What language barrier?

In the village that we live here in Germany there are several ethnic restaurants that you can enjoy once you’ve had your fill of sausages, schnitzel and spaetzle (which might just be impossible by the way).  One of our favorites around the corner is a small, 8 table, “Mom & Pop” Chinese restaurant called “Panda.”

I was standing in line the other day waiting to place a takeout order and I couldn’t help but hear some of the conversations that filled this small space.  The kitchen was bustling with orders and reply’s in Chinese (Mandarin, I believe).  A couple at table one must have been on holidays from what Italian I managed to pick up.  There was a table of Americans who were discussing the day’s results at the Olympics, and there was the young, German gentleman in line ahead of me who placed his order in his local Bavarian dialect.  The response from the Chinese woman behind the counter was in perfect German as well.  When it was my turn to order I think that I must have been caught up in a “language moment” because I proceeded to place my order in (my best) German which of course was repeated with much better annunciation by the nice woman behind counter.  And then something unexpected happened…she started laughing.

Between deep breaths she said, “You American, speak’n German to me in Chinese restaurant…me Chinese…you funny.  Ha! Ha! Ha!”

I’m glad that I could provide her with a little entertainment in the middle of her busy day…

What I’ve found in the last couple months is that if you at least try to speak the local language, most “locals” will go out of their way to “help” you.  Though, I’ve also been counseled that when I’m in rural areas of Germany where folks are not used to seeing many Americans, I should begin my conversations in English and then quickly transition to German so that the locals don’t think that I am “retarded.”  Probably good advice…

We’ve also found that more than 50% of the folks we’ve met in this area do speak at least some English and most are more than happy to try “their English” while you try out “your German.”  Many local folk are interested and surprised when we tell them about the many different places we’ve lived in the States.  This usually generates conversation about friends they have in the U.S. or perhaps even places that they’ve been on their visit(s) to America.  We’ve met some very nice “locals” over here and one thing we’ve heard from many of our American friends is that when you befriend a German, you’re often making a friend for life.  They’ve been in touch with old German neighbors for 20 years or more since they moving back to the states.

Ordering food in the local language, whether it’s bread at the neighborhood backerei, meat at the local metzgerei, or chicken fried rice and a couple egg rolls at your closest Chinese restaurant, is pretty easy with a little study.  Or you can just listen to and mimic the person in line ahead of you and see what happens.  You never know when you might make someone’s day…

Time for me to spend a little more time on Rosetta Stone…and I might just need to brush up a little on some Mandarin Chinese…

The Miracle of Vonage; an Expat’s “Best Friend”

We discovered Vonage phone service just a couple months before moving to Germany.  For staying in touch with friends and family back in the states, this service is truly an Expat’s best friend.

What is it?

Vonage is a non-traditional phone package that utilizes voice over internet protocol (“VOIP”); or in simpler terms, it uses your broadband internet service to make and receive phone calls instead of the traditional phone line from your local telephone company.  For a small monthly fee, Vonage enables you to make and receive phone calls from anywhere in the world provided you are connected to a broadband connection.  If you decide to take a trip to Paris for example, you can bring your Vonage adapter and phone with you…plug into the hotel’s broadband internet connection and you have your “local” phone number with you.

You choose the stateside area code that you want to use.  Anyone who calls you from within that area code is only charged for a local call, regardless of where you are in the world.  In fact, most long-distance carriers have been offering nationwide long-distance service for a while now, so for many the call to you is free. Your outgoing calls to the US, including 1-800 numbers, are covered with your modest monthly payment to Vonage.  It’s a great way to beat the high cost of international phone rates.  Sounds pretty amazing, doesn’t it?!?

For us, Vonage has been a welcome addition to our daily lives.  Friends and family don’t have to pay the phone company rates for a call to Germany and we can take this Vonage number with us wherever we go…

What Features does it offer?

• “Free” calls from anyone in the states, provided they have nationwide calling plan.  Otherwise, they are charged the normal long-distance rate from their area code to the area code you chose when you set up your Vonage account.
• Excellent voice mail.  You can set your Vonage system up to notify you via email if you have voicemail.  Vonage even attaches a .wmv file to the email so that you can listen to the voice message from your computer.
• The Vonage system we bought included a multi-handset cordless phone system.  On the base station is a “Do not disturb” button.  Press this button and all your Vonage phone calls go directly to voicemail.  This is nice for us in case our stateside friends forget the time difference here in Germany.
• Online account access.  Access your Vonage account from any computer…check your incoming and outgoing calls, voicemail, etc.  You can even forward your calls to another stateside number.
• All the standard features such as call waiting, call hunt, caller ID…all included in the monthly price.
• Stay in better touch if you move around a lot.  With Vonage you can take your number with you…wherever you go.

What hardware is required?

