BHARATINGERMANY.

COM

AN INDIAN'S GUIDE
TO

SURVIVING IN GERMANY
Your pocket ebook(let) for making the best of this beautiful country!

10 ADVICES!

Hi, my name is Bharat and I come from a small city in

India called Kurukshetra. (It's in Haryana: ever watched
Dangal?). I didn't know that living in Germany is going to
be such a 'different' experience for me and for quite a
while I thought it was just me who is having such
experiences. But with regular interactions with the
'Bharat in Germany' Community that I created over the
years, I realized a lot of Indian expats who are living in
Germany have experienced the same things, so, I set out
to write this small gift for you to document everything
that I have learned about Germany from my own
experiences and the ones of other Indians!
 BHARATINGERMANY.COM

NUMBER 1:
DON'T UNDERESTIMATE THE IMPORTANCE OF GERMAN LANGUAGE!

A lot of people are nervous about not knowing how to speak German. Anxiety of a foreign
language is fine, but what isn't is the laziness of not pushing to learn it. Germany is still a country
which puts heavy focus on German for any and all kinds of communication: among companies, in
the newspapers, legal work, public authorities and most of the customer service of many major
companies too. Yes, you can definitely get by just by purely speaking English and
communicating with others in the language that they are rather not so comfortable with, but for
finding more friends, connecting with the natives in a better way and understanding their
culture, it is very important to speak to them in their mother tongue. As soon as you start
speaking with them in German, the once grumpy looking people might suddenly get charmed
and this magic you will only see when you are proficient in German yourself!

If you have a family, want to look for better jobs, business opportunities and get in touch with
more and more people, learning German is extremely important and it is going to be a very
rewarding experience! Whenever anybody asks me, how can I find a better job, find more friends,
improve my profile for Masters: along with other things, my main answer is just go absolute crazy
on learning German and this country will reward you with people and opportunities that you
might have never seen coming!

People think of German as a barrier, but I think of it as a nice Gate Keeper which only allows the
better opportunities to reach people who actually put the efforts for learning better German!
(And trust me, it is not difficult! I could clear TestDaF in just 5-6 months!)
 BHARATINGERMANY.COM

NUMBER 2:
RESPECT THE RULES!

People love rules here (other than the ones in Berlin!) A few things are an absolute no go when
you are living in Germany
Jaywalking: Don't cross over the road when the pedestrian light is red! Crossing the road at a
red light can result in a 5€ fine and angry remarks by pedestrians who don't hesitate to
educate you on the traffic regulations. You should be extra careful about it when there are
kids around because you don't want to be teaching them the wrong things!
Walking on the cycle path: Again, DO NOT DO THAT! Cyclists here generally ride extremely fast
and it is not going to be just dangerous for them, but also for you. Expect some angry remarks
by people for doing this!
Show the Nazi Salute: Nazi Salutes and making Nazi jokes are not allowed. Germans are really
sensitive and not proud about their past and the kind of things they did under the leadership
of one single person. Respect their feelings and don't do these here!
Throw out bottles: In Germany, there is a system for 'Pfand'. Whenever you buy soda bottles,
beer cans or glass bottles, there is an extra 8-25 cents that you have to pay which you can get
back, when you put the emptied bottles and cans in the Pfand machines in the super markets.
This is the correct way of recycling those things. There is also a special sticker on them to mark
that these have to be put in the Pfand machine. So, don't throw them out in trash can, but
rather recycle them in the right places.
Disrespect quiet hours: In Germany, quiet hours are regulated by law which means: no loud
music, drilling, or vacuuming on Sundays, after 10pm at night and before 8am in the morning.
 BHARATINGERMANY.COM

NUMBER 3:
USE THE INTERNET AND KEEP CASH!

For most of the things in Germany, you have to go to the website and read the details about
things there: Opening timings, prices/tickets, any procedures for a public authority office. So,
internet is going to be your best friend not just as a convenience for finding out things in
advance but also to keep in contact with your friends, family or even the community who helped
you the entire way to Germany and maybe helping the same community back. Giving back is
always nice and your good Karma builds up!

You can pay for a lot of things via credit cards or debit cards but don't expect them to work
everywhere. Some restaurants, coffee shops, businesses either don't accept credit or debit cards
at all, or when the amount is too low (e.g. 5 euros or 8 euros). Most of them would accept it after
10/15 Euros, so always keep some cash in handy!
 BHARATINGERMANY.COM

NUMBER 4:
IF YOU AREN'T PUNCTUAL, PEOPLE MOST PROBABLY WILL HOLD A GRUDGE!

