Lab Rat Abroad

[labratabroad]

Yes, Those Are Cigarette Machines.

Smoking, and smoking public in particular, is far more common in Germany than you might be used to as an American who first arrives over here.  Whether it's at bars, the outside seating areas of restaurants, the "smoking rooms" of a club, or just on the street in general, smoking is far more socially and legally accepted.  As a result, cigarette machines are a common enough sight, be it in the back of a restaurant or bar, on the side of a building, or just free standing in some residential areas.

Before you go thinking that just anyone can go up to the machine, pop in a few coins, and out the cigarette pack would come (don't they have age restrictions?!), they do in fact have age checking.  Someone attempting to use the machine has to insert a valid ID card (which all Germans carry past the age of 16), which would prove that they are over 18, or insert their debit card, which is capable of doing the same.  In some restaurants and bars, their machines don't check for age, but typically these are only found in places which cater to adults, or check patron's ages at the door.

In the past few years that I've been living in Germany, the number of people I've actually seen using the machines has been altogether low.  The average person is more likely to go to a grocery store or some other small shop, and as well, the number of people who do smoke in Germany has been decreasing in recent years, particularly amongst young people, which is a good thing for public and individual health.  That being said, just over a quarter of Germans on average do smoke, and you will see cigarettes and bulk tobacco being sold far more commonly and openly than is often allowed these days in the U.S..

SMOKING RESTRICTIONS ARE STILL GETTING STRICTER HERE!

[labratabroad]

There's No Ice In My Drinks!

Why is there no ice in my drinks?  Why can't I find ice at the grocery store?  Where on God's green Earth are the ice trays to be found?  Hi!  Welcome to life in Germany!  Here in Germany, most people don't have their drinks with ice in them unless it's a cocktail at a bar that specifically calls for it, and if you're looking to make it to keep it at home, you may be in for a surprise.

Culturally, people in Germany don't drink as many ice-cold drinks as we are used to doing in America.  Whether it's at a movie theater, restaurant, or corner store, you're not likely to end up with a large cup that's more ice than drink (I'm looking at you, movie theaters in the U.S....).  In recent years, there's been an increase in the popularity of ice in drinks (for which you mostly have chains like Starbucks to thank), but historically this hasn't been the case.

Practically speaking, at home, keeping or making ice is difficult for most German families, as refrigerators are much smaller than you are used to in the U.S..  In student housing or in shared flats with university students in them, it's not uncommon for the refrigerator to only be the size you might expect to see in a dorm room, with the small- might fit a frozen pizza- freezer.  For larger families, or people who like keeping more frozen stuff, it's still a challenge, as even for freezers that are larger, it's tough to justify taking up a substantial amount of space for ice trays or bags of ice (I justify this.  I've claimed half my freezer space for ice.  #MURICA).

Additionally, given that the bottles of water that many people carry are large (1-1.5 liter; we've talked about this before), it's impractical to keep them in the fridge, when there is likely already juice, milk, or some other drink that actually has to stay cold in order to avoid it going off.

If you are thinking about asking for ice at a restaurant in Germany, I can't say that I'd recommend it.  To a much further extent than in the U.S., German restaurants sell soft drinks by volume, meaning that if they do give you ice, you're directly overpaying for whatever drink you've bought.  And there's no world in which they're going to give you free refills, either.

If you're looking for bagged ice in Germany, chains like Kaufland, Hit, or Real (which are substantially larger than the average German grocery store, and much more closely match what you'd expect from one in the U.S.) are likely to have it around.  As far as ice trays go, they're becoming more common, but you may have to keep an eye out for normal ice cube shaped ones, as many that you might see around tend to be some form of novelty shape.

FREEZE!  FREEZE EVERYTHING!

[labratabroad]

Drinking in Public in Germany

Yes, you can drink in public in Germany.  Whether you are walking down the street or riding in a train, you are free to drink whatever you like in public.  Depending on whether or not a soccer game is going on, the number of people doing so however is often rather low, and most noticeable near bars and clubs at night.

Before you go thinking that it would be a swell idea to crack open a beer on the bus, it's worth bearing in mind that most public transportation authorities that run city buses and trams have specific policies against eating and drinking while riding.  They'll leave you alone if you are drinking water or some other soft drink, but if the driver or ticket checker sees you with an open container, or if you're causing a ruckus, they'll probably tell you to get out.

