I've recently hit the most "adult" part of my time here in Germany: finding an internship. My study abroad program dictates that I study the first semester and work the second semester. As the first semester here recently came to an end, I've found myself facing the next part of my journey abroad. But it was not an easy path to the internship that I finally found; it required lots of help and support from my newfound friends.
The first steps were to turn my American materials into German. This took more than merely translating though, due to major differences in formatting. My resume (or "Lebenslauf") became much more spaced out. In America I've been taught that the rule of thumb is to keep it down to one page so everything ends up being squished, but Germany has no such rules on length, although they do recommend a professional photo. The rest of the information is relatively similar, although I wrote all of my proficiencies for my skills and included an "Interessen" section for my interests. The only other significant difference is the bottom of the Lebenslauf, where I have the location, the date, and a digital signature. Luckily, our school provided a workshop to help us with this process of conversion, and there are lots of sample templates online. The hardest part was writing my German cover letter. I already find it a stressful task to write professionally in English, when such stakes are at hand. However difficult it is to write it in your native tongue, it's practically impossible to do it alone in a foreign language at an intermediate level. Luckily, I had lots of wonderful floormates willing to lend an ear and help with my phrasing. After weeks of stressing, I finally ended up with a good one. The rest of the job process is pretty similar: I had to go through several generic job sites searching for nearby internship opportunities in my field of "Informatik". Even in this respect, one of my good friends helped me out by finding a couple of good options to apply to. I applied to several positions, and waited. At last, I got invited to an interview! I wasn't sure at first if it would be in German or English. As it turned out, they asked which one I preferred to interview in, and I requested to start in German and we could always switch into English if necessary. For the majority of the time, however, it was not necessary to switch. I actually believe I was more comfortable interviewing in German than in English. It went well, and within the day I had a job offer. I ended up interviewing at a second place also, which went similarly well. The interviewers were very understanding of my German skills and willing to work with them. They really made the process significantly less intimidating than it could have been. So far I've been at my internship for 2 months already. I've gotten to learn various skills for my major and had the opportunity to work with multiple interesting products and platforms. The atmosphere is definitely more relaxed than I had expected initially. There are so many stereotypes about the German workplace, but at least with my company, the dress code is casual, meetings might start a couple of minutes late, and importantly, everyone is very kind and friendly. I've already gotten used to their use of Swäbisch (the local dialect) and I've been picking up on some cultural things, such as how between the hours of about 11am and 3pm everyone is greeted by "Mahlzeit" which means "mealtime". Somehow the process of finding an internship here seems easier than back home. Perhaps it's just the different language or a different mindset, but either way I'm glad it worked so smoothly. Life as a member of the workforce is definitely different from student life, but I'm slowly becoming accustomed to it. I think the hardest part is making sure I get to bed at a reasonable hour every day, even when friends might still be hanging out because they have no early classes the next day. But overall it is a good experience so far!
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It's Carnival season. America knows it as Mardi Gras, although even then it's primarily known in New Orleans. Here in Germany it's known by Karneval (in Rheinland), Fasching (in southern Germany and Austria), or Fastnacht (Swabia mostly). The festival times technically begin on November 11 at 11:11 but really the celebrations occur towards the end in the week leading up to Ash Wednesday. It all starts the Thursday before, when Weiberfastnacht ("women's carnival") encourages women cut the ties off of men and take charge. Men, being aware of the holiday, usually refrain from wearing a tie or choose a particularly old one. Then there are parades over the weekend leading into Rose Monday, when the famous parade takes place in Cologne. There's a great informational website if you want to learn even more about the holiday. This past Sunday, I went with some friends to the nearby parade in Rottenburg. It was such a cool experience! Having never experienced Carnival before, I had no idea what to expect. This parade was more traditional than others, with witches and demons. There were many incredible costumes and masks, and the energy of the crowd was just as huge as the energy of those in the parade. Even the interspersed marching bands dressed the part in fantastic costumes and themes. There was a call and response throughout the parade that consisted of "Narri!" followed by "Narro!" which one of the masked witches was kind enough to teach me before melting back into the procession (he made me scream it back to him before he would leave). Right at the beginning of the parade, before any expectations were set, a child from the procession walked by me, stopped, glared into my eyes, and before I could process why this child looked so evil, she threw an enormous handful of paper confetti directly into my face! It took me by such surprise and made me feel like I was really part of the parade experience. My friends and I all burst out laughing and it really set a great mood for the rest of the parade. After that initial confetti experience, we saw plenty more people get paper confetti or straw rubbed into their hair or thrown into their face. In fact, some troupes of witches walked by with baskets of it, carrying people (mostly young girls) off and tossing them in before letting them wander back to their position on the sidelines. Some walked by with paint sticks to mark children's faces. Many threw out shouts or cackles, running along the sidelines trying to scare or excite the kids. It was incredible to see the age variety present. There was a 5 or 6 year old girl standing directly opposite us who devotedly stood with her face painted and her hands out in search of candy, shouting "Narri! Narro!" to every passing parader, while a couple of people down, a grandfather with his grandson got his cap removed and confetti dumped on his head and into his jacket before the witch replaced the cap on his head. Laughter and excitement was in the air for the full hour and a half procession. It was an unique and fun experience!
