After over two months in Germany, one of the most common questions people from back home ask me is “What is different? Anything you didn’t expect?” Honestly, yes, Germany is different from America. I will probably only appreciate how different after I go home. Still, it’s Western culture. They drive on the right side of the road. The cities do look completely different from ours and I love the architecture. But culturally I find that the small differences are the most interesting. So here are five little differences that I have noticed in these two months (has it only been two?):
5) They don’t retouch photos of models nearly as much. In America, we alter photos of our models until they are almost unrecognizable and their waists resemble that of Barbie more than a human being. Here, within the first week I noticed that a few of the models in the advertisements at the mall and on the bus looked too old to be modeling. When they smiled, wrinkles showed up around their eyes. And then I realized: they weren’t too old, they were human. It’s since become a fascination of mine to examine these photos, because I really like that they’re pictures of real people, barely altered. Do Germans alter photos at all? Yes, I guess they do, but I haven’t noticed it as much as in the States, and I think that’s a healthy thing.
4) Drinking culture. The day I arrived in Koblenz and stepped out of the train station, my foot kicked something across the sidewalk. I looked down and saw a bottle cap from a local German beer. My student guide explained that they can drink in the street here. It was the beginning of a realization that drinking is a much more normal thing here, something that’s rarely frowned upon. Germans learn their limit, they drink to enjoy it. They’ll have a beer with dinner and if they don’t finish it at the restaurant they’ll take it with them, on the street or on the train (where you can also buy beer). In the Rhein valley they’re also known for their wine, which is all local. You can start drinking basic stuff when you’re 16, and the rest when you’re 18. You can’t drive till you’re 18. I have to wonder if that’s a better idea than the system we have in the States. It doesn’t seem to cause any major problems, although as always students have crazy parties–but they’re legal. One further indicator of how different it is: they sell beer in the school cafeteria. I’m still not used to seeing that!
3) They say German bureaucracy is crazy, and they’re not kidding. German businesses and institutions are highly efficient, organized, and punctual. They enjoy paperwork and like to keep records. They’re also very specialized. As the only other American at the Hochschule told me, “The right hand doesn’t know what the left hand is doing.” And that’s true: each person has a special job and they do it very well, but they know very little about the processes outside their department. If you’ve ever read a Kafka novel, one of the bureaucratic characters will inevitably make some comment like “I’ve never personally worked with that department, or met anyone who works there, but I’ve heard they’re incredibly efficient and manage their business with great skill! How dare you say they don’t know what they’re doing!” And I thought he was kidding. It sounded absurd. But no, that’s really the way it works here. At the Hochschule, for instance, I’m enrolled in both the Business School and the Social Sciences School. The people in both departments have been very kind and helpful with figuring out classes, but I do find it humorous that they have no idea when the breaks and exams are for the other school. Each department is independent, even within the same university, and nobody has a clue what the other departments are doing. It’s very weird.
2) Regional differences. I know I’ve mentioned this before: every area of Germany is special and they like to let the world know that they’re special. It’s like that in the United States to some extent, and you know that if you live in Texas. But we really don’t have the city pride that they have here, where each individual town is something special and different than the others. As for regions, I think that comes from them having been independent countries around 140 years ago. Prussians still have strong opinions of Bavarians and vice versa. Germany has many subsets of the German culture, and it’s actually very enjoyable to experience while traveling.
1) Café culture. If a German invites you for coffee, expect to be there a while. It is normal to stay for a chat long after having finished your food or coffee. In fact, you really have to track down the waiter when you want to pay, and won’t have to tip as much as in the States. It’s because they actually get paid decent wages in addition to the tips. Going for coffee is a much more relaxing experience here and you’ll never get the feeling that they want to kick you out of the restaurant.
BONUS: Paying with cash. Back in the US, I used to carry just my debit card on me in case my friends decided to go out to eat and I didn’t have my wallet with me. That would never work here. Many places take only cash, and if they take credit or debit, they would prefer that they didn’t. Those are more or less for online transactions and withdrawing money from the ATM. Needless to say, I got used to the Euro very quickly.