As a general point (a mild pet peeve), if you're going to drink in public, make sure that any bottles that don't have a deposit (Pfand) make it into a trash can.  However, if you want to do a solid by the typically homeless individuals which will look in the city trash cans for deposit bottles, leave them next to the trash can.  They'll get taken.

Also, just because you can drink in public, doesn't mean you have license to be a public nuisance.  Germany is a country that feels strongly about teaching young people how to handle drinking alcohol responsibly, and as a point of order, Germans don't much appreciate and aren't terribly interested in dealing with intoxicated individuals.

All that being said, yes, you are free to crack open your beer wherever you are (and you'll likely see people doing so at any hour of the day over the course of your time here).  It's a nice change of pace, particularly during city festivals, where you are free to get your drink and wander through, without having to worry about staying within some marked area.

DRINK RESPONSIBLY!

[labratabroad]

Scholarships Funding Studies in Germany

One of the reasons that many people give as to why studying abroad is difficult for them is the costs associated with doing so.  I was lucky enough during my time studying abroad during my undergraduate studies to receive a scholarship from my college, which helped to defray the costs.  The Deutscher Akademischer Austauschdienst (DAAD) is the German government's organization which exists to provide scholarships for foreigners to study within Germany, and for Germans to study internationally.  If you are American but aren't a dual citizen of a European country (and therefore are ineligible for the ERASMUS program for European students studying in other European countries), then applying for one of the programs through the DAAD is the primary option.

The DAAD has programs available for both undergraduates and graduate students, which provide money for short periods of time (typically 4-10 months).  There are options for research and studying abroad, though it's worth noting that the research grants will likely be primarily useful to those in STEM degree paths.  If you apply for one of the research grants, you'll need to have your position in a lab or research group confirmed prior to the application.  If you are studying abroad and are doing so in the context of an organized program at your home institution, they should be able to help you with the application.

For graduate students specifically, there is a time limit of 15 months since you started living in Germany to apply, meaning if you are taking part in a graduate degree program full time in Germany (not doing an exchange or time abroad as part of a U.S. based program), you should apply sooner rather than later.  After you have been in Germany for 15 months, you are expected to apply to other stipend funds that exist in Germany which are primarily targeted at Germans (but do not require German citizenship to apply).  If a scholarship from the DAAD could be useful for you, you should apply sooner rather than later, as some of the other programs may be more difficult to apply to for those who do not have a B1/B2 or higher German level.

YOU HAVE TO APPLY EARLY!

[labratabroad]

Writing German Addresses

Something as simple as writing a letter can't be that much different from how we do it in the U.S., can it be?  Well, no, not terribly off, but enough that you can create a minor headache for yourself or the Deutsche Post work who has to process your package or card.

A standard U.S. address, with some variations for P.O. boxes, or for mailboxes in certain apartment buildings, are typically done in some variation of:

Mr/Ms. Person McPerson 123 PlaceTheyLive Street City, State [Zip Code] U.S.A.

In Germany, the order of the parts of the address are largely inverted to:

Herr/Frau Person McPerson PlaceTheyLive Straße 123 [Zip Code] City DE

 with the state omitted from the address entirely.  In the case of P.O. boxes, in the place of the city, you would write Postfach (P.O. box, shown above), the same way that you would for an American one.  If you are filling out a form, you'll see spaces for the street (Straße), city (Ort), and zip code (PLZ).  The first and last name boxes, if they are separated, are written as Name (last name) and Vorname (first name; literally: pre-name).

WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU SENT A PROPER LETTER?

[labratabroad]

ECTS Points and Transferring Credits Back Home

When you're looking ahead to the exams that you are going to take while in Germany, it's worth looking into the number of points that a given module, lecture, or seminar is worth, as unlike many U.S. colleges and universities, there is not usually a set number of courses that you have to take in a semester to reach "full time" student status.  Germany, as with the rest of Europe, operates on the European Transfer Credit System (ECTS), and assigns a point value to each lecture (exam), seminar (presentation or essay), and lab course (lab report).

In Germany, a full time student reaches about 60 ECTS points total for a year, and 30 points for a semester.  Before you leave to come to Germany for a semester or year abroad, you should look into how your home institution converts ECTS points to their internal points system or course credits.  Depending on the college or university, you may need to simply clear a certain number of ECTS points, or you might have to register for a certain number of courses that each have a given number of points.  When I studied abroad, my college said that I needed 25-30 ECTS points, and counted the 4 highest point value courses I took as the 4 I needed as a "full time" student, while also listing the remaining points on my transcript.

