doctor, and you pay a subsidized rate for prescriptions – not unlike the co-pay that many American insurance plans have.

“Free” and “universal,” however, are not necessarily synonymous with “efficient.”

After many phone calls, automated recordings and unresponsive doctors, I finally attained birth control in Denmark. Health care here may be free, but it's not particularly efficient!
After many phone calls, automated recordings and unresponsive doctors, I finally attained birth control in Denmark. Health care here may be free, but it’s not particularly efficient!

Continue reading “Bureaucracy and birth control: Navigating the Danish health care system” →