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Germany is an amazing blend of Old World culture
and modern, industrial society. Unless something goes against God and His Word,
I tell myself, "It's not bad or good; its just different!" So, without giving
you MY opinions here, I wanted to list a few German customs, beliefs, and procedures
that you may also find, according to your preference, either good or
bad. Or even just, well "different"!
- Usually Germans keep windows in the home or
office slightly open during the year. Even in winter the room is "aired out"
every hour or so. Heating is usually from radiators, and no home would have
central air-conditioning.
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The "Autobahn" is just the German word for
"freeway" or "interstate," not for 1 particular highway.
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Many people consider it un-needful or wasteful
of water to bathe every day.
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You are expected to bag your own groceries...
which creates a frenzy for new-comers who can't quite keep up!
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Only those belonging to a shooting club may
own a gun, and that is usually stored under key at the club.
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It would be commonly considered fairly right-wing
("Nazi") to display the national flag from a private home.
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There is no Christian radio station in Germany!
If you have satellite you can receive something from Switzerland.
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About 2/3 of Germans belong to either the
Lutheran or Catholic church. This means they must pay a yearly "church tax"
to the government which, in turn, passes it on to the church.
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5 categories of trash, for recycling: 1)
glass, 2) paper, 3) Plastic/aluminum, 4) miscellaneous, & 5) bio-degradable.
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Most films in Germany are produced by other
nations. That means that one would very rarely view a film in the theater
(or on TV for that matter) that hadn't been dubbed.
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The most common way to get Christian books
and CD's is to order them from a catalogue. Some churches have a small bookstore
and offer a reduced selection of products.
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There are more Jehovah Witnesses in Germany
than Baptists! Baptists number about 87,000 people, which is roughly 0.1% of
the population.
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