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Germany for a Year
vegeta_666
CanadaRegistered User regular
CanadaRegistered User regular
So, I am thinking of doing a student exchange program for year and leaving my small town in Ontario, Canada for Germany. But, I need some advice on this.
What can I expect? I know almost next to nothing about the actual state of the country right now and after research I still am not clear. A few questions though:
-If I wished to learn German how fast could I do it and would I learn it faster by living around it?
-How common are people who speak English?
-How about gaming and such? I have a NTSC Xbox 360 and Wii. What can I bring or not bring? And, how much would it cost to import NA games to Germany?
-What can I expect in towns and such? For stores and other things?
-Any radical laws or social traditions or anything that are really different there and I should worry about?
-What else can I expect in a Student Exchange program? With setting it up and such?
-What sort of weather can I expect there?
-How easy is it to get to other countries like France?
It is a full scholarship so for that I am lucky. This post may be updated with further questions. Also, if you have any other help about Student Exchange programs or Germany it would be much appreciated.
Edit: At this point I don't really know any information like where I live and such unfortunately.
What can I expect? I know almost next to nothing about the actual state of the country right now and after research I still am not clear. A few questions though:
-If I wished to learn German how fast could I do it and would I learn it faster by living around it?
-How common are people who speak English?
-How about gaming and such? I have a NTSC Xbox 360 and Wii. What can I bring or not bring? And, how much would it cost to import NA games to Germany?
-What can I expect in towns and such? For stores and other things?
-Any radical laws or social traditions or anything that are really different there and I should worry about?
-What else can I expect in a Student Exchange program? With setting it up and such?
-What sort of weather can I expect there?
-How easy is it to get to other countries like France?
It is a full scholarship so for that I am lucky. This post may be updated with further questions. Also, if you have any other help about Student Exchange programs or Germany it would be much appreciated.
Edit: At this point I don't really know any information like where I live and such unfortunately.
Steam: abunchofdaftpunk | PSN: noautomobilesgo | Lastfm: sjchszeppelin | Backloggery: colincummings | 3DS FC: 1392-6019-0219 |
vegeta_666 on
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Learning a language varies a lot person to person, but immersing yourself in it will definitely speed up the process.
2. Most everyone there speaks excellent English and will want to use you to practice on. This is unfortunate, because you want them to speak German so you learn it. Correct at least your host family and they should respect your wishes.
5. Most everyone drinks beer with every meal, from what all my friends who went on exchange tell me. I was tempted to leave this as a welcome surprise for when you got there.
8. Train travel makes getting around all of Europe fairly simple. From what I understand a train pass is relatively cheap and get you most anywhere in the continent.
German, as Dark Moon said, is a difficult language at the advanced end, but it is the language that English most resembles with regards to word order and such, so it's not all bad.
Make sure you like beer.
Be aware that violent games are frowned on by the German government. I recall sometime last year the developers of Crysis were raided, just because their games were violent (although there was some pretense made by the police for it). Carmageddon had the blood turned green, Return to Castle Wolfenstein was modified, etc. It's all a bit weird, but basically just bear in mind that if shooter's and GTA are your thing they may be more difficult to obtain in Deutschland.
Weather: Colder in the north, warmer in the south. I doubt it would get as cold as Canada, but it will rain.
And yes, almost everyone speaks fluent English. It's almost annoying how common it is, when you consider how rare anglophones who are fluent in other languages are. Humbling.
I'm curious, how did this scholarship come about if you don't speak German?
http://www.toytowngermany.com/forum/
Just reading through the forums there will answer all your questions, plus plenty that you haven't thought to ask yet.
As for radical laws, as long as you don't run around saying how the Holocaust did not happen but is an awesome idea, you should be fine. In regards to violent games, no one cares if you play them, but buying them might be a problem. Just ask in stores and be prepared to show ID. Also any games displaying the swastika have good chance to not get to you if you try to import them.
