08 Oct 16

Being tall is great, but it has it's bad parts too:

Regular 2XL shirts don't fit. I need 2XLT (tall) shirts. More fabric seems to mean 3x the price. And I have really no idea yet how to find such shirts in Germany.

Tiefgarages (underground garages) are often just 1cm taller than me.  And sometimes not.  I end up scraping all of the dirt, cobwebs and bugs from the ceilings if I'm not careful, or getting a bloody gash if I'm really not careful.

Sometimes this is how I feel

Spiral staircases cause problems for big feet and there are a LOT of them in Germany. The inside of the tread is tiny compared to the outside, so small diameter stair cases are scary.

EVERYONE asks you to reach for things on the top shelf. Or replace a light bulb because you don't need a ladder. I've learned the universal body language used by older German ladies for "get me that on the top shelf, bitte"

I've got a permanent bump on my forehead from all of the times I've hit the tops of doors, especially going down stairs.

My calf and feet hang off the end of most beds, especially ones here in Germany.  I was once in Japan, and if I laid down on my back on the bed, with my head touching the headboard, my knees could fully bend and my feet would be on the floor.



Here in Germany (Karlsruhe), the stoplights are on the near intersection rather than on the far side, which means if I'm the first car in the queue, I have to bend over the steering wheel to see the stoplights.  At least in france, they often have a smaller stoplight at eye level.


I often "accidentally" knock over little children. I just can't see down that far.


I once sat in a Toyota MR2 (with a targa top, thank goodness) and my whole head stuck out of the top.

I can't use most wall mounted mirrors. Or rather, I can use them to check my shirt, but not my hair.

Few cars fit me.  When I bought my corvette (a car I've wanted since I was a child), I barely fit, even when scrunching down.  I have neck problems (partly) because of that.

I can't hide in crowds or grocery stores.  On the plus side, Robin and Beth can always find me. I was once in a train station in Japan and it was standing room only, and I could see the far wall, but I'm sure nobody else could.

Nasal sprays don't come in sizes long enough to use.  I can't press down on the spray part AND have it far enough up there to be useful.

I can't wear baseball caps of any kind.  My head is far too large.

I can't wear regular fit jeans, because I can't get them past my calves and thighs. Then again, my leg muscles are huge since I've been in Germany because of all of the walking/hiking. (humblebrag)

I find myself wanting to sit in the back of theaters because I'm afraid my big head is in the way of the viewers behind me.  I was once at a Metallica concert and people behind me kept throwing popcorn at my head. :(  I'm glad it was only popcorn.

I'm unable to use a bathtub.

And of course, Josh being 6'8" (2m3cm) has it twice as bad. I'm only 6'4".

Only in Germany would the firefighters be smoking WHILE fighting a fire.  Ok, it was a drill, but it was funny.

Ok, not relevant, but throwing out one for the ladies.

There don't seem to be clear "Detour" signs here showing how to get around a construction blockage.

Some people use any available curb space to park in, even if it blocks a lane.

If you make a mistake, and there are parked cars on your side of the street, but you pull out there when oncoming traffic could drive through, some oncoming drivers will pull up so far that you can barely pull back into your lane at the end of the line of parked cars (most of whom are in the street).

I pulled into a parking space, and my right tire went up onto the curb in the process and Beth said "Hey, you're a German now!"