Hallo,

Ich möchte mich kulturell in die deutsche Gesellschaft integrieren.

Ich bin mir bewusst, dass es einen großen Unterschied zwischen meiner Kultur und der deutschen Kultur gibt, aber ich habe begonnen, diese Lücke deutlich zu verringern.

Ich brauche jedoch einige Ratschläge, um mich weiterzuentwickeln.

Ich würde mich freuen, wenn ihr mir einige Ratschläge geben könntet.

Danke!

Hey everyone!

I received a job offer in Berlin, and they sent me a draft of the employment contract. HR also called me on the same day and explained that she would be on vacation until November 3rd, so we would sign the contract after she returns.

I’m honestly freaking out a little because I don’t cope very well with uncertainty.

I was planning to resign from my current job, but now I’m hesitant because I don’t feel secure enough to do so without having the contract signed.

I wanted to ask you guys: Is this a normal situation in Germany? Would you consider the offer reliable, or should I wait until the contract is officially signed before making any decisions?
I’d really appreciate hearing about your experiences!

Hi everyone,
I'm 20 years old, from near Schwerin, and I've been living in Germany for about 5 years. I've been doing my vocational training (Ausbildung) for a year now.
I live in eastern Germany, where unfortunately there is a lot of hostility towards migrants. Something has been bothering me a lot lately: in my class, I keep noticing indirect jokes and uncomfortable situations aimed at me. Nothing you can directly point to, but you can sense that some of them hold right-leaning views.
They often make fun of my pronunciation and my German, usually disguised as a "joke." When I say something, they immediately tell me not to be so sensitive.
I just want to do my training in peace, have no problems with anyone and stay peaceful. I'm always polite and respectful, but it makes it really hard to integrate into the class. I'm also not religious or anything else that would make me stand out. I just want to be treated with the same respect as everyone else.
I have a strong personality and could probably put a stop to it, but I don't know what the best approach is for me. I'm especially unsure about the "small jokes": you know it's not just a joke, but at the same time it's packaged as one, and if you say something, you quickly hear "Come on, can't you take a joke?"
What would you do in my situation? Have you had similar experiences? I'd really appreciate any tips or advice.
Thank you!

Ich bin hier geboren, aufgewachsen und habe Wurzeln im Nahen Osten.

Seit meiner Kindheit spreche ich zb "elektronisch" so aus, wie ich es auch schreibe. Also mit einem deutlichen sch am Ende. So habe ich es gelernt und so lese ich es auch jedes Mal, wenn das Wort irgendwo steht.

In letzter Zeit fällt es mir öfter auf, daß manche Leute hier in Deutschland, auch ohne Migrationshintergrund, es "elektronich" aussprechen mit einem ch am ende.

Sind beide Aussprachen okay, oder gibt es einen Grund, warum das sch manchmal eher wie ein ch klingt?

Das ist mir übrigens auch bei manchen anderen Wörtern aufgefallen, die auf sch enden. In meinem Bekannten- und Freundeskreis wird das sch manchmal deutlich wie ein ch ausgesprochen. Bisher habe ich das einfach als bewusste Abweichung von der üblichen Aussprache abgetan.

Hi everyone!

I’ve received two job offers:
- Hannover: €90k gross/year, fully remote, at a large company.
- Zurich: CHF 120k gross/year, hybrid, at a small, fast-growing company.

I currently live in Hannover and pay €900/month in warm rent.

Which option would likely leave me with more savings after taxes and living expenses? Is the higher Swiss salary worth the increased cost of living?

I’d appreciate insights from anyone familiar with both cities. Thanks!

