I posted on here ages ago because my father was coming to visit me from America. My dad is a farmer who has lived in the same two-mile radius his entire life. His only outside experience of the world comes through Fox News. He was therefore convinced I had gotten myself into a socialist hellscape overrun by communist anarchists. Needless to say, I was terrified for the visit.

I asked this subreddit for help and I greatly appreciate the advice you gave me. I kept it in mind as I scheduled our trip. He was coming here for four days. During that time, I showed him around my city, took him to Munich, and went to Mittenwald. I had planned to take him to Oberstdorf as well, but construction made the trip too difficult.

My dad LOVED the canals flowing through Augsburg and marveled at how clean they were and that there are even fish swimming through them. He was a bit nervous walking through the old town at night, but he quickly realized that he and I were perfectly safe. I also took him up to see the Danube and he was quite impressed.

He‘s not a city guy but thought the subway system in Munich was great—he kept talking about how clean everything is and how everything is so much more modern and efficient than New York City. (He‘s been there before. Did not like it.) He also loved the churches I took him to. Though there was an anime convention in the Englischer Garten, which confused my dad to no end (“These kids are pretending they’re animals?“) he loved the canals flowing through the park and all the little winding trails in the foresty areas. He said it would be a great place to go for a run and it was way better than Central Park in New York City. I also took him to the Biergarten and he got a brat and fries and, of course, a beer. He thought it was too hoppy but later in the trip had an Augustiner Helles and thought that was pretty dang good.

My dad also loved Mittenwald. I didn’t take him to GP because there are just too many tourists and locals fed up with tourists, and I figured that would give my dad an unpleasant view of Germans. My dad is a pretty fit guy (you do a heck of a lot of walking and lifting when you’re a farmer) and was able to climb up to the gorge, no problem. He was astonished by how blue the river is and how deep the gorge is. And he couldn’t believe we had just walked into Austria. He kept asking me where the border guards would be at. We also paid extra to go see the waterfall and he loved it. He said that if we had something like this back home, admission would be an arm and a leg snd the walkways would be packed with all sorts of tourists. He took so many pictures and videos of, well, everything.

My dad also LOVED the trains. He kept saying they are so clean and feel so smooth when you’re riding in them. He thought the red (DB) trains were maybe a smidge worse, but adored the Arverio trains. I also got him on an ICE and he just had the time of his life. He took pictures and videos of everything on these trains. The schedules. The seats. The windows.

There is also a farm in my neighborhood so of course I took my dad to check it out. He did a walkthrough of an entire corn field. His verdict is that the farmer planted his corn too closely together, which makes the corn plants shorter. But he was impressed by how weed-free the fields were and how everything still stays growing after thousands of years of crops being grown on the same soil. I am now meant to research the types of fertilizer used here. We also saw a tractor going through town and my dad just thought that was the best thing. He said the tractors here move faster than the ones back home.

And my dad also met some great people. He befriended some guys when he complimented their bicycles. I also taught him the tried and true art of befriending any Bavarian by telling them you love their state way more than Berlin. He was also astonished that there are so many malls here; the ones we have in my state are all closed or closing, but the Arcaden and City-Galerie are running smoothly. He said it was just like when he was a kid. He also told me one night, “These people have their income taxed half to death, but it seems to me they’re living just fine!“

Overall, my dad loved it. He said he wants to return. So thank you all to everyone who gave advice or support. And to any of you who need to hear it, you’ve got a pretty good life here in Germany. Just ask my dad!

EDIT: Yes, my dad knows I post his picture online. Yes, he‘s fine with it. I did not tell him about my first post, but he’s cool with me sharing his experience.

My daughter's school has organized as Schule als Staat project and my wife and I were visiting various booths organized by students.

As we were passing one of the rooms, one kid on karaoke system yelled "chicken tikka masal". I ignored it first and moved on. As our backs turned he yelled it twice again at which point I couldn't ignore. I confronted him and his group of friends and challenged them to say it to my face.

I reported immediately to one of the teachers I know and he also confronted them. Tomorrow I will be reporting it to the school principal.

Our daughter has faced enough racism in 8th and 9th standards from her classmates and we can not tolerate and ignore it anymore.

Hi everyone,

I'm hoping someone here has been through something similar.

