I'm moving to Germany...?

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Simone P

well, enjoy darmstadt, is a very nice city. iassume that u r a military spouse. if that is the case , b prepared to move again by the end of next year. darmstadt military will b closed down by the end of 2008.
there is tons to c in germany and lots to do. once u get here , the inproccesing center will give u a lot of info on places to go and c in ur area and germany. the best u can do (once u find a place to stay) ask ur neighbors and other peopel u meet on places they recommend. since u didn't say what kind of interest u have. but no matter ur interests are. germany is not in short supply of things to do.

meike_mo

I am German. And I met a lot of Americans here in the US, who only figured out, after they returned home, which mistakes they made. You could learn from them and start immediately to learn some German. Because, if you do, you can do what most people couldn't, and they regret it. Try to get in contact with people, talk to them, and let them take you around. Most Germans do speak some English, but there's a huge difference between trying to get to know Germany speaking the language or not. Darmstadt sounds as if you are in the Military, right? Try to get off base as often as possible, and if you have children, at least think about sending them to a German school. So, so many people have told us, how fortunate their kids would be, if only they would have decided to let them learn German.
Open your eyes, open your mind, be curious, talk to people, try to find friends locally - and you will have the time of your life! Good luck!

lulu muffin

People there are quieter than over here in their speaking voices. It isn't something that was noticeable to me until I went with a group of people and realized how quiet the supermarket was. They are wonderful, warm, and friendly people, and I loved visiting. Be prepared for a few cultural differences. Sexuality is more on display over there--not so much with the way people dress, but nudity in advertising is very common, and sex shops are right there on the street. Also, women are more open about sunbathing topless, even in public places like parks. The streets are often narrow and many are cobblestone. People seem to fly down them, as well. There are lots of castles over there that you can visit, and, of course, Berlin. I don't know where Darmstadt is, and the area I visited was more east Germany. Jena has the Carl Zeiss planetarium, which is the first in existance, and they still do shows. In Weimar, you can visit one of the few remaining concentration camps. It wasn't dismantled by the Germans because the prisoners actually used stolen parts to build a radio, and when they heard that the Allies were coming, they took over the camp and held the Germans hostage until the troops came. The records that survived were instrumental in the cases charging the German officials with war crimes. One of the most important bits of advice that I could give you is to be very aware that the people over there are very ashamed of Hitler and the Nazi regime. We were told to not even mention it. I hope that you enjoy living there. I truly loved my visits and hope to go again someday.

Ravin

Pretty much all of the answers so far are right on the money; I wanted to add for reference, in case you didn't already know, that Darmstadt is located very close to Frankfurt... just a short ways south of it, actually. I'm assuming that if you're an American about to move to Darmstadt it's because you or your spouse are in the military. I just got out of the Army, and spent more than three years living in Wiesbaden, which is a short distance west of Frankfurt and Darmstadt. You're in the best little corner of Germany there... lots, lots, lots to see and do in that area. I could write more but I'm a bit short on time... feel free to mail me and ask me more, though. I spent most of my free time driving all over the countryside in that part of Germany and still only got to see a tiny fraction of what there is to see there!

Lizzy

I live in Germany, and if you need someone to answer more specific questions feel free to contact me :-)

fliege52000

Darmstadt is a nice little city. Train connections and Autobahn are good. I know the "John F. Kennedy" house there, this is at the Marketplace. I know many Americans, they love Germany. We are also from the US and living here almost 6 years now, and just moving right now and staying another 3 more years here. People are nice, you can shop, go out, travel round Europe it is nice. About the language, don't worry so much, people start learning here English in the 3. Grade.
Have fun and enjoy your moving to Germany.

montasser e

why your moving to german oniy why not anther country

paia423

I'd say of any European country I've been to, it's most similar to the US (I haven't been to the UK or Ireland). Obviously making an attempt to learn the language is a recommendation. I also recommend getting a guidebook for Germany, from Fodder's, Fromer's or Lonely Planet, and it will tell you what to see and what not to see, and tell you a bit about the country and its people. My favorite city in Germany is Munich, definitely worth the visit.

Billi

im keeping a blog here: http://thelifeingermany.blogspot.com/ and adding daily different information that might be helpful, like visas, different city information and such...

Petra

I don't know much about Germany but from experence an overseas move is hard and the best thing you can do is research, research and more research. Go to virtual tourist and ask some questions on there Germany page, also I would suggest reading up on cultural shock. Good luck. We are not far, we moved from the US to Romania less than a month ago.

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