Electronics

One of the most awkward adjustments that I have had to make here so far isn’t that I have to walk everywhere (that’s actually enjoyable and good for me). Nor is it that I have to shower less (I realized that I actually don’t mind that so much and I get ready faster). What are really different in Europe are the changes you have to make with electronics. First of all, the plug-ins are different. They have two small holes instead of two slits. Second, even if you have an adapter, you’re not necessarily safe. In fact, do not use adapters unless the manuals to your electronics say that you can. I’ve read that now most modern computers can adapt more easily to the change, and an adapter is fine, but you should still check the manual. Converts work best with small electronics like an iPod, a cell phone, an electric razor, etc. Third, do not, I repeat, DO NOT think that you can just plug your hair dryer into an adapter or even a converter and everything will be fine. It probably won’t. Hair dryers are deadly, energy-sucking machines that can literally take out the power in a building if you don’t use the right converter. If your converter doesn’t mention if you can use it with hair dryers, then don’t even try it. If you go to a store like Best Buy or another electronics store, ask someone if the converter you want is capable of working well with a hair dryer. Trust me. I learned the hard way. For example, at the beginning of my trip, my two converters were working great. Then, several days ago I plugged my hair dryer into one, expecting it to work. Guess what? Not realizing that the problem was the hair dryer, not the converter, I tried the other one. Same thing happened. I tried to use the converters on other stuff. Nada. They were dead. It took a little while to realize that my hair dryer had sucked the life out of my converters, rendering them absolutely useless. Eventually, I ended up buying a European hair dryer so that I didn’t have to have the same problem again. If you’re just a traveler staying in a hotel, you probably wouldn’t have this problem because the hotel usually provides a hair dryer. However, for those who want to use their own American hair dryers in Europe, think again. You could be left with either dead converters or even very, very angry neighbors. I know that I’ll look back on all this and laugh. It does suck for a while, but at least you learn your lesson.