Many of the apps that I already had downloaded on my phone are used throughout Germany. It is very common for young people to have Instagram and TikTok. I have found that people are less likely to have Facebook or Snapchat. One app that I had not used very much before is called Whatsapp. This app is very similar to iMessage and is the main way that people text and call their friends here in Germany and throughout many parts of Europe. It is much easier to use than iMessage because there are people from many different countries that call and text with one another. If you want to make a call to someone in a different country, it can sometimes cost a lot of money. With Whatsapp, I can text and call my friends that have phone numbers from places like Brazil, the UK, Poland, Turkey, Italy, and Romania - without a huge bill arriving to my house!
Beyond social media, I want to share you one piece of pop culture that was all over the For You page in Germany over the past few weeks. The train system throughout the country is called Deutsche Bahn, which if you remember from our German lesson a few weeks ago translates to "German Railroad." It is a large joke throughout the country that trains, particularly with Deutsche Bahn, are often delayed, rerouted, or cancelled.