A full module with lecture and seminar should have 8-10 points associated to the full module, though some may have as few as 6 points.  You should double check if you sign up for a module that you are signed up for both the seminar and lecture, or, if you only intend to sign up for either the lecture or module, that you are only registered for one or the other.  Should you be taking a complete module, bear in mind that your grades for both will be averaged together, based on the point value for each part of the module.  If you will be taking a lab course, you should confirm when the lab course will be taking place.  It's not uncommon for lab courses to take place during the semester break, meaning the last two months of the official semester time (February and March; August and September).  You can continue to live in the student housing during this time (so no worries there), but if you have to return to the U.S. by a certain date to continue on to your next semester, this could end up being a scheduling issue.

DON'T FORGET TO PICK UP YOUR CERTIFICATES FOR YOUR GRADES!

[labratabroad]

Supermarkets Are Everywhere In Germany

How many grocery stores do you have in your city or town?  If it's a bigger city, the answer may be "who knows?", but in a small town, it's probably only one.  In Germany, the answer its "one on approximately every second street corner."  It sounds like an exaggeration, but for an American who travels through Germany for any amount of time, whether they visit the downtown areas or go through the residential parts of a given city, the number of grocery stores is likely to be surprisingly high.

In Germany, grocery shopping (einkaufen) was historically a daily or near daily occurrence.  Apartments and refrigerators are often on the smaller size, and buying in bulk is much harder when most people don't travel with a car on a regular basis, and a substantially smaller part of the population even owns a vehicle larger than a bicycle.  As such, it is much easier to sustain a larger number of grocery stores (Supermarkt).

The grocery stores over here are usually much smaller than those in the U.S., typically falling much closer to the size that an American might expect to see from one of the chain pharmacies in the U.S. than the giant grocery stores we are used to.  In general, this means that there are fewer options in any given store for a particular product, particularly in discount grocery stores like Aldi.  If you are looking for specialty items, you'll have to make a plan of going to larger shops, or visit more expensive grocery stores.

If you want to make the best use of the many types and sizes of grocery stores in Germany, check out all of the ones around you soon after you first move in.  You'll soon find out which shop has the best deal on what you like to get, and where to go if you need a specific product.  If you prefer to shop once a week like you probably would in the U.S., you may find yourself shopping more frequently; maybe not every single day, but instead buying for a few days at a time from a given shop.

Should you be hunting for a certain product that you like to get in the U.S., you may have to do some research or exploring to find it.  Often times I've been looking for a product, only to find out that the same or similar thing is packaged substantially different in Germany than I was used to in the U.S..  Additionally, not all products appear with the same frequency in Germany as they do in the U.S. (for me, spicy foods fall into this category).  In the last few years that I've been living in Germany, the number of actual American products which have become available over here has significantly increased (Mountain Dew and Doritos were huge steps forward), but I still find that there are certain things it's better to just make from scratch (like salsa).

HOW MUCH OF A HASSLE WOULD IT BE TO GROCERY SHOP DAILY IN THE U.S. FOR YOU?

[labratabroad]

How To Register For University Classes

If you are going to be studying abroad in Germany, unless you are part of a program which specifically registers your in advance for specific courses or a plan of study, you will have to register after you arrive in Germany.  When you do so, depending on the university and the timing of your arrival, how you go about this will likely be different than you are used to back home.

Most American colleges will have a system with an online registration program, typically that is set up before the previous semester ends.  In Germany, for students in a standard course of study, this is also usually the case.  If you are coming over for a semester or year, during your first registration period, if you are able to use this system, you should go ahead and do so, as it will make your life that much easier amongst all the registrations that you will have to do at the start of the semester and your time in Germany.

If you are planning to take classes in multiple faculties (i.e. language courses and science courses in the same semester), you'll have to go to the individual faculty office and register in person.  This is also the case if you arrive too late to use the online system.  The actual process is simple enough, just bring your matriculation documents with you and visit the office during their open hours.  If you are tight for time to the start of the semester, go to the office during typical work hours (8-4, 9-5), and ask to speak with the person at the office.  They are usually willing to work with you as an international student (but if you show up speaking sufficiently good German, maybe lead with the fact that you're an international student so they don't assume you're a lazy German student who didn't follow proper procedure).

