Culture Shock In Germany

I have been in Germany for almost a week and it has been very interesting. There is a lot that has shocked me about being here. I knew bicycles were very popular but there is a specific part of the sidewalk just for bikes! If you go to a restaurant or in public and you need to use the bathroom it doesn’t matter if you are a customer or not, you have to pay to use the bathroom. It is usually around 50 cents or a euro. I was told that in Germany many places only accept cash but since I’ve been here I have been able to pay for everything with my credit card. This is good because credit cards are the way to get the best exchange rate. One thing that is very different for me is using public transportation to get everywhere. It takes me an hour to get to my university and that is very normal. It takes around 45 minutes to get almost anywhere because Berlin is so big. The sunsets around 5 pm and I am often out past sunset for orientation activities and so far, I’ve learned that because almost everyone uses public transportation it is very safe even when it is dark to take the U-Bahns (subways), S-Bahns (mix of a bus and a train) and buses. All of the forms of public transport are also very clean because everyone takes them. One thing that is difficult for me is to live in such an urban environment. I haven’t experienced so much noise and closeness of buildings before so that has been one difficult thing to adjust to. I did go on an adventure with some friends to Alexanderplatz and I found that because of Berlin getting split into four sections, it has many different types of architecture and areas. I felt very comfortable in Alexanderplatz. The weather is much cloudier and rainier than I expected. I did know it would be around 40 degrees Fahrenheit, but I didn’t expect it to rain every day. Because it is warmer, when it doesn’t rain, everyone opens their windows. I had mine open almost all day until the rain got in my room. I bought groceries yesterday, and I forgot that if you want bags for your groceries or for anything in stores you have to buy them or bring your own. I have talked with my host a lot and she told me that teachers are paid well in Germany! Maybe I will teach in Germany. Haha! She also told me you have to pay a tax to be religious. That shocked me. I know the government supports churches, but I’m not sure if people give offerings or not on top of that tax. Another thing that has shocked me is the attitude towards non-sexual nudity in media. The language barrier has been difficult but it is interesting to see that many people in Germany speak around three languages. My host speaks some English and is fluent in Spanish and German. This blog has been pretty scattered, kinda like my brain. I am already starting to adjust more and more to being in Germany and I can’t wait to start classes!