Christmastime is a great time to be in Germany. There's Lebkuchen (think gingerbread), Glühwein (mulled wine) and of course, Christmas markets everywhere. There are many similarities to how Germans and Americans celebrate this time of year, but there are certainly also ways that Christmas in Germany is a unique experience. The Christmas MarketsGermany is known for its spectacular Christmas markets, called a Weihnachtsmarkt in German. They last for various periods of time in the month leading up to Christmas Eve and include a variety of food and Christmas-ware stands. I visited as many as I could find time for and started a collection of Glühwein mugs. The largest one I went to was actually just across the border into France, in Strasbourg. It was enormous! There were multiple separate plazas each full of rows and rows of Christmas stands. It was truly magical. The next stop was right here in Tübingen. I only went briefly because the market was only up for one weekend, but more importantly, Tübingen also has a chocolate market around the same time, with chocolate stands from around the world (and lots of free samples!). A very unique Christmas market is the one that takes place in Esslingen. The whole market is medieval themed, with a hand-crank mini Ferris wheel, archery, and many old fashioned sweets. It's wonderful to walk through each one and absorb the individual Christmas spirit that each one emanates. For anyone who finds themselves in Europe around the holiday season, be sure to check some out! NikolaustagChristmas is not only the 24th and 25th of December; the 6th is a special date as well. On this day, Nikolaustag, Saint Nikolaus comes and leaves small presents for children inside their shoes, which they leave in front of the door. Saint Nikolaus even stopped by my dorm! The treeGerman Christmas trees are generally more traditional than the often brash or garish American trees. Obviously every home celebrates Christmas uniquely, but in my experience, American Christmas trees such as my tree last year in the left picture tend to have brightly colored lights and are jam-packed with ornaments of all shapes and sizes (sometimes including a pickle, although that is not actually a German tradition). German Christmas trees such as the picture on the right, on the other hand, often have only white lights or even candles, and primarily round ornaments (once again, this is a generalization; every family celebrates in their own way). Food and drinkBack home, we have the traditions of baking/decorating sugar cookies and making homemade eggnog. Here in Germany however, no one knows what eggnog even is. The closest thing I've found is called Eierlikör, and that is most definitely NOT the same thing. In desperate need of eggnog and in need of saving eggnog's good name (because most everyone hates Eierlikör), I made some myself. Nothing beats homemade eggnog at Christmastime.
