A lot of you have been asking what it's like over here.
Allow me to educate you.
You know, based on the abundant wealth of knowledge I've amassed over the last four whole months (ahem).
1) German's are very time conscious. This point was really driven home as we were finishing our flight across the Atlantic. Our pilot came on and announced, "We're just going to circle the runway a bit. The airport doesn't open until 8am."
Wha-huh?!?
Welcome to Deutschland!
Closing time is just as exact.
Almost everything here closes at 5 pm. And I don't mean 5:01.
I mean 5 pm and the tools are still hanging in the air when the workers hit the door!
2) Our first meal here was at a McDonald's. Pretzel buns and curry sauce on burgers may take some getting used to. But a McNugget, is a McNugget, is a McNugget!
3) You can try asking for 'flat' or 'natural' water but pretty much all bottled water is carbonated. (They will not serve you water from the tap.) Learn to love it!
4) Let the sunshine in! If you leave your shades drawn here, you obviously have something sinister to hide.
5) An authentic German breakfast is unhurried and HUGE!
Haven't found a bread yet that I didn't love. (Haven't found a goat cheese that I did!)
6) Germans take recycling very, very, seriously - we have five trash bins in the kitchen alone - separate it properly, or they'll leave it in your drive!
7) W is V. V is F.
8) Sunday's in Germany really are days of rest. You can be fined for mowing the grass, or even washing your car.
9) Germans stare. At everyone. All the time. Get used to it.
10) Euros are pretty!
11) One of the most common dishes here is Wiener Schnitzel and Spätzle.
Well they can call it whatever they want, but this country girl knows fried chops and butter noodles when she tastes them!
12) Contrary to popular belief, there are speed limits on the autobahn. In certain areas, or under special conditions, a limit is given. But at all times there is a suggested speed.
If an accident occurs and you are going above the suggested speed, you get the blame!
(Cruising along at 150kph is pretty awesome though!)
13) You will get fined for honking (noise control is a big deal here), rude gestures, or running out of gas (they figure if you're dumb enough to run out of gas, you deserve the ticket!).
14) Stop lights turn yellow before red and before green.
15) Public restrooms can sometimes be hard to find, and usually will cost up to a euro to use.
PAY IT! Along the autobahn, you'll find free water closets. Most are a tile cell with a grate floor and an open roof. No seat on the toilet. Ladies - practice peeing standing up!
They clean these by hosing them down, floor to ceiling.
On the other hand, the pay toilets are sleek, modern, automatic and self-cleaning.
(The closer you are to a city, the better they get.)
16) Germans wear their wedding rings on their right hands.
17) When shopping in Germany, the tax is already included in the listed price!
18) Candy counters here have a shelf just for parents!
19) When dining out, never ask for a doggie bag. It's just not done here.
20) Picking through or squeezing the produce is frowned upon in Germany. Just grab and go.
So those are just the first 20 things to pop into my mind.
It is different here. There's a lot to get used to.
But people are people. And most of them are pretty nice to the awkward Americans with the funny accent!
So how do I like living in Germany?
It's only geography. I'm just sayin'...
