Living Abroad

Have many of you spent a prolonged period of time outside your home
country? I'll be spending a year in Germany beginning in August. Does
anyone have any advice?

tcthompson.blogspot.com

On Jul 5, 6:29 am, thompstc wrote:
Have many of you spent a prolonged period of time outside your home
country? I'll be spending a year in Germany beginning in August. Does
anyone have any advice?

tcthompson.blogspot.com

Use some of the local resources for finding out information. There is
a lot of free information in public libraries and tourists offices
(and tourist offices are usually much better for residents than
visitors). I'm sure that well within a year you will discover what
you really should have taken with you that is unavailable at your
destination. However, in your short time you may be unable to
inexpensively return for a shopping trip. If you don't speak German,
take an accelerated German course.

I hope that you have a pleasant stay, and if you are going to be in
Stuttgart where I now live, you can ask me more detailed questions.

George

On Thu, 05 Jul 2007 04:29:25 -0000, thompstc
wrote:

Have many of you spent a prolonged period of time outside your home
country? I'll be spending a year in Germany beginning in August. Does
anyone have any advice?

I will also be going to Germany to live from 2nd August. I've lived
and worked there before, so with the benefit of hindsight and whilst
preparing for another move, here goes.

1) Learn the language before you go. You don't have to be fluent, but
if you have a reasonable working knowledge, your path to integration
will be easier and you'll have some building blocks for increasing
your fluency as time goes on.

2) Building up a new social life when you move anywhere is a challenge
- even more so if you're moving abroad. When I worked there before, I
happened to have a couple of colleagues from Ireland - they'd been
there longer than me and so were able to introduce me to a wider
social circle. Later on, I did a couple of lectures (in English) at
the local Anglo-German organisation - got to know more people.

This time around, I've done Part 1 of a training course with a nice
bunch of people - Part 2 onwards happens later in August. I also know
a couple of people in Berlin who I've worked with on previous
occasions. Furthermore, I've volunteered my services to a little
museum which is run solely by volunteers, and as the theme of the
museum is something I'm passionate about, there's some common ground
to start off with. More to the point, as I've recently been working in
a visitor centre here in England, I know museum work is something I
love.

3) Dealing with local bureacracy can be a challenge, so learn about
registration, work permits, residence permits, getting a tax card,
health insurance (etc) so you know what you're letting yourself in
for. Plenty of info on the web.....

http://www.howtogermany.com/


http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/germa...re/index.shtml

http://www.eduserver.de/zeigen_e.html?seite=4120

http://www.berlinfo.com/Worktime/Emp...mits/index.htm

http://www.berlinfo.com/Worktime/Aut...tion/index.htm

http://www.expatica.com/actual/artic...story_id=34067

and there's lots more!

4) Like anywhere else, if you appear polite, friendly and open, you'll
find that the Germans (like most nationalities) will respond in kind.


Keith, Bristol, UK

On 5/07/07 6:29, in article
, "thompstc"
wrote:

Have many of you spent a prolonged period of time outside your home
country? I'll be spending a year in Germany beginning in August. Does
anyone have any advice?


Not much advice just some observations on culture shock.

We have been out of the USA for over 30 years, living in France.
So long that we eventually obtained French citizenship while
retaining our American but having no intent of returning to
the USA.

It all probability you will have culture shock for the first
month or two. The first week might be euphoric but then
the culture shock usually sets in. You will not like
some things are done (like store closures in Germany
makes shopping difficult). Then you will adapt
over the months following this initial depression of
having to deal with many things you don't like dealing
with.

Depending on your adaptation to Germany, the culture
and the language, you might find reverse culture shock
occurring returning to your home country. Prior to coming
here we had live in France for one year periods in the mid-1960s
and early 1970s. So we made several comings and returnings.
We personally found the culture shock returning to the USA
worse than coming to France so eventually we opted to
come to France permanently. This meant getting a job here
(I was offered one, so no job search was involved)
and selling our house in California and buying here. So
unlike one year visits in which one usually rents we
began living "real life" in France. That experience
is different than a temporary residence.

The only lesson I perceive is that one can move
to another country having a different language and a
much different culture and adapt to it. In fact,
in adapting one gathers some self-confidence.

On Thu, 05 Jul 2007 09:45:08 +0200, Earl Evleth
wrote:


It all probability you will have culture shock for the first
month or two. The first week might be euphoric but then
the culture shock usually sets in.

