German Ways of Doing Things
Having lived in Heidelberg for more than a month, I experienced many aspects of the German lifestyle. Some of the differences are pre-perceived and are linked to the stereotype we have for German people, and thus I was able to digest them smoothly. Other aspects of the differences are completely new and even surprising, in both positive and negative ways. It is particular interesting to see what lays behind the German ways of doing things by talking to German people. In doing so, I learned a lot about some cultural, historical and psychological factors that lead to the uniqueness of German lifestyle. In this blog, I would like to talk about some challenges I encounter and some differences I perceived during my adaptation to German life.
Counting Floors in Germany
As someone with rich experience studying abroad already, I thought there wouldn’t be any difficulties to manage my life and I presumed that my life abroad would be an easy start. However, I was wrong. The first challenge came rather unexpectedly and hilariously. In fact, the first problem that came to me was to get my student dorm open. The dorm key I received from the university had a label “02-02” on it, so I went onto the second floor and tried to open the dorm with my key. After several tries, I gave up and became a little stressful, as I was carrying two heavy luggage around. It was when I reached out to my Hausmeister that I realized I got the floor completely wrong. Germany and most European countries have a different way of counting floors from the American way. The ground floor is the 0th floor, and above that is the 1st floor. So the label “02-02” actually indicates that my room is on the third floor.
Endless Categories of Garbage
Throwing out the trash in Germany is nothing like a casual thing to do; rather it is like a complicated skill. My German roommate kindly gives me a briefing on the trash situation. There are four different waste bins: 1) Bio: a brown bin for food waster, 2) Paper: sometimes a green bin, sometimes blue for paper products, 3) Plastic: yellow a yellow bin for plastic items and other non-paper packaging materials, and 4) Other items: a black bin.
However, this is not yet finished. Recycling glass involves more tasks. The glass should be deposited to different bins according to its color, and there are three colors in total – white, brown, and green. It is also important to separate the lid from the body, if the two are made of different materials. My roommate even cleans the glass bottle, if there is jam left inside, before she deposits it. She tells me that doing so makes the recycling process easier, and she inherits these habits from her mother. She also jokes that sometimes she is worried that she may shock a foreigner by acting “so German”. Indeed, leaving the trash in its appropriate place is a very serious business in Germany, and it is thought to be an effort to avoid total chaos and the breakdown of society.
Get Refund on Cans and Bottles
Another new thing I learned is that I pay a deposit on the bottle (plastic/glass) for almost every drink I buy. There is a little sign on the bottle indicating that one can get your money back, if one return the bottle. So how? All stores that sell bottled drinks will also have a bottle recycling machine. Simply put your bottles into the machine and press the green button after you finished, you can then get a refund ticket. You can either bring this ticket to the customer service to get your cash refund or shop with this ticket.
Smoking in Public
Unfortunately, it seems that smoking in public areas is not so much regulated. Although some big institutions, such as hospitals, trains stations and agencies, are smoking-free, the ban on smoking in some public places, including bars, restaurants, stores, post office and bus stops, is now nationwide in Germany. It sometimes annoys me that there is always a smell of cigarette smoke on the street. In addition, it surprised me that I have not encountered any anti-smoking posters with horrifying pictures, which are relatively widespread in China. It turns out that many areas in Germany have some of the highest smoker rates in the West. My roommates tells me that the tobacco lobby in Germany is stronger than most other countries, which could explain the lack of anti-smoking message.
Cash Payments are Popular
I was surprised that cash and coins are very popular means of payment in Germany. Germans are even prone to pay a large bill (€500) with cash. Meanwhile, credit card acceptance is pretty low and some shops do not have a card reader, especially when you go to an ice-cream shop. I am not used to always carry cash and coins in my wallet. The credit system in the States is so mature that I use credit card most often, and the mobile payment service is growing at such an exceptional rate in China that I only have to carry my phone with me. However, the use of cash for most transactions seems to be deeply ingrained in the German psyche. It is hard to tell precisely why Germans have such a strong preference for cash. Some suggest that German people prefer keeping track of their money and spending, and using cash makes the process easier. Others view this situation in terms of historical reasons – German loathe debts. A fun fact that I learned during the pre-semester language course is that the German word for debt, Schulden, comes from the word for guilt, Schuld.