When going abroad, you will want to know that you live in a safe environment and that you will receive help whenever needed. Germany is a safe country and counts with reliable and helpful police departments. Nonetheless, in an emergency or if you need further guidance, you can always contact an official representative from your home country. Similarly, your university International Office can help you with questions regarding personal safety. In the same line, you want to know that, in case of an emergency, you can count on having the best health care possible. Hence asking for advice about how the local system works, health insurance prices and uses and where to go or who to call in case you need to visit a doctor will provide you with the essential information to live and study with no fears.
Daily life Getting used to a new culture and costumes might be difficult, daily life situations might work in a completely different way and you do not want to feel lost. “I come from Latin America, and there... Saturdays AND Sundays are grocery or shopping day. You can always go out, even on holidays! And you will never have problems finding an open store. This is something I had to learn when moving to Germany. I have to organize my days so I don’t forget to buy my food or water when I can. But I have to admit I like this system. You can actually rest on Sundays; and owners and shop assistants can have some time off too. Sometimes I feel we do not respect other’s time when making them work until late in a shop or a mall... even on Christmas Eve or labor day” Every country has different regulations and opening hours, investigating a little bit when moving abroad will help you savingtime and energy.
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Picture: Andrea in Chemnitz. Andrea León