Here in Germany, however, they have their own tasty traditions. Glühwein is everywhere, from supermarkets to street stands. It's basically warm mulled wine, with cloves, cinnamon, and often some citrus fruit. There's also Lebkuchen, which is similar to gingerbread, although I haven't quite determined if they truly are the same thing. Another typical German Christmas food is Stollen, a cake filled with dried fruit and sometimes nuts. I actually didn't encounter this one, but it sounds delicious! It was an enlightening opportunity to observe Christmas in another country, having previously only ever experienced my family's own traditions. I'm so thankful that I had a friend kind enough to invite me into his home and give me the chance to celebrate Christmas with a mother's cooking in a welcoming home. Thanksgiving is a very American holiday. Many of my friends here have been very curious in recent weeks to hear how I (and America in general) celebrate it, so I figured what better way to explain than to throw a Thanksgiving dinner? It was an enormous undertaking, but in the end it somehow worked out absolutely flawlessly! My menu was very extensive - in fact even more extensive than my usual celebration in America! This is going to be a long post, so bear with me, but I'm so excited to share how I pulled this off with limited space and some great help from all of my friends. I've included all of the recipes that I used, as well! The MenuFor appetizers (knowing that everything probably wouldn't quite be ready to serve by the time people started arriving), I grabbed some crackers and Brie to set out. Of course with so many people coming (there were almost 30 in my kitchen), we needed plastic cutlery, plates and napkins as well. For the Thanksgiving meal, we had a real turkey, and I found some lingonberry sauce in place of cranberry sauce. The various sides were mashed potatoes, gravy, corn, cornbread, mac and cheese, stuffing, green bean casserole, sweet potato casserole, some chicken schnitzel to supplement the turkey, rice, and bread rolls. Dessert was taken care of by my friends and consisted of pumpkin pie, apple pie, cookies, and truffles. By the end, we had the perfect amount of food: everyone had their fill and there was only one pan full of leftovers! I couldn't have planned it better if I tried. The TurkeyLet me start by saying I've never made a turkey in my life. I walked into this with zero knowledge of how it works, but luckily I had the internet to help. I started by finding a good 5kg (11lb) frozen turkey in the big supermarket in town. Now, the internet gave me a couple options for thawing it. I was told DO NOT thaw on the counter or in hot water. Either thaw it in the fridge or in a cold water bath. Also, it might take days. So I bought my turkey on Monday night, hoping the timing would work out. But I'm in a dorm, with very limited and shared fridge space so I got creative with the cold water bath, by which I mean I put my turkey into a clean recycling bin, stuck it in my shower, and filled it up with cold water. And there my turkey sat until Wednesday morning, when I was told by a knowledgeable source (my mother) that turkeys need to be brined beforehand. So early Wednesday morning before my courses, I drained the water and set to work sticking salt and herbs all over my masterpiece. Here was the tricky part: I had to make room in my fridge. But I did it, and my turkey got to surprise my neighbors when they opened the fridge. Finally the big day arrived. I had my floor mates prepare some chicken broth and take the turkey out of the fridge, so by the time I got home from class I could just toss it in the oven. The internet told me 13 minutes per pound for an unstuffed turkey and that turned out to be extremely accurate. I don't have a meat thermometer here so I was really concerned about how I was going to be able to tell when it was done, but luckily I discovered that in the absence of a thermometer, simply stab the meat between the thigh and the breast and check the color of the juices that come out: if they're clear, the bird is done, but if they're a bit pink or red, it's got to go back in for a bit. After the 13 minutes per pound had run up, I checked on the juices and they were perfectly clear. Success! I then let it sit in the pan under aluminum foil until it was carving time, and it turned out amazingly moist and more perfect than I could have ever dared to hope. A friend of mine took on the job of carving it and did an incredible job, even cleaning all the meat off the bones so that we could eat every last drop. I'm really glad I was able to make this happen, because a lot of Germans whom I've spoken to had never tried turkey before. I would say this was a very good first impression! The CornbreadCornbread is a very American food. All of the international students I've spoken to had no idea what it was or how it tasted, so of course I had to make it for them! There doesn't seem to be any cornmeal in Germany, but I did find relatively fine Polenta. First I bought corn flour by accident, but don't do that if you're trying to make cornbread abroad, because you can't use it. Instead just go for some smaller-grain Polenta. I even found a great Polenta recipe to follow! It turned out delicious and moist, and not overly crumbly. It was fun to see how everyone reacted to trying it: is it cake or is it bread? Well, it's just kind of cornbread. How do you explain it? But everyone seemed to approve once they tasted it. The GravyGravy was another food that was hard to explain. My translation of it was "Bratensoße" but that still left people wondering. They were surprised at its thickness but in love with the flavor. I used a very simple recipe that just uses a base roux of 4 tablespoons butter, 4 tablespoons flour and then added in some of the pan juices, supplemented with chicken broth. The recipe called for 2.5 cups of the juices but I added twice that and just threw in some sauce thickener ("Saucenbinder") and voila, gravy. The StuffingThe stuffing was absolutely incredible. I used a pretty basic recipe and doubled it to feed so many people. I forgot to buy my bread the day before, so Thursday morning I went to the bakery and bought a beautiful fresh 1kg loaf of half-white bread. It hurt me a bit to be cutting up such wonderfully soft bread just to toast it and dry it out, but in the end maybe the bread is what made it so amazing. I sort of used the spices in the recipe (parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme) as a guide to raiding my kitchen, more than as an actual recipe. I ended up throwing in some thyme, sage, and tarragon and it was delicious. The Mac and CheeseI wasn't originally going to have mac and cheese as part of the menu, but multiple of my German friends asked me to serve it because they had never had it before. I left this to a friend of mine, who made it super delicious and all of my German buddies were very impressed. I never realized just how non-German mac and cheese is. There's Käse Spätzle here, but that's not quite the same as some good, thick, cheesy mac and cheese. I was really happy to be able to introduce them to such a great dish. The Green Bean CasseroleThis was the idea of the other American girl on my floor. It was a great side to have! I just wanted to include it in my blog because of the notable absence of Cream of Mushroom Soup in Germany. We had to come up with a quick solution using some powdered mushroom soup. We managed to find a good substitute online using a roux of 2 tablespoons of butter and flour, and then used about 12 oz of milk (the equivalent of a can of evaporated milk, perhaps?) and the packet of powdered soup. It ended up looking a little soupier than the canned cream of mushroom, but it worked perfectly for the casserole.