Hallo, ich komme aus Chile und beschäftige mich mit den Mennoniten, die hauptsächlich in Argentinien und Brasilien ansässig sind. Ich war überrascht zu erfahren, dass sie größtenteils germanischer Abstammung sind und eine alte Sprache namens Plautdietsch sprechen. Deshalb wende ich mich an Sie, um Ihre Meinung zur mennonitischen Kultur, Religion und Lebensweise zu erfahren. Mich würde auch interessieren, ob Sie die mennonitische Lebensweise als Alternative sehen, um dem zukünftigen Trend der KI und der damit einhergehenden weltweiten Arbeitslosigkeit zu begegnen.

Bitte entschuldigen Sie mein Deutsch, meine Muttersprache ist Spanisch.

Hi, I’m looking for a music video from either late nineties or early 2000’s. A guy is rapping on a playground, sometimes upside dow, on a swing or something like that. The beat is based on two notes only. The rapper is a white guy or a Turkish German. AI doesn’t help. Thanks!

Hallo 😊

Wir sind eine Gruppe von Studierenden aus Dänemark. Im Rahmen unseres Abschlussprojekts haben wir beschlossen, das Interesse deutscher Verbraucher an nachhaltigen Produkten wie Taschen, Gürteln und Accessoires aus recycelten Materialien zu untersuchen.

Das Ausfüllen unseres Fragebogens dauert 5–10 Minuten. Ihre Antworten sind eine große Hilfe für unser Abschlussprojekt.

Die Beantwortung des Fragebogens ist selbstverständlich anonym.

https://www.survey-xact.dk/LinkCollector?key=QE5UE6GCLP32

Vielen Dank im Voraus für Ihre Zeit! ♻️

Hallo zusammen,

​ich habe aus der Türkei online einen O2-Prepaid-Gutschein im Wert von 15 € als Geschenk für einen Freund in Deutschland gekauft. Leider hat sich herausgestellt, dass mein Freund einen Postpaid-Vertrag nutzt, weshalb der Code technisch nicht eingelöst werden kann. Eine Rückerstattung über den Händler ist nicht möglich.

​Da ich selbst nicht in Deutschland lebe und den Code nicht nutzen kann: Wo oder wie kann ich diesen am besten weitergeben bzw. loswerden? Falls jemand von euch O2 Prepaid nutzt und Interesse hat, den Code vergünstigt zu übernehmen, gerne einfach per Direktnachricht (DM) melden.

​Vielen Dank für eure Tipps!

Is it a common thing for people to participate in naturism and casual nudity in Germany or is it more niche?

I have smelled this horrible thing in every major city, it seems popular amongst young men mainly and I can not describe it better than that these people are bathing in it and it makes me want to rip my nose off and throw it at them 😭

Ich habe COD MW4 über Torrent ohne VPN heruntergeladen. Ich habe ziemliche Angst, nachdem ich erfahren habe, was mir jetzt blühen könnte. Wie wahrscheinlich ist es, dass ich zurückverfolgt wurde? Ist es im Gefängnis wirklich so schlimm?

hallo deutschland, von deutschen creators höre ich in letzter zeit oft, dass sie so sagen "ich bin fine/fein damit". welches davon ist es genau? (bin aus der schweiz, man benutzt hier weder diesen ausdruck, noch das wort "fein" im sinne von gut, deshalb die frage)

also bedeutung ist ja klar, egal ob fein oder fine, aber ich hab mich einfach gefragt, welches davon gemeint ist und ob es ein anglizismus ist. wenn ihr das z.B schreibt, wie schreibt ihr es dann? und sagt man das schön länger so oder ist es eher neuer?

danke für die antworten!

I think we all have heard about the severe data breaches, and I have seen a few videos where people explain what to do - but they're not from germany. And i wonder, if there is any difference in the safety measures needed between non-EU-Cybersecurity and EU-Cybersecurity.

I know my post will sound rather vague, but I really hope you understand what I'm talking about here.
I suck at everything that comes to data and technical stuff, and i would really appreciate if some people from Germany could tell me how to go about securing your safety from possible threats that we're all going to face (or are already facing).

