There are still plenty of things I never knew about Germany before I arrived here, so do not burden yourself to know every little thing about your new country ahead of your trip! One silly example I have is after a seminar talk there was no clapping but instead knocking on tables. (Ask me about this because it is a short and funny little story.) As you adjust to being viewed yourself through a different lens, also understand and recognize the fact that you will make lots of mistakes, too.
The best way to recognize different perspectives is by meeting new people. I was fortunate to have a one month intensive language learning course in which I was, for the first time in my life, the ONLY American in the room. So the way I talked, behaved and learned the language reflected upon my home country. This provided me a new perspective towards the various countries that other people were from, and I was able to make friends from Bulgaria, Ecuador, Brazil, Africa, Russia, France, Italy and countries in the Middle East. It was especially fun to have international friends around during the holidays, since everyone had different traditions for that time of year. Most people had never decorated Christmas cookies, so Wes and I hosted a night to decorate cookies! One girl from Brazil had the tradition of having hot chocolate with gouda cheese. When you arrive in a foreign country, I encourage you to meet as many people and develop new relationships as often as you can. I know this may be difficult during a pandemic, but find ways to schedule virtual meetings if possible.
One interesting perspective that I had never truly witnessed before coming to Germany was the prejudice and racism shown towards internationals, specifically people from the Middle East.
