Getting Along…and Loving It...In Germany

Population: 82,652,256. Germany’s population is equivalent to 1.14% of the total world population.

Ethnic Groups: 95.1 percent German, 2.3 percent Turkish, 1.7 percent Italian, 0.4 percent Greek, and 0.4 percent Polish; remainder mainly refugees from former Yugoslavia.

Languages: Standard German, with substantial differences in regional dialects. Three very small linguistic minorities, which speak Serbian, Danish, or Frisian.

Religion: Protestants, mostly in Evangelical Church in Germany, 30 million; Roman Catholics, 28.2 million; Muslims, 2.5 million; free churches, 195,000; and Jews, 34,000.

Education and Literacy: 99 percent literacy rate in population over age fifteen. Education compulsory until age eighteen. At age ten, after primary school (Grundschule), students attend one of five schools: short-course secondary school (Hauptschule); intermediate school (Realschule); high school (Gymnasium); comprehensive school (Gesamtschule); or a school for children with special educational needs (Sonder-schule). At about age fifteen, students choose among a variety of vocational, technical, and academic schools. Higher education consists of many kinds of technical colleges, advanced vocational schools, and universities.

Health and Welfare: About 90 percent of population covered by comprehensive compulsory insurance for sickness, accidents, disability, long-term care, and retirement. Most of remainder enrolled in voluntary insurance programs; the very poor are covered by state-financed welfare programs. Quality of medical care generally excellent. Comfortable pensions paid according to life-time earnings and indexed to meet cost-of-living increases. Wide variety of other social welfare benefits managed by both government and private agencies available to those in need. Life expectancy 76.6 years for total population (73.5 years for males and 79.9 years for females) (1995 estimates).

Facts About Germany

Looking Different

The first time you walk down the street in Germany you might notice people staring at you a little longer and harder. This should not be taken as an impolite gesture but as curiosity about you. Remember, in Germany a man or woman in traditional Bavarian dress is not considered unusual, but a man or women wearing a cowboy hat could be.

Greeting People

Germans give a greeting when first entering small places of business, even if the person working there is busy with another customer. A simple Guten Tag, "good day," does nicely.

It is also customary to say Auf Wiedersehen, "goodbye," when leaving, even if you haven't bought anything or been waited on.

This custom also holds true for entering and leaving such places as waiting rooms and train compartments. Though you might find it a bit uncomfortable at first to call attention to yourself by using these phrases, by German standards it is considered impolite not to say "good day" and "goodbye" at such opportunities.

Lining UpYou'll see another side of your hosts the first time you have to line up, such as at a supermarket cash register or a street car.

People often object to lining up, and you may find yourself elbowed out of the way if you don't politely stand your ground. No matter what happens remember to keep smiling.

Shaking HandsOne interesting custom of Germans is that of shaking hands. When first meeting people you may be introduced to each person individually and be expected to shake everyone's hand.

When meeting friends or acquaintances you will be expected to shake hands.

Inviting FriendsWhen one friend suggests to another that they go someplace to have a drink, it is customary that that person pay for both of them. Such a statement as "let's go, I'll pay" is often not necessary.

This can also be the case for such activities as going to see a movie and dining at a restaurant.

Visiting FriendsWhen visiting your German friend for dinner, it is customary to bring flowers. Don't bring red roses, however, because this is regarded as a romantic gesture. A mixed bouquet is best.

Resting on Sundays and Holidays/Quiet HoursGermans take their days off seriously, and one example of this is the law that assures no unnecessary noise is made on Sunday and holidays. No one is seen working outside as well. You cannot wash your car, make repairs or even hang up laundry. This so-called Sunday quiet law is just that, a law.

Where you are expected to be quiet all day on Sunday and holidays, all other days of the week have what are called quiet hours. This time is from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. (practically nap time) and 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. As on Sunday and holidays, there should be no noise made during these hours. This by the way, is also the law.

German Shopping BasicsShopping Hours

Americans, used to shopping at almost any time of day or night, need to be aware of the Ladenschlußgesetz (store closing law). Notice that it is a store closing law, not a store opening law! Germany, Austria and Switzerland have the most limited business and shopping hours in Europe.

Don’t plan on shopping on Sunday or after 8:00 p.m. in most of Germany. If you need to buy groceries or shop on Sunday, go to the nearest large train station…often these have full-size grocery stores and other shops.

Credit Cards

Credit cards (Kreditkarten) Very few German grocery stores (or any stores for that matter) accept credit card payment, and then only in tourist areas or at larger stores. Most will accept the EC bank card (which requires a German bank account), but your best bet is plain old cash. There’s usually an ATM (Geldautomat) in the store.

