10 Indicators You're Acclimating to Life in Germany

Besides stating the obvious -- the fact that I am sitting at home in a small city in Germany and am not having a panic attack or missing America at all (except for the green chili burritos) -- there are other indicators that I have begun acclimating to life in Germany.

1. Substituting the Y with the Z. In Germany, the letter "Z" is used much more in words than "Y", so their places on the German keyboard are switched. Therefore, I have found myself typing a Z when I wanted a Y, and vice versa. And don't disregard the umlauts (letters ö, ä, and ü). 

2. Baked goods are a new mainstay. Everywhere you go in Germanz (see? I did it again), zou will find a bakery. The German bakery is the most convenient place to get a snack. Pretzels, pizza, Kuchen, rolls, Käsebrötchen, etc. etc. etc. Zou can't eat much of anything fast that doesn't consist of 75% bread.

3. Becoming diabetic is not so far-fetched. This goes with Number 2 above. My bread and flour intake has increased 3,000-fold. Therefore, I could be diabetic. But am I brave enough to go to the doctor to get my blood sugar checked? Not yet. But I will watch for warning signs: extreme thirst, increased weight gain (check), and/or the loss of an eye, limb or digit. 

4. Words that begin with S now begin with "sch". My last name has changed and is now properly pronounced with an "sh" at the beginning. "Snow" is "schnow" and "stuff" is "schtuff." So many German words begin with the "sh" sound that it is logical (and fun!) to pronounced all "S" words that way.  Don't catch yourself schmilink. Aha! Further, "-ing" endinks can now end in "K"! One of my favorite letters. Liebling ist "Lieblink." It's fun to play with the German language.

5. You get used to the crowds. Being brushed or pushed aside on the street or egged on from behind in line at the grocery store used to be so irritating, but now, it's just an accepted part of life in this populated country. I imagine it's worse in China. Therefore, if a German person gets right "up my butt" at Aldi, I simply slow down, make lots of space, and cause them more irritation, unless of course they're sweet old ladies, like me. People can be taught to behave better, maybe, so I try.

6. Cusswords that are very bad in English are acceptable in German, and Scheisse and worse -- the F bomb -- are words I've heard spoken by German children. However... I still prefer not to say any of these bad words too often in either language, simply because my mother would not approve.

7. You have learned, unwillingly, to accept the fact that you may never have an icy cold drink again. You even begin to get used to drinking glasses of Coke or other beverages without ice. Were you expecting a large, icy soda pop to go with your popcorn at the movies? Fuggedaboudit. Oh, and double check your popcorn -- even if you order salty (salzig), the counter person might still give you sweet. Blech. 

8. You're international. Turks and Russians abound. Romanians are everywhere. Italians and Indians walk the streets together. Germany is an international country, with many MANY different kinds of people. Don't even try to imagine you're special (or inferior) because you speak only English or you're American. People come from all over the world to live in Germany, and Americans are just a tiny slice of the international pie. It's great!

9. You can't wait for winter. In Germany, Christmas isn't the best part of the month of December -- it's just one part. There are open air Weihnachtsmärkte in almost every town, and beautiful holiday lights adorn the skies over pedestrian zones. The skies may be dark and gray, and it's cold, but it's a good cold. You can bundle up in scarves and warm jackets, and walk hand-in-hand or arm-in-arm with a boyfriend OR a girlfriend. There are lighted parades, with children carrying candles, and street musicians whose fingers are subject to frostbite. The atmosphere in Germany in December is warm and lovely, though it may be storming all around. Stop for a Kaffee und Kuchen when you need a break, or get a Glühwein. Better yet, get a Glühwein mit Rum. That'll warm you up!!! 

10. You just might stay. With all the political drama back home, scandals about spying and secret wars, Obamacare and other groans and complaints, being far away from it all in Germany seems like a pretty good idea. That may be shocking to some considering what happened here in the last century; however, people learn from their mistakes (we hope), and now Germany is a welcoming international hub. Germans are smart, they're educated, they show lots of documentaries on television (to be more educated), they're cultured, and they have good pretzels. 

Those are some good reasons to stay... for now, anyway.

Dictionarz/Wörterbuch
Glühwein (mit Rum) - "glow" wine, or mulled wine. Served warm and can have added alcohol options, like rum, cherry brandy, or vodka
Käsebrötchen - cheesy bread or roll
Kuchen - cake
Liebling - loved one (term of endearment)
salzig - salty
Scheisse or Scheiße - shit
Weihnachtsmarkt - Christmas market
Weihnachtsmärkte - Christmas markets