CultureShock! Berlin

Agnes Sachsenroeder

Description

CultureShock! Berlin will bring you on an exciting discovery and pave the way for a smooth and enjoyable stay in this ever-changing city. Full of practical information and interesting insights, the book is a valuable road map for expatriates and long-term visitors on how Berliners tick, and how to get on and along in the city, down to how to separate rubbish for recycling, which, in Germany, is something for which you need an instruction manual. Understand the mechanisms of a city that has played such a compelling role on the world's political and historical stage. Appreciate the discipline and punctuality of the Berliners and learn how to get behind their serious exterior and the famous Berliner Schnauze. With its lovely parks, marvellous museums and rich artistic and cultural roots, Berlin will also surprise you with its unique beauty and charm. CultureShock! Berlin is your essential guide to making this city your own

Sujets

• Germany

Informations

• Publié par: MarshallCavendishM
• Date de parution: 05 août 2009
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9789814435291
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 2 Mo

Extrait

This edition published in 2009. Reprinted 2010, 2011.
Published by Marshall Cavendish Corporation
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Tarrytown NY 10591-9001
www.marshallcavendish.us
© 2009 Marshall Cavendish International (Asia) Private Limited
All rights reserved
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eISBN: 978 981 4435 29 1
Please contact the publisher for the Library of Congress catalogue number
Printed in Singapore by Times Printers Pte Ltd
Photo Credits:
All black and white photos from the author. All colour images from Photolibrary. Cover photo: Corbis.
All illustrations by TRIGG
ABOUT THE SERIES
Culture shock is a state of disorientation that can come over anyone who has been thrust into unknown surroundings, away from one’s comfort zone. CultureShock! is a series of trusted and reputed guides which has, for decades, been helping expatriates and long-term visitors to cushion the impact of culture shock whenever they move to a new country.
Written by people who have lived in the country and experienced culture shock themselves, the authors share all the information necessary for anyone to cope with these feelings of disorientation more effectively. The guides are written in a style that is easy to read and covers a range of topics that will arm readers with enough advice, hints and tips to make their lives as normal as possible again.
Each book is structured in the same manner. It begins with the first impressions that visitors will have of that city or country. To understand a culture, one must first understand the people—where they came from, who they are, the values and traditions they live by, as well as their customs and etiquette. This is covered in the first half of the book
Then on with the practical aspects—how to settle in with the greatest of ease. Authors walk readers through how to find accommodation, get the utilities and telecommunications up and running, enrol the children in school and keep in the pink of health. But that’s not all. Once the essentials are out of the way, venture out and try the food, enjoy more of the culture and travel to other areas. Then be immersed in the language of the country before discovering more about the business side of things.
To round off, snippets of basic information are offered before readers are ‘tested’ on customs and etiquette of the country. Useful words and phrases, a comprehensive resource guide and list of books for further research are also included for easy reference.
CONTENTS
Introduction
Acknowledgements
Map of Berlin
Chapter 1
First Impressions

Chapter 2
An Overview
The Geography
The Weather
The History
The Administrative Set-Up
Chapter 3
The Berliners
Who is a Berliner?
What are Berliners Like?
The Teutonic People
The Foreigners
Are Berliners Atheists?
The Demography
Not the Fashion Capital
Chapter 4
Hobnobbing with the Berliners
The General Public
The Neighbours
Family and Friends
Special Occasions
Berlin Vis A Vis the EU
How Berliners View Foreigners
Prostitution
Chapter 5
Settling In
What to Bring
Visas
Registrations and Residence Permits
Accommodation
Shopping
Communications
Banking
Debit and Credit Cards
Postal Services
Knowing the Quality of a Product
Transport
Media
Time
Health Matters
Places of Learning
Beggars, Buskers and the Homeless
Chapter 6
food
Typical German and Berlin Food
What Berliners Drink
Foreign Influences
The Different Meals of the Day
The Different Types of Eateries
Watering Holes
Chapter 7
Enjoying Freizeit in Berlin
Public Holidays
Other Events
Leisure Pursuits
Sports and Fitness
Green Oases
For the Young and Young at Heart
Bird’s Eye View of Berlin
Chapter 8
Language
How Easy or Hard?
Where to Learn German
The German Alphabet
Colloquialism and Imported Words
Berlinerisch
Punctuation
Non-verbal Communication
Chapter 9
Business in Berlin
The Economy
Germany
The Job Market
Work Attitude
Time at and off Work
Women at Work
Business Etiquette
Clash of the Classes
Different Types of Organisations
Unions and Works Councils
Chapter 10
Berlin at a Glance
Famous Berliners
Places of Interest
Acronyms and Abbreviations

