|
Crossposting this from the German language thread, since apparently there are a lot of fellow Berliners in here: So I wouldn't ordinarily post this since it's a bit E/N, but if there are any Berlin goons, I could really, really use some help. Hell, even if you're not in Berlin but have some leads, that works too. The long and short of it is, after being led along for a bit by a rental agency, the apartment that I thought I had lined up for next month is no longer going to be an option for me. Our current Mietvertrag will be running out in November and my partner and I are in desperate need of a place to live. At this point we're not picky about what it is or really where it is, a WG or an apartment to ourselves, it doesn't much matter. If anyone knows of ANYTHING, please let me know. We're basically out of options at this point. We're willing to pay up to a year in advance if necessary. We've looked into applying for WBS, but since I'm not a German citizen, I can't apply for it. My partner is German and can apply for it, however then we're not permitted to live together (unless we register an eingetragene Lebenspartnerschaft, which isn't really possible in the timeframe we're looking at). We're currently in Wilmersdorf but we really don't care where it is, as long as we have a roof over our heads.
|
#
¿
Oct 8, 2013 17:26
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 4, 2024 00:52 |
|
|
Elderbean posted:How easy/difficult is it for an American to find temporary work or an oppurtunity to study abroad in Germany? Study abroad is probably pretty easy. There are several universities (Heidelberg, Humboldt, etc) that offer some programs in English if you don't speak German, otherwise most major American public universities will have SOME kind of partnership with a German uni for a semester/year abroad. Temporary work is pretty much right out unless you've got a skill and work experience that is in-demand, and have job offers already lined up. I'm an American living in Berlin on a freelance visa for IT work. When I came here, I had offers from two clients (one of them being my previous employer, the other a company that knew me through my previous employer). Note that English teachers/trainers are legally deemed "freelancers," so it's the exact same. If you have such skill/experience/job offers and you're interested, the process itself requires a decent amount of paperwork, some of which you'll need/want to have before you leave the US. Americans (and Canada/Australia/New Zealand/Israel/some other affluent countries around the world) have the luxury of being able to apply for their visa after arriving in Germany. Most others are required to do this through their regional consulates back home. It may also vary depending on which state you're going to be living in in Germany, since you'll be applying at the regional immigration office for whichever Bundesland you're living in. For Berlin, as of last year, freelance visa requirements looks like this off the top of my head: 1.) Two offers of work from separate clients (translated into German, which doesn't need to be a formal or professional translation, just enough for the clerk to be able to get the gist of it) 2.) Copy of passport 3.) Two biometric ID photos (you can get these from automats in the U-Bahn here and they cost like 5 euro, not a big deal) 4.) CV/Resume (translated into German) 5.) Along with CV, you need two letters of reference verifying that your work experience is valid (translated into German) 6.) If you have a degree, you need to have proof from your university that you actually received that degree. In my case I just phoned the Office of the Registrar back home and they sent me an email on official letterhead confirming that I received a Bachelor of Arts on <date> from <college>. 7.) Copy of birth certificate. This you NEED to get before you leave the United States, and it needs to be notarized. 8.) Statement of clean criminal record from your state's law enforcement agency. Usually it takes awhile for your state government back in the US to get this to you, but I got incredibly lucky and got it within an hour two days before I left because I was nice to the woman behind the counter. This isn't really a requirement for the freelance visa, but it's also a good thing to have and is required if you ever plan on applying for permanent residency later. 9.) Proof of residence in Germany. This is your Anmeldebestaetigung from the Buergeramt. After you move into an apartment here, you are required by law to register your residence with the local Buergeramt. German citizens have 14 days to do it, foreigners have (I think) 60. 10.) Proof of health insurance in Germany. This is the real kicker, as explained below. German law requires that all visa applicants have private health insurance, either through their prospective employer or privately. They will NOT accept travel insurance. This is basically to ensure that you don't enter the country, let your travel insurance lapse, and then feed on the teat of the German health care system. The catch here, though, is that most German health insurance companies are either unable or unwilling to sell medical coverage to people without a visa, so it's kindof a Catch 22. No insurance, no visa; no visa, no insurance. To get around this, I got private insurance from the UK, which is valid here in Germany because of the EU. It's actually really convenient too, because my insurance agent handles everything in dollars for me, and it's cheaper than my US insurance was. On top of all that, as much as you would think German bureaucracy has a reputation of being incorruptible, that's not necessarily the case. Last year there was an incident in Bayreuth where