The school has already given us a schedule for what we can do. We’re going to museums, factory tours, that sort. So no suggestions for any activities to do or places to go to.
I would like some tips on some things I should know about Germany, perhaps some German phrases I should understand, cultural differences, or laws I need to know. Anything important that I should be aware of?
It will be about a weeklong trip
Hat off in the church and be respectful of the place - like a library. There are people worshipping in the churches. I’m an atheist, but by respecting the space you gain understanding of its importance. Generally a good idea in museums too.
Also, don’t see the world through your phone or selfie stick. Put it away and enjoy the experience. Taking photos to help you remember it is good, but I see too many people watching their trip through a phone as they shoot photo and video constantly instead of being present.
Germany is large with many local cultural and linguistic variations. I don’t think there’s really many unwritten rules, but follow the written rules - don’t litter, walk on the sidewalk not the garden, sort of thing.
Washrooms may require cash. The default water in restaurants is bottled mineral water, not tap.
I think if you have the ability to read and speak English you’ll be able to get by. Two weeks of Duolingo can help with basic pronunciation and vocabulary.
Prepare for people to speak with quite an accent. Drugs (Cigarettes, most Alcohol and Weed) are allowed from 18 y.o. Even though weed is kinda legal in germany for some reason Bavaria decided to be increadibly strict about it, so I’d advise to steer clear. Obviously Nazi paroles and insignia as well as the Hitler-Gruß are illeagal.
If people are hellbent on speaking German with you, which I assume you do not speak, here is a handy phrase:
- Ich spreche kein Deutsch, aber ich spreche Englisch.
- I do not speak German, but I speak English.
English is taught from a young age, so you’ll find many people who are able to speak it.
When in a pinch you can approach people to ask for i.e. directions. This includes police officers, should you see some. They’ll usually will be happy to help.
In an emergency, <Help> means <Hilfe>. It is best to point or directly adress a single person when asking for help to ensure they’ll jump into action.
Emergency numbers are 110 for police and 112 for firefighters/medics. But 911 also works. I’d like to add that these services are usually free, no need to fear a transport by ambulance for financial reasons.
Thanks, that was super helpful!
I won’t be doing drugs or drinking alcohol, I don’t normally and definitely won’t on an educational trip.
I will make note of the emergency numbers!
If you want to be stereotypical foreigner you can also say “ich nix deutsch”. Lol (dont do it unless you want to look like an idiot)
Alcohole is allowed with 14 in the presents of a guardian
That’s literally a myth
It is not. See JuSchG § 9, section 2: “Section 1, number 1 does not apply to adolescents in company of a legal guardian”. Section 1, number 1 restricts beer, wine, cider and similar drinks under the age of 16 and an adolescent (“Jugendlicher”) is defined as 14+.
In total, that means that you are allowed to buy and drink the listed kinds of alcoholic beverages starting at 14, as long as a legal guardian is present and allows it. Even in public.
For other alcoholic beverages (e.g. liquor) or food that contains significant amounts of alcohol, there is a hard limit at 18+, no exceptions.
That only exists in “bayern” not anywhere else in big G
Have you clicked the link? It’s literally the relevant passage from the „Jugendschutzgesetz“ (youth protection law) which is a federal law.
No its not true. You are lying and spreading misinformation.
lol wut? that’s literally bullshit. confidentially incorrect much?
It is allowed per law, although most parents won’t allow their 14 yo children to drink.
Insulting people can result in criminal prosecution in Germany. Also giving the nazi salute, repeat nazi slogans (or any such display of anti-constitutional allegiance).
Insulting people can result in criminal prosecution in Germany.
Technically yes but realistically it only gets prosecuted in extreme cases. Like throwing feces at someone or distributing leaflets with your insults. If you just call someone an asshole, no police officer in the country will even bother with it. It’s hard to prove who said what and the maximum sentence is extremely low.
Point is though, that you’ll want no trouble with the law abroad, especially on a school trip. Keeping a respectfully low profile is never a bad idea.
Though I do confirm that Munich police are quite chill and helpful.
Keeping a respectfully low profile is never a bad idea.
I certainly hope that it goes without saying that you should be respectful towards others, just like everywhere else in the world. I just wanted to clarify that Germany is not some totalitarian dystopia where you immediately go to prison for insulting someone.
To you, it’s normal, but to Americans it’s absolutely dystopian. Look at how people talk about Trump. In Germany, insults against politicians are especially serious and are prosecuted.
If you feel that you cannot exercise your right to criticize politicians in Germany you’re absolutely wrong. There are very few cases where prosecution took place.
On the other hand: in Germany you don’t have to worry as much as in the US about getting shot by the police for being black, foreign, or doing something egregious like not keeping your hands on the steering wheel when pulled over. Even ‘being pulled over’ is not something that really happens. If you’re a tourist that’s not openly promoting nazi actions (I know that’s hard for half of Americans) you’ll be absolutely fine.
How‘s that relevant to what OP asked though? Are you alright in the Head?
Common experience with American tourists, that’s why. Especially young ones. Sad, but true.
Where are you from? That’s very important if you want to calculate a (cultural) difference ;)
Born in Australia but raised in Hong Kong. I’m from an Asian background, not religious. So mixing those together will be about it.
Then I don’t think you will have much problems.
Germans are very direct and come over as rude very easily. So don’t worry if the seller in the bakery is rude to you, it has nothing to do with you.