Oh, and the "Beer to every meal" thing is a vast overstatement. Dinner, maybe, lunch and breakfast, no. Generally speaking, drinking beer in public before 3-4 pm does create some raised eyebrows (as in "is this guy an alcoholic?").
As for the weather, it differs a lot. The north is usually very rainy (even moreso in the spring and fall), the summers are sometimes hot (up to 40°C), sometimes very rainy as well. Last year was rainy, but they are expecting a very warm one this time.
If you can limit the amount of hours you spend playing games, then consider bringing it along, but if not, I say leave it at home.
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English speaking: pretty common with a younger crowd, not quite as common with the older crowd, but if you move among the more educated circles (which you probably will in a student exchange program), you should have no problem. Pro Tip: "Where is the toilet?" translates to "Wo ist das Klo?". Everything else should fall into place from there... :P
Game consoles: you should forget it. We have PAL here. Some television sets do actually also work with NTSC, but not all, and you would also need a current converter. Take a handheld, like a Nintendo DS, but I'd leave the bigger systems. If you must have your consoles with you, importing will only be available over the interweb or very very rare specialized game stores. The common run of the mill game store will not import a game for you. Cost of an import from NA will run to about 70 to 80 Euros, because you will have to pay the normal fee, the transport, your game will most probably be held at customs and you will have to pay an import tax on both the cost of the game AND the cost of the transport. Yeah, german custom laws suck that way...
Towns & Shops: in mayor Cities (Munich, Berlin, Frankfurt, anything larger) you can expect about everything you should know from home. We germans are not so much into the whole "big mall" thing, so they tend to be a bit smaller than the giant things you have, but we have basically the same fastfood, clothing, gaming, electronics, whatever shops you would expect. We are not a third world country. In smaller towns your selection will be a bit more limited, but the next big city should not be farther than an hour train rides max away.
Laws: as has been said, the whole "Holocaust" thing does not sit well with us, and saying things like "It never happened" can actually get you in jail. Apart from that we are a more or less relaxed country. Unless you run around completely naked, you can get by with pretty much just a string and a handkerchief to cover up your private parts, if you are inclined that way. Weapons on the other hand are a rather rare bread in germany, and you should not expect to be allowed to carry a gun or something like that. Also, drugs are a no go and punishment for possession or usage can vary wildly: while a joint in Frankfurt (which has a long history of drug users) can go for as little as a fine, in other towns it might get you in much deeper waters, and trust you me, you don't want that. Mark: even if you travel through Europe and go to the Netherlands, where soft drugs are allowed, you are not allowed to bring them back to Germany and the police EXPECTS people to do just that and makes frequent checks on people who cross the border.
About german customs: apart from folklore (which varies wildly from federal state to federal state) there are little customs we all agree on. We tend to a bit of stereotyped thinking, so if you cut your hair really short (like right to the skull) we think you might be a neo-nazi, if you have more then two colors on your head you are probably a punk, if you wear heavy makeup (as a guy) you are either gay or a goth (depending on looks). One thing many people from america seem to have a problem with: we are not openly embracing new people easily. We are more reserved. Americas way of "Hey, ho, it's so super great to meet you, did you swim over here?" looks fake and excessive to us. It takes us a bit of time to get to know someone, so don't think everybody hates you, it's just that they don't know you yet.
As has been said: the whole "Germans drink beer all the time" thing is totally exaggerated. The real cutoff time is actually about 6pm in most parts of Germany, since that is the time when most people finish work, and after work it's okay to drink. Getting drunk is okay on the weekends (Friday and Saturday evening), but also only with the younger crowd, and if you do it regularly you might be frowned upon (depending on the crowd you move in).
Weather: hope for the best, expect the worst. We had a very mild winter (hardly any snow), so a warm summer is expected, but in recent years weather has been neither here nor there. It could get very hot, it could rain all day long, theres just no way to say.
Traveling to other countries: very easy, since the EU opened the borders you can pretty much move from country to country without showing as much as an identity card. Note that this is only true for countries that are part of the EU, so if you want to go to the swizz or poland, you might need something else, I don't know about that.
