Having spent a short amount of time in Munich, I feel that I’ve gotten quite an exposure to the local culture. There are definitely some things that are common in both Germany and the United States, but I’ve also felt that Bavaria, (with its state capital Munich), has a certain unique identity that differentiates it from other parts of the country. As an example, Oktoberfest occurs in Bavaria and is also among Germany’s strongest regional traditions. Bavaria furthermore hosts strong traditions and diverges in cuisine from the remainder of the country. We participated in a cooking class and prepared Bavarian potato salad. Most people’s idea of German potato salad would be a mayonnaise style dish. But the Bavarian potato salad is a light one, made using cucumbers. 

I truly feel like I identify with these regions, mainly due to my heritage and culture within my family back in the States. Most of the dishes that are a “staple” here, are also frequently made by my grandparents and parents for special occasions. This made me feel very comfortable with the transition to the new country, since it was like finding a menu my grandmother would make! 

There are also some deeper cultural aspects of Germany that I’ve found challenging to adjust to. One of the biggest for me has been the abrupt way people here handle minor conflict. To be honest, most of these situations are pretty small, someone bumps into you, or you’re accidentally in the way. But when that happens, Germans rarely apologize or acknowledge that it might have been their fault. Instead, they tend to give a blunt look and either mutter something passive-aggressively or argue in German about why you were in the wrong.

This has been a personal challenge for me because I was always taught to apologize for misunderstandings and to accept that accidents happen. That’s not really the norm here. Rather than taking it personally, I’ve learned that it’s just part of the culture, and all you can really do is be as mindful and careful as possible. I specifically remember my first day here, when I accidentally walked into the bike lane and got scolded for disrupting a cyclist’s path. I apologized, but received a very angry response in German, something I now realize is a pretty common reaction in those situations.

With all of that said, interacting with the locals and University students has been quite a nice experience. There were many occasions where I was nervous to order food or to ask for directions, but was kindly greeted with a response to exactly what I needed. I find it comforting that most of the citizens here speak English quite well, and that they are happy to help tourists when they are in need of assistance. I think that this made me learn that even though there are small differences in how others react to conflict, there are still many people that want to help and make your time in their culture the most enjoyable.