r/germany

We live in Baden-Württemberg. My daughter will turn 5 by the end of this year, and I’ve started looking into Grundschulen. Unfortunately, we’ve only heard negative things about the one in our catchment area.
Right now, we see two options:
Enroll her at SIS Swiss School, which would cost around €1,000 per month.

Move to a different part of the city where the local public Grundschule has a much better reputation.
The second option seems like the more sensible choice, but it also means the hassle of moving and finding a suitable apartment.

I’m prepared to do that if it’s truly worthwhile, but before making such a big decision I’d love to hear from parents who have been through this.
How important is the choice of Grundschule in the long run? Does it significantly affect a child’s chances of getting into a Gymnasium, or is it more about the child’s own performance regardless of the elementary school?
Thank you!

Hi everyone🙋🏽‍♀️

I'm a dentist from India (BDS) and I'm considering pursuing a Master's degree in Germany. I've been reading about the recognition process, including the Fachsprachprüfung (FSP) and Kenntnisprüfung (KP), but I'd really like to hear from people who have gone through it.

If you're an Indian dentist (or know someone who is) currently studying or working in Germany, I'd really appreciate your insights.

I have a few questions:

Is pursuing a Master's in Germany worth it as an international dentist?

How difficult are the FSP and KP in practice?

Were you able to work while preparing for these exams?

Did you experience any discrimination or major challenges during the process?

What level of German did you have before moving?

I've already done some research online, but personal experiences would be incredibly helpful.

Thank you in advance💖

I mean this genuinely with no snark. I get why AC is not a common thing here. Energy costs and construction methods and climate etc. that makes sense to me.

The thing that confuses me is how uncommon shorts seem to be. During the heat wave last week I noticed a large number of people still wearing pants and long sleeves and even some with jackets.

Is there a cultural apparel standard I am missing? It’s just very confusing to me as someone from the south east USA where shorts were basically ubiquitous for the hot months of the year.

Here I feel I mostly only see bikers and joggers wearing them. I see pedestrians wearing them too of course just not very commonly.

Note: I mean this question with all sincerity, I am genuinely curious and not trying to make fun of anyone.

Hi everyone, I need very clear, practical advice from people who really understand what should be done in this situation.

We have not had hot water in our apartment for more than two months now because the boiler is broken. I have contacted the property management several times by email and phone, clearly explaining how serious the problem is, but nothing has been resolved so far. We are now extremely frustrated by this situation.

As far as I understand, under German rental law, it is the landlord’s responsibility to ensure that the apartment is in a suitable, habitable condition. In our case, this basic requirement is not being fulfilled.

The issue originally started back in March. At that time, they sent a craftsman to repair the boiler, and it worked for only around two weeks. After that, the boiler broke down again. The same craftsman visited again and said that a part inside the boiler needed to be replaced. He told us that he would send an offer to the property management, and if they approved it, he would come back to replace the part. Since then, nothing has happened.

We are very disappointed with the lack of urgency and the non-serious attitude toward this issue. We are literally unable to take proper showers because the water is extremely cold, and this could also affect our health.

Could someone please advise us on what we should do now? Who can we complain to, and what legal or practical steps should we take next?

Kind regards,
Usman

I experienced something yesterday that left me genuinely shocked and confused.

I’m a Black Canadian female, 26, temporarily living in Berlin and yesterday I attended a birthday party at Stadionblick after being invited by a friend.

When I arrived, I introduced myself to the birthday guy, wished him a happy birthday and gave him local moonshine made in Berlin, looked around for a minute or two for a friend then sat down beside someone I knew.
Within seconds after I sat down, the host/birthday guy came over to me and said “I’m sorry, let’s go.” I followed him outside, thinking he wanted to speak privately. Instead, he simply told me to leave and gave me the moonshine back.
I was so confused that I tried to go back inside to get my bag, but he blocked the doorway until I gestured that I needed it. I grabbed my bag, told my friends I was leaving because I’d just been kicked out and left.

