19 British Habits I Lost When I Moved To Germany

    For starters, you can forget shopping on a Sunday.

    Kate Smoothy
    by Kate Smoothy

    BuzzFeed Contributor

    1. Walking anywhere

    2. Doing food shopping on a Sunday

    Flickr: streetpreacher

    Everywhere in Germany is closed on Sunday, which means if you don't get all of your shopping out of the way on Saturday, you'll probably starve.

    3. Wearing trackies out in public

    4. Making a run for it without the green man

    Flickr: 16782093@N03

    Jaywalking is against the law in Germany and people actually obey that law. To avoid being the odd one out, and getting shouted at by an old lady, it's best to wait for the green man too.

    5. Popping over to someone's for a cup of tea

    Flickr: zachinglis

    Heaven forbid you ask a German to make you a cup of tea. Them pulling out a box of various fruity teas they've owned for the last 5 years will be enough to have you sticking to coffee. On the plus side, most German households have fancy coffee machines, so there's that.

    6. Being too polite

    7. Eating warm dinners

    8. Carelessly throwing things into the bin

    Flickr: mdvisser

    Recycling is HUGE in Germany, with most households having 4+ bins for different things. First there's the plastic one, then the cardboard, then the bio waste, then the glass bottles, then the plastic bottles, and THEN the rest of it goes into a different bin. Confused yet?

    9. Beating around the bush.

    giphy.com

    If you aren't direct in Germany then you won't get very far, which means you quickly have to adopt a much more direct way of talking. On the plus side, this means you're far more likely to get what you want.

    10. Complaining about public transport

    Via Flickr: 38365223@N03

    After living in Britain you'd be mental to complain about a public transport system that is so smooth it's surely been coated in butter.

    11. Being sarcastic

    12. Ignoring strangers in enclosed spaces

    Via Flickr: derricksphotos

    Not only do people greet each other when they are in small spaces together here (like a lift or waiting room), but sometimes they make small talk or tell jokes. Imagine!

    13. Wearing a dress or shorts out come rain or shine

    14. Entering a shop without greeting a shop assistant

    Via Flickr: shankaronline

    If you don't say hello when you enter a shop in Germany, you're basically the rudest customer ever and the shop assistant will be visibly pissed with you. You're also supposed to say goodbye when you leave.

    15. Eating cheddar

    Flickr: loop_oh

    It's not easy to find cheddar in Germany, because they have such a large selection of other and (in their opinion) better cheeses. To be fair, they're right.

    16. Assuming that being a few minutes late is the same as being on time

    Via Flickr: listentothemountains

    If I had a euro for every time a German person told me how late British people are, well, you get the point. Your German friend WILL text you if you are 2 minutes late to check you're still coming.

    17. Hanging out with friends with the TV on in the background

    Via Flickr: williamhook

    When Germans have guests over, they sit around the table and talk. Without the TV on. In fact, it's considered very rude to watch TV if you have guests over.

    18. Avoiding dental appointments

    Via Flickr: illuminaut

    In Germany, your dentist will force you to set new appointments and seek treatment for anything less than perfect teeth.

    19. Drinking too much on a night out