Living, working and integrating in Germany or any foreign country is never easy. You need to adapt to every little thing in life: from the weather, food, transportation, communication, study and work methods… Successful integration into life and culture in Germany is an important requirement for you to feel comfortable living and developing your future career here.

In this article, My Career will list 05 taboos when living in Germany? Part 1 about culture!

1. Being late: tops the list of taboos when living in Germany

Germans are famous for being punctual with the view that it is better to arrive as early as possible than to be late even for 1 minute. In Germany, students being late is a very serious offense that you may face suspension from school, and worse, the eyes looking at you like you are an alien that makes you want to bury yourself in the ground because of shame. In important appointments, being late will also be a disaster. However, in case of force majeure leading to being late, the person making the appointment must proactively inform the reason, the time of the late arrival, and apologize to the other person to receive sympathy.

2. Make noise

This is also a common mistake of Asians in Germany in particular and developed countries in general . Keeping order and not disturbing others is not something you want or don’t want, but it is mandatory and it also shows civilization and respect for those around you. Making noise is a taboo when living in Germany that you need to remember!

Germany also has Sundays which are considered quiet days (Ruhetag) when you are not allowed to make noise. If you are in the mood to party or repair your house on that day, it will not be surprising if a police car stops in front of your house and deals with you. From 22:00 to 6:00 is the time when you need to pay attention to ensure quiet if you are at home, and be careful not to honk your horn if you are participating in traffic. If your family wants to organize something noisy during quiet hours, you must notify and ask for permission from your neighbors first.

Keeping order in public places is extremely important, whether in an elevator, on a train or at a tourist attraction. Don’t laugh loudly, call out to each other or talk loudly. You will receive glares or sighs from the people around you.

3. Hygiene

There is one thing you will rarely hear comments from others because it is quite sensitive, but in life in Germany, many times the reason you are hated or shunned comes from your hygiene awareness. Hygiene awareness includes 2 contents: your personal hygiene and general hygiene awareness.

• Regarding personal hygiene , pay attention to wearing clean clothes. Personal hygiene includes neat hair, fingernails, toenails, and no strong odor. Pay special attention to clean breath because Vietnamese people often eat foods with strong spices such as dried onions, garlic, fish sauce, etc. You may not dress beautifully or stylishly, but you must not let your body be unhygienic.
• Regarding collective hygiene , pay close attention to not sharing personal items. When cooking and eating, you must use your own spoon and separate tableware. Personal items such as masks, ear swabs, and toilet paper must be thrown into the trash immediately after use and not left on the table. And never drink a bottle of water and give it to a German and ask them to drink from it or eat from the same bowl or plate as you. They will politely wave their hands and refuse.

4. Do not use other people’s personal items without permission.

Using other people’s things without permission or simply changing the location of someone’s belongings without permission is a taboo in Germany as well as in other civilized countries. Always remember not to touch anything that does NOT belong to you, if you want to, ask permission first, wherever things are, PLEASE leave them there.

Asking about income, religion, age?. is taboo when living in Germany

5. Don’t pry

Privacy in Germany is a supreme right and it is also the minimum courtesy that people must have, so nosy is one of the 5 taboos when living in Germany that you should not commit. In some countries, including Vietnam, many people often confuse the concept: Nosy with Caring. They think that when they pay attention to others, are curious about information about others, tell stories about one person to another, it is a manifestation of affection and care, but this is completely wrong.

No prying includes:

• Don’t interfere in other people’s business
• Do not ask about sensitive personal matters such as age (for women), gender, income, religious views…
• Do not gossip about this person to others.

Watch more funny clips about 05 taboos when living in Germany!

Above are 05 taboos when living in Germany that we often encounter. You may think why are Germans so difficult, but from My Career’s perspective, My Career finds that the above things are completely reasonable and very important to create the image of a civilized and polite person. My Career hopes that you will choose and form a beautiful lifestyle for yourself and My Career wishes you will study, work and successfully integrate into life in Germany.