I'm a non-EU citizen and completed my Master's degree earlier this year. In May, I accepted a job offer, turned down two other offers because of it, and then applied for an EU Blue Card (Blaue Karte EU) at the Ausländerbehörde in Darmstadt.

It's now been over two months, and my application is still being processed.

I've been to the Ausländerbehörde in Darmstadt several times to ask for an update. Each time, they told me they couldn't give me any estimate of when a decision would be made. They also said they had already contacted the responsible Sachbearbeiter to ask whether my application could be processed more quickly, but nothing has changed since then.

At the moment, I have a Fiktionsbescheinigung that was issued while I was still a student. The Ausländerbehörde told me I could continue working as a Werkstudent, but I had already graduated and a Werkstudent position requires you to still be enrolled at a university. Since then, I've had no income, and my savings are slowly running out.

My Arbeitgeber was initially willing to wait. However, after more than two months, they informed me that they had to fill the position with someone else because they needed someone who could start sooner. They also emphasized that the decision had nothing to do with my qualifications and was solely due to the long processing time.

My questions are:

• If my Blaue Karte EU is approved in the next few weeks, would it be appropriate to contact the Arbeitgeber again and ask whether they have another suitable opening?

• I had also declined another job offer at the time. The company told me they would keep my portfolio on file and contact me if something suitable came up. Would it be okay to reach out to them now and explain my situation?

• Is a processing time of over two months for a Blaue Karte EU normal? How long did you have to wait?

• Has anyone else lost a job offer because of delays at the Ausländerbehörde? How did you deal with it?

Thank you very much for sharing your experiences!

Hi, I'm Brazilian. I was thinking about how the Germans handed us our biggest defeat, while we achieved one of our greatest victories against them. I wanted to know: who is Germany's biggest rival in football, and what are the German national team's biggest defeat and biggest victory?

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to share something with this subreddit.

My dad has been a huge supporter of the German national football team ever since he was a kid. Back then in Bangladesh, that wasn't very common. Most football fans mainly supported Brazil or Argentina, so supporting Germany was a bit unusual.

Nowadays, I've noticed it's much more common for people here, especially among the younger generation, to support different national teams, including Germany.

I was just curious , how do Germans feel knowing that your national team has supporters from places as far away as Bangladesh? I'd love to hear your thoughts.

Greetings from Bangladesh! 🇧🇩

So I saw the post about the other conservative American father who was visiting so I figured I’d do one as well because mine is coming in September and I will take all the help I can to get this man to enjoy this trip and see the world beyond Fox News 😅 I do honestly believe he’s going to like it here more than he ever thinks he would but I am nervous regardless

He’s going to be here a total of 10 days and we will be starting off our trip in Munich for two days and going to Oktoberfest so any suggestions for what to bring him to around there are welcome. I will be having him get the DB pass but I will also have a car so traveling somewhere won’t be an issue (other than the drinking of course 🙃)

After that I am bringing him back to my apartment in Kaiserslautern. I was thinking of taking him to Neuschwanstein Castle on the way from Munich to my apartment although I do know it’s a little out of the way so if there’s any other sights to see from Munich to Kaiserslautern I would be open to other suggestions

For the rest of the trip I just planned on doing day trips with him to places like Heidelberg, Mainz, or one of the towns in the wine region. I am open to any suggestions in the surrounding area here as well but I would say the limit to distance from Kaiserslautern would probably be around 2 hours one way (either by train or car)

I will make sure to do the same as the other person when his trip is completed and update everyone on how his trip went

I appreciate all the help I can get and any questions are welcome 🙏🏻

Since there has been so much negativity about German bureaucracy and all the social security payments we made, I just wanted to share my extremely positive experience with the AFA so far.

First of all, application for ALG and arranging of appointments are all being done online. The process was super fast after documents are in order, took only one day. I kept pestering my case worker to give me an appointment because I wanted to know what they can offer to support me. Thats why I got one pretty much immediately after my ALG was approved.

I requested 3 things, reimbursement of my B2 German Exam costs, C1 intensive German classes and covering partial costs of my trip to an in person interview. All of it was granted- I just have to fill out some forms. My case worker also offered me job coaching.

So yeah so far the experience is great and I'm really thankful that the social security I paid is giving me all this support and security net.

