Expats: Living in Germany, Austria, Switzerland

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It is only when you leave your own country to live in a different one that you fully appreciate how much we humans are not only creatures of habit, but also of culture. Expatriates in Germany or other countries can suddenly lose many things they once took for granted. The most significant of these are language and daily culture.

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Even buying a cell phone (ein Handy) can be a challenge in a strange land. > Large view PHOTO © Hyde Flippo Also see:   > Cell Phones - das Handy

Where you once knew how things work—at the bank, while shopping, at work, on the road—now you’re in unfamiliar territory. Where once you knew how to read a menu, now you find strange German dishes you can’t even pronounce. Where once credit cards were taken for granted, now you have to make sure they’ll be accepted—even in a restaurant! Where once you could read package labels at the grocery store, now you can’t.

But you also gain things you didn’t have before. You not only learn a new language and a new culture, you also learn a lot about yourself and your own culture when you live in a foreign country. Viewed and handled properly, an assignment in German-speaking Europe can be a wonderful experience. And others have gone before you—and not only survived, but thrived. True, some people handle culture shock better than others, but these German Way pages are intended to make it easier for anyone to have a better experience in German-speaking Europe. Knowing what to expect can be a big help, and that’s what you’ll find here: information and resources for Americans and other English-speaking expats in Germany, Austria, or Switzerland.

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Expat checklists
To help you prepare (or cope, if you’re already in Europe), we’ve provided three expat checklists with the most vital topics that expats have to deal with. This list comes in part from current and former expats, some of whom learned these lessons the hard way. Now you don’t have to. Read on...

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Expat Connections

This Site

• Expat Blog - The German Way Expat Blog discusses issues of interest to expats in German-speaking Europe.
• The German Way Forum - Join our forum, where we share info and tips about life in German Europe.
• Bilingual Families: Raising Bilingual Kids in German and English
• Electrical Matters - Voltage converters, plug adapters, and more

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• Cell Phones in Germany
• The Euro in Austria and Germany - with quiz
• Germany: Country Information - History, facts and figures
• Watching TV in Germany - Options for expats
• Expat Interviews - Learn from those who have already been there, done that.
• The Autobahn
• Driving in Germany
• Visa Info
• Der Notar - What is it? Why do you need one?
• Learn German at our AboutGerman.net site

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