Some stereotypes can hardly be argued with. One of them is that German people are punctual
and at the same time expect others to be as well. Wasting people’s time is overall considered
rude and unacceptable. If you have an appointment, make sure to arrive a few minutes earlier
and allow for extra time for traffic or in case public transport is late (which rarely happens!)

There is a quote in German which I recently learned from my friend in Munich:

'Fünf Minuten vor der Zeit ist

des Deutschen Pünktlichkeit'
which very literally means 'five minutes before the time, is the German's punctuality'. So, be very
careful and always try to be before time. If you cancel on short notice or just make a plan and
don't show up, people tend to hold grudges because they might have planned their entire week
around your appointment and when you cancel at the last moment, you will be considered
unreliable by everyone involved! If you do it often, the reputation builds up and there is no
coming back from that! So always be on time!
 BHARATINGERMANY.COM

NUMBER 5:
MAKE FRIENDS THAT STICK!

When people come to Germany, they see everybody being nice and friendly and right away they
think 'Hey! He is my friend! He is being nice to me and let's hang out something together!'. I have
seen this problem specially with a lot of students who come to Germany for the first time. Not so
fast tiger. People generally here take some time to open up and build relationships, but when
they do it is very important for them! Being friendly and nice to each other is just a very general
social etiquette.

A super important tip: If you ever get an invitation from your German friend for any kind of house
party or a family function, you should take it seriously because you wouldn't see these kind of
invitations coming in easily. They consider you close and that's why you got the invite, so, if you
can show up there, definitely do!

Overall, friendship doesn't have to be based on nationality because it just doesn't work that way.
Keep an open mind, look around and really analyze want kind of people care for you and you feel
comfortable talking to when you are down. Keep them as a list and don't forget to talk to them
or write to them whenever you don't feel fine! Coming and living in a completely new country is
a challenge of its own, so, as and when you get time, nurture and build great relationships and
friendships that stick for a long time!
 BHARATINGERMANY.COM

NUMBER 6:
DATE SOMEONE!

Yop! That's a photo of me and Alina and we met on a train station in Freiburg, while waiting for
our train to Friedrichshafen. Going up to her and talking to her on the train station wasn't easy
and she wasn't the friendliest person in the starting either, but as we stepped on the train and
started talking with each other, I ended up with her email (lol! No phone number!) and then after
a few years of dating, we tied the knot!

This intercultural relationship has taught us so many things that would otherwise never be
visible to a normal person from the outside! The way the German and Indian cultures think, the
phrases which cause misunderstandings and how to work on them: all of that you can learn, just
by having a partner from a different culture! You learn how to compromise, you learn how to
build things together and learn how to enjoy each other's company! Plus: you are never alone!

But all of that started with just a simple and extremely awkward 'Hi!' at the train station. Just say
that word and see where the conversation goes! Don't get disheartened by the very first person
you talk to, who put you down because even meeting the right people is a numbers game! I am
an Engineering and Management guy and I have learned in Marketing that essentially only 2% of
the people ever convert! To put it in simple terms, if you meet a 100 people, you would come
across 2 who would essentially be willing to show some interest in you. ;)
 BHARATINGERMANY.COM

NUMBER 7:
DON'T STARVE!

There is another major misconception that you can't survive in Germany if you are not a
vegetarian. That is really not true! Every single thing that you can buy and cook in India, you can
also cook here. We very often eat Rajma Chawal, Chhole Puri, Daal, Parantha or anything else we
can think of from our times in India (whenever we really crave for them!). Atta and any other
Indian groceries you need, you can get very easily from online Indian shops! The ones that we use
is the Spice Village which is located in Berlin, but you can go to any Indian shop which is closeby
and if you don't want to physically visit a shop, purchasing things online is always an option!

If you want to take a look at the shop and calm your parents that you are not going to starve in
Germany, then you can just tap here.

Because so many people asked us for vegetarian recipes in Germany, Alina started her blog
about the same which you can check out at byalina.de
 BHARATINGERMANY.COM

NUMBER 8:
UNDERSTAND THE THINGS YOU NEED FOR A GREAT PROFESSION!