First, you’ll need a broadband internet connection.  Most folks with this type of connection are using DSL or Cable internet service from their local provider.  Next, you’ll need a Vonage adapter.  We picked up a multi-handset phone system with the adapter from Best Buy, on sale for $99.  Other Vonage adapters are available at a cheaper price without the multi-handset phones.

How do you set it up?

Follow the instruction manual…the instructions were easy to understand.  Establish a Vonage account online.  Select an area code and phone number from the choices Vonage gives you…install your hardware and you’re in business.

Just how good is the service?

When calling a land-line we and the folks we’re calling can’t differentiate between traditional telephone service and the Vonage service.  However, every once in a while the phone may cut-out a bit if the other party is on a cell phone.  Overall though, we’re extremely pleased with the quality.

How much does it cost?

Vonage has a couple of plans.  One caps you at 500 minutes of call time for a set price.  We opted for unlimited calling for about $25/mo.

Where can I buy it?

Check your local electronics store or order online.  Newegg.com is one of my favorite online sites for geek stuff.  You can read more about Vonage at www.betterwaytophone.com

It’s a good thing….

Google Translate

I found a cool beta site today: Google Translate

This is a handy page to translate web content including entire web pages into your native language.  I believe they have 23 languages to choose from, along with a “language detector” in case you come across something that you don’t easily recognize.  It’s been helpful for us over here when viewing German-only websites.

“Cell Phones” in Germany

Here’s a quick overview of German Cell Phones from an expat’s perspective…

There are a couple different options when it comes to “cell phones” here in Germany.  The 2 major carrier options in this area are Vodafone and T-Mobile.   I chose Vodafone and it seems to be working out well, though I’m sure that most T-Mobile users are just as satisfied with their service.  Similar to what is offered in the States, you can purchase a 1yr or 2yr phone contract with a new phone here or you can opt for a slightly more expensive (or not depending on what deals the company may be running) pre-paid phone and then pay-as-you-go.  I believe that these pay-as-you-go phones are more popular, at least in my circle of friends and associates because you’re only paying for what you actually use vs a set monthly fee for unlimited use.  This of course is dependent upon how many minutes you actually use.  I’m a rather infrequent caller so the pre-paid deal works best for me.

One benefit is that you can add minutes to your phone from any Vodafone kiosk.  They seem to be everywhere and there are several in our village alone. There you can add 5, 10, or 25 Euro increments to your phone whenever you need it.

The billing structure is different from most stateside companies as well.  With the pre-paid phone you don’t get charged for incoming calls…only for calls that you make.  The charge for most calls within Germany is .29 for the first minute for a call you make and the rest of the call is free, regardless of the duration.  Calls to the states can get a bit pricey though at 79 cents/minute.  For stateside calls we’re using Vonage…which I think is another small miracle from the Techno-Gods.  More on the wonders of Vonage in a future post.  For now, my ‘cell phone’ and service are meeting my personal needs for local calls within Germany.

“Expats” in Germany

I’ve heard the term expat a lot lately so I thought I’d do some very light research on it’s origin.  If you Wiki “Expatriate” you might find something that resembles following:

An expatriate (in abbreviated form, expat) is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person’s upbringing or legal residence. The word comes from the Latin ex (out of) and patria (country, fatherland).

Background

The term is often used in the context of Westerners living in non-Western countries, although it is also used to describe Westerners living in other Western countries, such as Americans living in the United Kingdom, or Britons living in Spain. It may also reasonably refer to Japanese living, for example, in New York City, New York. The key determinant would seem to be cultural/socioeconomic and causation.

In the 19th century, Americans, numbering perhaps in the thousands, were drawn to Europe—especially to Munich and Paris—to study the art of painting. Henry James was a famous expatriate American writer from the 1870s, who adopted England as his home.

Trends in expatriation

During the later half of the 20th century expatriation was dominated by professionals sent by their employers to foreign subsidiaries or headquarters. Starting at the end of the 20th century globalization created a global market for skilled professionals and leveled the income of skilled professionals relative to cost of living while the income differences of the unskilled remained large. Cost of intercontinental travel had become sufficiently low, such that an employers not finding the skill in a local market could effectively turn to recruitment on a global scale.

This has created a different type of expatriate where commuter and short-term assignments are becoming the norm, and are gradually replacing the traditional long term. Private motivation is becoming more relevant than company assignment. Families might often stay behind when work opportunities amount to months instead of years. The cultural impact of this trend is more significant. Traditional corporate expatriates did not integrate and commonly only associated with the elite of the country they were living in. Modern expatriates form a global middle class with shared work experiences in multi-national corporation and working and living the global financial and economical centers. Integration is incomplete but strong cultural influences are transmitted. Middle class expatriates contain many re-migrants from emigration movements one or two generations earlier.

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So, we’re “expats” living in Germany…for a few years at least.  My work brought our family here to a small Bavarian community from the U.S.  We arrived in June and are thus far enjoying our experience immensely.  The scenery, the people, the Gasthaus food, are all wonderful.  Look here soon for some additional posts that chronicle our European adventures!