Germans like their private space, so try to not invade those. Look around you before you stop somewhere on the street and don’t stand in the way. Don’t play music from you mobile. Don’t put your feet on seats in public transport etc. Try to speak rather quietly, I guess it is not a thing in Hong Kong, but US Americans for example are viewed as loud here.
If you don’t comply with these things, very likely nothing will happen, but you will get the evil German stare and they will breath significantly louder.
So in summary, try to be a normal human being who cares for your surrounding and then you’ll be fine. Germany is a pretty liberal space, even in Bavaria if you are in big cities like Munich.
Hope you have a lot of fun!
Alright. If someone says “amis” they think you are an american. You can tell them you are an aussie, they might either not care or be cheering. Aussies have a very good reputation (due to their legendary drinking culture) in bavaria
If you’re from the USA: don’t come back. Stay.
Not from the U.S., fortunately!
If you can and are interested, visit their Hackerspace. Be careful, beers are big and strong especially in Bavaria.
Augustiner Beer is so good
Fuck the hoffbrau Haus they are rude as fuck
Bicycle tour is a nice way to get oriented
Don’t ask why all the pamphlets are blank between 1939 and 1945…
From where?
Do not carry any weapons. This is super strict. Even a pocket knife may be a weapon (except a very small one).
When entering a church building, take your hat off.
Also pepper sprays are weapons and illegal
Nope, only the ones with a broad spray thing
Oh really? Tbf i never looked into which once are allowed and which once arent
This thread gives me so many opportunities to go “well actually” with useless knowledge.
Pepper spray is kind of legal in Germany. You can freely buy it without age restrictions as a defense against wild animals. It is however illegal to deliberately use it against humans. But then again, German self-defense law allows you to use “whatever is necessary” to prevent an attack. So if you can make a compelling argument that your bare hands were not enough, you can totally use pepper spray, a knife, a baseball bat or even a gun to protect yourself, your property or others. Of course, for the gun you might be on the hook for illegal possession but that’s a different question.
On the other hand, CS gas (a form of tear gas) is fully legal for use on humans.
Legal drinking age for beer and wine is 16yo.
I don’t think we will be going to a bar on a school trip haha. Good to know though if I go to Germany next time.
Really? Things have clearly changed in the 25 years since my last school trip then. We didn’t go to bars with our teachers, but we had plenty of free time in the evenings, some of which was definitely spent in bars.
Health and safety is heavily emphasised in this trip. For the majority of the trip, we will need to stick in our groups, but we do get chances to explore for ourselves in some areas, but even then, we need to meet up as a group after every hour to make sure everybody is here and nobody is missing.
That’s okay, drinking in bars is a popular group activity 😊
You’ll be staying a few days? A good way to spend thw eveninga is going to a bar. Next to Belgium, Germany has a great herritage of beer crafting. Certainly somehing to do 😊
The schedule has already been set and is pretty tight. Plus, we have to stay as a group!
Things you should know how to say (not that it’s necessary, but because it’s nice to know):
- Hallo = Hello
- Tschüss = Bye
- Danke = Thanks
- Dankeschön = thank you very much
- Entschuldigung = excuse me
People commonly use “Ciao” for Bye, and “Sorry” for sorry.
You forgot “servus” which is hello and goodbye. “Pfia di” or “Pfiaz eich” is goodbye “Grüß Gott” or “grias got” is hello
Grüß Gott is also literally “greet God”, I.e., may God greet you, if I remember correctly, which I think is a pretty cool bit of trivia for when you’re in Southern Germany.
Yes. It does.
But i must correct you, its not in all south germany or south german cultures/dialects. Swabians and swiss and badner dont say that. Only austrians and bavarians (which are the same. Yes austrians fuck off you are the same as bavarians and are germans get over it)
As an Austrian I have to insist that Bavarians are a failed attempt at making Germans out of Austrians lol
Historia and science disagrees with you mein freund. The idea of austrians not being german arose in the 1950s at the same time as austria tried to put itself as “hitlers first victim” and not as a perpetrator with the nazis.
If you walk through the streets and you think passer-bys are staring at you, they probably are not. There is a cultural difference to be aware of, the german stare.
Here it is completely normal to look at people while passing them, or even look out from a coffee shop or bus at passing people. It might signal Neugierde - interest, or might just be general Aufmerksamkeit - attention of their surroundings. Think of it like a cat acknowleging that you have entered the room by giving you a quick glance.
Please don’t feel like you are being singled out - you will see that everyone gets looked at :)
I’ve only seen the “stare” further north, especially in Eastern Germany.
Once you get there, skip you teacher surveillance asap and go ask for political asylum? ;)
More seriously:
Anything important that I should be aware of?
Not knowing you, it’s a bit difficult to suggest anything. I mean, I doubt you’re concerned but I’ve witnessed US citizens (I fancy your from the US?) complain that people in France (my country) were speaking… French, like for real. So, be aware that Germans will most likely speak their native German. And, yep, a lot of them do speak English, like us French do, just don’t expect all of them do.
Some EU citizens, from Germany too, are getting quite tired of US accelerated devolution into a dumbified mob-ruled country. Your POTUS insistence on insulting and threatening almost every single EU nation is also not helping much. So don’t be surprised some people may not be that welcoming to begin with. Edit: take that as an opportunity to show then they’re wrong.
If it’s a week long trip, don’t allow your school to say all you should and should not do in Munich (see? I did not suggest anything you should visit) ;)
Not from the U.S., no. I grew up in Hong Kong under an Asian household!