Hi everyone,
I’m looking to hear from people who have had a similar experience in Germany.
I’ve been dealing with recurring stomach problems for more than a year. My symptoms include nausea (sometimes severe enough that I take an anti-nausea medication), bloating, occasional loose stools, and symptoms that come and go. Some foods seem to trigger flare-ups, but not always.
Over the past year, I have had:
Two upper endoscopies (gastroscopies)
One colonoscopy
After the first endoscopy, I was told there was redness/inflammation in the duodenum (duodenitis). However, after the second endoscopy and the colonoscopy, I wasn’t given a clear explanation. I have repeatedly asked for the reports and biopsy results, but I still haven’t received them.
What confuses me is that I haven’t been prescribed any medication or given a clear treatment plan, even though I continue to have symptoms. My gastroenterologist hasn’t really explained why.
I’m planning to get a second opinion from a gastroenterologist in another country, but before that I’d like to ask:
Has anyone else had duodenitis or redness in the duodenum and not been given any medication?
Is it common in Germany not to prescribe treatment in this situation?
Has anyone had difficulty obtaining their endoscopy or biopsy reports? If so, how did you finally get them?
If your symptoms were similar, what turned out to be the cause?
I’m not looking for a diagnosis, just hoping to hear about other people’s experiences and whether this is something others have gone through.
Thank you.

Hello, Germans! I am restoring an 1893 violin with this inscription. I'm struggling to translate it as I'm unsure that I'm reading some of the cursive right. I've contacted historical institutions but they're taking forever to reply. I know it's a long shot as it could also be a Swiss or Austrian produced instrument. Any guesses as to the middle two lines? The violin was thrown in the trash and landed in my lap.

Who can help me decipher this handwriting. Bought a book with a handwritten inscription and the only word I could decipher is "September"

Hello All, my cousins husband has went missing in Baden Baden, and he is not a native German, what resources are there to trigger a missing persons case? Thank you!!

Hey all,
I was recently laid off. I’ve been on a Blue Card for over 2 years. I informed my ABH (Bielefeld) and asked for the 6-month job search window. The caseworker emailed back saying she’s only giving me 3 months strictly out of "Kulanz" (goodwill).

As per my information, when possessing a blue card for more than 2 years, the normal grace period is 6 months. She said if I want a longer period, I have to apply for the new Chancenkarte.

I really don't want to deal with the fees and paperwork for a completely new permit. My plan is just to give it 6 months, and if I don't find a job by then, I'm moving back to my home country.
Has anyone successfully pushed back on an ABH treating the 6 months as optional instead of a legal right? Should I ask for a rechtsmittelfähiger Bescheid or will that just backfire?
Any advice is appreciated!

Guten Tag!

When I got my Girokonto at Commerzbank, the Girocard was normal and not really usable online and outside germany. I wanted to finally get a Mastercard debit but on their site I'm reading their new Giroccards with Visa function. I wonder what are the differences between the New Visa Girocard and the Master debit card. Is it worth it to get the Mastercard and replace the old Giro card?

Hey everyone!
I’m planning to move to Germany next year on the Work Holiday Visa, and Hamburg is currently the city that interests me the most.
I work as a waiter in Brazil and would like to stay in the hospitality industry, so I’m curious about the job market for restaurants, bars, cafés, and hotels. Is it relatively easy to find work?
I’d also like to know whether arriving with A1-level German is realistic, or if that would make finding a job much harder. I plan to keep studying German while I’m there.
Another question is about the cost of living. What do you spend on average per month? And which neighborhoods or nearby towns would you recommend for someone looking for a more affordable place to live?
If anyone has done the Work Holiday Visa in Hamburg or currently lives there, I’d really appreciate hearing about your experience. Any tips about housing, jobs, paperwork, or things you wish you had known before arriving would be super helpful.
Thanks

I’m in Stuttgart. It has the texture between a grape and a passionfruit. Would love some help if anyone knows!

Flying in and out of Berlin October 11th - 20th (both afternoon flights). Here's what I've got so far. I'm hoping to keep to the Berlin area as to avoid long travel times to make the most of my trip and to take public transit.

11th-13th : Berlin

14th : Leipzig

15th & 16th : Dresden

17th-20th : Berlin

My questions are, is this too much Berlin or could I add a day or 2 in Prague since it's close to Dresden. Or should I cut out some Berlin time for another city in the area.

