First Contact in Germany

I arrived in Germany at the beginning of September, and those first few weeks were hectic having to set up all the necessary accommodations and accompanying paperwork. The amount of documentation that I had to acquire was a bit daunting as I had to make various appointments to receive specific permits that were needed for other appointments and permits. However, I had support from my German buddy that organized the appointments and informed me of the needed papers. Now that the process has been completed, and I have settled into my dorm, it has been smooth sailing. I have visited some nearby cities and I am experiencing the differences between our cultures.

The first big surprise was that the majority of shops are closed on Sunday. Aside from train stations and the occasional kiosk, there isn’t anywhere to shop or eat. I had been used to spending my Sundays going out with my family and friends. The idea of stores being closed felt incredibly strange. I am slowly becoming more accustomed to this, making sure that I buy any last minute items on Saturday, and it is nice to not worry about shopping and being able to completely relax on Sunday.

Another surprise was that some places would only accept cash. The amount of places that don’t accept cards is admittedly small, but I had always thought of Germany as an incredibly technologically advanced and efficient country. The idea that cards aren't completely universally accepted is a shock as I feel the US has been able to convert to being nearly cashless since I hardly ever carry any cash. However, I feel that there are many things that Germany does far better than the US.

The public transportation system has been an absolute joy, along with the cities being amazingly walkable. When compared to the US where driving a car is a near an absolute necessity, even in Seattle which I feel has decent public transportation, the US system is blown away by the system here which is far more robust and versatile. I felt that I could go anywhere in the region with the trains being incredibly integrated within the cities. Furthermore, the number of cyclists I have seen is far higher than back home, and even just walking around with the cities being well-connected makes it easy to navigate and explore the area.

I went to a market in Münster and went to look for something to eat at one of the stalls. I noticed that what was sold was mainly fruits, vegetables, and bread from bakeries. I found the lack of anything grilled/fried, or really anything that was unhealthy beyond the bakeries’ pastries to be surprising. What I eventually bought was a sandwich that contained onions, lettuce, and raw fish that was called Fischbrötchen. It was personally not to my taste, but I had bought alongside it a raw minced meat sandwich with onions called Mettbrötchen that I had found to be far more enjoyable and will likely buy again. Also, this is a bit off-topic, but I noticed that many people here in Germany seem to drink mainly sparkling water. I personally prefer still water. This hasn’t caused any sort of trouble, but it is something interesting that I have noticed that I did not know before I arrived.

I have heard stereotypes of Germans being cold and unfriendly towards strangers, but I have found the opposite to be true. I have asked for directions or help looking for something, and many would do as much as they could to help me, going as far to take the time out of their day to show me specifically what I need to do and helping me through all steps of the process.

The initial start was a bit rough having to deal with all the paperwork to make sure I could stay for the whole semester, but otherwise, it has been an absolute pleasure to be in Germany.