Think like a German

Location:
Landau Germany
Latitude/Longitude:
49.198886000000, 8.118562200000
Journal Entry:

People who move to new countries often experience what we call ‘culture shock.’ For some people, this can be as extreme as learning to eat different kinds of food, using a different kind of bathroom or adjusting to different laws and expectations. I am lucky that Germany and the U.S.A. are relatively similar in culture: the 'shock' of moving here is not as pronounced as it is when moving to a place like China or Egypt. However, Germans tend to have slightly different expectations of each other, and these differences often take some getting used to. These differences are not necessarily true for every German, just as I could not identify many things that are true for every American. However, there are patterns that visitors to this country might notice.

First, Germans tend to be a very orderly and rule-oriented people. They tend to prefer things written down and done in the proper way. For instance, one of the big rules for Germans in their everyday life is to always wait for the crosswalk light when they cross the street, because that is the rule. In the United States, people usually wait for the green light before they move, but the rule is not always enforced. If you walk on red in Germany, you risk being yelled at by others or fined by the police.

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