In every single profession, there are different things that you have to do to really make the best
out of the opportunities that you gain while living in Germany. You can do it in the following
ways:
Talk to professors: The German professors aren't like the ones back in India. If you need some
extra time, support or just want to talk to them about an issue that you are struggling with,
you can get an appointment with them or from their secretary and you will have one nice hour
to share all of your problems and learn from their really insightful answers!
Visit Career Events: Career events have a huge craze in Germany and for the right reasons:
Companies that you would never be able to meet otherwise are available to you, without any
cost in these kinds of events. You can go and talk to them, talk about your concerns, inquire
about opportunities and if you, with the profile you have, would have a good chance of
working in their company.
Make use of the Career Centers: Most of the universities also have their own career centers
where you can talk to the officials and even get in touch with some Alumni! Don't
underestimate the power of finding the right person who can really change your entire life!
Learn German: This goes without saying, but if you are still not keeping German as a priority in
the things that you need for a great profession, you are not listening to me. It is extremely
important to get better positions and I would really love to see more CEOs and CTOs in
Germany who are Indians!
 BHARATINGERMANY.COM

NUMBER 9:
FIND A GURU!

Recently I attended a 'Intercultural Management: Theory and Awareness Training' seminar in my

university, where a guest professor from some other German university had come and just
showered us with such insightful and life changing stories, that I knew it right at that moment
that this is the person I want to learn from to navigate my career and life better in Germany. He
was a major supporter of the importance of intercultural management training and I believed
the very same (hence so many YouTube videos about Germany!). So, after attending his seminar, I
wrote to him if he would like to mentor me on any issues I come across in a way a 'Mentor' does
to his Mentee to which he agreed! He gave me his personal number, email address and every
once a while, I write to him, when I am unable to take a career or life decision and want some
outside inputs from a very experienced person!

So, FIND A MENTOR! Your life will become way easier because of his experiences and support and
he can essentially also put you in touch with the right people from his network that he has build
over so many years. There is an idea called the 'Six Degrees of Separation' which pretty much
states that every human being on this planet is separated by any other one just by 6 persons.
Find those 6 persons, as friends, mentors or colleagues and you might connect with the person
whom you always wanted to connect with! (Somebody from the DAAD in my case, so, I am not
giving up on connecting the dots anytime soon!)
 BHARATINGERMANY.COM

NUMBER 10:
WHEN YOU NEED HELP, JUST ASK AROUND!

Very often we tend to underestimate the people's willingness or capabilities to help us when we
need it. Whenever you feel that you are really struggling with something and would need some
help, don't hesitate to ask around! Once my friend was looking for an apartment and he was
talking on the phone in the bus to his another friend about how tough it is to find an
accommodation. Right after he hung up the phone, the lady came and asked him that she knows
somebody who is looking out to rent his place and BAM! The problem was solved! Now, of course,
it doesn't mean that this will happen every single time or that you should eavesdrop on every
conversation that is going on, but also don't hesitate to seek help when you really need it.
('NEED' it is the keyword! Try things by yourself. Try even harder and when you know you have
reached your limit, reach out for a helping hand!)

It is also true for the other way around! The more people you help, the more good Karma you
gather and the more good things will happen to you in your life! All of my aims and actions
follow this one sentence!
 KEEP IN TOUCH!
AND SHARE THE GIFT WITH YOUR FRIENDS!

Thanks for downloading this booklet and keeping it with you! Before you share it with someone
close to you, I just wanted to let you in on a fun fact: Bharat in Germany is not just me and my
social media channels, but Bharat in Germany is a community of students, professionals and
language enthusiasts who help each other out in their journey towards Germany. To strengthen
our community and to bring them as much value as possible, we held our FREE BiG Seminars in
India in March 2019 in over 8 cities in India, where more than 4000 people showed up and
learned about studying and moving to Germany!

The community keeps on growing every year and

literally started with 0! In the BiG Seminars in
2017, 20 people registered out of which nobody
showed up (too bad, I had arranged some really
tasty Samosas and Pakoras for them!). In March
2018, the number grew to over 1200 people and
then, in the year of 2019, it just absolutely blasted
with over 9000 registrations! My wife, Alina and I
took a flight almost every single day to reach all
different corners of the country and interact with
our BiGFam members there!

Even on Facebook, Bharat in Germany

community is the most engaged community all
across the platform in the field of discussions
about Germany! Every single month we have
more than 2000 new posts in our Facebook
group (and you guessed the name right!) 'Bharat
in Germany' and more than 700 new people join
it! So, once you are a part of the community, you
can be absolutely sure that you will find a lot
more like minded people who will support you
in your process of coming to Germany!

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