Moving in Germany (Part 2)

Part 2: Dude, Where’s my Kitchen?!

A very usual sight when moving into a new place in Germany (Photo courtesy Immozippel)

About a month before moving into our new digs, my girlfriend calmly told me that something has to be done “about the kitchen”. Naturally, I was dumbfounded. “What kitchen?” I asked. “The kitchen for our new place, of course,” she said, matter-of-factly. Turns out, I hadn’t been aware of the quirky German tradition of moving places and taking your kitchen with you! Yes, you read it right. People actually take all their belongings with them which includes their kitchen as well. To be fair, though, many people also either sell their kitchens to the incoming tenants or to someone else on the presumption that the new people would bring their own kitchens with them.

Moving in Germany (Part 1)

Part 1: The Search

There must be readers here who have noticed my 2-month absence from the blog. Well, there was a reason for it: I have been busy moving into my new digs. Moving is a complicated process in any country, but in Germany it was a unique and adventure filled experience for me. I have divided this experience into parts to break it down for y’all.

I began the search for a new place with my German girlfriend and partner in crime. We thought a one bedroom apartment should be enough for the both of us, but if we got a good deal, we could go for a two bedroom place as well and then host guests when someone from out of town visited or a friend needed to crash. I was soon to learn, however, that finding a place is not the easiest thing in Germany.

25 Years Since the Fall of the Wall: A Pakistani’s Perspective

The famous image of the Berlin Wall “death strip” in the 1980s.

As many of you are aware – certainly those in Germany or Europe – that the Fall of the Berlin Wall will be commemorated on 9th November. This year is special because it is the 25th anniversary of that event which ushered in the Fall of Communism in Eastern Europe and German Reunification. The event certainly holds a special importance for Germans and Europeans, but my perspective of this all is different because I come from a country with a completely different culture, society and geographic location.

Germans and their Stereotypes

Today is the Tag der Deutschen Einheit or German Unity Day / Reunification Day which celebrates the day Germany reunited and once again became one country. This year Germany celebrates 24 years of reunification. And this is as good a time as any to talk about Germans and the stereotypes about them.

Germany 101: Denglisch

Keep calm and Denglisch folks!

Ah yes that obligatory post about Denglisch has been long overdue. Denglisch – for those who don’t know – is a portmanteau of the words Deutsch (the German language) and Englisch (the spelling of English in German). Germans use various English language words in their daily lives; words which would mean something completely else in English. Good examples are the Denglisch words Handy (cell phone), Beamer (projector) and City (city center).

Germans aren’t the only ones who do this. Many people from non-native English speaking countries do the same. The Germans however have some “cool” expressions in their Denglisch as well. By cool I meant lame. Verbs like chillen (to chill out) and changen (to change) are often used. You might hear a German say Ich habe heute nur gechillt (I only chilled out today) when you ask them what they were up to. I don’t know about the people reading this but it sounds really lame to me. Like that guy we all know who’s trying too hard to be cool and comes off more ridiculous than cool. But Denglisch is a fact of life in this country and you’ll get into it if you live here to the detriment of your English.

Right now my handy is ringing and I’ll leave you with this song called Denglisch by Wise Guys.