GirlGI | Girl Gone International Issue 8 | Page 94

Stephanie Oliver, English, 27
Community Manager in London
I hadn’t realised my Viennese monthly
travel pass had expired and when I
explained this to my boss, I horrifyingly
mixed up the German words ‘schwanz’
(penis!) and ‘schwarz’ (black) and told
her I was a ‘Schwanzfahrer’ (cockrider,
basically) instead of a ‘Schwarzfahrer’
(fare dodger - literally blackrider). She
really wasn’t amused!

Tamara Bonilla, Spanish, 28
Community Manager in Madrid

The first thing I remember when arriving
in Germany was the high tech restrooms.
It took me at least 10 minutes to realize
there was no button to flush the toilet.
The toilet had a sensor, so when you
move away from it the toilet flushes
automatically. I went to wash my hands
and the exact same thing happened.
Another sensor! At last I went to dry my
hands, but of course it took me another 5
minutes and a couple of amused German
ladies to show what the trick was - it was
a regular paper dispenser.