If you have been taking German language course so that you can easily spend your days in Germany, then you must know that knowing the native language is not enough to live an easy life in Germany.
Although Germany is a great place to live in, you must understand that there are some things which the Germans find quite offensive.Obviously some of these things might have you scratch your head, but no matter what, you got to avoid doing the following things while being in Germany.
- Jaywalking
In Germany, pedestrians never cross the road until the traffic light turns green. Even if there are no car to be seen, pedestrians make sure to not jump the red light at all. If you do so, you will not just be fined€5, but will also be frowned upon by the other pedestrians on the site. Those pedestrians might even go ahead and educate you about the traffic regulation then and there, especially if children are around. So, avoid jaywalking in Germany at all cost.
- Wrong recycling
Germany is very serious about the recycling process, however, their initiative towards maintaining a clean environment often leads to confuse the tourists or newbies. In Germany, dustbins are categorized into various colors that signifies different types of wastes. For instance, biodegradable items are thrown into the green-colored dustbin, yellow is for plastics, blue is for metal, etc. Throwing trash on the wrong dustbin is not acceptable which is whyyou must make certain that you throw your trash into the right dustbin.
- Supporting Nazi
In the present Germany, showing support to any kind of Nazi activity such as doing Nazi salute, reciting Nazi slogan or even hoisting a Nazi flag is strictly prohibited. Doing so is not just severely offensive but also completely illegal. Also, if you are caught performing such things, you will not just be fined heavily but also jailed for up to five years. So, avoid showing Nazi support in Germany no matter what.
- Being late
Germans are highly punctual in their daily life and expect others to respect their punctuality and be on time as well. If you arrive late at a meeting point, it will be regarded as a rude behavior. Thus, do not waste other people’s time and make sure to arrive ten to fifteen minutes before the scheduled meeting time.
- Entering home with shoes on
When you are paying a visit to somebody’s home, always remember to check if they are okay with you entering their home with your shoes on. It is so because majority of people in Germany ask people to take their shoes out before entering their home. Many Germans even voluntarily take their shoes off when they visit someone’s house. So, remember to avoid wearing shoes at home.
Conclusion
The above mentioned points are few of the many things that the German people find offensive in Germany. Therefore, make certain not to carry out the above activities while you are in Germany. Also, if you are trying to learn the German language, make sure to take help of the best German language institute in your nearby area.