During my first months in Germany, I was thrilled but also shocked. Many of the initial culture shocks that I perceived will be written here. Like my homeland Ecuador, Germany is also a country with western philosophy and christian majority. Eventhough, there are plenty of differences to talk about. Keep reading!
Human photo created by wayhomestudio – www.freepik.com
This post and many more are related to my Exchange Year in Germany from 2008 to 2009. In this country I lived with various host families and learned German too. Click in the link below to read more.
Table of Contents
Social Pressure to drink Alcohol
In Germany there is more respect if you decide not to drink alcohol or smoke. If someone offered me alcohol or drugs, I would say “no thanks” and they wouldn't insist. In contrast in my homeland Ecuador, it is usual to offer alcohol, insisting several times and people try to persuade again if the person refuses. Some of the phrases could be:
- But drink one!
- Drink already.
- Don't make me beg it.
- Don't pretend that you don't want.
- How unpleasant. Drink!
- Do you have to drive or what?
- What? Don't you like it?
Variations apply. It was a culture shock to see that in Germany people had not problem with it.
Common Use of Drugs
In this blog post, I share how it was the very first time that I saw marihuana in my life, which happened to be in Germany. Click here to read:
Casual Smoking
One day my host parents from Brück went away during the weekend and my host brother and host sister did not miss out the opportunity. They invited a friend to a small social meeting.
I also saw that my host brother was preparing a joint of marihuana to smoke with his sister, his cousin and his female friend. Again I was surprised by the “abundance” of that drug. They smoked quietly, outside by the balcony, and they tried to close the door so that the smell of smoke would not enter the room. Interestingly, when they smoked marijuana, they played on YouTube songs by Patrice like “Soulstrom” or Bob Marley “You could be loved”.
An expected Culture Shock
Although I expected it so since most movies (from Hollywood and from Europe as well) deal with this and it's ‘normal'. But seeing it with my own eyes was a different experience.
At most social gatherings, I met people who offered me marijuana. Most were willing to give me at least 1 taste (smoking that time), while a few wanted me to buy them by weight.
Many germans asked me: “How much does it cost in Ecuador?” I had no idea. I had never smoked or shopped in my entire life and I was almost 18 years old. Funny enough, most of them were younger than me. They couldn't believe what they heard.
“But if in South America is where all the marihuana in the world comes from, how did you never taste it?”
they said, without much reasoning.
“But if that's where all the marijuana in the world comes from, how did you never taste it?” they said, without much reasoning.
I remember that they bought a small amount for 10 Euros perhaps. One day I asked his friend: “And how do you get marijuana?” He replied that he knows a friend and he in turn has another friend and so on. “It seems like a complex network of contacts,” I said.
Isn't there marihuana in Ecuador? Of course there is and a lot, but either:
- is more camouflaged.
- isn't distributed too freely (i.e. mainstream). Most people will smoke it with people that also smokes but don't share them with people that doesn't smoke frequently. Exceptions apply.
Funny Signs of Discouragement
Another detail to consider among the culture shocks, are the many details about order that the germanic tribes have. Interestingly enough, love is also regulated.
When I dropped off Sand, my exchange student friend, I noticed a sign which was quite unique. Near his house in the tram station in Bensberg, Bergisch Gladbach, there was a taxi sign. This one was special.
It forbade the passengers to say goodbye to the people who left them on the sidewalk, like relatives or friends. It says “just get on or off” and on the sign there was a woman on a car steering wheel blowing kisses in the shape of hearts with her hand.
My Reaction
You have no idea how loud I was laughing about this sign as soon as I interpreted it. Alone, I was making noise and perhaps others around saw me with worrying. How can it be possible that the authorities are partially indolent? Although I understand that if these strict rules are not put in place, there will be abuses because surely people will talk longer and will not leave space for other people to use that platform to use or order a taxi.
It seems taken from the novel 1984 where utopianly it would be punished with the law to say goodbye to a kiss. How funny.
The most important Culture Shock: Safety in the Street
On the night of August 23 of 2008, I went to the cocktail bar “Cubanito” with an exchange student friend called Sand. On the way to drop off him in the house, I found an Audi A8 parked on the street. For many people around, this was normal but from the cultural background where I come from, this would be very risky.
The Antisocial
In Ecuador there are many thefts of material things inside the car. It depends on the area where you are, the time of day but in general, you would choose to leave your car in a parking lot or in a safe neighborhood or with a paid guard. In general, there is no violence but you could find your car with a broken window or a falsified deadbolt or plate. The thieves (sometimes also called “antisocial”) take what they have in the car (clothes, computer, cell phone, charger, etc.) to sell later on the black market.
So see a luxury car parked there on the street? With the engine visible? Without any protection? Such a culture shock. Although I accepted it, I couldn't help but to think about the consequences of doing the same with the Audi A8 on the street at 11pm on a Friday in Ecuador.
That's all? No more Culture Shocks?
I will continue to write here more and more experiences as I remember them and as I check my notes and pictures. Stay tuned and subscribe to the e-mail newsletter.
voyageLlama's Index of Content
Click on the following link to browse likewise content in the blog in voyageLlama. This index will help you see what you are looking for in a bird's eye view:
Keep Reading!
- Culture Shocks in Portugal, silly and unusual but awesome Differences
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- 001 – What is Audioviajes? Introduction to the program with JuditovaWelcome to the first episode of Audioviajes, the voyageLlama podcast. Juditova presents the show and reveals some themes from the following episodes.
- Culture Shock: my first contact in few weeks in Germany
At the beginning of my exchange student year in Germany, there are culture shocks with the new foreign culture. Click here to read more. - Night Life in Germany and the Elusive Obvious
The elusive obvious is something in front of you but you can't see it. I realized this in the night life in Germany. Click here to learn more.