the Auslaenderbehoerde was turning away pretty much every foreign applicant for a student visa at the university if they weren't white/were already from somewhere in western Europe. As bad as it sounds, that's unfortunately the case. Here in Berlin, the immigration office is divided into three sections: one for Europe, one for Turkey, and one for The Rest Of The World. The office gets very crowded very quickly, and the staff is often harrowed and in a bad mood (rightfully so, I've seen upset people screaming at them for things that were their own drat fault to begin with). Being a friendly, well-dressed American who at least makes an effort to do your business in German will go a LONG way. After you send the mound of paperwork in, there's a 20 euro processing fee, and then you wait. The office doesn't make the decision themselves, they have to send it away to Bonn (which I guess is where the office still is) for approval. That process can take anywhere from 1-3 months, mine was three months to the day. Then you'll get a letter in the mail that just says "hey, we need to see you within 14 days." You show up, they tell you if you've been accepted or denied. If you're accepted, you pay anywhere from 60 to 120 euro depending on the type of visa, and you're out of there in five minutes. No idea what happens if you're denied, I assume they tell you to get out of the country within a reasonable timeframe. As an American, you're legally permitted to stay here as a tourist for 90 days. If you're applying for a visa, this can be extended in 3 month increments at the discretion of the clerk at the Auslaenderbehoerde, again for a small fee, to account for the long waiting period. There is always Schwarzarbeit (working under the table), but beware that this is a very bad idea. Not only does working under the table deprive you of legal labor protections, it'll also get you deported if you're found out. Drone fucked around with this message at 15:05 on Oct 13, 2013 |
|
#
¿
Oct 13, 2013 09:18
|
|
|
Fast Track posted:We're visiting Berlin next week for our honeymoon. Reichstag tour is booked for one afternoon, we're planning on spending a couple of days looking around Museum Island (using the Berlin WelcomeCard we'll pick up from a visitor centre - forgot to order them until now and don't want to risk losing them in the post), the rest of the time we're planning on visiting the zoo and after that just looking around Berlin. How much money do you think we'll need, approximately? And does anyone have any recommendations for great vegetarian food (for my fiancé) and great schnitzel (for me)? Our hotel is in Kurfurstendamm if that makes any difference. Most of the museums are reasonably cheap. I think the Pergamon is under 10 euro, but bear in mind that most of them close fairly early in the day (I want to say Pergamon closes at like five o'clock). For the zoo and aquarium, it's 20 euro for an adult ticket that gets you access to both (worth it, the aquarium is nice, if a bit small). Can't really help with vegetarian food options, unfortunately. Ku'damm is -the- tourist spot in Berlin, and while you'll find everything to cater to your needs, you also won't get a lot of "authentic" Berlin there. I hear good things about the Irish pub inside Europa Center, though. Edit: if you want to splurge, I'm sure KaDeWe has a vegetarian restaurant, but it's gonna be expensive. Neat place though.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 5, 2013 21:48
|
|
|
There's another restaurant/bar near Potsdamer Platz/Sony Center that specializes in carrying a ridiculous selection of beers, but I can't remember the name of it. I'll try to do some digging and figure it out, but for the majority of Berlin restaurants, I hope you like pilsner.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 6, 2013 11:10
|
|
|
Cheesus posted:[*]What should I do about making sure my laptop power supply (the laptop is from 2013) is up to snuff? Should an outlet adapter do it? 3 dollar adapter from Media Markt/Saturn will do you fine. quote:[*]Cell phone service. I have a smartphone with AT&T in the US. Is it better to just add International service for voice/message/data for the month or are there better, non-obvious solutions (like getting a cell phone in Germany)? Personal choice really. If you get a cell phone in Germany, you can get a cheap throwaway prepaid Nokia phone, but that's a little wasteful. Just make sure your smartphone is able to receive GSM signals (if it's an iPhone, I think you're fine as long as it's not a 3GS or older). quote:[*]I should convert cash to Euro, right? Is it better to convert in the US or in Germany? In either, where? You can access your cash from most ATMs of the big three banks (Deutsche Bank, Postbank, Commerzbank), if your US bank is also one of the big ones. Check on this with your bank before you leave the states, but if it's USBank/Bank of America/Chase/etc, you're fine. This is what I do anyway, alternatively you can transfer it at the airport or at any bank. quote:[*]Any limitations I should do on shopping, besides what I can fit in my luggage? Nope. quote:[*]Any local/cultural no-no's I should be aware of (wrong parts of town, don't go out beyond 11pm, whatever)?[/list] Don't make any Nazi jokes and you'll be fine. Otherwise use common sense. Oh, and when you toast someone with beer/wine, you have to look them in the eye. Apparently Americans don't do this and I lived here for a year before someone called me out on it.  quote:[*]My lack of speaking German should not be a communication barrier.[/list] Nah, in the city you should be fine. Just remember that speaking slower and louder doesn't mean anyone is more likely to understand you and you'll be good. 
