When I left for Cologne, Germany, I knew very little about the place and was pretty nervous about what was to come. However, I reckoned that even if I didn't have a good time, at least the experience would be 'character-building'.
Luckily I've enjoyed many good times. There have been the bad times too, but I think/hope they have shaped a stronger 'me'.
Here are just a few things I learned about the country and myself through my expat adventure, in no particular order of importance...
Things I have learned about Germany:
- It is perfectly okay for dogs to peruse the counters of department stores (Read more...)
- There's more rubbish on the streets than I expected, but there are a lot of bin men and road sweepers
- There is a surprising amount of beret wearing amongst men of a certain age. It's not just for the French you know
- Lederhosen isn't that popular, unless it's carnival time or Oktoberfest
- Customer service in shops could score higher and some banks and post offices close over lunchtime, which is just when you need them
- The health service is very good and doctors seem to have the resources they need
- People are very environmentally aware and it is the norm to take your own bags to the supermarket
- There are some lovely customs such as St Martin's Zug and May Day love tokens
- It is a land of bread-lovers: bread comes in a huge number of varieties (Wikipedia reckons on around 600 types) and you're never far from a bakery
- Maybe I need to be a bit, just a teensy bit, less controlling
- I am an optimist, not a pessimist (unless things are going wrong...)
- I am not too old to try new things and I am not too old to learn new things
- Even though I might not enjoy it, I can tolerate a high level of embarrassment
- Although I am not great at languages, I am not as bad as I thought when I was a teenager, learning GCSE French. So, on that note, 'Auf Wiedersehen!'