All in all, this meal could not have gone more smoothly or more perfectly. Thank you to all of my friends who helped make it happen: my cutting minions who chopped all the potatoes, onions, and celery sticks, as well as my floormate who made the casseroles and my friends who made the mac and cheese and desserts! I hope I succeeded in giving everyone a memorable American Thanksgiving. Election Day is here, but I get to watch it from afar, in a country across the ocean. I've sent in my absentee ballot (thank goodness my flatmate had a printer and an envelope for me to use, or I'm not sure I would have gotten around to making it happen) and now there's nothing to do but sit back and see how it goes. With such an unprecedented election cycle this time around, I think it's rather enlightening to hear the opinions of non-Americans on our current predicament. The topic actually comes up in conversation relatively often, so I took the opportunity to ask my German friends to give me their opinions for this blog post. Obviously, every individual has a different opinion on the matter, but there were certainly noticeable trends. Thanks to everyone who gave me their opinions! I hope I'm able to convey everyone's answers well. On TrumpEveryone has different emotions when asked about Trump. For Germans, those emotions tended to be negative. I've heard many times that at first his campaign was funny, but now that it's come so far, it's terrifying. They're worried and angry that he could have even come so far in this election cycle and that people believe him. There's certainly also some amount of intrigue about how the outcome of a Trump presidency would affect America, but nonetheless, most of the Germans I spoke to are baffled and concerned for us. The Germans I spoke to were divided on whether or not he was qualified to be president. Some felt that his business experience qualified him, albeit in a negative sense (he knows how to use loopholes and bankruptcies to his advantage), or that pretty much everyone is qualified for the presidency since there are enough advisors surrounding the president to keep him in check and help him. Others felt he was very much unqualified. One of my friends said it would be "like putting a lobbyist in position of president. He's just there for the power and fame. He needs it for his ego." And I feel it's important to note this friend also felt the same applied to Hillary, saying that she too is just power-hungry and unqualified. The Germans I've spoken to really tend to resemble many people I've spoken to back home: displeased with both options. Some of the people I spoke to were surprised at Trump's popularity in this election, but many really weren't. One cited the history of the last 10 years of American politics in the world as his reason for not being surprised, saying that America tends to put its own interests in front of everyone else's. Another called Trump the epitome of American cliches: a self confident and self absorbed business man (and thus was not surprised by his popularity). No one can say for sure who'll win today, but the consensus is that it'll be very close. On AmericaI asked my friends if this election affected their views on America and Americans and the answers varied for sure. One friend said he now thinks that a large portion of Americans are dumb. We live in our little country towns and think that's the whole world; we can't see beyond it. He feels we don't think through problems well (and quoted guns as a prime example) and aren't modern in our ideas. "America thinks they are the greatest, but really they haven't been for a long time." Another friend of mine seemed saddened to say her opinion of Americans was lowered as a result of this election cycle. She was careful to clarify that all the Americans she's ever met are good people, and that just makes her baffled by this election. She certainly doesn't think worse of any individual American that she meets, but now that he's come so far, she doesn't really know what to think. One said that he previously "thought that the majority of Americans had issues with education and their world view, and this just proves that there are many easily-influenced people with superficial views." On international repercussionsThe overall consensus in regard to how this election's outcome will affect our international relations was negative. One friend believes that under a Trump presidency, our relations with Russia might improve, but our relationship with China would decline. Another friend compared Trump and Hillary, saying that a Trump presidency would negatively affect both our foreign and domestic policy, but Hillary would still affect our foreign policy for the worse. He felt very strongly that Trump was a global threat, however: "I don't want him to have the command of your forces. I don't see him really being able to cope with foreign interests to maintain the status quo. His views will only be focused on the United States, but in today's world, we need to work together and not