Things you wish you'd known...

I'm sure someone has posted a similar topic at some point in the past, but I couldn't locate anything recent. So, forgive me if I'm traversing well-covered territory.

I'm entering the official six-week countdown to my relocation to Munich (I arrive July 21st from the US.) I'd love to hear what advice/information you wish you'd gotten before you arrived - whether it be about the culture, the bureaucracy, the job market, the ease/difficulty of integrating as an English speaker - whatever.

In short, what's the one thing that would have made your relocation easier had you known in advance?

Make absolutely sure that you have a driver's license from a state that has a reciprocal agreement with the German government (Georgia does not, South Carolina does). If you have a driver's license from a state that does, you can just trade it in for a German one. If not, then it will cost you a minimum of 1200 EUR to get one. Bring letters from your past insurance companies as proof of your driving record. This may help you to get cheaper car insurance.

People in Europe recycle absoluely everything!!! Bring a grocery bag to the grocery and you have to pack your own. You have to pump your own gas at most stations. These are some things I learned real quick. I had no clue about the amount of things that could be recycled!!!
I hate packing my groceries and pumping my own gas I guess why I really remember those things

Good luck

The U-Bahn is the subway and the S-Bahn is the local suburban train network. They cover a great area and work extremely well. If you live near one of the stations and your work is also near a station, you don't need a car. Might be a nice luxury to have, but is definitely not a necessity.

I wish I spoke German before I came!

I wish I'd have known how to meet other ex-pats besides going to the Irish bars and getting wasted. There was no Toytown when I got here and it took me a couple years to settle in or to even find Munich Found for that matter (also lists clubs and organizations)

i wished id known that the TV license wasnt covered in my rent, that i cant cook more than spag bol/chilli, and that germans call US (scots) tight fisted wankers.

@hockeywidow - God, you've really been "molly coddled" haven't you? I HATE filling stations that aren't self-service and I hate other people packing my groceries for me - they never do it the way I want it!!! If they try it in the U.K., I unpack it all and start again!

I wish I had known GWB was going to be re-elected then I would have brought more supplies...

Definitely. The whole 'everyone speaks English' attitude won't fly here. Maybe they can speak English...but they won't necessarily do it.

I wish I had known about Toytown! But you've already sussed that one out.

Besides IPJ's point about the licenses (which certainly makes things much cheaper) - I would have obtained certified university transcripts for job hunting, and save a bit of time tracking that down. I also would've inventoried my electrical goods more discriminatingly; no need to bring alarm clocks over. I suppose it would have been less shocking to have researched apartment hunting, and budgeted items like toilets, etc. when searching for a place.

Can't really remember anything else that couldn't be coped with easily enough. Contrary to UA, I'm glad TT (or anything similar that was Munich-specific) wasn't around; d.i.y. forces integration that pays off in the long-term.

@Schotte
Everyone calls scots tight fisted No, I'm only joking, I'm from Yorkshire and they call us tight fisted as well. Don't worry about it

This manual is very useful:
Official Manual for Germany, Government publication for foreigners
Official manual for Germany - a useful handbook
PDF manual

I have to disagree with this point to say its totally worth coming if you dont speak German. I have lived here for five years and dont speak the language.

IPJ is right. I had one rom a really wrong ´wrong`(written andwrong test required). So I flew home, drove 6 hours to the another state (were my sister lived). Told then I just moved there. They gave me a new licence. I flew back to Munich and they went for and all has been rosey since. If you have a licence that can been immediate converted, check the list amd have your licence converted (although it may not be so easy since 9/11).

I agree with Randy. I'm glad TT wasn't around when I arrived in Munich. Great resource and all that but too many people hide behind it and are molly-coddled by it. People who would otherwise be forced to go out and discover things for themselves, make friends by themselves and be better people for it.

Not knocking TT itself at all, it really is a Godsend for people who might otherwise be completely lost at See, just sometimes makes things a little too easy for newcomers.

However, the topic is "Things I wish I'd known before coming to Munich". I wish I had known that I'd find my fiance and the love of my life here. I also wish that they were the same person. Just kidding. If I'd known in advance I would have gotten here earlier.

Oh, that and I wish someone had told me that Auslanders can't go register on a Wednesday. Wasted a day on that one.

