Like a Local

Hallo. Morgan. Bitte. Danke. Genau. Tschüss! All the daily norms you hear walking the streets here in Berlin. It only takes a few days in this beautiful city for it to easily become your norm too. The many diverse people and cultures I continue to come across still amazes me. Most people here that I’ve run into can speak English (thankfully) so it hasn’t been that hard to get around. In fact, I’ve noticed most can even speak three languages – their “mother tongue” as they call it, German, obviously, because they are from here or learned it on their own, and English since it’s universal.

I was honestly a little nervous with transitioning to public transportation and giving up my car. How do I get groceries? What about big items? How about emergencies? And way, way, way (way, way, way) in the back of my head there was even the slight thought, “What If we have another baby?” It was an adjustment but it has been surprisingly easy.

Since most people in Berlin do not have a car, stores are conscious of making your travel back home a little easier. Items like toilet paper or paper towels have built-in handles on them. If you purchase something bigger, like electronics, some stores are able to put straps and a handle directly on the box before you leave. It just takes some planning ahead – you get the groceries you need for the next day or two and buy things in chunks instead of bulk. Totally non-American, right?

And because homes are smaller, we’ve quickly learned not to purchase things just because we can. We’ve learned to compensate for the lack of space, countertops and storage and ask ourselves if it’s something we really need. The answer most of the time is no if we’re thinking like our “Berliner” selves and not the American version. And if public transportation is not your main choice of transportation, you’ll become a professional in parallel parking or learn to zip through traffic alongside cars on a bike.

When I came to visit before moving, I noticed people with portable shopping carts (“einkaufstrolley”). I was excited in thinking I figured out how to transport the bigger shopping runs so one goal I had before going back to the states was purchasing one. I have to laugh at myself now because once I got a little more in the culture, I notice the einkaufstrolley are mostly used by the “older crowd.” Whoops. The “normal crowd” will tough it out and carry multiple bags all the way home if they purchase more than a backpack can carry. But hey, I’ve got a bad back, I don’t want my hands and arms feeling numb and I’ve got a kid in tow so that’s my excuse.

Conservation is huge here. The lights in apartment stairwells are on a timer. Some escalators don’t move until the sensor is triggered as you walk toward it. The engines of cars automatically shut down when they come to a stop. People use reusable plastic flip-top containers for their packed snacks instead of plastic Ziploc “snack bags.” There is a trash can on just about every other light post on every street. Bags cost money wherever you shop so the majority of people walk with backpacks and/or have grocery bags that fold into themselves.

Recycling is widespread and very well organized. There are numerous colored bins around the city and in your apartment’s trash area indicating the type of waste to be placed inside – paper, plastic, glass, metal, biodegradable, etc. A deposit of 8-25 cents is paid when bottles, plastic or aluminum are purchased and can be redeemed when returned empty. It’s a little bit of a chore to haul back, but what ends up being €3 for a 6-pack of beer when you do makes it totally worth it.

Still or sparkling? The question you’ll be asked when ordering water. Food is very easy to access – and cheap! There is a coffee shop or bake shop on almost every street and in most subway stations. People on-the-go grab a pastry or sandwich and continue on their journey while eating it out of a paper bag. You can even find guys (“Grillrunners”) who have a grill strapped on them selling bratwurst on the street for less than €2.

I love working remotely. It’s nice to switch office views and enjoy a cup of coffee exploring different cafes around the city. And just like some locals, I now scoop spoonfuls of foam off the top of my coffee before indulging when before I couldn’t figure out how to avoid getting it on my nose.

Cash is mostly preferred, not all places accept cards. I remember getting a funny look when I asked our landlord if I could pay our rent deposit by check – everything is used via IBAN transfer. There are these plastic square plates at the counters of stores or public bathrooms that are used to exchange payment. And yes, you pay for public restrooms – sorry, I mean “water closets” – but that’s really all of Europe in my experience unless of course you are dining or shopping somewhere, then there is no cost. The money, I assume, goes to the attendant that greets you and helps keep everything clean. Even the “City Toilette” you can find on streets (basically a fancy porta potty) require payment and self-clean when you’re done.

I love that trust is huge here. From time to time you may randomly get asked to show proof of your subway ticket but it’s very uncommon. I’ve seen babies left sleeping outside in their strollers while their parents are inside eating. People post on Facebook looking for available babysitters when they’ve never even met them. A salesman at the store told us to ask our neighbor for their WiFi password when our internet was down and he looked at me like I was the crazy one when I responded – “really?” 

We walk – A LOT. We can’t get away from climbing flights of stairs. I do have to say though, I love how our drastic change in culture fits our family. Robert hated driving anyway, Lina can now burn her crazy energy while walking in zig-zag patterns as we venture and I, well, can convince myself I’m walking off all the good food I’ve been consuming. Sure, it’s not perfect here and we’ve had our share of frustrations like dealing with very rude people or having to keep up with a daily single load of laundry (my personal preference) to compensate for the no-dryer drying time but “alles ist gut!” (all is good, duh).

We’ve just started our experience and there is so much more to learn but living like a local and adapting to their ways that are so different from our lifestyle 5,000 miles away makes every day a new adventure. Their culture made me appreciate things more – they live simply and at a slower pace (too slow at times). I hope I can bring that mindset back to the states when we return, even if I’m unable to buy a €2 bratwurst from a man with a grill strapped to his body ever again.

Other Fun Facts:

• Coworkers are referred to as colleagues.
• Work vs. life balance actually exist with mandatory 20+ paid vacation days and 10+ paid holidays per year.
• It’s “take-away”, not “to-go” when ordering food.
• Rent for a furnished place usually is all inclusive of internet, cable, electricity, heat and water.
• In all of Europe, dates are written in this order: Date/Month/Year and the 24-hour clock is used.
• When writing the #1, they look like sevens or arrows that point up. Some 9’s look like the lower-case g.
• From what we were told, the Starbucks hype died quickly when paper cups became a litter problem.
• Graffiti is everywhere but doesn’t resemble the ghetto or bad area – it’s “street art.”

• Culture