Category Archives: You Know you Live in Germany When…

Rain Boots

Posted on February 5, 2013 by Jill

Today, I was walking into town to send a letter to a lady I met in the hospital over Christmas break. As I walked by one of the nursing homes, I saw one of the familiar old men out with … Continue reading →

Posted in You Know you Live in Germany When... | 1 Comment

Have a Good Slide into the New Year

Posted on January 6, 2013 by Jill

A phrase Germans use to wish each other a happy new year is “Guten Rutsch ins neue Jahr!” which literally means “Good slide into the new year!” I’m not sure where the phrase originated, but it seems to reflect the … Continue reading →

Posted in You Know you Live in Germany When... | Comments Off on Have a Good Slide into the New Year

Strangers on the Street

Posted on August 23, 2012 by Jill

Yesterday, I was walking back to school from the post office, when I stopped to say hello to a friendly Dalmatian. His owner, seeing my BFA Pep Band T-shirt, asked if I was from the school. I said yes, but … Continue reading →

Posted in You Know you Live in Germany When... | Comments Off on Strangers on the Street

Quiet Hours

Posted on August 23, 2012 by Jill

In Germany, the hours between 12:30 and 2pm are a time of rest and quiet. Most small businesses close during these hours; young German students often go home for lunch. And mowing is not acceptable. I was up the hill … Continue reading →

Posted in You Know you Live in Germany When... | Comments Off on Quiet Hours

Make it Well

Posted on May 1, 2012 by Jill

After German small group last week, I said ‘Tchüss!’ (goodbye), to which one of the members responded, “Tschau, make it well!” Confused, I turned around and said ‘Huh?’ and thought for a second. Suddenly I realized he was saying the … Continue reading →

Posted in Small Group, You Know you Live in Germany When... | Comments Off on Make it Well

Jahresversammlung

Posted on January 29, 2012 by Jill

Last Thursday was Stadtmusik Kandern’s “Jahresversammlung,” or “Annual Meeting.” The community band is a “Verein,” which is like a club. This was my first time attending the meeting. It was interesting to see all the ins and outs of how … Continue reading →

Posted in Uncategorized, You Know you Live in Germany When... | Comments Off on Jahresversammlung

Parlamentsauseinandersetzungen

Posted on February 17, 2011 by Jill

You know you live in Germany when lots of little words combine to make one really long word. I came across “Parlamentsauseinandersetzungen” while reading Drei Mann in Einem Boot” today. If it were in a newspaper column, it would have … Continue reading →

Posted in You Know you Live in Germany When... | Comments Off on Parlamentsauseinandersetzungen

The Only Manly Instrument

Posted on February 11, 2011 by Jill

On Wednesday at orchestra, the bass player made an interesting comment: Basses are the only manly instruments (Die einzige männlich Instrument ist der Bass). At first I thought he meant it’s because it’s a very low instrument and therefore has … Continue reading →

Posted in You Know you Live in Germany When... | Comments Off on The Only Manly Instrument

You Know You Live in Germany When . . . #10

Posted on June 19, 2010 by Jill

You know you live in Germany when the World Cup is a bigger deal than the Super Bowl! The craze started when the stores began using soccer balls as advertisements for EVERYTHING. They also supplied willing fans with all kinds … Continue reading →

Posted in You Know you Live in Germany When... | 1 Comment

You Know You Live in Germany When… #9

Posted on June 4, 2010 by Jill

You know you live in Germany when everyone celebrates church holidays, even if they don’t know what they mean! Yesterday was yet another German holiday. I thought we were done after Easter, Pentecost, and Ascension, but no! Corpus Christi literally … Continue reading →

Posted in You Know you Live in Germany When... | Comments Off on You Know You Live in Germany When… #9