only be focused on one country. We have to interact with each other to compromise and find solutions to satisfy most people's interests." One said "it will be harder to solve international problems with him because we need America to be strong, and he would weaken America. If he wins, it would give fresh energy to political parties in Germany such as AFD." AFD is a German political party (Alternative for Germany) described as right-wing populist and opposed to the EU and to letting refugees enter the country. In the context of historyOf course many people in America have compared Trump to Hitler. I was very curious to know how Germans felt about this comparison. Overwhelmingly, they saw a couple of similarities between the two but overall found them not to be comparable. "All conservatives hate minorities and immigrants; Trump and Hitler didn't create that." Someone else said, "You can draw a comparison, such as with the propaganda, using the fear of the people and their unsatisfaction with what's going on in their country and channeling that to create hate against minorities in order to gain power. That's the same concept to what the Nazis did, but usually comparing someone to Hitler is not a good way to have an argument. I don't like comparing everything to Hitler." Another friend had this to say: "Trump doesn't have an ideology like Hitler had. I see he has equal potential to inspire masses and move them in his favor with his talking. It's like hypnotizing masses; he's talented in that. But other than that, they aren't similar. The same goes for Hillary: she can give good speeches but has no ideology. Maybe it's just the hype about having a first female president that makes her attractive." One friend of mine had a great deal to say on the matter. I can't include it all here, but I'll try to include the main points: "Hitler was a demagogue who knew about his effect on influencing people with his charisma. He claimed to be the chosen one who could fix all problems on his own as an almost messianic leader... Trump also likes to portray the iconic leader who could fix America's problems almost overnight, although he seems not to have a convincing plan of how to do this. Nevertheless his main goal is certainly not to start a world war but to 'make America great again'. Compared to the situation in Germany after 1918, Trump's idea of an America that lost its 'greatness' isn't quite real, because the U.S. is still the most powerful nation and never lost its actual influence after becoming a superpower in World War II. Interestingly, Donald Trump himself uses this gestures and words linking to the Nazi period but doesn't want to be perceived as a neo-Nazi. He always dissociates from any comparison and plays it down as a joke. Possibly he only wants to provoke those thoughts. But just making racist statements doesn't make him the next Hitler...I think he only enjoys the attention he gets while acting like this or saying things that he knows will offend many people." In conclusionThis election has been a mess; I think most people can agree on that. The media across the world is reporting on it, and people internationally are waiting with bated breath to see the outcome. I've focused on German perspectives in this post, but of course many of my friends here are from other international countries as well. Those who I've spoken to about politics have expressed similar opinions to those of my German friends though. It's certainly an interesting subject to discuss.
I've already voted, but to everybody back in the States, please take this opportunity to exercise your democratic rights and influence the direction of our country. Every vote counts. Make sure yours is cast. Today I got a tour of the Französiches Viertel of Tübingen, or French Quarter in English. After World War II, Germany was divided up and occupied by English, American, and French forces. In Tübingen, French soldiers occupied the area south of the town, giving the French Quarter its name. When the soldiers finally left in 1991, it left Tübingen with a large number of barracks and a sizeable amount of space. Some of the barracks became student housing (I actually have friends who live there currently). They also named an area in memory of the war, as can be seen in front of the barracks building. The French Quarter has very unique architecture. After the soldiers left, families got together to design and erect their own apartments. Often, they opted to put a common garden area or lounge building in the center, since it would be too expensive to afford a personal one, but together it was manageable. As a result, each building looks different. It makes for a very cool atmosphere. On the southeastern edge of the French Quarter is a sort of commune area of alternative living. It’s full of decorated trailers and huts. Apparently there’s also a fun festival held there every year. It was cool to explore a part of Tübingen today that I hadn't seen before. It has so much history attached to it that was great to learn about.