Culture Quiz
Do’s and Dont’s
Glossary
Resource Guide
Further Reading
About the Author
Index
INTRODUCTION
One might think that foreigners would have no cultural problems to contend with when living in Berlin, as it is a modern and cosmopolitan city. Yet, the reality is that even a German from another state would still be a little stumped as a newbie in Berlin. What more for a Briton, or an American from across the Pond.
This book is a road map for expatriates and long-term visitors on how Berliners tick, and how to get on and along in the city, down to how to separate rubbish for recycling, which, in Germany, is something for which you need an instruction manual.
Observations about the city and its people are as unbiased as is humanly possible, taking into account the views of a cross-section of expatriates and visitors. But when describing a group of people, there’s always an element of generalisation involved. Readers of this book may find observations that they agree or disagree with, since we all have our own way of looking at things. The aim of this book is to alert you to certain characteristics of the city and its dwellers, but ultimately, this exciting city is for you to discover for yourself.
One other caveat : dynamic cities always change rather quickly, so between the time of writing this book and its coming off the press, prices may have changed, some shops closed or new ones opened. But that makes the city vibrant and fun for your exploring.
Viel Spaß in Berlin.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Many grateful thanks must go to my husband, who obligingly answered my questions about Germany through the years. More importantly, although he inwardly cringed over a few less complimentary observations of his fellow Germans, he never once tried to persuade me to change anything in this book, accepting the fact that such a book is written from foreigners’ perspectives.
My exploration and understanding of the city were also made much easier and interesting by the many good guide books, websites, newspapers and magazines which I have mentioned in this book.
All the Berliners who I came to know personally or met in passing provided the canvas on which to work on. They have my thanks, too, including those who only growled at me, as they all helped in my compilation of the Berliner characteristics.
Carol King-Reed played a significant role in introducing me to the science of crossing cultures way back in 1998, and I thank her sincerely for that.

‘One’s destination is never a place, but a new way of looking at things.’
—Henry Valentine Miller (American author, 1891–1980 )

I T WAS THE SUMMER OF 1998 when I first flew to Berlin. This was just eight years after German reunification and seven years after the German Bundestag (parliament) made the decision to move the capital of Germany from Bonn to Berlin, some 500 km north-eastwards.
My husband and I were in Berlin to check out our future accommodation and the city, like many other Germans affected by their employers’ move to Berlin. Acutely aware that this wasn’t just any city, but the city which was once the Prussian capital, where Hitler and his National Socialists planned their heinous crimes, and where an infamous 155 km (96.2 miles) long wall divided family and friends for 28 years.
With such a history, first-time visitors to Berlin, myself included, could be forgiven for having high expectations about the city, especially when it’s the capital of Germany. Imagine, then, my surprise when I landed at Tegel Airport. I was dumb-struck by the relatively small and almost provincial Tegel. It wasn’t lacking in efficiency, but it was certainly not what one imagines the capital of Germany’s international airport should be. I mean, I was thinking Amsterdam-Schiphol, or Germany’s Frankfurt airport, so the modest-sized Tegel was unexpected, to say the least.
In the city centre, I was also a tad disappointed that there was no old city centre, like say, the Grand Place in Brussels. Neither was it a pulsating, financial city with skyscrapers like Frankfurt. Friedrichstrasse, a designated business district in the heart of the city (albeit formerly East Berlin) had more punks with spiked orange, green and red hair defying gravity with the help of a good strong gel than business people in sharp suits. Large plots of abandoned la