Cultural Differences Between USA and Germany

Happy Friday, my friends! We went out for dinner just the other night to a nearby restaurant in our neighborhood and decided to sit inside since it was a little chilly out. As we were enjoying our night, I noticed how many people still chose to sit outside despite the cooler temperatures. Since living abroad for the past 10 months I've gotten used to the differences between the United States and Germany, but I realized I haven't written about them yet! I thought it'd be fun to chat with you all about some of the differences and to give you a little perspective on the changes Rob and I have embarked on.

Outdoor seating all year round // Düsseldorf temperatures are generally milder than the midwest and of course, on extremely cold days you won't find people sitting outside at restaurants and bars, but for the most part you can find people sitting outside year round. Restaurants and cafes actually have plenty of heaters AND they even have blankets on all of their chairs for public use. Huge fan of the communal blankets lol.

Distance is not measured by time // Back home we often say, "it'll take you 20 minutes to get there" or "I live two hours from my parents" and that is not the case here in Germany. Germans respond in kilometers so if I asked someone where a cafe is at, they'd respond with "walk 200 meters and then it'll be on your left".

The use of Metric System // For some reason the US uses the Imperial system unlike most of the world who uses the Metric system. We realized this quickly when we joined a gym here in Germany. Instead of lifting in pounds, I am now lifting in kilograms. It was a little confusing at first because I had to convert pounds into kg to see what I was capable to lift.

Celsius // I'll be honest, when in conversation about temperature I literally have no idea what celsius temperatures are. I have never had to use anything other than Fahrenheit, besides maybe a few times in a high school science class. Whenever someone mentions the weather I still have to try to convert it to Fahrenheit. Hopefully I'll figure it out one day before we move home.

USA's first floor is Germany's second floor // Yep! You walk into a building and that is considered "floor zero". You walk up the stairs, you're now on "first floor" and so on. You have no clue how many times I've gotten in an elevator and clicked the wrong floor because of this concept.

Beer is cheaper than water // Crazy right? It is cheaper to order a beer at a restaurant than ordering water. There is no complimentary water out and about. Water is typically served in a glass bottle and you have the option between still and sparking. A lot of times I'll just bring a reusable water bottle or just wait until I'm home to drink water.

Cash Society // Germany is still more of a cash society as compared to other European countries. Of course, people still use debit & credit cards but not as often. We still have to carry euros with us incase we want to go to somewhere that doesn't accept card. I'm still getting used to waiting in line at the grocery store and the person in front of me is digging through their the wallet for exact change. I'm like hello people, card is so much quicker! I know I'm just living life too fast paced and I'm working on being more patient lol.

So. Many. Cigarette. Smokers // Smoking cigarettes is extremely common. So common that the smokers don't feel like they should move when they begin smoking. I was waiting for a train the other morning and the man standing right next to me began smoking and his smoke went right in my direction. Back home I'd probably say something but 1. language barrier and 2. everyone smokes, so he probably didn't think anything of it.

What cultural differences have you noticed when visiting another country? I'd love to hear about it! Feel free to comment or send me a message.

Have the best weekend! ✨