Stranger in a Deutschland

I have now been in Germany for a month.  I can't believe it.  That went by so much faster than I ever would have expected. I thought this would be a good time to post about a couple of the differences between the US and Germany that I've discovered in that time.

Often people speak of culture shock when they head to a new country.  I think that shock is too strong a word.  It's more like that funny tingling feeling you get when you stick your tongue on a 9 volt battery. It's kind of fun but also kind of wrong at the same time. As much as I would like for this post to be a smooth narrative, I'm just going to post a bunch of random stuff.

Those unsmiling teutonic Germans. I think that the most common misconception about Germans is that they are very serious and they rarely smile. I would say that in general Germans tend to be a little more reserved than Americans, especially with strangers.  Once you know them a bit they are very friendly and definitely smile and laugh. Personally I'm having a fantastic time sharing the office of one of my German colleagues who is surprisingly chatty.  It's a good thing that I'm getting along so well with him because we get onto the tram at the same stop in the morning in Darmstadt, spend the majority of the day in the office together and then often end up leaving at the same time in the evening. I think that there are people's shadows that get more alone time.

Those insanely long German words.  We all know about those German words that seem to go on for paragraphs.  I finally figured out why they are so absurdly long.  If the Germans want to say something like the National Wildlife Foundation, it's written Nationalwildlifefoundation. They just smush it all together. Also they have a word for everything.  I'm not kidding.  Everything!  These were my two favorites recently.  While waiting for the tram one morning, my officemate explained that during the summer they had to repair the tram tracks and so there were buses substituting for the trams.
"It's called Schienenersatzverkehr."
Me: "Huh?!"
"Schienenersatzverkehr. Rail replacement bus service.  One word."
Me: "Of course."
"Schienen is rail, ersatz is replacement and verkehr is transportation or traffic. What do you call that in English?"
"Trains broken and we all have to taking the fricking bus. Many words."
The second word came about because we were in the office and we noticed some digging of trenches and filling of trenches outside the office window and my officemate said, "Das ist Arbeitsbeschaffungsmaßnahme."
Me: "Huh?!" My eloquence in English is not at its best in these moments.
"Arbeitsbeschaffungsmaßnahme. Work creating scheme. One word."
Me: "Of course."
I then spent the rest of the afternoon trying to say that word, and my officemate spent the rest of the afternoon laughing himself silly at my many attempts.

The Radio.  This may seem like an odd thing to mention, but there is really no theme for radio stations.  I discovered this on my through the Rhine Valley when I listened to Led Zepplin, Enya, Lady Gaga, and Italian techno in rapid succession. I checked back with my colleagues and they confirmed that rock stations will play ALL kinds of rock. If you're in the mood for some classic rock, best to mix your own CD and bring it along.

Water, water, everywhere and not a drop to drink. The one thing about the US that I really miss is free water with your meal and copious amounts of beverages.  I like to be well hydrated and I find it strange that I must pay almost as much for water as beer.  And the beverage containers are all so tiny.  It's like the entire populace is prepping for a trip to Arrakis. Boggles the mind.

Okay, that's what I have so far for general life in Germany.  I'll try to remember to write down more stuff as I go.