"Thoughts I had after I moved from the US to Germany"
I don't know if anyone else saw this, but L sent me this article a couple weeks ago. An Americans perspective on living in Germany. Some of the ridiculous, confusing, hilarious, and sometimes brilliant differences that the Germans have.
One thing I want to say, yeah, it's okay to comment on the differences that a country has compared to yours, but in my opinion, when you move abroad, you should be prepared that things ARE going to be different. Simple as that. And if you are not prepared to live differently, then you shouldn't move to another country. The End. So here is my list of thoughts after moving to Germany:
1. If you tell someone "lets meet up sometime", be prepared to follow up on it. A lot of Germans don't mess around when it comes to socializing and keeping dates. I casually said that to someone here, not expecting anything, and she promptly took out her calendar right then and there. To my surprise, penciled me in for the next week! While it caught me off guard at first, I have grown to like this.
2. German bakeries are amazing! Kuchen is a staple product, especially on a Sunday afternoon. Bakeries in Germany = coffee shops in Seattle, there is one on almost every corner.
3. Yes most things are closed on Sunday. After the initial shock, and realizing that you didn't stock up enough food, it actually ends up being really nice. Sundays in Germany are so relaxed, a time to get outside and enjoy time together. I think it's nice that they give people a chance to slow down.
4. Where is the REAL peanut butter???? Ahhh.. this one kills me. I still need to check around some other health food stores, but finding plain, nothing added peanut butter is very challenging.
5. You pay 1-2 euros for a bottle of wine!!!!!!!!!! No Joke... And after spending 5-6 bucks for the cheapest bottles in Ireland, it feels like we are living like kings! Speaking of wine, Germany has a lot of its own wines, and they are actually good.
6. German language is not so harsh as it's made out to be. Before I came over here, people would always say, "German is such a rough sounding language". And yes in some accents it is strong sounding, but to me it doesn't sound as harsh as people made it out to be.
7. Public transportation is a dream. Deutsche Bahn can be expensive, but the train connections are amazing.
8. The bicycle culture... I love it.
9. Why is a Kölsch beer so small?
10. It is cheaper to order a beer than a water in Germany. I've learned and bring my own water bottle now.
11. People are more active here in daily life than in the US. Walking to the store, doctor, etc, in the parks people are cycling, running, walking, skateboarding, doing all sorts of other sports.
12. Christmas time in Germany is magical.
13. Recreational sport in Germany is well organized and serious. They have clubs for everything, and have organized it so the sports teams use the school gyms in the evenings. With everything from gymnastics, to volleyball/basketball, to ping pong.
14. Everything can be recycled, including compost stuff. Take a bag with you when you go to the grocery store, or else you have to pay. There is a tax on plastic bottles, that you get back when you return the bottle to be recycled. Germans are serious about recycling and re-using.
15. Car Sharing... being able to live in a city without having to have a car, and when you need a car you can use car sharing, pretty cool. I've never see that before.
16. Be prepared for a lot of paperwork and different bureaucratic organizations when moving over. There is a department for everything.
17. The German Stare is REAL!
18. If they learn you are American, the political conversations will ensue shortly after.
19. I am pretty sure that every German person owns proper hiking pants and boots.
20. Germany is awesome!
Sure there are many other things, but I wanted to give you a few of my observations. Germany is a great place to live and work. Still, when we go back to the US we stock up on peanut butter, Mexican food, and great teriyaki. But moving to a new country means embracing new things, trying out new foods, learning the language, and accepting that just because someone does something different, doesn't make it wrong... in fact, it might turn out to be better!
One thing I want to say, yeah, it's okay to comment on the differences that a country has compared to yours, but in my opinion, when you move abroad, you should be prepared that things ARE going to be different. Simple as that. And if you are not prepared to live differently, then you shouldn't move to another country. The End. So here is my list of thoughts after moving to Germany:
1. If you tell someone "lets meet up sometime", be prepared to follow up on it. A lot of Germans don't mess around when it comes to socializing and keeping dates. I casually said that to someone here, not expecting anything, and she promptly took out her calendar right then and there. To my surprise, penciled me in for the next week! While it caught me off guard at first, I have grown to like this.
2. German bakeries are amazing! Kuchen is a staple product, especially on a Sunday afternoon. Bakeries in Germany = coffee shops in Seattle, there is one on almost every corner.
3. Yes most things are closed on Sunday. After the initial shock, and realizing that you didn't stock up enough food, it actually ends up being really nice. Sundays in Germany are so relaxed, a time to get outside and enjoy time together. I think it's nice that they give people a chance to slow down.
4. Where is the REAL peanut butter???? Ahhh.. this one kills me. I still need to check around some other health food stores, but finding plain, nothing added peanut butter is very challenging.
5. You pay 1-2 euros for a bottle of wine!!!!!!!!!! No Joke... And after spending 5-6 bucks for the cheapest bottles in Ireland, it feels like we are living like kings! Speaking of wine, Germany has a lot of its own wines, and they are actually good.
6. German language is not so harsh as it's made out to be. Before I came over here, people would always say, "German is such a rough sounding language". And yes in some accents it is strong sounding, but to me it doesn't sound as harsh as people made it out to be.
7. Public transportation is a dream. Deutsche Bahn can be expensive, but the train connections are amazing.
8. The bicycle culture... I love it.
9. Why is a Kölsch beer so small?
10. It is cheaper to order a beer than a water in Germany. I've learned and bring my own water bottle now.
11. People are more active here in daily life than in the US. Walking to the store, doctor, etc, in the parks people are cycling, running, walking, skateboarding, doing all sorts of other sports.
12. Christmas time in Germany is magical.
13. Recreational sport in Germany is well organized and serious. They have clubs for everything, and have organized it so the sports teams use the school gyms in the evenings. With everything from gymnastics, to volleyball/basketball, to ping pong.
14. Everything can be recycled, including compost stuff. Take a bag with you when you go to the grocery store, or else you have to pay. There is a tax on plastic bottles, that you get back when you return the bottle to be recycled. Germans are serious about recycling and re-using.
15. Car Sharing... being able to live in a city without having to have a car, and when you need a car you can use car sharing, pretty cool. I've never see that before.
16. Be prepared for a lot of paperwork and different bureaucratic organizations when moving over. There is a department for everything.
17. The German Stare is REAL!
18. If they learn you are American, the political conversations will ensue shortly after.
19. I am pretty sure that every German person owns proper hiking pants and boots.
20. Germany is awesome!
Sure there are many other things, but I wanted to give you a few of my observations. Germany is a great place to live and work. Still, when we go back to the US we stock up on peanut butter, Mexican food, and great teriyaki. But moving to a new country means embracing new things, trying out new foods, learning the language, and accepting that just because someone does something different, doesn't make it wrong... in fact, it might turn out to be better!
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