Today I had the opportunity to visit Eugen-Bolz Gymnasium in Rottenburg to plan out how a friend and I can volunteer to work with kids learning English. Gymnasium in Germany goes from grades 5-12 and after students graduate, they can go to University. This is one of multiple paths German students can take. There is also the option of Realschule and Hauptschule, where students prepare for jobs and apprenticeships, rather than for college. It was very cool to see a German Gymnasium and learn about some of the differences between that and an American school. For example, we simply walked in the door. There was no secretary who had to buzz us in, no security guards. Students were free to roam outside and go elsewhere for lunch. It was a relaxed atmosphere, and all of the teachers were very warm and welcoming. In addition, the school had some very neat additions in the basement, namely a bunker from the Cold War and the ruins of Roman baths. After we planned our schedules, we got a tour of a piece of the bunker. It’s truly enormous, as can be seen in the floor plan. It’s no longer in use, so last week they used it as a haunted house for the students. It also used to house a hospital, which has since been relocated to Nigeria. I look forward to the insight that this opportunity will provide me! I’ll really be able to learn more about the differences between German and American schools.
Oktoberfest: one of the biggest things everyone thinks of when they think of Germany. Let me start out by saying I didn't actually go. Really it was going to be just too expensive to be worth it. The trip there is pricy, the beer is of course ridiculous, and everyone I spoke to said its just dirty and crowded and full of super drunk people. But my friends and I felt nonetheless that we had to have some sort of Oktoberfest experience while we were here, so we checked out the closer celebration called Wasen, in Stuttgart (Oktoberfest is only in Munich). As expected, a liter of beer there cost about €10 (for reference, I can buy a liter of beer in the supermarket for under a Euro). But it was still a fun experience to share with friends. We drank some beers and even walked through one of the enormous tents, where they sing lovely German Schlager music (if you're dying to know what that sounds like, look no further). But all in all, I really don't feel like I missed out on anything by not going to Munich. I was later speaking to someone from Munich about how they felt about Oktoberfest and I initially got the answer I had heard before, that they hate all of the drunk tourists taking over the city for a few weeks. However, I also got a viewpoint I hadn't considered before. The girl I spoke to considers tourists wearing Lederhosen and Dirndl to be cultural appropriation. These traditional items of clothing are specific to Bavaria (as opposed to all of Germany) and there is of course great significance behind them. After having this conversation with a Bavarian, I found this good blog post that explains all of that much better than I could. It's actually a really cool history that began back in 1626 with the establishment of a dress code by the Bavarian Prince Elector Maximilian I based on people's social status. But really it was interesting to see this different perspective after even I felt like I should be wearing the traditional garb at Stuttgart's version. I would love to see more tourists really learning about the history of the garb before simply buying it for the sake of what they think Oktoberfest is really about.
While on the topic of history, Oktoberfest itself began in 1810 with the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxony-Hildburghausen. The next year, they decided to repeat the horse races which had occurred at the wedding, which gave rise to the tradition of celebrating every year, and the rest is history. A more complete history can be found here. Oktoberfest is a cool part of German (Bavarian) culture, but it's good to know a bit about the event itself, rather than just subscribing to the idea that you go there to wear Lederhosen and get hammered. Now that I'm finally settling in here, I'm slowly but surely branching out in my cooking. My staple meal to cook continues to be pesto pasta, but in between those, I've made some real meals as well. The first "real" meal I made was some delicious easy pasta with just chicken, sundried tomatoes, spinach, and a bit of milk to make it creamier. It was actually really fun and empowering to cook it on my own! I made a whole pound of pasta and a pound of chicken, which fed me for a solid 3 days at least. It also saved some lunch money, which is always a plus. The pasta didn't need a whole pound of chicken in it, so once I had eaten all of those leftovers I still had some chicken to turn into a tasty pesto/chicken/sundried tomato wrap! Cooking for myself is fine, but sometimes it's nice to have group dinners as well, where everyone chips in a couple of Euros and helps out in the kitchen. Those are the most fun because they include some good conversation alongside the good food. We had one nicely well-balanced meal (albeit of the frozen variety) with fish, peas, and french fries for good measure. If there's one thing I've been missing here in terms of food (besides bagels, that is), it's a good American burger. I'm talking a nice, thick, juicy patty. So I decided to throw a burger party and make my own! Best decision that I've made here. They were incredible! We didn't find a grill, but they