The main languages spoken here are German (here they call it Deutsch) and English. However, there are also a variety of other languages spoken by immigrant communities, such as Turkish, Russian and Polish. Deutsch also has different dialects depending on the region, and the differences can sometimes make it difficult for Germans to understand one another. I remember my teacher explaining that here in Mannheim, people greet each other by saying “Guten Tag.” However in northern Germany, where she’s originally from, people say “Moin.”
The money used in Germany is the euro, alongside 20 other countries in the European Union. Currently, the euro has a stronger value than the U.S. dollar, so for every 1 dollar, I get 0.89 euros back. For every 5 dollars, I get 4.46 euros, and for every 10 dollars, I get 8.91 euros. Germans also prefer cash. A funny story I have is from the first time I went to withdraw cash from an ATM. A woman who had just withdrawn cash noticed I was a foreigner and told me to always use cash, no card, boldly proclaiming that “cash is king.” I thought the situation was quite humorous, so I smiled and responded, “Yup, that’s why I’m here to withdraw cash.” I still use my card more out of convenience, but I can tell that everyone prefers cash.