Drone fucked around with this message at 22:21 on Nov 8, 2013 |
|
#
¿
Nov 8, 2013 21:45
|
|
|
Answering more because I have more time.Cheesus posted:[*]Cultural/museum-like destinations I should really make time for?[/list] I spent four days in Hamburg this summer and did some of the standard touristy stuff: -If you're going to be there on your own (ie: not bringing your children with you), go to the Reeperbahn, even if you just drive through it. It's the city's red light district and is, at the very least, cool to see. -If you're into engineering/transport/industrial stuff, you can take a tour of the harbor. It'll probably be pretty drat cold, but I'm certain the tours will still run. Usually between 10 and 20 Euro gets you an hour/hour and a half on a ferry boat that will tour the harbor with audio guides in both English and German (I wish I could remember the name of the company I went with, the tour guide was actually really funny). -The area near the Innenalster (a big estuary in the middle of the city) is where, I guess, the city center is (Hamburg goons correct me if I'm wrong). For shopping you have a ton of stuff nearby, and the Alsterhaus is your big-and-expensive department store, similar to Berlin's Kaufhaus des Westens. For Christmas shopping, check it out. There's also a really charming little canal with a bunch of boutiques and cafes lining it right next to city hall. Cheesus posted:[*]Public transport is awesome, preferable, and I just don't need a car. Yes and no. You can get by with just using public transport just fine, though if you're coming from a part of America where you're not really used to how public transport works, it may be intimidating. Since you have a smart phone, there should be at least a couple of apps available that will give you a complete public transport guide for Hamburg (input start point, input end point, and it'll tell you how to get there). If you plan on going outside the city at all, then yeah you'll need a car. Hamburg -mostly- benefits from modern street design that shouldn't be -too- painful to navigate with a car. I also recommend checking out Lübeck. It's a smaller Hanseatic city with great history and some neat sights to see. Also great marzipan. And as far as food goes, you're not going to find anything hot/spicy unless you eat at a non-German restaurant, which Hamburg has plenty of since it's a massive port city. If you want something more "authentic" North German, get seafood. Tons of seafood. Drone fucked around with this message at 11:42 on Nov 9, 2013 |
|
#
¿
Nov 9, 2013 11:39
|
|
|
My Lovely Horse posted:I'd just like to say that Cocoro is a place that looks and smells absolutely amazing, and if the food is only half as good as that leads me to believe, it's downright criminal that at 8pm on a Saturday the place was completely empty and they had to close the kitchen early, especially in such a bar/restaurant area as Mehringdamm/Yorckstraße. I dunno maybe it secretly sucks but it seems like the kind of place that there aren't too many of even in Berlin, as opposed to the three Indian-and-adjacent-countries places in a row we spotted not far away. (Which were great too, don't get the wrong idea here, but, you know...) Whoa, you've found great Indian food in Berlin? Please share, most everything I've tried has been incredibly bad. The closest was this place near Mauerpark that I can't remember the name of, and that was really just middling.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 9, 2013 00:29
|
|
|
flavor posted:Ick jloob ick werd' bald ma wieda in de alte Heimat nach Balin fahn, wa. Err, I don't know where you got that idea about prepaid cards requiring a ton of forms. Walk into Saturn/Media Markt, grab a prepaid card off the massive shelf, plop down 10 Euro, and you're done. The only "activation" you'll have to do is go to a website, type in a code off the back of the card, and you're finished. No forms about German residence etc. required, no recurring payments, nothing. WiFi is an issue, but at the very least you can sit at McDonald's, which has free wifi everywhere. Regarding activation time, I use a Fonic prepaid card and it took 5 minutes from the time I reached their website until my phone was active. Pretty sure you're not going to find any service provider that doesn't have some kind of waiting period to cover their own asses. It says within 6/12/24 hours, but that really means "basically immediately, barring unforeseen circumstances."
|
|
#
¿
Dec 9, 2013 11:38
|
|
|
Randler posted:The consequences for the consumer in this case are thusly: The law mentioned above does not make it a misdemeanor for a consumer to buy, own or import media containing swastikas for their own personal use. Customs can and will, however, claim imported copies as they pass over the border. Once the copy is in private possession, the authorities will not go and take it. They can, however, seize said media as it is stocked by commercial vendors. I've heard (admittedly with basically no legal background or from a person of authority on the matter) that this is much more of a grey area when it comes to non-German citizens living in Germany. For example: I had several friends at university (from the USA) who came to Germany to do graduate/post-graduate work in history and, as long as the package was sent with official letterhead from the university, chances were that customs wouldn't seize questionable materials. Then again, it could be entirely anecdotal as well.
