Follow the jump links to learn more about Germany:
Lifestyle and Family Living
Teen Life
Dress and Appearance
Diet and Meals
Educational System
Geography and Climate
Population
Language
Government
Religion
Spending Money
Safety and Support
Fun FactsLifestyle and Family Living
Germans are known for being industrious, thrifty, hardworking, orderly, and they value punctuality and privacy. Most Germans will expect you to keep appointments exactly at the time you agreed on. People value honesty and obedience to rules and regulations.
Many Germans are actively engaged in their social life, community, or school life. People are very interested to talk about politics, culture, environment, or sports.
The average family is small and family structures are diverse. Equality is valued not only in public life but at home too. You can be hosted in a very traditional family where the mother works at home and is responsible for the household or in a family where both parents work and the housework is equally divided. In most German families the mother and father share authority.
Children are expected to keep their parents informed of their whereabouts. If you plan something on your own, please inform your family as they may have planned activities together. You will do household chores side by side with your German host brothers or sisters and boys are expected to help in the same way that girls are.
Germans usually shake hands when saying hello or goodbye. Kissing on the cheeks is not popular. Nevertheless, Germans are not as cold as they are said to be. Hugging among relatives and friends is very common.
Though they may appear reserved at first, you will surely discover warm hearts filled with real values of friendship and family. They are in love with traveling, discovering, exploring, thinking and innovation.
Most AFSers are placed in small towns and rural areas. German host families, like all AFS host families worldwide, are volunteers and are not paid. They open their homes to students in order to share their community and culture as well as to enrich their own family lives.Teen Life
German society is cultural and social. Cities are proud of their theaters, orchestras, art academies, art collections, museums, and libraries. Many festivals are organized during the year in towns, communities or villages. Germans like to gather together, talk, and eat well.
Because there is no school in the afternoon, extracurricular activities are not commonly offered. You will be encouraged to do as the Germans do—develop your own activities. This means getting together with people from your school and organizing activities yourselves. For this reason, you should plan to bring with you any musical instrument, hobby or sports equipment that interests you. Getting involved will help you to make friends more easily.
Many Germans enjoy sports, hiking and bicycling, as well as watching TV and visiting friends. Soccer, taking walks, and cultural events are particularly popular activities. Teenagers generally devote their time to academics during the week. On weekends, they like to get together in each others’ homes, go to cafés or to movies.
Bicycling is not only a sport but also a popular and convenient means of transport. Many young people ride bicycles to school or wherever want to go.Dress and Appearance
German teens dress in a style similar to teenagers elsewhere; they wear jeans, T-shirts, sweaters, and sportswear.
Warm clothing such as a heavy jacket, heavy sweaters, woolen tights or long underwear, thick socks, gloves, scarves and boots are appropriate for the winter.
For special occasions, more formal dress is expected: for girls a dress or blouse and skirt or fancy pants; for boys a jacket, slacks and tie.Diet and Meals
German cooking is generally very good and often rich. In most families, red meat, poultry, or fish are served with potatoes, dumplings, noodles or rice, and vegetables.
Germans are very aware of healthy eating and the number of vegetarians is steadily increasing especially among young people. Many restaurants offer a variety of vegetarian dishes. Still, traditional German cooking requires meat.
Breakfast is considered the most important meal of the day. It usually consists of cold cereal or muesli (nuts and seeds with milk), toast with honey or marmalade, or bread (often dark), cheese, meat or sausage. Adults generally drink coffee or tea; teenagers like milk, hot chocolate or juice. The main meal of the day is often served at noon. Dinner is served between 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. and traditionally consists of sandwiches made with cheese, cold meat, or sausage.
Germany is famous for its many types of bread, and cakes and coffee are sometimes served on Sunday afternoons.
Meals are served at regular hours and all family members are expected to take part in them. Snacking and raiding the refrigerator are not done.Educational System
School generally runs from late August to late June. Classes run Monday through Friday; some areas also have school on Saturday.
Most AFSers are placed in one of three types of school in Germany: Realschule, leading up to tenth grade, Gymnasium, college preparatory, and Gesamtschule, comprehensive school. AFSers are usually enrolled in grade ten or eleven.
The relationship between students and teachers is usually quite good. Required courses include German, English, mathematics, physics, biology, chemistry, history, social studies, art, music, geography, religion or philosophy and physical education. Courses call for independent, in-depth study and research.
