Hi! My name is Kim, and this is my first blog. I am April’s twin, and we will be alternating each week in writing. We are still in America, but by next week we will be in Germany!

To prepare for our trip, April and I have been reading a lot of books to build up our knowledge of Germany. We were very surprised at some of the facts that we have learned. Did you know that in Deutschland, you not only have to pay for grocery bags, but also for public radio and public television?

If you thought birthdays are celebrated the same all over the world, you would be wrong. Something else we found particularly interesting was that on your birthday, you are expected to put on the party and provide cake to all of your friends and coworkers! Never tell someone in Germany that you have a gift for him or her; in German, “gift” means poison!

In Germany, you must think twice about credit card acceptance; never assume that the nice restaurant in which you just dined will accept MasterCard or Visa. To be safe, you should always look for familiar credit card logos on the store windows; if you do not see any, just ask.

As we will not be using our American cell phones, April and I are going to look into buying inexpensive prepaid phones once we arrive. Did you know that the German word for cell phone is das Handy?

The German language is more direct and uses far fewer euphemisms than the English language. If you need to “relieve yourself,” you call a toilet a toilet (eine Toilette), not a restroom. If you go to the “bathroom” in Germany, it is to take a bath.

We are definitely looking forward to trying German cuisine. From what we have read, the two essential staples of the German diet are bread (Brot) and sausage (Wurst). Putting the two together, you get what we Americans know as a hot dog. Although I am going to stop here, you should keep this is mind: Alles hat ein Ende, nur die Wurst hat zwei – Everything has an end; only the sausage has two!

I just wanted to let everyone know, who follows this blog, that today will be my last post with the DAAD. My internship ends tomorrow and I will be searching for new things to do in Germany. I haven’t quite figured out what I will be doing yet, but for the summer I will hopefully go back to teaching English. I recently met some other people working as freelance teachers who think the hours and money are great. So while it isn’t exactly what I want to do as a career it will be a good option for the summer. Make some money and do some traveling.

But before I start working again, I am going to take a vacation to Berlin and see a bit more of Germany! I

flickr:Thomas Becker

leave Saturday morning and will be staying a week. I think that should be enough time to visit the capital of Germany. A friend of mine has told me about a free English tour that I hope I can join. I can’t wait to see all the historic landmarks of the East and West, and I know that there are many amazing museums that I will have to visit. If anyone has any tips from a trip they went on to Berlin please let me know.

I’ve had a great time sharing my experience with all of you. I will continue to check this blog periodically so if anyone has any questions or concerns about moving to Germany for study, for a career, or because they have a German boyfriend or girlfriend feel free to write because I am sure I have an answer for you. Take care! -Eileen

Ich habe mich immer wohl gefühlt in Saarbrücken, weil es eine multikulturelle, freundliche Stadt ist. Die Menschen sind meistens gutgelaunt und sehr zuvorkommend. Mittlerweile dachte ich, dass ich die Stadt nach fast sieben Jahren in ihren Einzelheiten kenne und mich nichts mehr schocken kann.

Ich habe mich aber geirrt. Als ich letztens zur Post ging, staunte ich an der Johanneskirche, die gleich gegenüber der Post ist, nicht schlecht. Über dem Eingang der Kirche leuchtete nämlich ein rotes Neonschild mit einem Bild einer Kirche und darunter der Aufschrift “Offen”. Meine erste Assoziation, als ich das Schild gesehen habe, hatte selbstverständlich nichts Kirchliches bzw. Geistiges an sich. Denn leider ist Saarbrücken (wahrscheinlich wegen der Grenznähe) auch fuer seine zahlreichen Rotlicht-Etablissements bekannt. Auf der anderen Seite weckte das Schild mein Interesse und obwohl ich nicht gläubig bin, ging ich in die Kirche rein. Wer weiß, was die

Kirche im Inneren zu bieten hat, wenn schon draußen so ein modernes Schild hängt!? Und tatsächlich: die Kirche war innen drin genauso interessant wie von draußen. Denn sogar ich als Nichtkundige erkannte, dass in der Kirche Elemente mehrerer Religionen zu finden waren. Mein Gesichtsausdruck spiegelte anscheinend meine Verwirrung wider, da mich ein älterer Mensch gefragt hat, ob er mir weiter helfen kann. Ich habe ihn gefragt, was das genau fuer eine Kirche sei. Die Antwort, die ich bekommen habe, bestätigte nur meinen bisherigen Eindruc, nämlich dass Saarbrücken eine sympathische, weltoffene und moderne Stadt ist! Die Johanneskirche ist nämlich eine City-Kirche fuer alle Bewohner und Besucher von Saarbrücken ohne Rücksicht auf ihre Religionszugehörigkeit. Dieser edle Gedanke entschuldigt meiner Meinung nach auch das rote Neonschild an der Tür! .

@Wenzel/DAAD

It’s the most festive time of year in Germany. Christmas is at your doorstep and everybody is getting ready for the big family fest. How do you like the German Christmas time? How are you planning to celebrate it yourself and how is it done in your home country?

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@Ausserhofer/DAAD

Ich heiße…, Ich bin…, these are two of the first sentences you might have learned in your language course. These two are easy compared to many other words not to mention the German grammer. Which word twists your tongue into a tight knot? Which sentence do you have a hard time with pronouncing? Do you have a favourite word? Have you ever stumbled upon the sentence “Ich möchte noch nicht schlafen” ?

(c) Abbis/DAAD

Being abroad is always exciting. Everything is new and wants to be discovered. But once settled in you start to miss certain things you were used to at home. Also you start to enjoy new things the foreign country has to offer. Tell us about what you like best about Germany and what you miss most from home.

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@Hub/DAAD

The first weeks and months of your stay in Germany have passed. At university, partys or in your freetime you have met already many people and made new friends.

Are all of them foreign to Germany like you or are some locals among this crowd? Do you find it hard to get in contact with German students? Why?

@Hagenguth/Daad

Berlin, Hamburg or Munich? At the sea, in the forest or on the top of a mountain? In the kitchen, on your sofa or in bed: Which is your favourite place to be in Germany? Which city impressed you most on your travels across Germany? Do you enjoy the small size of the country and even the big cities which are also rather small compared to really huge metropolises like Delhi, Tokyo or Mexico City?  Let us know!

Auf dem Markt @Hofmann/Daad

In many parts of the world Germany has the nickname “Bratwurst country”. Also the country is known for beer, bread, black forest cherry cake, chocolate etc. But what do you like best? Do you favour a special kind of meal or is there something you could never ever gulp down? Tell us!

Abbis/Daad

Starting today we will ask you every Monday the “Question of the week” or “QoW”. To reach even more foreign students, we decided to ask it in English. We’ll start of with one that is the perfect beginning for any kind of conversation. So tell us: What do you enjoy most about German weather? Are you a fan of colorful leaves like Nienke? Do you miss the heat, the moist air or the constant sunshine of your home country? What’s your favorite season and how do you prepare for the German winter?

The DAAD-team is looking forward to your response.