5 signs that show you’ve integrated in Germany

You are doing all these things already? Congratulations, you are probably more German than you thought! 

So you have moved to Germany and it has been around a year. You had a culture shock at first and you asked yourself: Why are they doing things like that? It is quite strange. Maybe you got annoyed at other times as well. 

However, like most things, you get used to the culture shock and even before you know it, you will start doing those weird things yourself! In this article we discuss the progression of getting integrated into the German culture. 

1. Carrying a cloth bag everywhere you go: You do this more out of necessity. You’ll not get  free plastic bags with your purchase at the supermarket and it gets quite expensive to buy the cloth/paper/plastic bags every time you go shopping. So, after a few unplanned visits to supermarkets where you bought more than you could carry in your hand, you start taking these cloth bags with you everywhere you go.

2. Packing stuff really fast at the supermarket cashier: Often Germans live up to their efficiency and sometimes frustratingly so. So when you are too slow, you might get piercing glances from those queuing behind you. They aren’t rude of course, yet, you don’t want to show your clumsiness in public. You learn from the people in front of you in the line on how to get stuff done. As fast as possible.

3. Separating your garbage: It starts with you having separate bins for different kinds of waste. In Germany, there is a certain way the garbage is separated (bio, plastic, paper, batteries, different colors of glass and the rest). It is expected of you to separate it this way. It will take sometime to get used to it. Soon enough you will do it like the Germans do. Even when you are a guest at someone’s house you will ask for the right bins to throw your garbage in. My German friend says that the most “German” thing is separating the garbage. You can’t have more self-reflection than that.

4. Start writing nouns in Capital Letters: In German language, there is a unique quirk. You write all the nouns in capital letters, even the common nouns. So, once you start using the language and get used to the perks of this phenomenon, you will start applying them even in your English. True Story. See for yourself. 

5. Wearing socks everywhere: Not all of you might relate to this. However, with the cold winters, you will more often start wearing socks. Nonetheless, it is quite a German thing to wear socks everywhere and with everything. You will occasionally get to see people making destructive fashion choices by wearing socks with sandals, crocs, heels, etc. That being said you also have to understand that people don’t ever judge you on your fashion choices. Encouraged by the freedom to make your own choices and no stigma attached to it, you may start wearing socks everywhere as well.

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