I wish I had known how expensive over the counter drugs were. On my first trip back to the US I loaded up on enough Advil, Claritin, NyQuil, Bendryl, etc. to start a good size meth lab.

well, you can definitely get by without speaking German (i.e., inflatablewoman), but IMHO it definitely makes things MUCH easier.

agree with DW on the drugs. I also dislike having to explain my malady, and that I don't want herbs for it, every time I want a drug ("ich habe ein hangover")...

wish I'd stocked up on more peanut butter, chocolate chips and brown sugar. And red hot fireballs.

wish I'd purchased more travel books in English rather than paying a higher price for them here.

wish I'd changed my license beforehand. what a pain in the ass.

wish I'd not gotten a car. what a pain in the ass. (ok, not really. it rocks when it's sunny).

wish I'd known exactly how good the beer was going to be and quickly a beer belly can form (well, maybe not. like it impacts how much I drink...).

wish I'd known that supplies for small dogs are hard to find here.

wish I'd known that Germans are not, in fact, as unfriendly as the rest of the world paints them to be, or that there are many cool expats here to hang in addition to said Germans. Only because it would have made me less nervous about moving here...

good luck with your move!!!

(1) definitely the drivers license thing or at least get the license from a state wehre you only have to do theory (like me).
(2) buying at least 2 or 3 pairs of jeans in advance. not only are they so expensive here, but at 5'5" with curves you can't get jeans to fit. I only own jeans I bought in the U.S. - no i lie, have one pair i bought in d-land. they set me back €70 though. during the dillard's christmas sale, i got 3 pair for €70!
(3) same goes for a good pair of tennis/running shoes. got my nike running shoes in the u.s. for $55. same ones in d-land would have cost me €100.

Oh, another thing. Be prepared for the fact that you won't be able to get a lot of the same food in the stores that you were used to at home. If it's just that you are brand-loyal, get over it and buy the local equivalent. If you need it for dietary reasons, try to find out what the German equivalent is and where to get it. Otherwise be prepared for a long search and a hefty price.

Something else I did know before I came but others didn't. It's a great adventure! Be happy that you are moving and find it all exciting in its strangeness, not frustrating.

I have to disagree with your disagreement hehe

Getting by without German is stressful...especially if you ever have to go to the hospital or any kind of medical facility. Sure most of the doctors speak English...although they all like to claim that their English is 'really bad'...but the support staff and assistants don't. And it can lead to a lot of misunderstandings.

Also getting all your things set up...like telephone, DSL, etc...even renting a flat. Good luck if you don't speak any German. Some companies have been known to hang up on people calling if the person asks 'Sprechen Sie Englisch?'. It is just defeating.

If you are lucky enough to have German-speaking friends...then you might get by...getting them to make your calls...continue taking your mail for them to translate etc. but I just highly recommend getting some German under your belt before you decide to move over here.

One thing I should have known before I got here is that there are no 'right' and 'wrong' cultural norms. They're just different. Don't fall into the ignorance trap of assuming that just because you always did things one way, that it's the only way of doing them. And I agree with Blimeygirl on the language being important. I also don't think it's really possible to understand a culture without understanding the language.

I'll second this. I ended up in the hospital for emergency surgery and was there for five days. I'd only been taking German courses for a couple months at this point, and *nobody* in the hospital except for one nurse spoke English. Fortunately, we just happened to have had the hospital word lesson in my German course the week before...

they didn't even have t'Internet when I came here.

Me either. But I was much younger then.

heehee..I bought a big chunky book called 'Working in Europe' it was shite!

I disagree - I'm only here for one year and I must have saved WEEKS of time learning stuff about Munich on here and asking when I don't know. Like someone said before, TTing it is quicker than googling it. Better than any guide book...

Bring your bike with you (if someone else is paying the freight). Else buy one as soon as you get here. especially in summer, you can get around everywhere easily with the old treddly.

ooh, really good point Mailbags - bikes here (at least the new ones) are generally MUCH more expensive than in the US (and, no, not just due exchange rates).

Okay, I had to give in to my OCD urges and organize all this helpful info more succintly.

Things to Know Before Moving to Munich: A not-quite-definitive list

1) Determine reciprocity of driver's license
2) Bring own grocery bags to the store
3) Be prepared for lousy customer service
4) Get familiar with the S-Bahn and U-Bahn
5) Stay connected to TT
6) Don't rely too heavily on TT
7) Beware of the TV license
8) Speak some German
9) Don't worry if you don't speak too much German
10) Obtain uni transcripts
11) Don't bother bringing electrical stuff, 'cos it won't work anyhow
12) Don't go to the Auslanderamt on Wednesday
13) Stock up on OTC meds, favorite foodstuffs, books in English, jeans, sneakers
14) Acquire a cadre of German-speaking friends
15) Be open-minded
16) Bring a bike

Luckily for me - I have a reciprocal license (prompting the first time in my life that I'm thankful to be living in South Carolina), I speak sehr schlecht Deutsch, I've got my transcripts, CVS is right around the corner for my last-minute drug stockpile, and I've got a dozen German friends in and around Munich. Looks like I might survive after all

@georgiagirl
Thank you for starting this thread and for drafting the checklist.
Signed: somebody whose "countdown to Munich" currently stands at seven weeks

I wish I'd known how hard it is to find "plus-sized" clothing here -- I would have brought more clothes with me. A friend of mine who's pregnant says it's also very difficult to find decent maternity wear.