The reason you have to register separately with multiple faculties if you are taking courses from different faculties, is because your registration is under one of the specific faculties.  For university students in the U.S., this system may make more sense than those at smaller colleges, who can register for pretty much any course at will.  The university won't try to prevent you from taking a course due to your faculty, but it does mean that your user account in the online system won't be set up to show you courses from other faculties.

If you are taking a language course, you'll need to provide proof of your language level, so that you can be sorted into the correct level course.  This is likely also going to be the case if you want to take a course that is in German.  In my experience, you're going to need to be at least at the B1/B2 level to handle courses that actually take place in German, and it's going to be difficult (maybe limit yourself to seminars).  You are going to have to have a certificate of some kind (like one from the Goethe Institute, or from an entrance test at the university you are studying at).  Paperwork from your home institution is unlikely to be considered sufficient.

WHAT'S THE MOST UNUSUAL COURSE YOU'VE REGISTERED FOR?

[labratabroad]

What To Look For In A German Flat

If you are studying or working in Germany long term, you're going to end up going flat (British English!) hunting at some point after you arrive.  While most apartment hunting checklist points are the same between the U.S. and Germany, there are some points which are more specific to Germany that are worth keeping an eye out for.

Neighbor/street issues.  German windows are wonderfully noise cancelling, which can mean that the apartment is louder than you at first think.  Open the windows and actually check if the street is noisy yourself.  The realtor is not about to say that a flat on a main street is actually loud.  Also, look down below you.  If a window of yours is above a balcony or other living space of a lower apartment, look for an ash tray.  If someone smokes below you, it will be coming up to your window.

Available shared space.  If the building has a yard, driveway, room to hang clothes to dry, shared balcony or rooftop space, ask about the rights to use it.  You don't want to have any surprises about what you can and can't use, and you should be able to make your decision about the flat without operating under the false assumption of a space you can't use.

The current kitchen in the flat.  In Germany, the majority of flats are not rented with a kitchen provided (essentially none will come with one built in).  You should ask if the current tenant (who will be there when you view the apartment, unless it is totally empty, at which point this issue is moot) if they are planning or willing to sell the kitchen, and how much they want for it.  If they are planning or willing to sell it, you should take a close look at the appliances themselves, and determine if they are worth what is being asked for.  If the kitchen has obviously been brought from another flat, or will need substantial work to redo (i.e. you're buying it for the appliances), try to bargain them down if you can.

Bike rooms/car parking.  Depending on the building, there may be a bike room, underground parking, or both available in the building.  The bike room should be free of charge, but the parking likely has a monthly fee for the space.  If you don't need the parking space, you shouldn't have to take it in order to rent the apartment.  Depending on your area, parking may be at a higher premium than you might think, even for bicycles.

Basements.  In Germany, it's common for apartments to come with a small basement room or caged in area.  It shouldn't be counted towards the total floor space advertised for the flat, and shouldn't have an additional cost.  These can be very useful, particularly for storing seasonal items, bulk purchases, or bicycles for people who don't use them particularly often.

Direction the apartment is facing.  German apartment buildings won't have air conditioning, so knowing the direction that the apartment faces will matter for more reasons than just the amount of light that you'll get through the windows.  If the apartment faces North/South, it will get less light and be cooler in summer, if it faces East/West, you will get a lot more light, but it can also mean everything gets much hotter if there's no trees around.

Distance from grocery stores and public transportation.  You likely won't/don't have, or have access to a car.  Grocery shopping, even on a bike, gets old fast if you constantly have to travel too great a distance in order to buy anything in a reasonable amount of bulk, or need anything heavy.  The same goes with public transportation.  Also, even if there is access to public transportation, you should carefully consider what the connection looks like to get to your work, university classes, or other places you will have to go to regularly.

CHECK FOR THE MINIMUM LEASE TIME!!  German law changed a few years ago, shifting the obligation for paying the realtor's fees from the person renting the apartment to the landlord.  In response, most landlords instituted policies stating that apartments have to be rented for a year or two before you can give (three month) notice to move.  Moving out before this date will result in fees and you still being on the hook to pay the rent for the months that you have signed for.  In general, this means that you can move out within a year and three months of your start date (though one way to get out of this is to have someone take over your lease if you can find someone to do so).  If you are staying for a shorter period of time, it will probably be best to sublet a room within an apartment instead of renting it on your own.

BALCONIES COUNT TOWARDS TOTAL APARTMENT SPACE!