|
|
#
¿
Mar 9, 2014 15:35
|
|
|
Badly Jester posted:I also don't know any specifics about this, except that it allows you stay for 18 months starting the day of your graduation. After that, you'll need a work permit/blue card like everyone else. Piggy-backing on this question: does anyone know how marriage works in Germany if one of the partners is a non-EU citizen? I mean more in terms of the amount of paperwork and processing time necessary from start to finish. I've heard nightmare stories of Americans trying to get married in Germany and it's apparently a bureaucratic nightmare. Pretty much every site I've read has strongly recommended that bi-national couples get married in the States and then just transfer it over to Germany, rather than doing everything here (which unfortunately is made more difficult for me, as I'm in a same-sex relationship). Edit: purely as a hypothetical question, of course. Drone fucked around with this message at 11:13 on Apr 3, 2014 |
|
#
¿
Apr 3, 2014 11:02
|
|
|
StrangeAeon posted:My best friend is making plans to move to Germany in a few years, and I've considered going with him, but packing up and moving to the other side of the world is a pretty big step for a shy shut-in. I've got a few questions about living in Germany I'd be curious to know about : 1.) As a non-EU citizen, in order to apply for a visa, you will need to show proof of private health insurance. US insurance is invalid, and travel insurance also isn't going to fly -- you'll need to seek out private insurance from a German or other EU provider. Mine is through a British company and is cheaper than my US insurance was, while also providing better coverage (woo dental  ), at around 300 USD every quarter. There is public insurance, but you won't qualify for it -- however, no hospital is going to turn you away. As far as living with a disability here, I don't really have any info to help you, though it may help to know the nature of the disability.2.) Can't really help much here, but your chances of being able to land a job/visa are better if you're a skilled worker. Medical lab techs are probably definitely fine, but billing/coding could go either way. Your certification will likely not transfer over from US to Germany, so you may be required to either get German certification, or go through some kind of transferral process. Unless of course your certification is in the form of a Bachelor's degree from an accredited university in the US, then it's a breeze, since the Bologna Process standardized Bachelor-level degrees. That being said, in my experience, Germans tend to have a poor opinion of an American university diploma, since US universities are child's play compared to European ones. An extremely important question here that will determine your chances of finding work and getting a visa: do you speak German?  3.) There's no country in the world that has no crime, but Germany is in general a much safer place than the US (guns are rare, which helps ). I've lived in Berlin for two years and even in the "worst" parts of town, I've never once felt unsafe at any time of day. As long as you don't act like an idiot and have at least some sense of maturity about living in an urban environment, you'll be fine. Then again, I can't really speak for women's safety, since I'm a 1,9m tall white male. I don't see the situation in that regard being much different.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 1, 2014 08:04
|
|
|
Your chances of getting a visa are going to be pretty slim, unless you decide to enroll in a German university or technical school, or unless you have a job offer from a company located in Germany (which may also be difficult, as you don't speak German). English tutoring is fine if you can get it, but without fluency in German already, it's pretty unlikely to happen. English tutoring is generally done on a freelance basis, meaning for visa purposes you would need at least two clients already lined up with letters stating their desire to engage you as a training resource. If you're able to get those, then you're still going to be at the mercy of your local Ausländerbehörde (immigration authorities), who will need to send your application off to the relevant office for your field of employment, who will then ultimately make the decision about whether or not 1.) your offers are valid and 2.) there is an economic need for your services. Given that there are like 70 million native English speakers already in the EU, and every 20-something thinks that coming here and being an English tutor is easy, your chances of getting a visa this way are going to be pretty bad. If you're legitimately looking at teaching English abroad (especially without certifications), your best bet is going to be in Asia, not Europe. So yeah, if you have your heart set on moving to Germany, you should probably enroll in a German university or technical school. You can't work while you're a student, but after graduation, you get a 1-year visa in which to find work before they kick you out. Have