My Survival Guide to Life Overseas!

Hey Everyone! Today I decided that I would share a few of the things that have made my time overseas more enjoyable :)  When living in a different country, you are sometimes not afforded the luxury of speaking or understanding the language.  This was a challenge for me at the beginning of my time here in Germany, but my advice to those of you who are just coming over for a few months such as myself is to just learn what you NEED to know.  Google translate is a very helpful site for when needing to look up unfamiliar words.  What I consider need to know words to be are words that you use on a daily basis...ie:  greetings, food, directions.  Most of the time you can get by using English, but you should be prepared if you are put in a situation where you need to know certain words...It is not always easy to get across what you are trying to say...emotions and expressions play a huge part of communication.
Grocery shopping over here is quite a challenge if you can not read the ingredients in certain items...for example, I bought a can of tuna and instead of the tuna being in water, it was in oil...ewww!  If I new what I was looking for on the label then I wouldn't of had this problem!  Meat over here is not the same as what you get back home...for a good steak, you need to go to either a high end grocery store or a butcher shop.  They don't really eat that much steak over here, so you need to be very selective and know what you are looking for.  Most of the meat here is pork, chicken, or fish.  You really can't go wrong with pork...some of my favorites are pork steaks, schnitzel, and  bratwursts.  The food over here is like the food back home, but like I said, you have to pay close attention to the ingredients.  It may take you a couple of trips to the store before you figure it out.  I wrote a list of words while shopping to translate when I got home...this helped me a whole lot!  Once you learn your main foods, you will be able to order in a restaurant easier too!  Some places may have English menus you just have to ask.  Also, don't be afraid to try and speak German when you go out!  They pretty much can tell that you are not German just from looking at you, but in my experience if you make an effort to communicate with them, then they seem to want to help you :)  There are those people out there who don't, but you find those types of people everywhere. 
Anyways, learn your foods, it makes life easier!
Transportation (train, taxi, bus, etc...):  You are gonna want to learn how all of these work.  Learning how to use the train system has been a huge help.  Right now, the weather here is pretty cold and snowy...driving isn't always a great idea, so I usually take the train.  Taking the train not only saves you money on gas, it gets you where you need to be quickly and efficiently.  The public transportation systems here in Europe are fabulous! Overall, the trains are clean and comfortable.  Train travel is ideal when wanting to go for a long distance trip.  International travel is easy too...I just returned from a trip to Amsterdam and all you need is your passport.  Entering the Netherlands I wasn't asked for it, but when we returned to Germany, the border police boarded the train and asked for it.  While getting around locally, you should check with the transportation provider on any information regarding monthly passes.  This helps cut down on the cost. I definitively opt for public transportation over driving.
Once you get your food and transportation down, you will notice more confidence in your attitude.  I know I did! 

Here is a list of items I SUGGEST for those of you who will be over here for an extended period of time.
1.  INTERNET!!!!!  Most of these following items run off of the internet.
2.  Smart Phone (Blackberry or iPhone)
3.  WhatsApp ( this is an application for the Blackberry or iPhone that allows you to send and receive FREE text messages from other smart phones...the reason why this is so important is because IT WORKS INTERNATIONALLY FOR FREE!!!!!!!!)

WhatsApp only works on iphone or blackberry

3. www.Ch131.com ( This website is awesome! On Channel131.com you can watch TV shows and Movies for FREE!!!  Check it out here!)
4.  Slingbox ( If you purchase a slingbox you can set it up on your tv back home and it will transmit to your computer overseas!  I love it!!! It works through the internet.  You can check it out here!)
5.  Pay as you go Phone ( I use a pay as you go phone from Vodaphone.  The way it works is you purchase the phone, and then put money on it as you need it.  It is FREE to receive calls and texts.  My phone cost 10 euros, you can put as much or as little money on it as you want.  You can check it out here!)
6.  Facebook ( Using your facebook account is easy way to keep in touch with your friends and family, yes FB chat works internationally!)
7.  Shopping Bags ( Here in Germany, you have to bring your own bags when going grocery shopping.  You can purchase bags at the stores, but having one or two really good canvas or plastic bags on you at all times is a must!)
8.  Clothing  ( The fall and winter months here in Germany are really cold!  Well, to me :) I suggest you pack warm, and have a good pair of winter boots.  Rain boots are good to have as well. Also, pack a good winter coat. Wear layers and you should be good!)
9.  Appliances (  I suggest you buy new appliances such as a hair dryer, straightener, electric razor, etc... over here.  The voltage is a lot more powerful and will damage or destroy your American appliances.  They do sell converters, but I just find it easier to buy European appliances...especially if you plan on coming back in the future.  The store to buy your appliances is the Saturn store, they sell everything relating to appliances and electronics.  You can also find outlet and power converters there.)
10.  Personal items (1.  Deodorant!  I have yet to find stick deodorant here, they mostly have roll on and spray, if you do not like this, then stock up before you get here! 2. Medicine:  The drug laws over here are very strict.  They do not sell Tylenol, Advil, Excedrine, Benadryl, NyQuil, DayQuil, Tums, Pepto Bismol, and the list goes on!  For many medications, you need a doctors prescription.)

These are the main things that I suggest, and believe me I wish I knew about the medication before I got here...
I really hope that this will help those of you who are planning on moving or visiting overseas!  If you know of more things that would be helpful, then feel free to comment :)
-Tschussy!