[labratabroad]

Matriculating As A Student In Germany

In the U.S., once you start a degree or study program, your continued registration in the program, assuming you are earning passing grades and don't have any other extenuating circumstances, is essentially automatic.  Obviously, you still have to pay your tuition and any other fees to continue, but your studentship is not otherwise in question.  In Germany, you have to rematriculate every semester, and you're on your own to make sure it happens.

Each semester, as a student in Germany, you have to matriculate (pay your student fee) to continue your student status, and be able to register for the new semester.  Paying the semester fee is usually one of the last parts of your initial registration that you will do when you start your program or time abroad in Germany, and if you continue on to further semesters, you only have to pay the student fee to matriculate for the new semester.

When your matriculation is confirmed after the university receives the fee you have transferred to them, if your university sends a new student ID each semester, you should receive it in short order.  If your university instead has a plastic card that is stamped or otherwise validated, you should make sure to take care of this before the official start of the semester.  In either case, a Matrikulationsbescheinigung (matriculation certificate) should be made available to your (probably through an online portal).  This certificate is what you will use to prove your status as a student (i.e. to your insurance company or bank).

In Germany, if you are a PhD student, you are not necessarily obligated to actually matriculate as a student in order to keep your position.  You should make sure that you are registered as a student by the university (typically handled in the same way that the registration of university employees into the various computer systems and user accounts), but you don't typically have to actually pay a student fee and matriculate.  Doing so though typically allows you to receive a substantially reduced priced semester ticket on the local public transportation, as well as means you will have a proper student ID, which you need in order to get most discounts that are available to university students.

If you are changing degree programs within the same university, meaning that you are starting a new degree, make CERTAIN that you have confirmation of your finalized registration in your new program, particularly if your matriculation number has not changed.  In most of the Germany university systems that I have encountered, the matriculation process is automated to recognize your matriculation number, as given in the subject line of the money transfer, meaning that if you have started a new program, you could accidentally end up matriculating for another semester as part of your last program.  At the least, this will cause a headache for you and the student office, at worst, this could cause you difficulties for maintaining your visa or changing visa types if your situation warrants it.

HOW MANY STUDENT ID'S HAVE YOU HAD?  I'M ON MY 10TH!

[labratabroad]

The Doors Are Always Closed, It's Fine.

Germany is not the biggest fan of open door plans.  Okay, let me clarify: every room has a door, every door has a lock, and Germans like to make liberal use of both.  Regardless of whether it's the living room, kitchen, or even two parts of a hallway, the doors are there and likely closed.  If you're going to an office or university building, even during "open" hours, the doors will be closed and likely locked up as well.  What do you do about this?

The easiest to start with are offices.  If you have an appointment or are going to an office that is supposed to have open hours, you'll have to knock.  Exactly once, no more than once, and don't try to open the door yourself unless or until you are called in.  The privacy of the people who are visiting whatever office you are at is very highly regarded, and keeping the door closed during and between appointments is the standard way of ensuring that it is kept.  This is true for everything from the immigration office to a professor's office.

If you are visiting a German's house or apartment, assume until told otherwise that the doors which are closed are meant to keep you out.  It may be that there's simply a mess behind whatever door is closed (who hasn't "cleaned" up for company now and then by cramming the mess out of sight?), or there may be no real reason to keep it out of sight at all, but it's safer to assume you shouldn't open it.  Should you need to do something like use the bathroom, and all the doors are closed, make sure you are clear on which room is correct (at least if your confidence in your Germany is shaky).

WHERE'S THE WEIRDEST PLACE YOU'VE HAD A DOOR IN YOUR HOME BEFORE?

[labratabroad]

How To Pack A Day Pack

If you’re a tourist, traveling student, or person under pressure to bring home those “great European adventure” pics, you’ll need to be able to plan properly for what you carry with you when you’re exploring the city of the day.  I’ve put together a list of what are essentials for a day pack when I’ve traveled in the past:

Bottled water.   Depending on the size of the city you are visiting, or if you are visiting on a Sunday, your ability to buy a reasonable sized bottle of water can be much lower than you’d think.  Public water fountains aren’t a common sight in Germany, so pack at least a 1 liter bottle.

A battery bank.   A battery bank is a better plan to keep your mobile devices charged than a wall charger when you’re visiting a city.  You won’t be tethered to an outlet (if you can find one to use), meaning you won’t give up precious time waiting for you’re phone to have enough battery.