Don't bring bed linens with you -- they won't fit. The pillows here are enormous -- I brought some pillowcases (don't ask...) and have to fold the pillows in half to stuff 'em in. When you go shopping for bed linens here, be prepared: This is the land of ugly bedsheets. Unless you think 60's psychedelic is attractive.

@ kay
No problem, I wish you the best of luck with your preparations...hopefully you've been able to cross as many items off the "checklist" as I have!

@ gills
Thanks for the warning...bed linens shall remain in the States. Instead will bring along sleep mask to block out distracting tie-dyed sheets.

I haven't read the whole thread, but are you part of the BMW peeps that are coming over?
If so, ask your colleagues as there are about 50 of them here now.

No, I am a former BMW peep. And you are correct, I have a lot of (former) colleagues who are in Munich or will be quite shortly, there is a lot of preparation going on for a new model launch at our plant here in SC (in addition to Z4 and X5 which are currently in production.) My understanding is that the majority are only in Muc temporarily, and thus have not been particularly helpful in handing out advice to someone who plans to move permanently. Most of them quite frankly think I'm off my head to consider a permanent stay.

Sorry to wander off-topic...

A quick story about my arrival:

I arrived in Munich on a Tuesday and after sleeping for a few hours I headed to Toytown Tuesday at Guenther Murphy's. I arrived without knowing a soul so I was keen on getting to know a few people. I got really lucky; a lot of the guys I met that night are still close friends of mine today.

BUT, I've been to events since that haven't been so fun. I'd suggest that if you come to a TT event and don't enjoy yourself try doing it again. There are a lot of good people on this forum.

I'd also suggest assessing just how much you'd like to integrate into the local society. Example: I'm here for work and fun. I'm not here to master the langauge or become a German (though I am learning the language and do take a cue form the local on a few things!), raise little Germans, etc. Realize that it is OK to hang out with English speakers if that's what you want to do.

Different strokes and all that.

[img]http://tvphotogalleries.com/data/576/1DS04.jpg[/img]

What you talkin' 'bout, Willis?

Just kidding, couldn't help myself.

As it currently stands, about 99.9% of my friends are German, so upon arrival in Munich I will know exactly one other native English-speaker. I will definitely want to integrate myself into the culture but will more than likely need some fellow ex-pats with whom to commiserate.

Plus, as long as I'm still speaking scheisse Deutsch, integration may be a wee bit difficult at first.

Actualy making the effort to speak scheise Deutsch shows willing and will go many miles with poeple.

What do I wish I had known...

That its ok to stop drinking beer, you dont need to just have a last one.

That tax was going to be high, but cost of living was cheaper

Wish I had planned where I was going to live a little better. But thats something you can only do really once here

Poots

@georgiagirl

Dunno if you've already arrived here to Munich, if so, welcome!

Remember to put "---" for religious status when you register with the KVR if you're not religious and don't want to pay 9% church tax (kirchensteuer) or whatever the rate is. The amounts can really add upp quickly... (for me it was 75 euros a month before I quickly resigned...)

Start a contract with an American VoIP provider (such as www.vonage.com) and retain your american telephone number. This will give you the benefit of free calls to the USA. I pay $14/month, which includes 400 minutes of US longdistance too.

If you start the contract before you come, and set up autopayment by creditcard, you can just pack up the "ATA router" and bring it with you. Mine does support 110-220v and 50-60A, so I only need a 5 Euro plug converter. Of course, this assumes that you will be setting up highspeed (DSL) internet at home already. If you have an old cheap american phone (the kind that does not require power), you can save a few bucks too.

If you chose Vonage and let me "refer" you (which gives me 2 free months), I will help you set it up (if needed).

If you're from the UK, be prepared for marginally better customer service (despite what you hear on this forum)

Unpaid bar tabs on a group night out, Last person has no legal obligation to settle up

Or use GoogleTalk, Skype etc and pay diddly.