Sarah and Keane

We feel bad when we write too much about the more mundane parts of living in Germany…and yet those details are the things that can make or break one’s transition here! Adjusting to so many little changes hasn’t always been easy for us, but we’ve gotten some good laughs out of the process. (How can it be so hard to remember to do things the “German” way instead of what we would have done back home?!) After being here for almost six months, we’re finally getting the hang of things. So for our friends back home, and for our new co-workers who will be arriving in another six months, we give you…

Top 10 Little Things that Will Become BIG Things Once You Move Here

10. Life runs at a completely different pace in southwest Germany. We’ve found that things are run “by the book,” but the book itself is pretty different from what you are used to (also, it’s in German). For instance, most stores in our small town close each day at 5pm. They also close from 12-2pm each day for a lunch break. On Wednesdays, they don’t reopen after lunch at all. Some stores are open on Saturday mornings. Absolutely nothing is open on Sundays except restaurants, but then many restaurants close on Mondays for their Ruhetag (“day of rest”).

9. Restaurant etiquette: Waitstaff are fully paid employees in Germany, so leaving a tip isn’t necessary. Instead, when you get your bill, round up to the nearest euro. The waiter gets to keep the change, also known as “drink money.” Ordering tap water is really frowned upon in Europe and is only done by Americans who don’t know they’re not supposed to. Our advice? If you’re going to eat out here, mentally prepare yourself to fork over the money for a beverage, or don’t order a beverage at all.

8. Some driving laws here seem cray-cray. For the most part, you can get by with what you know of driving in the States, but the differences are extremely important to know. For instance, driver’s turning onto the road on your right always have the right of way. Yes, even if you are on a main road. You always assume that the driver on the right has the right of way if there is no sign stating otherwise. If they do not have the right of way, you will see a small sign in the shape of a yellow diamond indicating that you have the right of way. This system felt really backward to us when we first got here (I’m still getting used to it, actually), and it’s pretty important to know if you don’t want to end up in an accident.

7. Renting in Germany is extremely different than renting in the States. One of our favorite things about being renters in the States was having very little responsibility for the property itself. Dishwasher breaks? Call the landlord. Roof is leaking? Call the landlord. In Germany, the renter is typically responsible for everything: broken appliances, landscaping, snow removal, you name it. What if the broken item was the fault of the previous tenant? Too bad, so sad–you’re the current tenant, so you are now responsible. Keane and I are actually facing the possibility of needing to repair/replace our fridge pretty soon, which will definitely cost a few hundred euros at the minimum. It would be easy to compare this with what we’re used to in the States and feel really unhappy about it, but when things like this happen, it’s much better to remember that you’re in a different country with different rules. Don’t unfairly place your old expectations on a new environment. It’s part of the adventure!

6. Medical care here is fantastic, and the cost is even better! I went to my doctor with a sinus infection and forgot to bring my insurance card, so I just paid out of pocket and decided to submit it myself for reimbursement. The total cost of the visit without any private insurance was under 30 euros. The cost for two prescription medications without any private insurance was under 20 euros. Cha-ching!

5. Pedestrians always have the right of way when they are at a crosswalk. If you see someone even about to enter a crosswalk, you better hit the brakes.

4. I could literally write an entire blog series on recycling in Germany. Let’s just say that in our first four months of being here, we only produced between 5 and 10 gallons of actual garbage. And we only put our garbage out to be collected because it was starting to smell so foul; the can wasn’t even close to being full. Garbage collection costs money; everything else is free. We compost in the backyard. We return most plastic bottles to the grocery store for a pfand (deposit money). Everything else is taken to the Recyclinghof, which is open on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings. That place is a sight to behold. I can’t even get into that right now.

3. Learn your greetings! People in this area are very friendly and polite. When you pass someone on the sidewalk, say hello. In waiting room at the doctor’s office, say hello to the room as a whole when you enter and goodbye when you leave. The same is true for small stores and bakeries. Always say hello and goodbye to the cashier at the grocery store. Saying goodbye (Tschüss) is one of my favorite things here. People don’t just say it; they practically sing it.

2. Stoss lueften. It’s German for “airing,” and it’s what you have to do to your house every. single. day. Houses here are really well made (read: airtight), but the climate in southwest Germany is extremely wet all year long, and combine this with the fact that the average human emits 2 to 4 liters of humidity on a daily basis, and you’ve got yourself a recipe for indoor mold! It’s a huge problem here; we’ve heard stories of people going away for several weeks, leaving their windows closed, and coming home to find their couch ruined by mold. The solution? Open windows wide in every room in the house for at least 10 minutes a day. Yes, even in the winter. In addition, open bathroom windows wide for at least 30 minutes after taking a shower. It’s pretty brutal to step out of the shower and immediately let in the icy winter air…but it’s still better than finding a mold colony in your apartment.

1. And finally, our number one piece of advice: Remember that this isn’t North America. We knew we were moving overseas, sure, but we were moving to Germany, not a third world country. In some ways, moving to a third world country would be easier to mentally prepare for; at least you would expect everything to be different/slower/uncomfortable/confusing. People tend to expect Germany to be an easier and more natural transition; those people then tend to become really disappointed, frustrated, and nonplussed when life here is harder than expected. (This happened to me last semester, and I’ve lived here before, for crying out loud.) So extend grace to Germany in the way you would extend grace to Zambia or China or Moldova. And extend grace to yourself when you get here and realize you accidentally kept some of the expectations you had tried really hard to shed.

P.S. I wanted to add that I really do think it is more difficult to move to one of the countries I mentioned and countless others. Moving to a place like Germany can be a walk in the park compared with a lot of other places. But hopefully the spirit of what I am trying to say makes sense…