Sunblock.  If you’re going to be walking a city all day, and the weather is even halfway decent, you’ll need sunblock.  It doesn’t come to mind necessarily because you’re going to a city instead of the beach, but city sidewalks don’t exactly have a lot of shade in th summer.

An umbrella.  When the weather forecast says “cloudy,” there’s a risk of rain, and it’s better to be dry than scrambling to buy an umbrella, or have to wait out a storm.

 ”Pee money.”  Pack a few 50 cent and 1 Euro coins.  If this doesn’t make sense to you, check out the recent post here.

A small shopping bag.   You can fold up a plastic or reusable shopping bag, or buy a bag that is made to fold down to a particularly small size.  If you plan on buying souvenirs or are grabbing some food at a shop in town, having a bag ready is super handy.

 A game plan.  Regardless or whether you’re a tourist or student traveling around, make a plan in advance.  If you don’t have a German phone data plan, don’t plan on using free WiFi all over the place.  Germany doesn’t have the best options for it.  Also, just because a city is “walkable,” that doesn’t mean those two things you know you want to see aren’t a mile and a half up a winding cobblestone covered hill apart.

 You don’t need to carry an actual backpack when you travel.  A favorite of mine is to use a drawstring bag, the kind often used for carrying gym clothes.  It’s small, lightweight, and doesn’t have to be put in a locker or bag check at museums that require larger bags to be stored instead of brought in. 

 WHAT CAN’T YOU TRAVEL WITHOUT? 

[labratabroad]

Why Do They Want To Know The City I Was Born In?

In and amongst all of the paperwork that you've had to fill out for your visa, residence permit, matriculation paperwork, you've likely noticed that you've had to repeatedly fill in the city you were born in.  What's the deal with that though?  Are they actually keeping track of this?  Do German government agencies have some sort of register of everywhere people were born that they check in on?  Why do they ask for this even from foreigners?

In order to the previous rhetorical question: yes, and kind of.  In Germany, it's a common question on paperwork to ask for the city you were born in, as a method of differentiating between people who have the same name.  Even when you are also asked to provide your date of birth, the city you were born in is one of the differentiators that is used to make sure that two people with the same name aren't confused in government or university databases.

If you were curious, yes, Germany does keep registers of all of the people born in Germany.  Previously kept in literal books, the Geburtenregister (birth register) is a Personenstandregister, one of the various lists including birth certificates, death certificates, and marriage certificates.  But no, they're not going to try to track you down in them.

GERMANY LOVES THEIR PAPERWORK!

[labratabroad]

Public Restrooms Aren't Free

When was the last time you paid to use a restroom?  The airplane on your overnight Transatlantic, expensive though it may be, doesn’t count.  In Germany, public restrooms at train stations, rest stops along the Autobahn, and even some restaurants will have either a bowl with a stern attendant, or a machine with a coin slot that you need to feed 50 cent or 1 Euro coins in order to enter.  Why?

The reason is really that it depends.  It falls somewhere between places putting the money into the upkeep and cleaning of the restroom, paying a bit towards the utilities cost, and keeping out people who would make a mess or loiter in the bathrooms.  In high traffic areas like rest stops, you’re more likely to run into a physical attendant, while in restaurants or fast food joints, there may be only a coin slot or just a sign saying “50 cents.”

If you’re in a restaurant in a high foot traffic area, there is more than likely a sign that says something to the effect of “50 cents unless you’re a guest,” meaning that if you’re already eating there, you don’t need to worry about paying extra.  If there is a coin slot, ask the server for a token or whatever they use to allow customers to use the facilities without actually paying.

Regardless of where you are, it’s helpful to tuck a few coins into your wallet or bag where you wouldn’t ordinarily spend them, just in case.  A family friend refers to their bag of coins as “pee money,” and as funny as it may sound now, you might just be happy you packed it in advance next time you’re out exploring a German city like a good tourist. 

PRO TIP: THIS IS NOT TYPICALLY THE CASE IN MUSEUMS OR LIBRARIES.

[labratabroad]

Germans Love Their Flowers

If you've spent any amount of time in Germany, walking the street, going grocery shopping, or passing by a farmer's market, you've undoubtedly noticed that there seems to be a love affair with flowers over here that far exceeds what is found in most places in the U.S..  It's true!  In general, flowers in Germany are cheaper than their equivalent bunches would be found for in the U.S., and flower shops selling arrangements or making custom arrangements are everywhere, even in small neighborhoods.  What's the big deal?

