Welcome to Bavaria with ACS

Since arriving in Germany a little over a month ago, I've been interested in learning more about the German culture. As much as I like living in Germany, I still feel uncomfortable at times because I'm not familiar with the culture or language. Army Community Service, better known as ACS, puts on a Welcome To Bavaria class each month to newcomers here in Vilseck and Grafenwoehr. Since I'm not working at the moment and it can be quite lonely during the day, it was the perfect chance to take the class.

The class was taught by a local German woman who was quite entertaining. She explained to us how many Germans can be very direct, yet American's find it rude. In the German culture they tell you how they feel and aren't afraid to tell you the truth, no matter how it might make the other person feel. But in the United States, many people will avoid being completely honest at times because they don't want to hurt a person's feelings. Although, I'm sure we all know people in the U.S. who don't have any problems "telling it like it is". She covered topics such as tipping, popular local dishes, metric system, and popular phrases. She also explained that Germans like to keep to themselves most of the time. They don't enjoy small talk, especially with strangers. So basically, I shouldn't expect my German neighbors to strike up a conversation with me. If you know me personally, you probably know how chatty I can be. I like meeting new people and sometimes I have a hard time being quiet so this may be a challenge for me in the future. HA!

Our instructor also briefly explained to us how the train systems works in Germany, specifically Bavaria, which was beneficial because we definitely plan on taking the train when we travel to farther cities. We also learned about popular festivals and events in our region and I'm definitely excited to go to some popular Christmas markets in December.

One of the other events that ACS puts on is a day trip to a neighboring town. This month they went to Weiden, which is about 25 minutes from Vilseck, and I chose to go along on the trip. The same woman who taught the Welcome to Bavaria class also led the day trip. We took a small bus to Weiden and explored local furniture stores, recreation areas and the charming downtown area. I just can't get over the cobble stone streets. I love them so much. Although, you definitely need to wear appropriate shoes because one wrong step and you could have a sprained ankle! I picked up a ton of brochures from the town hall so I could gain more knowledge about the town and other popular attractions nearby. Overall, it was a fun day, although I felt uncomfortable communicating with some of the Germans. My German is so rusty but hopefully that will change soon because I start German classes next week! I'll leave you with a few pictures of downtown Weiden. Have a great weekend!

P.S. What tips do you have for living in Germany? I'd love to know!