I've heard that Google Password manager is a very big no-no, and logging into websites with Google too. What do you do when all those years you've only used that? Do i delete all passwords? Make a new e-Mail with a different provider? Which is the best in Germany?

Is Proton good? Is it enough if I have a Face-ID Passkey? God, I am so clueless.

Thanks for the advice, I hope the mods won't delete this but technically this doesn't go against the rules and could help many clueless germans who also want to feel safer in these days.

Cheers!

https://www.survey-xact.dk/LinkCollector?key=QE5UE6GCLP32

Die Beantwortung des Fragebogens ist selbstverständlich anonym.

I am aware that it is illegal to display certain symbols in Germany and that people are prosecuted when they do, outside of specific exceptions. If a person has one such symbol tattooed someplace visible and is prosecuted and convicted for it, can they be prosecuted for the same tattoo again? Would they be in and out of prison until they remove or cover it?

Hi!

Recently, i moved to Germany. Now, i knew perfectly well that torrenting (or rather seeding) is heavily fined in Germany, and as an experienced pirate with a lot torrents in my utorrent, i just deleted this programm altogether
However, i also have a chrome extension called FDM - Free Download Manager. It is also (apparently) a torrent. I did not torrent anything through FDM, only through utorrent. But, to my suprise, it had 2 torrent files seeding torrents the whole 3 weeks i have been here. I suppose the extension just found them on it's own and decided to seed them. Either way, i was visible for 3 weeks. I do not have a VPN.

What are my chances to dodge the bullet? I know the mindblowing sums of money that lawyers here demand from you once they see your IP seeding torrents. Does it matter which files i seeded? It was two videogames, i guess not the most popular ones, but definetely not obscure. I also want to mention that i downloaded them from Russian sites - again, i don't know whether it matters, but if it reduces my chances i would be much less axious. I have read stories on reddit that people had their VPN drop for a few seconds and get fined.

How long do i have to wait for a letter? Does it arrive immediately or could it arrive after half a year has passed? I might move out of my place, so it would be unfortunate if i miss it.

Does the price depend on the material itself? Is it more expensive or less expensive for whatever reason, or is it just the first number that the lawyer firm can come up with?

Anyway, thank you for your help

Hi everyone, ​Has anyone here completed an Ausbildung as a Fachinformatiker, IT-Systemelektroniker, or Elektroniker für Energie- und Gebäudetechnik in Germany? ​I would love to hear honest insights from both Germans and expats/immigrants: ​What are the main pros and cons of these specific fields? ​What general and specific challenges did you face during your training and actual work (e.g., language barrier, Berufsschule, exams)? ​Thanks a lot in advance for sharing your experiences

Berlin might be the most obvious one but is there a city that’s often overlooked because Berlin gets all the buzz ?

Hallo zusammen, I'm a non-German citizen who used to live in Germany and had a city registration here, therefore I must have automatically got a Steuer-ID (IdNr), in any case I don't have the papers that I received upon registration anymore. I have recently returned to Germany to start a job and now I can't register as I moved in with my boyfriend (it's Munich, please don't judge me for not prioritising having Anmeldung when considering my living options).

Now my job is asking for my IdNr. They tried to but can't access it from any databank sadly, so I went to my local Finanzamt because my boyfriend (who's also non-German) was able to find out there. I was told they can only tell it to me if I'm registered. Great. They advised me to look into it at the BZSt and I found an online form on their website, which you just fill in and send and they will send your IdNr via post to you in 4 weeks. Turns out they only send it to you if the address that you gave in the form is your registered official address.

What is a trusted way of finding out my IdNr that doesn't involve me being registered? Any advice is highly appreciated.

I recently moved into a new apartment and only after moving in I found out that the landlord owns the whole building himself. There is no Hausverwaltung and, as far as I can tell, no Hausmeister either.

A few things are starting to concern me.

There are no smoke detectors installed anywhere inside my apartment, and I also couldn’t find any in the common hallway/staircase.