In general, Germans are fond of having flowers, cut or as full plants, in their homes year round.  Which types of flowers are available is highly dependent on the season, though the flowers of the season have a tendency to be inexpensive, particularly if you look at grocery stores.  If you are going to be visiting a German family or friends, it's good manners and practice to bring along flowers.  It will be much appreciated!

Flower shops can be hit or miss as far as price is concerned.  If you have a specific arrangement that you are looking for at short notice, they are often a fantastic place to look, as most of them will have individual flowers out in displays, and will put together a bouquet for you on the spot.  However, as much as I'm a proponent of supporting small businesses, if you just want a small bunch of roses or tulips, you'll end up spending far more for what you could get cheaper elsewhere.  Use flower shops for what they're good for, and go to them to get your more substantial arrangements.

BRING HOME SOMETHING TO BRIGHTEN UP YOUR FLAT!

[labratabroad]

Think Of The Children! Don't Jaywalk In Germany!

Germany is stereotypically focused on order and following the rules in day to day life.  While in many cases this can be overblown, with regards to obeying crossing signals and jaywalking, this stereotype is completely true.  In Germany, crossing when the signal is still red, or failing to use a crosswalk (Zebrastreifen; Fußgängerüberweg) when one is reasonably available will result in anything from icy glares by fellow passers by, to a call to "think of the children!", to a talking to by a police officer if one sees you.  While jaywalking is legally not allowed in the U.S., in many cities, it's something of a common joke to describe jaywalking as a sport.  Why is it so different in Germany?

The first point to consider is that in the U.S., pedestrians are generally considered to have the "right of way," even in places where they by rights shouldn't be.  If someone ducks out into a street, the (hopeful) default is that traffic will do everything possible to stop.  In Germany, it's expected that cars, cyclists, and pedestrians will all stay in their designated lane, so it's safer to assume that someone driving a car or bicycle isn't necessarily looking out for you while you're walking.  While someone driving isn't going to hit you on purpose, they're not going to wait patiently for you to cross, and won't hesitate to let you know how, annoyed, they are that you aren't where you should be.

In Germany, it's a cultural norm to avoid jaywalking in order to set a good example for children.  Given how many people take public transportation, bike, and travel around on foot at a younger age than you might expect if you're not a city dweller in the U.S., they consider it imperative to teach children from a young age to obey the traffic signals.  Do your part to help them out, unless you enjoy having parents dress you down in public.

While it's amusing to see people who are a bit, happy, wait at a crosswalk at 3 am when the city is totally quiet and the last car passed by hours ago, it's an important habit to build in Germany.  Cars and cyclists are not likely to give you much room if you try to cross without a crosswalk or signal, and you risk causing an accident both for them and for yourself.  It may take some time to get used to depending on the attitude that people have towards jaywalking back home, but it makes life easier over here.

THINK OF THE CHILDREN!

[labratabroad]

Where Is Everyone? The Holiday Was Yesterday.

Yesterday in Germany was Himmelfahrt (the day of the Ascension), and a national holiday, where all businesses, universities, and schools closed for the day.  For the average American, the concept of having a national holiday on Thursday that's anything other than Thanksgiving is a bit weird, as many of our holidays are intentionally set to Mondays (Presidents Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Labor Day).  Having these holidays fall on Mondays means an automatic three day weekend, and (probably) helps to ensure that the work week is relatively uninterrupted by people taking extra mid-week days.  Instead of working the one day between the holiday and the weekend, in Germany, many people take a Brückentag.

A Brückentag (bridge day) is when someone takes off work on the day between a holiday and the weekend, mostly referring to taking off a Friday or Monday to bridge the gap between a Thursday or Tuesday holiday (like May Day this year, which fell on a Tuesday). 

Doing so is common enough practice that if you are a student studying in Germany, you may want to just confirm in advance that any classes you may have running on a day which could be considered a bridge day will be running, in case your professor has taken the day.  If you work in Germany, and are thinking of taking the four day weekend in order to travel, it's worth bearing in mind that unlike taking off a Friday or Tuesday to make a four day weekend in the U.S., either the first or last day of your short holiday will be during a national holiday, so you may need to plan for some crowds on the trains or roads.

BLACK FRIDAY IS ABOUT THE ONLY "BRIDGE DAY" IN THE U.S., ISN'T IT?