you been to Germany before, like on vacation or a school trip? Edit: vvv Yeah, there's a good point too, in that there are certain "luxuries" that being an American will provide you (also Canadians, Australians, Israelis, Japanese, and maybe one or two others I can't think of off the top of my head), namely that you can apply for your visa from within Germany itself instead of doing it in your host country. You also get three months here (non-working) out of every six months on just a passport. Naturally you won't have it as easy as someone who has citizenship to a Schengen Area country, but you'll also be way better off than most of the other people you'll see at the Ausländerbehörde, like Russians/Africans/etc. It also sounds horrible (but it's true, even in 2014), but your chances will be greatly enhanced if you're white and speak good German. Drone fucked around with this message at 15:27 on Jun 1, 2014 |
|
#
¿
Jun 1, 2014 15:22
|
|
|
Can someone explain to me the whole Sparbuch thing that one has to do when putting down the Kaution for a new apartment? Backstory: up until now all of my apartments in Germany have either been furnished "short-term" (less than 6 months) apartments, either through an agency or through wg-gesucht.de. All of those have been pretty simple: send the Kaution and the first month's rent to the landlord and its' taken care of. When the Mietvertrag is over, get the Kaution back. I just signed a lease last week for a new place in Darmstadt, and sent the Kaution to the Vermieter as instructed by the realtor who showed me the apartment. Yesterday the landlord stopped me in the hallway and told me that I'd need to go to the Sparkasse and put the Kaution into some kind of investment account or something, and then attach his name to it? I wish I could explain it a bit better than that, but we were both in a bit of a hurry, so I'm going to speak with him again today. I gave this info to some coworkers of mine and apparently this is something normal, but none of them are also really financially-minded and couple explain to me the purpose behind putting the Kaution in a specific bank account instead of just... paying the landlord his money directly.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 3, 2014 14:30
|
|
|
Randler posted:It's a protective measure benefitting the renter. In case of the landlord's insolvency the separate account for the collateral means that his creditors cannot access the collateral. Do you know what's required of me for this? I don't even have a German bank account yet, so this is new territory for me. Would you normally go to the Sparkasse together with the landlord? Edit: it's a student town with a ton of foreigners, so I don't doubt the local Sparkasse would be used to this. Drone fucked around with this message at 15:19 on Jun 3, 2014 |
|
#
¿
Jun 3, 2014 15:16
|
|
|
Lübeck has marzipan, Rostock doesn't. That's really all you need to make a decision.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 12, 2014 09:29
|
|
|
ubergnu posted:Sweet. I'm tremendously jealous of you guys. Thanks for the answers! You can buy liquor straight from the supermarket and then walk out onto the sidewalk and drink it in public. The joys of a free country.  You shouldn't though, drinking liquor in public is still a little trashy, even if totally legal. Beer's fine though.
|
|
#
¿
Jun 22, 2014 12:20
|
|
|
My Lovely Horse posted:I always figured the chicks hanging around the food court in Berlin main station gathering signatures for "charity" had about a 120% chance of being a scam, but now they're actually becoming actively annoying to boot. And what the poo poo is the deal with that bloke dressed (and I hesitate to use the word) in literal rags that was hanging around the main entrance and toilets every time I was at the station in the past four months? Like no poo poo there will be a good number of homeless in any metropolitan area and a good portion of those will not have their poo poo together but I used to commute from Berlin Hauptbahnhof twice weekly and don't think I ever once got panhandled by homeless there. The worst I've ever seen in the train station itself were those guys who take old (but presumably still valid) S/U-Bahn tickets from the trash and try to resell them. Those guys don't know how to take no for an answer. Frankfurt Central, on the other hand, is filled with signature-seekers, BüSo, and beggars.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 7, 2014 07:08
|
|
|
I'm playing with the idea of getting a tablet (Nexus 7) but I'm not 100% sure I want to get tied to a 24 month contract with one of the big providers like Telekom or Vodafone. I use Fonic prepaid cards for my own personal mobile phone, and I've seen their data cards for sale too -- does anyone know if these are also prepaid, pay-as-you-go, or if they also require you to have some kind of monthly rate?
|
|
#
¿
Jul 25, 2014 17:44
|
|
|
Honj Steak posted:Fonic is prepaid and you get 500mb per 30 days for €9,95 (phone option). Is there a tablet option?