This reflects my experience the first time I worked in Germany.

You will not like
some things are done (like store closures in Germany
makes shopping difficult).

Good point - very few places are open on a Sunday. However, there are
places - for example at railway stations - that are there to cough
"cater for the needs of travellers". In Berlin there's a supermarket
at the Zoo station that opens 8 - 22 on Sunday, there's a couple at
Ostbahnhof (East Station) and some more at other stations.

Hamburg Hbf (main station) is more like a huge delicatessen with
trains running underneath.

If you live in a city, it might be a bit of a hike but you'll always
find somewhere for those essentials you forgot - like a carton of milk
or that magnum of champagne.

Then you will adapt
over the months following this initial depression of
having to deal with many things you don't like dealing
with.

Very character building - but I agree - it can be tough.

Depending on your adaptation to Germany, the culture
and the language, you might find reverse culture shock
occurring returning to your home country. Prior to coming
here we had live in France for one year periods in the mid-1960s
and early 1970s. So we made several comings and returnings.
We personally found the culture shock returning to the USA
worse than coming to France so eventually we opted to
come to France permanently. This meant getting a job here
(I was offered one, so no job search was involved)
and selling our house in California and buying here. So
unlike one year visits in which one usually rents we
began living "real life" in France. That experience
is different than a temporary residence.


The only lesson I perceive is that one can move
to another country having a different language and a
much different culture and adapt to it. In fact,
in adapting one gathers some self-confidence.

The experience of working in Germany really did boost my confidence
and self-esteem.




Keith, Bristol, UK

Am Thu, 05 Jul 2007 09:11:41 +0100 schrieb Keith Anderson:

Good point - very few places are open on a Sunday. However, there are
places - for example at railway stations - that are there to cough
"cater for the needs of travellers".

Plus gas stations - they also open Sundays and often late at night and sell
stuff like food and drinks. You pay a bit more than in normal stores, but
if you did forget to shop it is a good thing. Most stations make more money
from the sales of food, drinks and papers than from the sale of gas.

Regards,

Frank

On Thu, 5 Jul 2007 10:19:16 +0200, Frank Hucklenbroich
wrote:

Am Thu, 05 Jul 2007 09:11:41 +0100 schrieb Keith Anderson:

Good point - very few places are open on a Sunday. However, there are
places - for example at railway stations - that are there to cough
"cater for the needs of travellers".

Plus gas stations - they also open Sundays and often late at night and sell
stuff like food and drinks. You pay a bit more than in normal stores, but
if you did forget to shop it is a good thing. Most stations make more money
from the sales of food, drinks and papers than from the sale of gas.

I was once with a UK tour-group and we arrived in Trier on a Sunday.
There was a gas (petrol) station very near the hotel and it must have
made an absolute fortune out of us. It was a very hot day and I bought
Apfelschorle after Apfelschorle!


Keith, Bristol, UK

On 5 jul, 10:32, Martin wrote:
On Thu, 05 Jul 2007 09:11:41 +0100, Keith Anderson wrote:
On Thu, 05 Jul 2007 09:45:08 +0200, Earl Evleth
wrote:

It all probability you will have culture shock for the first
month or two. The first week might be euphoric but then
the culture shock usually sets in.

This reflects my experience the first time I worked in Germany.

The cultural shock of moving to somewhere like Katwijk from an exciting
metropolis like Cwmbran New Town in the 1960s, lasted several years.

Was it the culture shock that lasted several years, or was that the
wait for telephone service to be supplied that lasted several years ?

B;

On 5/07/07 10:41, in article ,
"Martin" wrote:

I gave up trying and didn't try again until after I had moved from Katwijk and
we had a baby on the way. It took just under nine months to provide a phone
although the line etc. was already there. In California it took about 20
minutes to get a phone connected.


France was terrible and expensive in the 1960s but now, at least in Paris,
it is rapid, a day or two.

My daughter who lived in Frankfurt for a couple of years had trouble
with getting a phone, it took a while. There is some illusion about
the Germans being efficient and hard working.

Am Thu, 05 Jul 2007 11:16:16 +0200 schrieb Earl Evleth:

My daughter who lived in Frankfurt for a couple of years had trouble
with getting a phone, it took a while. There is some illusion about
the Germans being efficient and hard working.

The German Telecom is not really a good example for efficiancy :-)

They used to be state-owned an run and it still shows (same as the railway
over here).

Regards,

Frank