Buying Clothing

When it comes to shopping for clothing and shoes, Europeans, Americans and the British use very different systems for sizes. Not only is there the difference in metric versus English measurements, but there are different philosophies in some areas, especially in children’s sizes.

For children’s clothing, Europeans go by height rather than age. For instance, a child’s size 116 in Europe is for a child 114-116 cm (45-46 in) tall. That equals the US/UK “age 6″ size, but not all six-year-olds are the same height. When converting children’s sizes, you should keep that difference in mind.

Going to the Post Office

The old Bundespost, with large, dark post offices in old, stodgy buildings, has given way to many smaller, bright post offices in shopping centers and other convenient locations – displaying the familiar yellow and black Deutsche Post sign.

The new Deutsche Post has also entered the 21st century with extensive online services, from printable stamps to a Postfinder that helps you find the nearest post office or mail box.

Public Transportation in Germany

Because the public transportation systems in Germany are usually regional, a ticket for the S-Bahn is also valid for a streetcar or bus. For instance, the S-Bahn in Munich is a subsidiary of Deutsche Bahn, the national railway, but it is also part of the Transport Association. That means a ticket bought at an S-Bahn station is also valid for buses, the U-Bahn, or trams. If you buy a ticket from a bus driver (normal practice in Berlin), it is also valid for the S-Bahn, as long as you use it within two hours of your purchase. Tickets are also available at multilingual ticket machines on platforms or at sales points in major stations.

Schwarzfahren

The German verb schwarzfahren means to ride public transport without a ticket (“to travel black,” as in black market). A person who does this is called a Schwarzfahrer. In the 1980s some students in Germany set up so-called Schwarzfahrer-Versicherung (“fare-dodger insurance”). If they got caught, the informal insurance group paid their fine. Although there are currently similar fare-dodger insurance schemes in Paris and Stockholm, this idea has not been very popular in Germany, especially now with the recent fine increase. The fine increased just this spring to about $68.00.

Eating Habits in Germany

Breakfast (Frühstück)

Grosse Pause/ Zweites Frühstück

Snack (Zwischenmahlzeit) Lunch (Mittagessen)

Evening Meal (Abendbrot) Coffee and Cake (Kaffee und Kuchen)

Mealtime GuidelinesAt the dinner table:

• Germans tend to eat less with their fingers so use a fork to eat your fries.• A sit-down meal is eaten with both a knife and fork so don’t just use your knife to cut your food and

then only use your fork.• Germans don’t put their hand on their lap while eating and it’s considered rude to put your elbows on

the table.• Make sure you compliment the cook or chef by saying “das schmeckt (gut/lecker/wunderbar)” – it

tastes good/yummy/wonderful.• When eating or drinking together, wait until someone says “Guten Appetit” or wants to

“anstossen”(click glasses to say “cheers”).

Mealtime GuidelinesAt a restaurant:

• Unless it is a fancy restaurant you don’t usually have to wait to be seated. You can just find a table that is free.• At bars, in cafés and in informal crowded Restaurants, it is perfectly OK to sit down next to strangers, as long as you get an affirmative response to the question “Ist hier noch frei”?(Is this seat vacant?)• Don’t expect any ice cubes in your soda, you need to ask for it. There are NO free refills on drinks (and therefore no such term).• The basket of bread or pretzels on the table usually costs extra, so don’t be surprised if you are charged for what you eat.• Water will not automatically be brought to your table. You have to order it and you will be brought bottled water which you have to pay for.• You will be asked if you want the water “mit oder ohne Kohlensäure” meaning still or sparkling. If you want tap water you will have to specify that you would rather have “Leitungswasser”. Note: It is not customary to serve tap water at a restaurant in Germany.• If you cross your knife and fork on your plate, it means you are just pausing. If you lay your knife and fork side by side, it means you are finished, and the waiter may come and take your plate away.• Doggiebags are still mostly unknown so your waiter/tress may be surprised if you asked to take leftovers home with you.• Tips are not usually as generous as in the US, since German wait staff are usually paid more per hour and don’t rely on tips for their wages. A general rule is to round up the bill, so if your bill is, say 22.50 Euros you might give 24 or 25. A general rule of thumb is to leave about 10%.• Unlike in the US, you may find that your waiter/waitress will remain at the table while you pay, so make sure to let them know how much tip you want to leave. For example, if your bill is 15.70 Euros and you want to leave 1.30 Euros as a tip then say “Siebzehn bitte” when handing him/her a 20 Euro note.• While credit cards are accepted in the majority of restaurants, it is more common to pay with cash.

http://www.germanculture.com.ua/

http://www.germanculture.com.ua/library/facts/bl_germany.htm

http://www.germanculture.com.ua/library/facts/bl_society.htm

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