|
|
#
¿
Jul 25, 2014 21:54
|
|
|
Honj Steak posted:None specifically, as far as I tell, but you can certainly use the surf-card in an HSDPA-enabled tablet. That doesn't look bad at all, I might check out Congstar then. I was looking for somewhere in the 2GB-5GB range, so 3 works.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 25, 2014 22:03
|
|
|
posh spaz posted:I've lived in Germany for the past 6 months. I'm American, pretty Aryan-looking and speak German, for what it's worth.  posh spaz posted:When I went in to pick up residence permit, I said to the office worker the formal form of "Hello, how are you?", and the lady sat up straight as a bolt, said "Why would you ask me that?! We're not friends! I can't believe you would say such a thing to me!" Despite using Sie, it's still incredibly uncommon to ask someone how they are. You're a perfect stranger, why should you care how someone is? That being said, anyone working at the Ausländerbehörde should be totally aware that you didn't mean to be weird about it, unless they were having a bad day. Bad days happen quite frequently at the Ausländerbehörde. posh spaz posted:I saw an Indian girl at the Foreigners Office break down in tears after the guy refused to answer any of her questions in English, just saying, in perfect English "We don't speak English here. You have to speak German." Yup, par for the course unfortunately, but I honestly find it difficult to really find fault in this. If you're expecting to be able to deal with immigration, I don't find it terribly unreasonable to expect that you're going to have to deal with them in German, whether through your own skill or with the aid of a translator/coworker/immigration lawyer/student affairs rep from a university. posh spaz posted:One time when I went to the Foreigner's Office, the ticket machine to get in the queue to be helped was broken. They had a sign (in German) saying to go make an appointment with the secretary. I asked the man sitting at the secretary's desk if I could make an appointment. He said the secretary was on vacation and would return in 4 weeks, and I had to wait until then to make an appointment. It was not possible to see anyone any other way. I went back the next week and Was this in Berlin, by chance? Either way, appointments aren't required for the Ausländerbehörde, anywhere. Yeah, they prefer you to have an appointment, but 1.) you can usually make these online, depending on location and 2.) there will always be a place you can sit in the office to be waited on without an appointment -- it's just that you'll likely be waiting quite a long time unless you got there right when they opened. posh spaz posted:On three different occasions Germans have, completely unprompted, said something along the lines of "At least you're not Pakistani!" to me. I mean the US doesn't have an exactly untarnished record with racism or anything, but as an American going through vaguely similar circumstances to yours, I've definitely noticed that racism in Europe is much more widespread, and comments like this happen far too frequently. Europe is 20-30 years behind the US when it comes to publicly-acceptable racist statements. I was having lunch at work a few weeks ago with some colleagues, and someone mentioned how much they loved their recent trip to Istanbul. This led into a conversation about Turkey, and one of them said something like "I love Turkish people. In Turkey. German Turks are totally different, and they tend to be pretty awful." The one Turkish-German woman at the table heartily agreed. posh spaz posted:German shopkeepers/waiters/whatever service workers seem to have somewhere between complete indifference and total disdain for their customers. Maybe 10% of the time I'll get someone who actually makes eye contact when talking to me, and maybe 1% of the time they'll smile. However, Turks always seem to act like humans. I only shop at Turkish stores now if I can help it. Also, my bank is the most aggressively unhelpful bank I've ever dealt with. I pretty rarely get bad service, but again maybe you're viewing things through too much of an Anglophone lens. Germans tend to view us (both Americans and Brits) as superficial, where we view Germans as hard and overly serious. You shouldn't go to a German restaurant and expect to get treated like you're in an Applebee's, all schmalz and fake smiles and "y'all want a refill?" Personally I find the best level of service to be somewhere in the middle of both - a waiter who clearly doesn't look down his nose at you in hatred, but also respects my personal space and aside from delivering food, only comes to the table when I motion for him. Edit: actually yeah, I don't see this at restaurants, but I see it ALL THE TIME at grocery stores. Grocery store clerks here are godawful, especially to the elderly. posh spaz posted:Germans love telling you you're wrong, even when you're not. Besserwissen is a national past-time. Yup. posh spaz posted:The trains are awesome, if you don't need to be anywhere at any particular time. If you need to make an important meeting, leave 3 hours early. Which trains are you taking? Granted, I only travel with ICE (or with S-Bahn/local commuter trains), but in 2 years I've only had one negative experience with it. My train from Frankfurt to Berlin was delayed by 90 minutes in the middle of a very strong thunderstorm, and in the end Deutsche Bahn was handing out taxi vouchers for those who were missing connections. posh spaz posted:You can't buy Ibuprofen without being interrogated by a chemist, but 16-year-olds can buy as much beer as they want, no questions asked. 16 is legal to buy beer, so  . I've never had an issue buying Ibuprofen, maybe try another Apotheke. That being said, you do have to consider that Americans have the stereotype of being overmedicated in the first place.posh spaz posted:It's just not the magic socialist-industrial utopia I expected it to be. Ain't that the truth  . Two years after moving here I still really like the country, but you've hit on pretty much everything that I dislike about Germany in one post, namely: monolithic, self-important bureaucracy that is a total nightmare to deal with and makes you feel like utter trash as a human being; racism; and seemingly utter contempt for your fellow man. It can be kind of galling, and it's one of those things that, when I'm in an already bad mood because of work or depression or whatever, makes me seriously consider going back to Ohio.The highs are high, but the lows are low. I guess that's the best way I can describe it. That being said, here's some things I love about this country, so it's not all negative: döner, walkability, public transport, being able to have a beer/glass of wine at lunch or just before leaving the office with coworkers, being able to drink a beer in public, tolerance for GLBT (it took me SO LONG to get to the point where I could comfortably give my partner a little kiss in public), the weather, Spezi, Tagesschau, fashion (for better or worse, at least it keeps things interesting), the exchange rate (woo earning euros and paying my student loans back home in dollars), 5 weeks of vacation per year, a bucketload of Christian holidays that you take off work for, shops being closed on Sunday. Drone fucked around with this message at 15:43 on Jul 27, 2014 |
|
#
¿
Jul 27, 2014 15:26
|
|
|
Apropos Köln: besucht einer von euch Gamescom?
