It’s been a month in the capital city of Germany. Berlin is a city full of opportunities especially if you are a German speaker but nonetheless, it grows on you. You begin to navigate using not only intuition but also maps in your head and gut instinct. You begin to get used to the people and the cold rainy weather which has its own demands – Leather boots, Hood Jackets and Gloves.
Here are things I learned during my 1 Month’s stay in Berlin:
- One must have to have Apartment Registration, a Tax ID (Steuer ID) and a German account. Do start applying for Resident Permit if you want to stay here for a longer time. I have known people who got RP in just two days of their stay. The best thing about here is that the process is short and simple.
- Markets are closed on Sundays. Public transports are not available frequently on Sundays.
- The most common and easiest type of job available is of Delivery boy/girl (No requirement of the German language with huge tips).
- One thing which I have realised is that whenever you go out you will definitely encounter Indians on every path. As a matter of fact, most of the Indians in Berlins are Marathis, and so are my friends as well.
- I went to see Jewish Museum and it was quite painful. I had a conversation with a german guy about the museum. And it went like this:
Weird but True: The more you are away from your country, the more you realize that you wouldn’t hear anything against your country and its people. - Unlike Indians who Brits whitewashed to learn English and imbibe western clothes and practices. Germans do things their way, they are not so much into learning English, maybe because they don’t leave their country like Indians. Also, they hate Brits.
- I was interested in learning more about Germans in general. So, I went on a date with a guy and his dog. It was good and quite interesting to know their thoughts in particular.
- You will see people travel a lot with their babies and dogs and both are sometimes carried in a stroller, seriously.
- In Germany, there are tons of taxes, which everyone pays irrespective of age, plus, they even have a Religion tax here.
- I was amazed by the variety of Alcohol they have in their possession. Whether we talk about Wine, Whiskey, Beer, Vodka, or Rum; they have so many flavours that complement the drinker’s taste preferences. The price of alcohol is really low here starting from 65 cents.
- The food here is very bland with no sugar and no salt. But the variety of frozen foods from various Asian and European countries is impeccable.
- Germans might be too bland when it comes to food, but they have a wide selection of vegan cuisine, including vegan fish, vegan eggs, vegan meat and more.
- The Youth of Berlin is always at Alexanderplatz, where you can find music, tourist places (Brandenburg Gate, the Berlin Cathedral, Berliner Fernsehturm, Olympic Stadium and more) and most importantly, its the most popular film location. Evidently, Shahrukh’s Don 2 was shot here.
There are still many activities and locations that I want to explore.
