When you picture "Germany" you probably picture beer and brats, castles, and leiderhosen (Ha, I don't even know how to spell that!) But Germany is so much more! Yesterday I attended a Spouses Orientation (to Germany) classes, and learned so much valuable information! Some I thought I'd share, because it gives more ideas of what it's like over here.
Germans are HUGE on recycling. It's very precise. There's a bin for plastic/cardboard (uncontaminated so no pizza boxes), and one for bio waste, like yard clippings, coffee grounds, peels, egg shells, etc. Then there's a yellow bin for "light fraction"- plastic and medal. There is not a bin for glass, but usually each village has a neighborhood area for glass, divided in to green, brown and clear. Also, you can't have a trashcan with a bag sticking out of the top. Usually they will not pick it up for you, and if you have extra bags at the bottom, they definitely won't. However, you can purchase red bags for when you have parties, like Christmas or Thanksgiving, and therefore have extra trash. Those they will take. It's very complex, but probably very good.
Germany is comparable to the size of Montana. However, Germany has 81.8 million people in that small area! So, that is why everything is small, like close together parking spaces, small cars, tall and narrow homes, etc.
There are 11 German holidays, which my husband should get off in addition to all of the American holidays. The first of these is next week, Oct. 3, which is German Reunification Day, which celebrates the reunification of East and West Germany.
In Germany, there is no air conditioning. It's not needed. However, what is needed is "venting" your house every day. Your windows can open two different ways. One is tilted backwards, so there is about a 4 inch gap at the top, and the bottom is still connected. The other way is for the window to open up all the way. To do that, it opens in to your house, instead of out or up. Every day, you should open all the windows for about 5-10 minutes, as this helps to keep out mold. Also, the windows are very thick and well insulated.
Germans never introduce themselves with their first name. In fact, they answer their phone just by saying their last name, without saying hello. In America, you will meet Sally on Tuesday, then walking with your husband on Thursday run in to her again, and say to your husband "Oh, have you met my friend Sally?" In Germany, that is not acceptable. She is not your friend, she is your acquaintance. And she is still Frau Smith. In fact, you can run in to each other several times, and start to get to know each other, and still, Frau Smith. Eventually, you may invite her over for coffee. At that point, whomever is the oldest will say "Oh, by the way, my name is Sally." At that point, you may use first names, and are considered friends. In other words, they value the word "friend" very much, and are much more formal than we are.
Speaking of going over for coffee.... when going to a German's house, it is very important to be on time. Even 5 minutes late is considered rude. And a gift for the hostess is appropriate. However, red roses (sign of romance) and white lillies (used at funerals) are not appropriate. Unlike in America, where you may be concerned about bringing wine because they have religious convictions about it, you won't find that in Germany. Even if you bring alcohol to a dry home, the person won't be offended in the least. Also, Germans are very straight-forward and honest. We were told the sooner we get use to it, the better. They don't beat around the bush. And they don't mean it rudely. It's just like "You suck because your dog pooped in my yard. Clean it up." If you say "Oh, I'm so sorry. You're right. I'll clean it up right now," they will be completely fine with you and there won't be any weird feelings.
When going out to eat, apparently one should dress more formal, nice pants and shoes, not shorts and flip flops. Also, tip is included in your bill. However, it is nice to include a little bit more, like 1 or 2 Euro is all. It's also nice to tip your hair dresser, mechanic, and even movers. Again, about 2-5 Euro if they did a great job.
Anyway, that's just a tidbit of what I learned yesterday. Hopefully in the coming days I can share more of the very interesting information!
1 comments:
I grew up in a home where we always said our last name (e.g. "Smiths") when answering the phone. I have no idea where the habit came from (we're Americans), but both sides of my family were German, so maybe it's a carry-over? (It was many generations ago that they came to the States, but my grandparents and their siblings had some very German first names.)
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