|
|
#
¿
Jul 27, 2014 18:00
|
|
|
Honj Steak posted:Germans are quite often a bit sceptical of people they don't know very well* and it can take a very long time to get to know someone. However, friendships tend to be be strong and long-lasting if you were able to convince others of yourself. I find it much harder to make friends in Germany compared to Anglo countries, and it can be very intimidating to do so. However, once you're in with someone, you're in.
|
|
#
¿
Jul 28, 2014 07:54
|
|
|
posh spaz posted:There is a wonderful country where everyone makes minimum wage and there are never strikes. It's called "America." After living and working in both Germany and the US, I can safely say that I'd rather live in a country like Germany where unions exist and are annoying to the general public two or three times a year than in a country like America where half of my family has to work 2 to 3 jobs for 60+ hours a week in order to pay the rent. Today I had to take off early from work because I got a frantic SMS from my partner that we had a burst pipe in the kitchen and water was flooding everywhere. I jetted from work pretty quickly, and when I let my boss know, he told me, "don't worry about it, this isn't America where you can be fired for having a personal life." It was meant as a joke but it resonates in its bitter truthfulness.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 8, 2014 15:38
|
|
|
NitroSpazzz posted:Also how is Oktoberfest in Berlin? I'll have two weekends and it looks like I'll be there during O'fest. Oktoberfest is a Bavarian thing. There will be nothing happening in Berlin, with the possible exception of some exceptionally touristy "Bavarian" bars on Ku'damm that might have slightly more lederhosen than usual.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 20, 2014 18:59
|
|
|
posh spaz posted:Like Lederhosen and Bier and Brezen and Bierhalls. No trip to Cologne is complete without trying some koelsch (the local type of beer unique to Cologne). Edit: honestly I'd just stay in the Ruhrgebiet if you've only got a week to burn. There are like 5 major cities and a handful of smaller, more culturally significant ones all within 2 hours of each other, and you can see everything from the super-modern to the well-preserved old German towns. Duesseldorf is a great city only about 30 minutes from Cologne, well-known for its shopping and the "longest beer stand in the world" (the old town is basically filled with bars, and the architecture there is neat). Drone fucked around with this message at 10:43 on Oct 13, 2014 |
|
#
¿
Oct 13, 2014 10:39
|
|
|
I really just want some kind of knockoff of Chipotle from the US/UK. I've found a somewhat decent substitute in Darmstadt-Weiterstadt, but it doesn't really hit the nail quite on the head with big San Francisco-style burritos. There was a great place in Berlin (Dolores on Rosa-Luxemburg-Straße) that had really good, big SF burritos, too.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 22, 2014 09:24
|
|
|
Badly Jester posted:There's a Chipotle in Frankfurt, but I've never been there, so I can't say how it holds up to the original. Oh my God, you magnificent bastard. And it's practically in my backyard.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 22, 2014 09:42
|
|
|
Mahlertov Cocktail posted:You in galluswarte? My girlfriend lived there this summer and I liked the area a lot. Oh no, I'm in Darmstadt, 25 minutes away.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 22, 2014 10:37
|
|
|
Mahlertov Cocktail posted:Ahaha, well if you include food they got from regions they subjugated then sure their food is incredible! Britain has good Indian food, the Netherlands has good Indonesian food, I'm sure France has great varieties of African food, the US has good Mexican and Chinese food. Colonialism is an awful part of western history, but to deny that that history has influenced the culinary traditions of the colonizing nations (for better or worse) is pretty silly.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 23, 2014 09:25
|
|
|
frankenfreak posted:And what did we get? Königsberger Klopse. And some street names in Wedding.
|
|
#
¿
Oct 23, 2014 10:06
|
|
|
Mahlertov Cocktail posted:Oh for sure but that doesn't mean that it's now a part of British Cuisine. It's still Indian food, not British food. Which obviously isn't to say that Britons with Indian heritage aren't real Britons or any bullshit like that, but it would also be pretty silly to be like "Oh yeah British food, you mean like Yorkshire pudding, English breakfast, and butter chicken with naan!" I really dislike quoting Wikipedia but I'm not gonna go digging for a more scholarly source on the great debate about Indian food: quote:In 2001, British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook declared that "Chicken Tikka Massala is now a true British national dish, not only because it is the most popular, but because it is a perfect illustration of the way Britain absorbs and adapts external influences." He went on to explain that "Chicken Tikka is an Indian dish. The Masala sauce was added to satisfy the desire of British people to have their meat served in gravy."