Oh yeah, one last thing: the whole "let's make war on Irak" and "Guantanamo bay" thing does not go very well with most germans. It reminds us way to much of the concentration camps of the second world war, so we have very bad reactions to that. You might want to stay clear of the whole topic, and if someone tries to force it on you say that you didn't vote for Bush. Most Germans think he is a war monger of the worst kind and are reminded of their own history. We don't like being reminded of our own history, it makes us edgy.
Secondly I'm in the exact boat as you, so this thread is handy.
In terms of language, the Pimsleur series has helped me hugely, so track them down* it's worth the effort. But word is that a lot of people speak enough english for one to get by anyway.
*I'm very much against piracy, but they are 275 bucks per course, and there's three courses. And I ain't 9 grand in the hole.
I have very high grades and have already written a few essays on Germany itself and the German language. I have also shown a great interest in learning the language. I feel very lucky to receive this honor. Although, it is to be said that not alot of people really showed interest in the programs.
Secondly, thank you for all the help guys. This information will come quite in handy. If I have any other questions I will be sure to ask. Also, ^5 indeed Ben, if you or any one else has any questions ask away too. They might as similar as mine.
Steam: abunchofdaftpunk | PSN: noautomobilesgo | Lastfm: sjchszeppelin | Backloggery: colincummings | 3DS FC: 1392-6019-0219 |
If you´re indeed on the CYF program, I´ll go into greater detail for I happen to be on it now.
As far as I know, Switzerland joined the shengen area sometime last year, so you can travel there without stopping at the border. Also Poland is part of the EU, weather you like it or not :P And as of January 1st 2008, no border controls there either.
Also you might want to keep in mind that the OP is a bona fide canadian, not a US citizen (but I agree that you should communicate that fact every time a conversation edges in the direction of american foreign policy).
And, this may not be a problem for you and maybe just useless information, but they don't have Dr. Pepper in Germany. No one in continental Europe has it outside of the Netherlands. Most drinks in Germany are Coke, Sprite, and Mezzo Mix (Coke mixed with orange Fanta).
Also, Mayonnaise is the condiment of choice for things like french fries and things we usually use ketchup for.
Finally, German TV is dubbed, unlike other European countries that have just subtitled American shows now. South Park really doesn't work well in German (they add more swearing for some reason).
And to be honest, I never had a problem when it came to dealing with Germans asking about US politics when I was over there in summer '06, during the whole Israel/Lebanon incident and was there when Bush came to visit before the G8 in Russia, but nothing. I was expecting it, even relishing the thought of getting into this huge debate, but it never happened.
And hey, from what I hear, visit Denmark. They're the Canadians of Europe
Ah, you see, wasn't aware of that. Last time we went to swizz was two years ago, back then we still had to produce ID (even so, they hardly looked at it).
No, no, they are not and I can't hear you. LALALALALALA *sticks fingers in ears*
Ah, didn't notice that. I agree, saying that you are canadian will give you good return in any case. We love canadians. Expect to be asked if you want to become a mounty!
Also, grabbing a German grammar manual will be handy. I don't know who came up with these rules but I took years and years of German in high school and I still shudder at the ins and outs of German Grammar. Spanish has been much more forgiving.
Also if I remember correctly the German version of Labor day isn't like the American version where we're just happy to have a day off. It's like national protest and riot day for various groups so you might want to ask about that one.
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Well, you know, these old style toilets we have over here, with a small shelf where the stuff lands on before you flush it down? If you don't know what I am talking about you are officially a kiddy. As I said, these are around, but only in buildings that haven't been renovated in the last, oh, 20-25 years or so, i.e. the faculty for history etc.
Also, labor day (May 1st) is, in Berlin and Hamburg always a good pretense to burn a few cars, garbage cans or policemen. Just ask a collegue where not to park your car (if you have one) on that day.