You Know You’re in Germany When…

• NOBODY has heard of Dr. Seuss.
• everyone around you is speaking German.
• trucks are not allowed to drive on the freeway on Sunday mornings.
• all the cars are abnormally small.
• meeting someone who does not drink is shocking.
• public transportation actually functions.
• bread rolls are a common meal for breakfast, lunch, dinner, dessert, and for a snack.
• vending machines carry things other than food.

• wearing leggings under your jeans is very necessary in October.
• you take your shoes off before going into anyone's house, no matter how long you will be staying.
• no house has a front yard, but everyone’s backyard is huge.
• it’s normal for a house to be three stories.
• it’s normal to “live in a village.” 
• it’s seemingly impossible to find wifi in public.
• 65 degrees Fahrenheit is ‘too hot’ for a lot of people.
• everyone dresses like they are going to be in a fashion show.
• it takes longer to put on your raingear in the morning then it does to do your makeup.
• Starbucks virtually does not exist.

  Angie: Do you know where the Starbucks in Hannover is?

  Erik (from Sweden): What’s a Starbucks?

• everyone swears in English, whether or not they actually speak it.
• classes are cancelled when a teacher is sick or has a meeting.
• school usually gets out around 1.
• there are several types of “special parking places.”

• it’s normal for teenagers to get home from a night out by “taking the first bus back” at 6 a.m.
• teenagers go clubbing.
• DVD cases don’t have the movie rating on the back.
• everyone wears a watch.
• asking “how are you?” as a greeting is a foreign concept.
• bakeries fill the streets.
• there are bars in the train stations.
• scarves are not only a fashion statement.
• amusement park rides are based on height and age.

• grocery stores are part of the malls.
• all the cashiers sit in big comfy chairs behind the checkout counter.
• chocolate and beer are really cheap.
• it’s normal to see a group of 16-year olds walk out of a grocery store with a case of beer.
• bus drivers stop in the middle of their route for a ‘smoke break.’
• you have to pay FOR EVERYTHING (even things like shopping carts and going to the bathroom in public).
• Fabia and Felix are extremely common names.
• cutting potatoes with a knife and eating with one hand under the table are improper dining etiquettes.
• Nordsee is EVERYWHERE.
• it’s perfectly acceptable for dogs to be on the bus/train, on school campuses, and in the mall.
• it’s considered impolite for guys to stand while peeing in people’s houses.

• McDonalds is a huge deal, and sometimes even a ‘sit-down service’ restaurant.

You Know Your From California When…

• Everything on the Germany list is a foreign concept to you.

(Friends in California)