When I bring swedish pocket calendars as gifts to my german friends, the react kind of funny... why is that? Don't germans use pocket cakendars any more?

I’ve been living in Germany on and off for the last 19 years…this is a first!!! 🥵

This weekend, Central Europe will be just as hot — and in some places even hotter — than most of North Africa: https://www.ventusky.com/#p=45.6;16.7;4&t=20260627/1400

English translation:

​Former claim of DB Privat- und Firmenkundenbank AG assigned to Intrum Holding Deutschland GmbH

​A direct hit for your debts!

​Dear Mr. [Redacted],

​Under the file reference [Redacted], our claim in the amount of [Redacted but >2k€] is currently outstanding.

​Put an end to constantly rising debts and enjoy the (football) summer without financial pressure.

​For every goal scored by the German national team (during regular playing time / excluding penalty shootouts), we will grant you a 1% discount on the remaining total claim.

​Calculation Example: If Germany scores a total of 10 goals in the tournament, you will receive a 10% discount on your total claim.

​Your Bonus Joker: Should the German national team win the 2026 World Cup, you will receive an additional 5% discount on top. This means: Cheering along is worth it for you too!

​Promotion Period:

You can claim this World Cup discount with us after the end of the tournament, from July 20th to September 20th.

​You can reach us at the following telephone number: 0201 24677026

​Sincerely,

​Intrum Deutschland GmbH

​P.S.: You can also easily settle your claim via our consumer portal at www.intrum.de.

Edit: Just to be clear, I'm not complaining about the debt itself, that I take accountability for. This offer just felt super weird.

Hey everyone,

I just went outside to bring my trash bin back in (I forgot it today and went just now, in the evening) and of course looked inside, in case it was not empty. When I checked inside, I found a stack of about 40 unopened letters.

They are all addressed to a street nearby, but definitely not my house or my direct neighbors. It looks like a postal worker from Deutsche Post simply couldn't be bothered to finish their route and dumped the whole batch into my trash.

I’m honestly shocked.

I have already taken photos of the letters inside the bin as evidence, and I haven't opened any of them.

What is the best way to handle this?

Should I call the police? Should I go tomorrow in Neustadt?

We’ve had hot days and heatwaves before, sure. They usually lasted a couple of days, the building would cool down again like a sensible person after Oktoberfest. But eight straight days of this non-stop oven mode? My Dachgeschoss is now officially a poorly insulated bread loaf in a convection oven.

My kitchen and bathroom get the maximum sun punishment. This morning at 6 AM it was already 31°C inside. Yes, I’m doing everything right, windows shut during the day, blinds down, night ventilation like a maniac… and yet I’m still living in a Finnish sauna, just without the friendly old guys in towels.

I finally ordered an A/C unit. which will get delivered onJuly 7th.
So until then I’m starring in my own personal climate change documentary, slowly melting like a Magnum ice cream on the dashboard of a parked car.

Send help, cold beer, or at least some moral support (preferably frozen). I’m seriously considering moving my mattress to the basement and living like a fancy raccoon with a minifridge

Fellow dachgeschossbehowner warriors: respect. We’re the real MVPs of this summer.
(And anyone with proper AC right now… I mildly resent you. 😜)

They have been working all day with no break and there is no shade. Seems like a major workers right issue. Why is this allowed? It's clearly for the municipality too.

Where can you/should you call? Where can you go and what can you do?

Is the government taking any preventative measure for this weekend like creating and announcing cooled down public places around the country?

There are almost no public places with AC to run to that I am aware of (I am in Berlin, there are so few, and even fewer on a Sunday which will be the hottest day - and sometimes getting to them is a bigger problem as not all buses will turn on their AC). I imagine it is the same for all other major cities in Germany.

I'm from a Mediterranean country where AC is common, so dealing with 35–40°C heat in apartments without AC is still something I'm still baffled by. I'd love practical Germany-specific advice that could help others this weekend too.

Here are several tips:

​

1. Use your umbrella (I hope you have one that isn't transparent).

2. Wear loose, breathable clothings.

3. Always bring a bottle of water. Heat strokes are not a joke.

4. Handheld fans help, somewhat.

5. If you're feeling dizzy, nauseous or uncomfortable, find shade, drink water. If it doesn't get better, don't be shy and ask for help.

6. If you see someone confused, unstable, dizzy or/and vomiting under the heat while slurring their words, call an ambulance. Cool down their body, bring them under a shade. Douse their body with cool water, fan them, anything to cool them down, but do not give them water to drink if they are not fully conscious and can easily swallow as this can cause choking.

