In this article, Silvana Andrea will share her experiences in Germany with us. She has been living in Munich for two and a half years and is originally from Bolivia. She is currently doing an internship with the Heideflächenverein in the field of environmental economics.
(The article was published in May 2021)
- Did you have any clichés in mind before coming to Germany? And which of them did you actually experience yourself?
In Bolivia, I worked at a German foundation, and that’s where I first came into contact with Germans. At first glance, Germans seemed a bit strict, too serious, cold, and reserved to me. Especially my boss. He constantly gave me many tasks to complete, but also enough time for them. By the end of the day, I realized that I was actually more productive than at my other job. That’s why I decided to definitely travel to Germany to further develop myself. I thought, and was also prepared, that many Germans, like my previous boss and colleagues at the foundation, would be responsible. To be honest, I was right about that. But I must also say, once the work is done, the colleagues are really nice, relaxed, and entertaining.
I also heard from my colleagues at the foundation in Bolivia that people in Bavaria drink beer for breakfast and that the beer in Bavaria is really tasty. I only believed my colleagues after I drank my first beer here in Munich. My thought was, ‘Okay, there really is a difference between this beer and the beer in Bolivia.’ But beer for breakfast seemed a bit exaggerated to me, until I also had beer for breakfast once.
- What is your first memory of Germany?
The first thing I did with my host family in Germany was to buy furniture for my room at IKEA. My first thought was, ‘Wow, only wealthy people can live like this.’ There is no IKEA in Bolivia, and I was fascinated by the size of the store.
- What do you currently like about Germany, in terms of nature, culture, and lifestyle? What do you find rather annoying?
I really like how helpful many Germans are. At the beginning of my stay in Germany, I couldn’t speak or understand German very well. Many of my acquaintances and colleagues didn’t mind explaining things to me repeatedly.
I like how Germans are committed to environmental protection, how they separate waste, and have a recycling system. I also appreciate how clean the streets are compared to Bolivia, without trash lying around everywhere.
I especially like the sense of safety I have here. I can be out late at night without fear. When I got lost, I asked passers-by for help, and they assisted me or showed me the way. In Bolivia, getting lost is dangerous. I must also add that it’s safer here in Germany not only for women, but also for men and children.
- What did you have to get used to in Germany?
In Bolivia, the summers are rather cool, so I had to get used to the hot temperatures of summer here at first. I’m happy that there aren’t as many hot months here.
The water in Bavaria has quite a lot of lime, in my opinion. My skin and hair have become drier. I need to give extra moisture to my skin and hair, which wasn’t necessary in Bolivia.
Food, specifically fruits and vegetables, tastes different here. For example, take pineapple and meat. The pineapple doesn’t taste like the pineapple I normally ate in Bolivia. It’s less sweet, and it also lacks that typical pineapple flavor I’m used to. Meat has less flavor and is also much more expensive in Germany compared to Bolivia.
- Have you ever experienced intercultural misunderstandings here in Germany?
There were misunderstandings when I scheduled an appointment with someone for 4 PM and arrived at 4:30 PM. I mean, those 30 minutes don’t make a difference in Bolivia, but here they do. It took me a while to learn to be punctual. I’ve learned that it’s better to arrive 10 minutes early than 10 minutes late.
Also, parents in Bolivia are, in my opinion, stricter than parents in Germany. For example, children in Bolivia can’t have everything they want. That’s why it was difficult for me to allow my host children to have everything they wanted.
- Do you have a favorite saying or phrase in German that you find funny or particularly like?
„April, April, er weiß nicht was er will!“ (“April, April, he doesn’t know what he wants!”) I also like sayings such as „Oje!“ or „Alter!“. I didn’t learn them from books, and I enjoy using them in my daily life.”
Translated by Joeline O’Reilly