Speaking from Germany to America just jotted down some things that might be helpful to keep in mind.

Food
* Don't need to bring bags with you to the grocery store.
* Make a list of things you love to eat/cook with - may not be available here. You will miss some things.
* Bread is much different (for the most part)
* Shopping carts don't require 1Euro to use
* Cheeses are much different (mostly swiss and chedar)

People
* While there is not an 'ampt' for everything, we're still not as 'free' as you would think
* Even if you've lived here your entire life - some Americans are hard to understand.
* Some people will try to take advantage of you if they think they can.
* If you're a soccer fan - Get Cable - (ask for Fox Soccer channel)

Driving/Cars
* Parking is usually free - like grocery stores, malls, etc (I know, not everywhere, but mostly)
* People do not get out of the left lane
* People drive incredibly huge cars
* Gas is cheaper and is by the gallon, not liter (4 liters/gallon)
* Radar detectors are legal in most states
* Car inspections are no where near as tough
* Drivers License doesn't cost nearly as much

Money
* Credit/Checking Cards accepted almost everywhere - cash/geld not required to have on hand
* Telephones are usually flat rate for local
* Prices usually do not include tax - you'll need to add it to know what the actual cost is.
* Most bills (utilities, etc) are monthly
* Renting a home/apartment is done with a contract - usually 6 or 12 months

Miscl.
* Things are open on Sunday
* TV has little nudity/foul-language, but lots of violence (pay tv not included)
* Beds (usually) are higher/taller off the ground
* Toilets are smaller (so I've been told)

Working
* Applying for a job does not require your life's history
* Not uncommon to work 45+ hours per week
* No government insurance - it's on you/your employer (excluding Medicare)
* Pay Day/Salary is usually paid weekly or every two weeks..monthly is not typical

Thats about it for now.. just my experience..does not apply to everyone am sure.

That list is very similar to Canada too!!!!

Good points!!!!

Hello Otto,

good list however as you have mentioned already there are some exceptions.
If you have an ALDI store nearby where you are going to live you might want to have a quarter in your wallet or a plastic chip as you are familiar to Germany since there it's just like in Germany. In a way I miss that at other grocery stores since some people here are just lazy and park their shopping cart next to other cars when they are done using them. Especially when it is windy the carts then roll all over the parking lot and bumping into cars. So, those people act rather selfish then smart. Also, bring your bags to ALDI or at least a box.

Driving
I noticed that there are a lot of selfish people on the road not using their turn signal, not even in crucial situations like merging from the left lane all the way to the right, crossing in front of you in very heavy rain. Use of cell phones while driving is also common. I know not everybody is like that but this is what I have noticed in the last past months and I am not driving nearly as much as I was in Germany. Personally, I feel more stress while driving here than in Germany.

Credit Cards (this is only a story about how much I am already used to Credit Cards)
Just before Christmas I went to the post office, close to closing time, trying to send my Christmas cards to Germany. Unfortunately that day, the phone lines in the post office were down and nobody was able to pay with debit or credit cards. This had to happen when I had no cash in my wallet and no checks on me. I just thought, great, this happens in the country, where you can buy almost everything by using credit cards. this was just a bad timing that day. Weird thing was that some of my Christmas mail made it to Germany on time while others did not make it until a week after Christmas. (this even happened to mail within the same city.) So, for next year, I will be prepared better.

Bread
We got a bread machine as a wedding present and we now make our own yummy bread (I still miss the typical German Mischbrot).

Hope I did not sound too negative, just wanted to add my experience.

~Anja

Anja, do you have a good recipe for dark bread or so AND where do you get the flour from. Now, remember we live in the Middle of Nowhere so there is no ALDI here for the next 100 miles, also no IKEA (if that should be of any importance). All I find in the store is white flour and the bread is usually...well....not so good.