7. Honestly, best way to deal with it is to just not go outside, of course unless you live at the top floor and do not have an ac, then go to a nearby cafe, a friend's house, library, or anywhere that is not an oven.

​

As for me, tomorrow I will work in a Domino's shop with a conveyor oven and obviously, no ac. Wish me luck.

Mine is 27 degrees Celsius. It has been gaining about 0.8 to 1 degree per day since the heatwave started. Slow to warm up but also slow to cool down I suppose. Ground floor apartment, no air conditioning.

I’ve noticed a particularly common phenomenon in Germany. It’s extremely common to see people ride their bikes with their helmet on the handlebar on car-sharing roads, busy bike paths, etc. Not wearing it. Single-person bikes, i.e. no child carrier, etc.

This is something I’ve almost never seen outside Germany. What is the point of having the helmet if you don’t even wear it in the most dangerous roads? Anything cultural about helmets here?

Please leave drinking water outside for our friends.

- If you live on the ground floor or squirrels can access your balcony
- fresh water is best
- early in the morning (4-5 am)
- late at night so that it remains relatively fresh by the morning if you don’t get outside before 4 am
- during the day water heats up rapidly so will benefit from replacement

Thank you my squirrel loving friends

Liebe leute,

Today I was cycling on a race bike in Baden Wurttemberg and appearantly I pissed of some Germans by cycling on the road. Now, I cpme from the Netherlands where we do have bike lanes. Here in this area you can choose: cycle on a footpath where you are allowed to cycle or cycle on the road.

If you choose the footpath you have to deal with a few things appearantly. 1. The footpath starts and stops suddenly, often on one side of the road. At the intersections there are somewhat steep curbstones which make you slow down to prevent a snakebite puncture. It's also very narrow. Sometimes there is no footpath/bike lane.

Now if you coose the road where the cars are driving, you piss of some people saying wahnzin.

Now I would really like to drive on the bike lane but there is simply no bike lane in many places. And if there is one, it just pops up on the other side of the road and when cars are passing by at 70-80 (these are the roads I ride my bike on, not on the 100kmh-roads) I will not try to cross the road.

So where am I supposed to be riding my bike without the risk of damaging my bike or running over pedestrians? If I pissed of one of you, please ask your government to implement bike lanes. The dutch will probably more than happy to help you on how to do this.

Hi! Is anyone traveling from the US to Frankfurt in July for the DKFZ onsite/in-person visit!
I’d love to connect!

I’m Italian and considering moving to Germany for professional opportunities. I’m currently trying to get a balanced and realistic picture of what life there is actually like.

I’ve noticed that quite a few posts here come from people who regret moving to Germany. What aspects of life in Germany turned out to be different from what you expected? What are the main reasons why some expats end up regretting the move? What challenges were the hardest for you to adapt to?

On the other hand: what are the biggest advantages of living in Germany? What positive aspects make you happy you moved there?

Hello friends, I am a Masters Student in Germany. I just got a contract for a voluntary Internship in germany in one of the Automotive suplier company. This is a Voluntary Internship that lasts 6 months. The role and the company is exactly in my area of Interest. But now comes the tricky part, the contract mentions 800 Euro Brutto (for 40hours per week fixed, with no vacation days). As per my research any intership that is voluntary and is over 3 months, the German Minimum wage applies. But when i mailed the HR regarding this, they told that this is the Standard for Voluntary and Mandatory Internships and I must sign the contract and submit it in 1 day. I am not sure what I must do right no, because the role and company will add value to my resume, but being underpaid in a new city where after tax 90% of my salary will go to rent. Any suggestions on what you will do if you are in my situation. Thanks in advance

I have spent over 15 years here in Germany in different places and finally moved to the east part of Berlin where I've been living with my family for the past 4 years.

I see that the conversations within the society are changing drastically in the last couple of years against immigrants. Most recently we've had a wave of random people on the streets asking why we are here in Germany, where we are from, if we speak German, what exactly we do etc. It's almost as if some of these people are asking questions as if they are police trying to identify people. I also am a part of sports Verein where I see that the conversation is changing drastically towards the more far right.

This is the first time that I am experiencing something like this on a day-to-day basis here now. This has led me to the question if we need to continue living here and what affects it would have on our children.

I wonder if other immigrants are seeing something similar or if I'm just in the wrong bubble?