Lectures in class are interactive; students are expected to take part actively in the lesson by asking questions, commenting and discussing the topics. Students are also given an “oral grade” that is important for the overall grade.
Many schools organize one school trip during the year and as an exchange student you will have an option to participate. If you choose to do so, you should bring sufficient funds (approximately €350) to cover the expense of this event.
All instruction, with the exception of foreign languages, is done in German. In the beginning, you may find it hard to follow, but as you learn more of the language, school will become less challenging, so be patient, work hard, and keep at it!
While it may be possible to obtain academic credit for the coursework you successfully complete abroad, AFS cannot guarantee this. Please discuss your plans with your school before you go abroad.
Geography and Climate
Germany is located in the heart of Europe and is slightly smaller than Paraguay or Japan. It shares boundaries with nine other countries.
There are four major geographical zones: the broad lowlands with lakes, marshland, the coastal chains of small islands, estuaries and dunes in the north; the central uplands including various small mountain ranges; the wide valley and gorge of the Rhine river in the southwest; and the forested mountains and German Alps of the south.
Winters are cold, snowy and humid with temperatures falling to – 15°C/5°F. Summers are warm and temperate with highs around 30°C / 88°F.
Population
Germany has a population of 82 million. Berlin (with 3.5 million people) is the capital; however, many government agencies are still located in Bonn, the post WWII capital.
Language
German is the language of Germany.
German language distinguishes between two types of addressing to someone. Informal du, is used with friends and family members. Formal sie is used on a professional level, with elderly people, or in daily contact with people you do not know.
AFS Germany strongly supports your language study while in Germany as it is a crucial part of your AFS experience. Your community and host family will have information about special funding for German language classes in your area. It is recommended that you start studying prior to departure for easier integration into your new home and school.
Government
Germany is a parliamentary democracy with a bicameral legislature comprised of the Bundesrat (upper chamber) and Bundestag (lower house). The Bundestag chooses the prime minister or chancellor.
Religion
The two major religious affiliations are Protestant and Roman Catholic, but the country is mostly a secular society.
Spending Money
The Euro is the official currency in Germany.
Your program and country information packet (provided in the months prior to your departure) will give you an idea of how much spending money is appropriate and whether you should arrive with any amount of the local currency in hand.
Host families pay only for ordinary family events in which you are expected to participate. When you do such things as shopping for yourself or going out with friends, the expenses are your responsibility. Depending on the cost of living in your host country, we recommend you budget about $100 – $300 per month.
Remember: never travel with large amounts of cash. Instead, bring travelers checks or follow the advice in the country and program information packet. Another option for obtaining money while overseas is to use a debit card linked to a checking account back home (but try not to use a debit card for daily purchases since there are ATM and currency exchange fees). Or, you can transfer money using wiring services such as Western Union.
You and your parents should determine a budget and preferred money transfer plan before you depart so that you are not caught without spending money while abroad.
Be conscientious of your spending since conspicuous consumption may not be viewed favorably and spending more than your peers and family may create a distance between you and them.
Safety and Support
AFS has the utmost concern for the welfare, safety, and security of our participants. We’ve been exchanging participants throughout the world for 60 years—that’s six decades of history and experience in international education with an exemplary record of safety, security, and service.
AFS maintains a network of experienced staff and trained volunteers who provide support in each country. In the event of an emergency, 24-hour assistance is available to students, their parents, and the host families. Furthermore, your AFS tuition includes comprehensive medical insurance coverage to ensure that medical care is available to our participants anywhere in the world and at all times.
While we have the above support structures in place, we also encourage you to take responsibility for your own safety and we give you the guidance to do so. Many of the AFS orientation activities, both at home and abroad, are intended to give you the tools to stay safe. We also provide country-specific safety tips to each participant prior to departure.
Learn more about the AFS safety and support network.
Fun Facts
- Neanderthal man was named after the Neander Valley near Düsseldorf.
- The famous Nutcracker was created in the small villages of the Erzgebirge region in Germany by miners, who during the winter months carved Christmas presents and toys. A favorite toy was a soldier—the first Nutcracker.
- The printing press was invented in Germany by Johann Gutenberg (1398-1468).
- Albert Einstein (1879-1955) was born in Ulm, Germany. As one of the greatest scientific thinkers, Einstein was awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1921.