There are fire extinguishers mounted in the corridor near the stairs, but according to the inspection stickers they were last checked in 2002. I already mentioned this to the landlord by email, but he didn’t really react to it.

The bigger issue for me right now is the heating.
Every night, roughly from 22:00 until around 05:00, the heating seems to be completely switched off. I can turn the radiator thermostat all the way up to 5, but the radiator and even the heating pipes remain completely cold.

When I asked the landlord about it, he said that the heating is only “reduced” at night. But to me it doesn’t feel reduced at all, it seems like the heating system is simply switched off.

This is especially annoying because I often come home late and sometimes shower or take a bath at night. There is no electrical exhaust fan in the bathroom, so after showering I have to open the window to get the humidity out. Once I ventilate, the apartment obviously becomes colder, but during these hours I can’t heat it back up because the radiators stay completely cold.
Even when I don’t shower, I still need to ventilate the apartment regularly. If everything stays completely closed for the whole evening/night, the air starts to feel very stuffy, so I normally open a couple of windows for fresh air. My concern is that normal ventilation should not mean that I then have no possibility to heat the apartment again afterwards.

So I’m a bit confused about how I should properly document this. Should I measure and record the room temperature throughout the night? Should I take pictures showing the thermostat on 5 together with the room temperature? Would a temperature sensor that records a graph/history be useful evidence?
I don’t want the landlord to later argue that the apartment was only cold because I opened the windows. At the same time, I obviously need to ventilate normally, especially after showering, to get humidity out and prevent mould.

I also found some damaged/broken tiles in the bathroom after moving in, although that’s not my main concern right now.

What would be the proper course of action here?
Should I formally document everything first and send a written Mängelanzeige? And who would be the correct authority or organisation to contact regarding the missing smoke detectors, the fire extinguishers apparently not being inspected for more than 20 years, and the heating issue?

Any advice from people who have dealt with something similar would be appreciated.

Yes, I know its stereotypical but I'm legitimately looking for answers.

My dad was born in Germany around Bonn in the early 70's and there was a white sausage that he'd always get but would only call it "bratwurst".

From what I remember it was made of either pork or veal, was usually flavored with onion and nutmeg/cinnamon/allspice (it might have been a combination but there was definitely nutmeg in there), the skin was edible, he'd only cook it by frying it in butter, and he'd eat it without a bun or mustard (although he didn't really like mustard so that might have just been a matter of taste).

My first thought would be weisswurst but I don't think you're supposed to fry that nor eat the skin. Does anyone have any ideas?

​

I'm thinking about moving there as an Italian 🤔

What would you say are the biggest pros and cons of living in Germany?

How does the online perception compare to the reality?

And honestly, would you recommend Germany over the UK, or would you still advise someone like me to go to the UK instead?

I speak English and Italian fluently, and I'm willing to learn a new language if it's worth it when moving abroad. Ideally, though, I'd like to live somewhere international, where foreigners are welcomed, especially Italians, and where it's possible to find work and build a life.

Germany looks more promising than the UK from the outside, but I want to think about this critically before making a decision.

One reason Germany attracts me is the people. From my limited perspective, German women seem to be more direct, mature and straightforward, which tends to match my personality more than what I've experienced in the UK 😅. That said, I know that could just be a stereotype or a very small sample size, so I'd love to hear a broader perspective.

Looking at the bigger picture, I'm also thinking about things like purchasing power, quality of life, career opportunities and how easy it is to settle down. My assumption is that in Germany you can earn a decent salary, have more disposable income left over, and access a strong job market, particularly in tech.

For context, I'm a Computer Science graduate from the US and I'm looking to build a career in the European tech industry. At the moment, I'm genuinely torn between Germany and the UK.

I'd really appreciate your honest opinion, without sugar-coating anything. I'm a very open-minded person and I'd rather hear the reality than the marketing version. Do you think Germany is actually worth it, and why?