Two years ago, I decided to start learning German because I thought it would be interesting to maybe move there on day, and so now I have an intermediate level of German, which has really helped out! I definitely do not understand everything, so sometimes I just smile and nod along! I have needed to put together a bit of a self-study program, and I have been really lucky to have a great roommate who helps me with my German a lot! I also have been speaking German in the laboratory as much as possible, and I even did a safety training in German that I understood!
However, I still definitely am faced every day with culture shock beyond the language that can throw me off a bit! For example, did you know that when German people refer to "lemonade" it might mean soda instead of actual lemonade? Or that their paper is slightly larger in size than our paper? Or that they sell hot dogs in jars? But, in general, Germany has been really nice and a relatively easy place in which to live. Overall, it is not so completely different from America!
On the topic of weather:
Yes, it really does rain all the time here! It has definitely taken some getting used to! I just bought some rain pants, which are a special thing that they have here so that your pants don't get wet when you are riding your bike. I also got a better rain jacket, because there is so much rain that mine was not holding up well. However, it does make the pleasant days, like yesterday, when the sun came out and there was a blue sky, that much more exciting!
It is so rainy here because Kiel is located right by the Baltic Sea, across from the North Sea.
