I’ve been living in Germany for almost two years and I’ve been collecting the things that have caught my attention, those things that I did not imagine would be like that before being here.

Because apart from the obvious things and clichés, which more or less everyone expects from Germany, like they are very serious but they drink a lot of beer, or that it’s a very safe country, there are things that you can only realize when you spend more than a few months.

 

Facts about Life in Germany

– The schedules are different and Sunday is the sacred day.

Forget about buying something on a Sunday or after 9 pm on any day. Especially in cities that are not Berlin, Hamburg or Frankfurt it’s very difficult to find businesses open late at night and on a Sunday. No, my friends, there are no supermarkets or shopping centers open on a Sunday and only maybe a bakery opens until midday, or the gas station is open to buying snacks and other basic things … like beer.

No noise is allowed on Sunday, such as vacuuming or mowing the grass

– Lots of places only receive payments in cash.

There are many places of commerce in Germany where you can not still pay with cards. As for example the bakeries or the small businesses, the kiosks and also some restaurants and cafeterias, independent of the amounts, the Germans are accustomed to always take some cash.

– The greetings will be distant

Germans have a sense of privacy and belonging that they show even when greeting you. If they do not know you and they are the first times they see you, they greet you by the hand until they have seen you many times and you pass that barrier they just greet you with a short kiss or hug.

As a Chilean, this has always been uncomfortable as we always hug and kiss even if you barely know each other. In Germany, when you are with a group of friends of someone who already know each other from before and you are the new one, among them, they will greet very affectionate but you … hand in hand!

– The rules are respected

Things that we all know, but in a few countries are respected, here if it is done. As for example “do not cross the street with a red light”, how many times do we hear this? In Chile, only on the big streets, this is respected when you really can not cross the flow of cars. But … What if nobody comes?

Here in Germany, they wait. Even if no car comes for miles around … and even more if there is a child nearby. It is a convention of respect and civic education, teaching by example.

I explain how difficult it is to do this and I have put myself in a self-imposed training to stop and wait ALWAYS … even if no one comes … even if there are no children nearby.

– Those small houses are not for poor people, they are gardens where people plant flowers and relax.

From the second time I came to Europe and lived in Luxembourg for a few months doing my Kinesiology practice, I always believed that those little houses by the river were houses of very poor people. When I arrived in Germany I was surprised to see them again and there were many here too.

A day of trekking through the Black Forest, I tell my husband and he tells me, laughing dead, that nooooooo, they are private gardens or “Schrebergarten” that people rent to make their barbecue and have their gardens and orchards. They are a kind of community in which you are a part and have special rules for their maintenance and use.

– Despite all the modernity that is internet and telephony is very bad!

This is one of the things that bothers me most when I’m in Germany. Called by Skype or Whatsapp? Forget about a long and fluid conversation!

For me, working online can be quite stressful at times and I am still surprised that Germany does not have a fast and efficient internet as in Romania, for example, which is the fastest I have seen so far in Europe.

– If you don’t speak German, forget about cinema

The films are dubbed in the cinema and on German television. In Karlsruhe, which is the city where I live in Germany, I only occasionally find a movie to go see the cinema. Netflix also has many series and movies only in German.

Going to the cinema is something I miss a lot in Chile where I went to the movies almost every week, without comparing the price, which is about 4 times more expensive in Germany.

The best difference is that in Germany you can watch your movie with a beer, a glass of wine or sparkling wine at the cinema!

– Nature will be your enemy

Something I found out about in the worst way is that you will never be able to enjoy a quiet day in the park or in the middle of nature anymore. Why?

In Germany and in almost all of Europe there is a plague of ticks or “Zecke”. You will tell me, but I do not have pets here! Sorry to scare you, but here the ticks not only look for food and shelter in dogs like in Chile but also in humans !!!!!

When I knew it, I almost returned and when it was my turn to find not only one but two in my legs, I almost died of disgust and horror.

It is very important to get vaccinated if you are going to spend a long time in any European country because there is a risk of contracting diseases through its bite.

I swear to you that I am not very afraid of animals or insects, but this experience was traumatic and disgusting. I did not even want to go out on the street like for a week! What I started to do is always leave with repellent on my legs and also on clothes and shoes. There are special repellents for each use and special for these disgusting arachnids.

 

 

– Fireworks are allowed and legal

The first New Year I spent in Germany was in Berlin and I was a little shocked. Fireworks are allowed and they start selling only a few days before the New Year, but anyone older than 18 years old.

This means that wherever you go there will be MANY fireworks thrown by inexperienced people. Considering that in Chile they were banned many years ago, it gave me a little scare to be in the streets that night, although it was nice to play with the famous little stars again !!

 

– Get ready to have no shame

Germans, however serious they may seem, are on the other hand very uninhibited in terms of body and nudity, which is very normal in many situations.

For example, when you go to the gym nobody is covered in the dressing room and the showers are all shared and if you have a sauna area it is probably mixed and you enter naked to them.

Also in some hot springs, you will find many in which you can not go with a bathing suit to them.

When you are living in Germany

– Your home address will include your name

If, as is, the addresses in Germany include a street, building number or house, and your last name.

There are no numbers in the departments !!! With all the rules and regulations regarding the privacy of people this still seems strange to me, but if you do not have your last name on the doorbell you will not receive the mail or your Amazon purchases for example!

– Taxes, taxes, and more taxes

Beyond taxes in relation to your income, which will depend on your level of income, whether you have children or not, if you are married or not and several more points to consider (which are not really much more than in Chile for example) maximum is 42% of the income subject to taxes. Two taxes are paid in addition, which caught my attention in particular.

