During our call, I mentioned that the cost of living is much lower here than back home. An exception to this rule however, is the cost of energy. The price of electricity, heat and gas are much higher in Europe, resulting in some cultural differences; for starters, most people don’t drive cars. Since gas is expensive and public transit is widely available and tickets are very cheap for locals, most families own one car at most or none at all. People are also very conscious of their energy consumption here; for example, clothes are dried on racks instead of in a dryer, and to turn on the lights and power in your hotel room you have to insert the room key into a slot by the door (so that you can’t leave anything on while you are out).
Speaking of sustainability, Germans take recycling very seriously. Household waste is separated into 7 (or more) bins: one for paper, another for plastic, metal, glass (clear, brown and green bottles each get their own bin), compost, and a bin for everything else. This may seem like a lot of work, but it’s important to do this or you can get a big fine. The hardest part of this is keeping things separated in your kitchen (I’m always running out of space for all of the different bins). By the way, when you rent an apartment in Germany, it’s common for there to be no kitchen. Appliances such as the fridge, stove and oven are not typically included in the price. Instead, you will need to purchase your own when you move in, and most Germans take these items with them when they move out.
Have you ever wanted Chik-fil-A and then remember it’s Sunday? Well, in Germany, everything is closed on Sundays: supermarkets, stores, barber shops, etc. (museums and restaurants are an exception).