The part that affected me most was my friends’ reaction. They were all completely shocked. The friend who invited me had no idea this would happen. Three of my friends left the party with me and one of them was crying because he couldn’t believe what had happened and felt I didn’t deserve to be treated that way.
I still don’t know why I was asked to leave. No explanation was given. Was it because of my race? I honestly don’t know. I can’t say that as a fact because no one told me that’s why. But as the only Black person there, it’s difficult not to question whether that played a role.

This is my first experience in Germany that has made me feel this way. Most people I’ve met here have been kind which is why this incident was so shocking. I’m sharing this not to attack Germany or to accuse an entire country of being racist. I’m sharing it because experiences like this can leave people questioning themselves, and because racism whether overt or subtle is still something that people can encounter here in Germany.

Has anyone else experienced something similar in Germany, whether as a foreigner or as a German? How did you process it?

Update: my friend asked the host if I could come
And he said yes so my attendance wasn’t a surprise

Hallo! I have an upcoming trip to Germany, and I was wondering whether it would be better to spend...

1 day in Regensburg and 1.5 days in Dresden

OR

2.5 days in Dresden

As it stands, I'm doing 4 days in Berlin, 4 in Munich, then I have another 2.5 to play with. I figured I should go somewhere from Munich that's back in the direction of Berlin to cut down on travel time, hence Regensburg and Dresden.

Thank you!!

I am planning a bikepacking trip with my 2 friends, near Fussen, Mittenwald and Munich. It seems all campsites are fully booked for the dates we plan on going. Are they really fully booked? Is it possible to even find a place to sleep for 3 small tents the night before?

Obviously not every ad, but this dude follows me everywhere.

Ad break on HBO Max: Thomas Müller

Going shopping at my local Rewe: Big cardboard thing of Thomas Müller

Yesterday on Instagram: Some commercial about glasses with…. Thomas Müller.

I’ve seen him in ads before as well, but dead lord is it extreme right now. I assume it’s due to the World Cup, and as I have understood he’s quite a “liked” person.

Has this dude lost all his money, or something? Anyone else “annoyed” (for lack of a better word, as it’s not like I think about it 24/7) by seeing him everywhere?

Hi fellow Redditors,

It’s that time of the week again!

To those that are new: this post series is meant to spread some positivity and encourage people to notice and value those, sometimes seemingly small yet good things that happen to us in everyday life. It doesn't matter what it is about, whether a stranger smiling at you in a coffee shop, successfully completing an exam or trying something new, because at the end of the day, all that matters is that this thing made you happy.

It's also perfectly normal if you don't have nothing to share. Sometimes we have blunt days and weeks, and it's totally fine. However, I still want to encourage everyone to sometimes take just 5 minutes of your time every day, and think through what happened to you that day, and once you have collected your thoughts, look for the good things and just appreciate them a bit. :) Lots of love to you all!

Allow me to begin:

- I had been meaning to buy a door stopper and I've finally found one in a nearby store for a good price
- I had a good, resting sleep
- I got some shorts with extra pockets that will be perfect for work

I perform a high skilled blue collar job. Can tell you that's around energy.

Been in south America, France, Italy, Norway and Denmark, Netherlands, Belgium and a lot in the UK before.

Everywhere, I had a good time, always felt welcomed in general, and part of a team.

Now I am in Germany, lower Saxony... And, I do not feel welcome anywhere. Literally, anywhere. Even the hotel where I am staying, no one does an effort to speak in English, and when I or my foreign colleagues ask something, there is whispers, mad faces and bad body language. Part of the group is German - not necessarily the leadership, that's mixed - and all the time trying to keep us aside, even on the meal times provided by the employer, the Germans segregate us and ensure they take their bite 1st. For God sake, never witnessed such thing anywhere else.

Job discussions and tool box talks, are mandatory in English, but when it goes to the details they always switch to German and keep us apart, then expecting that we know what's to be done.

Is this just on my industry? It has to be with the region where I am based? Or its just Germany?