|
|
#
¿
Oct 23, 2014 12:49
|
|
|
Just don't act like Germany is a castle-land theme park where everyone wears Lederhosen and people will tend to be okay with you. Edit: and learn German, at least enough to make it seem like you put forth an effort. That goes a long way, and I imagine in a part of the country with a high saturation of American soldiers, it's appreciated. Drone fucked around with this message at 13:54 on Nov 3, 2014 |
|
#
¿
Nov 3, 2014 13:48
|
|
|
I do love how the traffic announcer on Armed Forces Radio out of Wiesbaden uses the word "Stau" when describing traffic jams on the Autobahn. And pronounced incorrectly, too. But it's still kinda cute. 
|
|
#
¿
Nov 4, 2014 07:04
|
|
|
Badly Jester posted:Sorry, you're hosed. I almost got stranded because of the strike last time. The RMV-operated regional train decided to stop exactly where I needed to get off, even though it was supposed to go on to Frankfurt. Would that happen to be VIAS? I take one of their trains to and from work everyday.. it's super convenient because I live across the street from the train station, then go one stop down and I'm a 5 minute walk from work. If I have to take alternative transport (I assume in-city trams and whatnot are unaffected), it's like a 20 minute walk, then a 15 minute ride, then another 20 minute walk. Edit: oh thank gently caress. quote:Die Züge der VIAS GmbH sind von den befristeten Streiks bei der Deutschen Bahn (06.11.2014 – 02:00 Uhr bis 10.11.2014 – 04:00 Uhr) nicht direkt betroffen und verkehren nach Fahrplan. Vereinzelt kann es jedoch zu Verzögerungen und Gleiswechseln kommen.
|
|
#
¿
Nov 4, 2014 19:10
|
|
|
xaarman posted:I was debating two nice bottles of wine, but it seems cliche to bring American wine to Europe. Any other suggestions? Do they like American beers? As an expat one of the biggest things I miss about the US (and it sounds crazy) is the sheer variety of American microbrews. Sure, on average European beer is better than most mass-market beers in the US, but the variety and volume of selection available in the US just destroys anything here in Germany.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 3, 2014 12:59
|
|
|
Hollow Talk posted:Man, let me tell you about all of this awesome London is considerably more cosmopolitan than most of Germany, with a few exceptions (Berlin/Hamburg etc).
|
|
#
¿
Dec 4, 2014 15:00
|
|
|
Gold and a Pager posted:Anyone know any good places to get fireworks (either generally or specific to Cologne)? Is my best bet really just going to Hit/Real/Aldi/etc. and buying them there, or am I missing something? I was just at Real for groceries and they were selling packages of fireworks, but I assume stuff bought there is going to be pretty simple.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 30, 2014 21:14
|
|
|
Around me it's like 85% Pfungstädter, 5% Darmstädter, 10% Becks/Warsteiner/other macro.
|
|
#
¿
Dec 31, 2014 13:21
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 4, 2024 00:52 |
|
|
a posting ghost posted:I'm a dual German/American citizen. I want to live in Berlin from 3 months to a year living as cheaply as possible. I have some money and I might get a "minijob" down the line when my German is better and I feel like it, but not right away. My question is, what am I required to pay as a resident while I am there? For instance, health insurance? What do the Berlin bohemians do? I don't want to get Hartz 4 for various reasons, but I am aware it is an option. Can't help you with insurance, but you'll have to pay rent obviously. The good thing about rent in Berlin is that it's still "cheap" compared to other major German cities, but prices are increasing pretty dramatically every year. If you're going for the "bohemian" life, I guess find yourself a room on wg-gesucht.de with some other likeminded people in Kreuzberg/Friedrichshain, Wedding, or maaaybe Moabit if you don't mind the possibility of getting shanked. Prenzlauer Berg is fun and all, but it's now very much the domain of the yuppies/young families who want to play pretend, and as such is pretty expensive to live in. If you're unemployed/underemployed and single, you can also apply for WBS (Wohnberechtigungsschein), which lets you apply for a lot of apartments that are slightly cheaper, since the rent is partially subsidised. Enroll in a school. As a student you'll get insurance and a regional train ticket, and likely some kind of minor Stipendium (not sure how that works, though). You're still going to have a really hard time making ends meet unless you get an actual job though, unless you're used to a pretty low standard of living or unless you have financial support from family. Hopefully you have no bills like student loans or anything back in the US.
|
|
#
¿
Jan 20, 2015 09:57
|
|