Student life in Germany can get pretty wild. However, if you like to experience nightlife in Germany, it is advisable to read the following thoroughly to get a feeling for what’s normal and what’s abnormal for people living in Germany.
Alcohol
Beer is very popular and comparatively cheap in Germany. Consuming alcohol is a very socially accepted form of gathering, however, not everyone is an addict Soft alcoholic drinks (beer and wine) are allowed to consume starting from the age of 16 in Germany. All other hard liquors can be bought starting from 18 years onwards. Btw a good way of demonstrating German drinking culture is to say Prost! while lifting your glass, touching all other glasses one by one and the most important is the EYE CONTACT while doing so. Otherwise, you will experience a curse of 7 years of bad sex. No kidding.
Drinking in public is allowed and especially preferred in summer times. It is common to gather in parks or other public places for a picnic or get-together which may involve beer or other drinks, according to your liking.
Always pay attention how you leave public places behind and dispose all the trash properly in the nearest bin. It is extremely offensive if you leave a place all dirty. Besides, beer and other soda drinks have a Pfand (deposit), which means, you get back when you return the bottle to the supermarket. If you like to do Flaschensammler (bottle collectors) a favor, you may also leave the empty bottles next to a dustbin.
Fun Fact: Learn how to open a beer bottle with anything but a bottle opener. This will impress all of the beer drinkers around you. Start with a lighter or a spoon
Drugs
Parties in clubs are quite frequently combined with chemical drugs. Especially for music fans of techno and all its derivatives of electronic dance music (house, trance, minimal, etc.). For that reason: never leave your drink unattended!!! Especially girls should watch out for suspicious offerings of strangers. Trust yourself and don’t do things, which you feel uneasy with. Parties Student parties at private homes or at universities are highly popular and of world-class 🙂 It is the best way to socialize with Germans, as it’s the time to break the ice and get more personal. Germans tend to be more distant and “cool” initially. Don’t worry about that reserved nature, it just takes more time to unfreeze the stiffness.
Women
Approaching a woman in Germany follows a simple rule – be gentle and polite as anywhere else in the world. When approaching a girl in a dance club, NEVER EVER grind on a girl from behind without her noticing you while thinking you are the hottest and coolest guy in the world. Most girls DON’ T like this “macho” behavior and rather give a sniff at your approaching touchiness. Better have eye contact first and then slowly start dancing with each other without being too touchy in the beginning.
It is true that in today’s German culture, relationships may vary and typically people have several relationships in their early adolescence. Sex is common in a relationship and also one-night stands happen according to everybody’s preference. However, this doesn’t mean that every girl has immediately and constantly sex and is easy to get going to bed. That’s why do not assume things before getting to know somebody. The app ‘ Tinder’ is also widely used in Germany and follows the principle of flirting and finding a date with similar interests.
In general, Germans tend to talk more freely about sex. Nudity has been lived up since years, especially in the East of the country – known as FKK (Frei Körper Kultur – free body culture). So do not get surprised if you end up at a lake with a section of naked people walking around and taking a swim without causing a fuss.
Homosexuality / Transexuality / Queer
Germany has an open and liberal transgender culture. Being gay, lesbian, queer or of any sexual orientation is free to everybody’s comfort. You will find homosexual couples openly showing their relationship in the public. Big cities celebrate annual gay / lesbian / transgender festivals – these are good opportunities to see and experience the openness and easiness of having diverse sexual beliefs and customs.
These links are interesting and will answer probably some arising questions:
- www.vanderbilt.edu/lgbtqi/get-educated/definitions
- en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LGBT
- www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender-and-queer
If being approached by the same sex, saying a man/girl starts flirting with you or asks you out for a date, this is a natural approach, as you would probably approach a woman/man. Being polite and denying the offer would be the same reaction a woman/man would do, if not being interested in you. Similarly, not all men taking a shower naked in a swimming hall are gay, just because they take a bath together. This is a common custom, to be naked in the respective men’s and women’s changing rooms at places like fitness studios or swimming pools.
Police
Don’ t drink and drive is a serious rule and followed by everybody. Make sure to think ahead how to get back from a party or any nights out where you might get drunk. Cabs or even public transport is a safe option. Driving a car means taking responsibility for anything which might go wrong on the street.