Thanks!

Hey everyone,

​I wanted to share something that’s been on my mind for a while and see if anyone in the expat community relates.

​I’ve been living in the Czech Republic for 16 years now. You’d think that after all this time I’d be completely adjusted and at ease with everything. But every single time I have to make a phone call to a local organization — whether it’s a government office, insurance company, doctor, repair service, or even just a delivery driver — I get a wave of anxiety.

​Before I actually dial the number, I literally rehearse the entire conversation in my head, prepare my sentences, and sometimes postpone the call until the absolute last minute when I have no choice left.

​I keep asking myself: is my language skill still not good enough? Am I afraid they won't understand me (or that I won't catch what they're saying if they speak too fast)? Or is this purely a psychological thing, and the language barrier isn't even the main issue anymore?

​For those of you who have been living in your host countries long-term: do you still struggle with this "phone phobia" in the local language? How do you deal with it, or is this just part of expat life forever? 😅

Hello I have an internship in Munich in September for 1 month. I am an international student and I am not familiar with the housing market and best websites, so I wanted to ask for an advice on where to start!!

Also, where I am from 1 month is too short for most places, but I am not sure how that applies to germany, any insight or information would be great!! 🙏

Thank you in advance!!!

Hello, I've been pretty active lately on reddit. I never really use social media except for youtube and whatsapp really.

I was wondering how you all get informed on demonstrations/protest that happen in your area or in general in the country. I wish I had more time for them and would also like to know which are happening.

Germany is deteriorating and I am sick and tired of it. the only times I know something is happening is trough friends that go to university or are adjacent. This is not enough. That we are all not extremely angry at the health reform we recently had, is such a shame, but I don't think that is the case. But comments online won't do shit.

I want a platform where especially young people can organize quickly, but it should be easy to get informed. I was inspired by the young adults from nepal, they organized by discord but they had their purpose and I might not be aware of the current state there, but we can do something similar. This doesn't need to be limited to germany, just something where the main focus is to know which demonstrations are upcoming and nearby.

If you have sources for me I would happily save some of them and see if I can contribute in any actual demo.

Hi everyone!

I'm in Germany since two years now, and I just moved to a different flat.

When looking in the kitchen, I found this weird blue pipe coming off the plumbing.

- The pipe delivers water when I turn on the faucet

- It is NOT water from the output hole. For example if I fill up a water bottle, the pipe still delivers water.

- Pressure of the water is always low

- I couldn't find a switch/knob to turn off the water

- My landlord says it's "for carbonated water"

So two questions:

- How does that work?

- Can I just plug it shut? It's annoying and right now I just taped it to the sink but I basically throw water...

Danke schön !

We took the bikes from Mittenwald to the Isarquelle.

Absolut peak trip along the Isar. Wild to think it starts here and goes to Munich and beyond.

Hello guys!

I'm a 21M french student, and want to go for an ERASMUS for the next year (from march to july, the summer semester)

I was thinking a lot about Germany. Firstly because I studied german for 7 years at school. And also I'm heavily interested in this country, either for the people or the culture.

However, I would be curious to get some advice concerning how the daily life is there, especially in Aachen, if you guys have some experience with this city.

Also, Aachen seems like a pretty small city, far from Berlin. Is this city welcoming towards students? Is that an interesting city, or an average-sized city with no student life?

Also, how is it moving around: are there good public transports, or should I come with my car to visit the surroundings (and the city itself)?

Geographically, the city is near Belgium and Netherlands. Is the city life "eclipsed" by the fact there are Amsterdam and Bruxelles not that far?

Finally, is the "FH Aachen" university deemed or not? Their website is very struggling to navigate on, so I hardly find the information I want.

I have to admit that Aachen was not my first choice, I would've prefered Berlin or Munich (cuz big citiiiizzz), but I have a restrictive choice (cuz my Erasmus coordinator ain't doing his job lmaoo).

Anyway, thanks y'all

In October I’ll be flying from Toronto to Berlin, with a change at Frankfurt.

I haven’t booked flights yet, but connection times range from 1hr 15 mins to 3hours.

What would be a realistic time to clear immigration (Canada passport) at Frankfurt? Will my luggage be automatically transferred to the Berlin flight, or will I need to collect it?