If you are living in a local German town, there are cultural norms that your German neighbors will expect. (Berit Kessler (Adobe Stock))
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If you are living in a local German town, there are cultural norms that your German neighbors will expect.
Keep your section of sidewalk and street gutter free of debris or snow and ice.
Quiet hours are from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
Refrain from loud chores on Sundays and German holidays. For example, avoid vacuuming if you live in an apartment, or leaf-blowing and mowing the lawn if you have a yard.
Make the most of your tour in Germany by trying to learn the language. Here are a list of resources to help you learn the German language.
APPS AND WEBSITES
Google Translate This app allows you to type or speak words in German to see and hear translations. You can also turn on the image feature and hover your phone over the German text to translate in real-time.
Duolingo Duolingo provides you with a pre-test so you can begin your training wherever you are in your German learning. It has a gamifed technique to help you learn and practice.
Mango Languages Through Army MWR or USAFE Libraries’ websites, you can access Mango Language courses to learn German for free on your computer or mobile device.
Langster and Readle These apps provide free news articles from A1 (Beginner) to B2 (Upper Intermediate). You simply read the article and click on any word to see the translation.
Deutsche Welle (DW) The DW website (learngerman.dw.com) has multiple free web-based courses to help you learn German. There are traditional-style language classes, story-based or music-based learning, news articles in basic German and a placement test to help you find the right resource.
IN-PERSON CLASSES
Your local ACS, MWR or FSS will often offer free or low-cost classes.
German community colleges or “Volkshochschulen” have semester-long courses of all levels.
International language institutes, such as inlingua (www.inlingua.com), German Online Institute (germanonlineinstitute.com) or Berlitz International (www.berlitz.com).
Local tutoring centers or “Nachhilfe” will also sometimes offer classes specifically designed for American learners.
Recycling is a requirement in Germany. Each town has a unique trash and recycle pick-up schedule, which can usually be accessed online, via mobile app or by asking your landlord. Holidays will shift regular pick-up days.
PFAND
Many plastic, metal and glass recyclable drink containers in Germany have Pfand. This is an additional fee (typically €0.25) that is included in the total cost but treated like a deposit on the container.
You will recognize pfand containers by the small logo.
Do not throw away these containers! Instead, bring them to your favorite grocery or drinks store and deposit them into the return pfand machine. You can do many at once, and then you will receive euro credit to use in the store
BLACK BINS—RESIDUAL WASTE
Everyday trash that does not fit into one of the above recyclable categories.
BROWN BINS—BIOLOGICAL WASTE
Do not use plastic bags of any kind, even those labeled “compostable.”
Food waste
Egg shells
Coffee grounds
Fruit and vegetable scraps
Grass and yard clippings
Leaves
Cooled grill ashes
BLUE BINS—PAPER AND CARDBOARD
Flattened cardboard boxes
Containers
Paper bags
Newspaper
Books and magazines
Printer paper
Wrapping paper
Paperback books
GLASS
You must take glass to your nearest neighborhood glass recycling bins. There it must be separated by color: typically clear, brown and green. Do not put in any metal lids, ceramics or porcelain.
YELLOW BINS / BAGS RECYCLABLE PACKAGING
Metal cans & lids
Plastic bottles & caps
Plastic food containers
Plastic bags
Plastic film & packaging
Polystyrene and Styrofoam
Net produce bags
Tetra packs from liquids
Foil
