When you move to Germany with IntlMOVE, you will find many things about Germany you will love.
There are so many beautiful places to visit, great things to do with your children and many delicious places to eat.
You will also have a new schedule and new things to get used to that you will encounter on a daily basis.
IntlMOVE has put together some tips for living your daily life in Germany.
Home Life
When you move into your new apartment or house, make sure you understand that unfurnished really means unfurnished.
There will not be any cabinets, lighting fixtures, appliances and sometimes there are not even toilets or sinks.
These are items you will need to purchase, so make sure to budget for these.
When you buy appliances for your new home, you will notice that appliances are much smaller.
There will not be as much refrigerator space and ovens are even proportionately smaller.
Food
You will find a lot more juice and dairy beverages that do not need to be refrigerated until after they are opened because of pasteurization.
As was mentioned earlier, the refrigerators are not as large as they are in the United States.
Food packages come in smaller containers and you cannot buy as many food items in bulk.
You will not find large 24-hour grocery stores that sell everything under the sun.
The food you will find in Germany is sold at much smaller markets and it is often fresh and local.
People in Germany will often go to the market daily to get the freshest produce, meat and baked goods.
Bread is very much a part of German life and German cuisine.
If you are open to the experience, you will be able to enjoy hundreds of different kinds of bread.
In fact, you can even find full bakeries in some hardware stores and other unexpected places.
When you order pizza with your friends, you will not order a large pie.
Instead, each person orders a pizza that is small enough to feed one person.
Don’t pick up the pizza with your hands, because in Germany, these pizzas are eaten with knives and forks.
Things in Germany are Smaller
Unlike the United States, bigger does not mean better in Germany.
Cars are smaller, which is good because gas is much more expensive.
Houses and apartments might be smaller than typical living spaces in the United States.
The trashcans are even smaller because the people in Germany tend to be very eco-conscious.
They use less disposable products and are very much into recycling and reusing.
In fact, you get paid to recycle.
For each plastic bottle you return to the supermarket, you receive money back.
Other Fun Facts
When you visit public restrooms, you may be charged a few pennies.
There is often a person in restrooms, called a Klofrau, who keeps the toilets clean.
It is German custom to give this women some change for her services.
The stores are smaller in Germany and they are not open for business every day of the week.
Many shops in Germany are closed on Sunday, so make sure you get all of your ingredients for your Sunday meals on Saturday.
This is a day when people can rest.
Instead of seeing this as an inconvenience, see it as a luxury.
Everyone can have time to spend with their friends and families!
Restaurants, theatres, hotels and other things are still open on Sunday, so don’t worry if you need to get out of the house!
When you are ready to move to Germany, contact IntlMOVE to ship your household goods to your new home in this European country.