It is not a tax, but if a mandatory fee if you have a radio, television or internet, the “Rundfunkbeitrag” is mandatory for each household and € 17.50 per month is paid. Now, open television has cultural and informative programs of excellent quality, so it makes sense and is not that high.

The other tax that everyone by default pays is the tax imposed by the Catholic Church. The “Kirchensteuer” is paid monthly 8% or 9% of the tax rate of your salary depending on the region. If you do not want to pay it you have to give up the church in writing.

If you have a dog you have to pay a “Hundesteuer” tax and you pay € 120 annually and it is compulsory for all those who have a dog, if you do not pay after the first month you receive a fine.

–  VERY CAREFUL with downloading music or movies because it is illegal and can mean a fine

Intellectual property law is actually applied and controlled not only by state agencies but also by private attorneys actively seeking by those who violate this law. That is, you may find that pirated movies have been downloaded under your IP and will sue the owner of that account.

I have heard from many people that they have received this famous letter and that is where they have to negotiate and probably pay even a very negotiated sum to avoid being sued.

If that letter arrives, DO NOT SIGN ANYTHING that could cause problems in the future, assuming you have done that and put you on the official list of those who violate this law.

– The mail is very important and abundant

Germans are fond of bureaucracy and paperwork and many of the things you will have to do are done through the mail. You will receive many letters every day and some are very important and depend on the date you receive them, so you will get used to opening the mailbox every day.

– There are insurances for everything

In Germany, there are many things that are regulated and one of them is that everyone who lives in the country must have health insurance. It is even mandatory for those who travel on vacation and even more when you live in the country.

In addition, there is accident insurance against third parties called “Haftpflichtversicherung” or liability insurance, not for drivers only, but for natural persons. That is if you go to visit your friends and break that Russian jar of thousands of dollars, or go on your bicycle and accidentally scratch a car with which you crash, that insurance covers you and your actions.

– When someone rings the bell they run to open the door

In Germany it is very common to buy almost everything online, Amazon is the king and when you buy something with delivery to your home, if you do not usually leave the package with a neighbor, but if nobody answers you can leave it in any building on your block and you’ll have to find out where it came from. That’s why, the Germans have like an automatic spring to answer the bell in 5 seconds, me? If I’m busy, believe me, I do not run hahaha

 

– Many contracts are made to two years, such as the gym or cell phone

To enroll in the gym or open your new cell phone plan many of the contracts are two years. On rare occasions, you can find offers for 6 months, but things are here with long-term plans.

 

Let’s talk about food

– Dinner is usually the same as breakfast or a teatime

As in Chile, Germans usually do not have dinner with a plate of food, but they do a breakfast-dinner. Includes bread and everything you have to put in the bread, as well as breakfast.

The bread is eaten in slices since usually, one buys a whole bread or a piece of a great bread that is bought by grams in the bakery. The individual pieces of bread or “Brötchen” are much more expensive than in Chile, a small bread costs around 70centavos if it is integral or 40centavos if it is white.

– Many fruits are sold per unit

That cheap kilo of kiwis that in Chile nobody values in Germany is almost a luxury, each kiwi is sold per unit and costs much more than a kilo in Chile. This is the same with the avocados and mangoes sold by units.

Of course, fruits and vegetables, in general, are of very good quality and there are always local markets with very fresh products, even in supermarkets the average quality is much better than in other countries.

 

 

– They prefer natural medicine to chemicals

In Germa,ny they have a very large culture in terms of using natural products and perhaps it is a product of the great control that exists in the sale of allopathic medicines that people are accustomed to resorting to natural products when they are sick.

There are medicinal teas for almost all conditions, basic pH tablets for the stomach (literally ground) oils for bathtubs for muscles or the cold, etc. This is also the country where homeopathy was born and there are pharmacies specialized in this type of treatment.

– They love sparkling water

The common one for the Germans is to ask for gasified water, but not only they take it alone but they mix it with juices to make them less sweet.

The most typical is the “Apfelschorle” which is apple juice with sparkling water. It is also usual the “Weissweinschorle” or white wine with aerated water, especially in the areas of Germany where wine is produced.

 

 

– In a barbecue, only what is going to be eaten is roasted

Forget about the abundant Chilean or Argentine barbecue where you put all the meat you find on the grill. Here the prices are much higher, so only what is calculated will be consumed.

– They do weird mixes with beer (and yeah, beer is great there!)

Some mix beer with Coca-cola “Colabier” or fantasy lemonade “Radler”. At first, I found the Radler very bad, but over time I got used to it and today I find it rich, especially on those hot days!

– Buying bread can be very stressful!

I never thought that something as simple as buying bread would be so stressful at the same time. When you go to a local bakery, it is usually full, with a line of people waiting and everyone is very clear about what they want and expect the same from you.

Forget about thinking a second that you want to buy or get ready to receive the fulminating glances of the other clients and perhaps also of the vendors.

I’m used to going there and then see if I want something more than the bread I went to buy, suddenly a cake or something sweet, but here you have to have your life crystal clear when you go shopping! This also applies to the rows in the supermarket and in any other trade: get ready to pay and pack your things in record time!

– It’s paradise for vegans and vegetarians.

For many years in Germany there are supermarkets specialized in the sale of Bio products and even in the cheapest ones t,here are organic and vegan products of all kinds, including make-up and other cosmetics.

– You can still smoke in many bars and restaurants

This is something that I still do not get used to and I can not understand. With all the rules and regulations that exist, you can still find many bars and restaurants where you enter and receive a cloud of cigar smoke!

 

  

Have you already lived some of these experiences in Germany?
Is there something that surprised you when you arrived and did not know what would happen in Germany?