Life as an Ausländerin (foreigner) hasn't always been easy, and sometimes it's been downright stressful. But, on the other hand, there are some wonderful things about Germany that I've become used to and will miss when I leave.
To kick off my new blog on a friendly note, I'd like to list, in no particular order, some of the things I love about the place.
- Public transport. Yep. Obvious, but important. Sure, occasionally an unexploded WWII bomb is discovered near the local train station, causing chaos, but generally, German public transport is as efficient and well-run as the stereotypes would have it. It's also relatively cheap and feels safe to use, even late at night, and even though drinking is permitted on board. The one less pleasant exception is on trains carrying football fans to or from a match. Not so pretty.
- The cycling culture. Children start their cycling experience early here, whether on a seat on a parent's bike, or in a trailer towed behind a bike, or with a Laufrad, a tiny "running bike", without pedals, that teaches excellent balance. Even the tiniest German cyclists don't use training wheels, so perhaps using the Laufrad does away with the need, as well as giving children an early education in road safety. Most regular cyclists I knew in Australia were hit by cars eventually, but in Germany, cycling through town is very common and seems much safer (with dedicated cycling paths, traffic signals etc). In fact, German cyclists are so confident of their safety that few adults wear helmets, and even heavily pregnant women can be seen on bicycles. At this point I stop thinking "how wonderful", and start worrying a bit!
- Delicious ice cream, at reasonable prices, as long as you buy a cone or takeaway cup and don't sit down for a Becher, which tends to be overfull of whipped cream from a can, and very pricey.
- Being trusted. I take deliveries of parcels for my neighbours, I weigh and price my own fruit and vegetables in some supermarkets, and I don't have my bag or my daughter's stroller searched every time I leave a shop, even if I haven't bought anything there and I'm walking out with multiple bags of goods purchased elsewhere. I've never been embarrassed by a security guard demanding to look in my handbag and unearthing a used tissue or a purse pack of tampons. No cashier has been so busy searching me that they've forgotten to give me my change.
- Good insulation and double glazing. Not too noisy, not too hot and not too cold inside my flat. Ahhhh.
- Cheap wine for sale in the supermarket. I drink very little and avoided going into bottle shops in Australia, but I like to cook with wine sometimes. Being able to grab a very cheap bottle at the same time as the rest of the dinner ingredients is just perfect for me.
- Dairy products such as Schmand and Quark. I'll miss them when they're gone, now that I've adapted to cooking with them.
- Not understanding the conversations I overhear. In Australia, conversations outside my door or windows, or floating onto my balcony, distracted me terribly. I didn't want to listen, but I couldn't help it. (Half the time, I was worried my neighbours were talking about me.) Here, though, other people's conversations are just background noise. And even if they were to talk about me... well, what I don't know, won't hurt me.
- Being able to treat my rented flat like it's my own. Repainting, putting up hooks or racks, and any other decoration/adjustments are allowed, without so much as asking permission, as long as you return the flat to its original condition before moving out. There are no pesky inspections until after you give notice. A rental property really can feel like home here. (There is a big downside, but I'll come to that in a future post.)
- Environmental consciousness. Everything seems to be reusable and recyclable here. Second hand is big. Waste is bad. Take your own bags to the supermarket if you don't want to have to buy new ones there (and there's no need to have those awful Green Bags like in Australia - in Germany, you pack your own groceries, so you can use whatever bag or basket you like). Organic food is also more popular and accessible than in Australia, as is buying green energy (though it may take a long time to arrange a switch to a different electricity company). And of course, with the good public transport and the cycling culture, there's far less reason to run a car.
- Virtually no nuisance phone calls. I've hardly received any calls from telemarketers or similar, and the ones I have received, I've deflected by saying, in English, "I'm sorry, my German is not very good". I'll certainly miss that excuse.
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