really tasted just as good out of a pan. We even fried up some bacon for the occasion, and one of my friends made an amazing apple cake for dessert. As a side note, I find it kind of hilarious that any hamburger buns or sliced white bread in the supermarket is covered in American stars and stripes; it really shows how foreign it is in German culture. As for the topic of shopping, I definitely shop differently here than I do in America. Since I don't own a car, first of all, I need to always be aware of the fact that everything I buy needs to get carried home. It really makes me limit my shopping and only shop a little bit at a time. It's also very convenient that I live right near two small discount supermarkets and a little bakery where I like to buy bread. I tend to think of one meal I want to make and just shop and cook all on the same day. This has recently backfired, however, due to a cultural difference between America and Germany: here in Germany, everything is closed on Sundays. There are some restaurants that might still be open, but in terms of shopping, there's just nothing. I have not been the only one to fall victim to this difference either; in fact all of my friends are currently in the same boat of having nothing to eat besides perhaps some pasta. You might be looking and saying "oh, this post is written on a Monday though" and you'd be right: today happens to be a holiday (Reunification Day) and of course all of the stores are thus closed, so it has been two days of living off of pesto pasta for breakfast, lunch and dinner... Next week I'll be more careful to stock up on Saturday, that's for sure! I love me some pesto pasta, but it can't be my only form of sustenance. Cooking resourcesIt's always good to have some easy recipes and ideas when you're just starting to cook for yourself. I recently found this website with dinners that use 5 ingredients or less, and of course there are some good subreddits out there, like Eat Cheap and Healthy or Budget Food. Those are the resources I've found so far, but if anyone knows of other good sites, let me know! I'm feeling ready to try some real cooking.
Germany obviously differs from America in many ways, but one very prominent way it distinguishes itself is its lack of credit card use. Sure, some supermarkets or electronics stores accept credit cards (mostly VISA, sometimes MasterCard, and never Discover), but overall, cash is king. Germans really love using their cash, and of course the numerous coins as well. It's been a bit frustrating for me because I have found it really impossible to keep track of my expenses. For me, it's always felt like spending cash was like eating the crumbs of a cake; it doesn't really count. That mindset really only functions when the majority of transactions are on a credit card. Finally today I downloaded this app called Dollar Bird. We'll see how that goes, but so far it seems like a good way to input my expenses. If that doesn't work out, I may try using Google Forms combined with Google Sheets, but that seems a little hacky and I love a good user interface. Luckily, soon I'll have an EC card! That's Germany's version of a debit card pretty much (EC=electronic cash) and soon one will be in my possession because today I made an account at a German bank. Oh man was that difficult. There was a lot of vocabulary that I didn't know and at times the employee switched to English to help explain some ideas but I made it. I already have a bank account back home with Bank of America specifically for this trip since they partner with Deutsche Bank and let you take money out of Deutsche Bank ATMs for only a 3% exchange rate fee, but it was also important to get a German bank account for a couple of reasons. For one, I want that EC card. It'll be so nice when I can use a card again, instead of always paying in cash. Most places at least accept an EC card I think, unless they're really tiny. Another reason though is for rent and health insurance. Here, everyone gives their landlord, insurance company, etc. their bank info and the money gets automatically withdrawn. Seems sketchy to me, but then again it'll save me from having to pay bills so there's a plus. I got an account with Kreissparkasse, with the thought process that now I can use DB ATMs and Kreissparkasse ATMs. Plus I had a coupon for a free year with them. Honestly the hardest thing to understand was their online banking process. The lady told me that their app was super confusing even for a German speaker, so I should go with the "TAN Generator" option. I guess they sometimes exist here in America for added security, but I've certainly never seen or heard of one. For anyone wondering, here's what I'm talking about... It looks kind of like a calculator, and you have to stick your card into it and physically hold it up to your computer screen. The concept is totally foreign and bizarre to me... but I guess I'll get used to one. It's luckily only about €10 to buy one, and the woman insisted it was far easier to use than their app (how horrible is this app exactly??). So now it's time to wait for my card to come in the mail and then I can start better monitoring my money flow and carrying fewer coins everywhere.
For more about why Germans hate credit cards, check out this super interesting Quartz article that I found the other day. |
AuthorJust a girl trying to get by in Germany for a year and having adventures along the way! Archives
April 2017
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