When I first heard about the International Internship Program, I was blown away by how many countries I could choose from to intern in. Each city—Seoul, Prague, Dublin, Spain, Paris, and Berlin—all seemed like amazing places to live in for two months and offered a range of opportunities. Ultimately, I ended up choosing Berlin, Germany because the city is a hub for economic and political NGOs.
If I’m being honest, I did not know a lot about Berlin or Germany before the program. And when I was accepted, it was funny because all of a sudden I was getting parody videos of Germans and life in Berlin on my TikTok For You page. It seemed that Germans were known for being very efficient, straightforward, and serious—people who are all business and no fun. I came across something called the “German stare,” where on public transport, Germans will just stare at you. Because of what I had heard, I was a little nervous about assimilating into the workplace culture and the culture in general.
I find that while these stereotypes don’t entirely reflect Berlin, there are definitely some parts of German culture that I find a bit difficult to adjust to. One part of the country’s culture I found a little difficult was the really non-existent tipping culture. Obviously, as Americans, there is a strong tipping culture. However, in Berlin, since servers make a livable wage, tipping isn’t really expected. I’ve learned that you can round up your total, which the server will appreciate.
Another aspect of my host country’s culture and workplace that I found difficult to assimilate to was how strict they are about time. I consider myself a punctual person. However, on the rare occasion that I do run a little late, I find that Germans are a lot less forgiving than an American supervisor might be. This was difficult for me to adapt to because I feel that American supervisors are generally pretty understanding—they realize that sometimes a bus will run late and life just happens. So it was quite an adjustment to hear criticism from my German supervisor over being late once. However, I grew from this experience and just made sure to always be a couple of minutes early.
Another part of my host country’s culture that I found difficult to assimilate to is, admittedly, a little bit trivial—but still noticeable—the restaurant culture. As an American, I feel that when we go to restaurants, we sit for maybe an hour and a half to two hours max, and then directly after finishing our food, the waiter hands us the bill and we head out. We understand that the restaurant probably wants to seat someone else. However, in Berlin—and I feel like in Europe in general—people will sit at the restaurant for hours on end. The restaurant culture here is a lot slower. People like to sit down for some time, relax either by themselves or with whomever they are with, and the waiter rarely comes to the table unless needed.
Whenever my friends and I would sit at a restaurant, we would finish our food and sometimes it would be hard waiting for the waiter to bring our check, which often came a long time after we finished eating. Sometimes we would all be really tired and, just being used to American restaurant culture where they automatically bring you the check, we’d end up asking our waiter for it. However, the more time I spend in Berlin, the more I’ve started to appreciate the relaxed environment in Berlin’s restaurants. It allows for more conversation and really lets you enjoy the food.
Another thing that was difficult to assimilate to in the workplace was how much freedom you have to voice your opinion and ideas. I feel that in American workplaces, your boss gives you a set of tasks and expects you to complete them. Here, I’ve noticed that my boss is a lot more interested in what I have to say and whether I have any ideas on a project we’re working on. I find this really refreshing—it has allowed me to express more creativity and has made me more interested in the work I’m doing. It has been a great environment for generating ideas as well.
