Guten Tag! Starting a family blog has been on my “to-do” list since we arrived. Today is the day! I can’t promise I’ll blog often or consistently, but I know that future me will be thankful any time I spend documenting our time here in Germany.
We’ve already been here for 4-months. Rather than go backwards, I thought I’d start with some general observations about how our daily life here is different. We haven’t experienced any extreme culture shock (it could definitely still be coming.. so I am not counting that out yet!), but there are things here that have been an adjustment.
Also, lots of observations that have made me feel like such an American! I don’t think I’ve ever been so aware of my own culture and habits.
Even though we live off post, we have access to the military base and our kids attend the American school. That has definitely helped eased the transition. Our 2-week quarantine was also a nice soft landing. Plenty of time to sleep off jet lag, gather research, and wrap our heads around our move before we had to take action.
So, in no particular order, some observations about our daily life:
Walking is a THING.
Similar to the USA, this may be amplified because of the current pandemic. But, walking has to be the most popular pastime in Germany. There are trails everywhere. One of the first things we noticed was how often you see people just walking through fields along the side of the road.
The parks are filled with families out for a stroll. We have always been an active family, but it is fun to see even MORE people living active lifestyles. Also, when families are out walking, it is not always active exercise. People are dressed in normal clothes. HA! One of our first trips to the park, we instantly noticed woman in heels and men in jackets. If we are going to go for a walk we throw on our workout clothes. It’s just an interesting difference!
Recycling is Intense.
One of our first walks downtown, S. had to throw away a granola bar wrapper. I sent her towards a row of garbage cans. She came back and asked “which one?”. I looked closer and there were five garbage cans lining the fence, all with different colored lids and labels. I just stuffed the wrapper in my pocket. More research was needed!
We sort our trash into paper/ cardboard, general recycling (plastics, wrappers, most containers), food scrapes, glass, and finally, garbage. What has been the MOST eye opening is how little garbage we have after pulling all those other items out. The garbage container for our whole building is smaller than the container we had for just our house. It has definitely made me think about packaging and waste more than I ever did when we were home.
You can recycle SO much more here than you can in Missouri. Residents in Germany can be fined for not sorting your garbage properly (glad I put that wrapper in my pocket!). Before outdoor and indoor dining were shut down, we also noticed how restaurants avoided disposable items. Even the food court in the mall serves fast food on real plates and gives you proper silverware! The pumpkin patch served soup in mason jars!
Don’t Forget Your Hat.
As soon as the weather started changing, we noticed the kids at the park were (in our eyes) VERY prepared for the weather. Kids wear hats, neck warmers, gloves, and boots as soon as the temperature drops below 65 degrees. We also noticed that a lot of kids wear what I now know are rain pants. They look just like snow pants but are lighter in weight. For younger children, they make full body options. There are many afternoons at the playground when Z. is running around with no coat and German children are dressed head to toe in their winter gear!
Initially, this seemed like overkill, but I am coming around. The weather here (so far) is more mild than at home, but it does rain a lot! Every time we play outside, we need a full change of clothes when we get home. We have dedicated play shoes and school shoes. The mud is no joke! So we may embrace the rain pants and save ourselves from the extra laundry. Z. wants the pants and S. is not convinced.
Learning German is Hard.
We are trying to learn German greetings, how to order food, and how to not offend people everywhere we go. We have picked up a litle in the time we’ve been here, but definitely need to step it up! It’s true that many people here speak English. BUT, I think when people say that they are thinking about going on vacation. Setting up utilities, making friends, and navigating daily life is different. Think about calling Verizon and dealing with a “press 1 if you’d like to…”. Now imagine that in a language you don’t speak. Ha!
We have gained so much more compassion for people that have to navigate life in the USA when English is not their first language. We are also VERY thankful for all the kind people we’ve met that don’t seem offended by our lack of language skills. Shopping, ordering food, and making appointments still stress me out. We’ve made mistakes! I attempted to order cinnamon rolls at Ikea and got veggie dogs instead. Tears were shed.
We will keep working on it!
Germany is Adorable.
This adventure is my first experience in Europe. I didn’t really know what to expect. Something that I am constantly reminded of, is just how cute Germany is. The buildings, the gardens, the windows! On one of our first morning walks exploring (down a cobblestone street obviously) we were greeted by residents opening up their windows for the day. Zech started singing “Bonjour, Bonjour” from Beauty and the Beast and we ALL laughed so hard. It’s exactly like a scene from a movie! All the time!
There is such a rich scene of tradition and rituals here. The pace of life is slower. Sundays are dedicated to being with family. NOTHING is open. Even the larger grocery stores and retail chains.
The slower pace shows up in Germany in little ways too. Ordering coffee to drink on site rather than to go. Taking the time to put something on a plate vs. a paper towel. Making a point to enjoy the latest seasonal treat. I hope that a little of that will rub off on us during our time here.
Finally, Open Your Windows.
When we were in our hotel, our room got cleaned every few days. Whenever the staff came, they would open up all the windows while they worked. Screens are not a thing here, so it did seem a little different. Also, most windows open like french doors. We were on the 1st floor, so that meant that our girls could just return to the window when they needed a snack while playing outside. A perk for them!
When we moved into our apartment, we were given a pamphlet about the important of opening your windows, especially during the winter. It is impossible to walk around Germany without noticing windows open in buildings. This is true in ALL seasons regardless of the weather. You are encouraged to open all your windows, all the way, for at least 5 min. every day in all seasons.
After some googling and a little back and forth between Zech and me, we have to come to agreement that this is really a thing and not just based on a wives-tale. So after we take a shower, we open the window. While we are cleaning, we open the windows. We make a point to open the windows in our living area once a day. We’re not quite up to the daily whole house requirement… but we’re getting there!
So, quoting my dad, “and that’s what I know”.
Even though we haven’t been able to travel much since we’ve been here, we feel really lucky to have this experience. The girls have been such good sports. Between a 45 day hotel stay, a new school, and over two months living out of a suitcase, I am SO proud of them (and us!). This is a once in a lifetime opportunity that we are thankful for.
I hope to write more and include details of our adventures. Thank you for following along and a giant thank you to our families for their support. The Ziebarth Inn is ready to accept visitors as soon as it’s safe to do so. By then, we will have some pretty epic itineraries that show off ALL Germany has to offer.
Tschüss!
