Deutsch, niemand?

[TofuRobot]

So, I've been trying to teach myself German for the past couple of weeks... I'm taking a German class next semester, and really want to go to Germany - I'm thinking either near the end of next year or in the summer of 2021. I'm a big house music fan and want to go to some of the clubs in Berlin, or wherever the good places are ...I know literally no one who's German, and no one who lives there, though I do have a friend who lives in the UK who speak German... And a friend in Spain who speaks no German at all .... I've heard it's pretty difficult to get to know people in German if you don't already know someone there - unless maybe if you like to hang out at the pubs and drink beer, which I'm thinking would be a bit awkward for me since I don't drink alcohol and I'm guessing German pub food isn't exactly vegan-friendly.

Do we have any German vegans in the forum?? How do I go about this and what are your suggestions?? Also, if I brought my running shoes, would people think I was crazy if I went for a jog? I've heard (in some running groups) that sometimes they get weird stares when they go running in a different country. There must be German athletes, right? Do people do couch surfing in Germany? I could maybe trade English lessons or something (hopefully I'll be able speak German a bit better by then)

Danke!!

 

[Andy_T]

Hey, Tofurobot!

There are lots of joggers and other athletes in Germany.
I'm not really German (I'm from Austria), but I have been living in Germany for the last 20 years, so feel free to ask anything you like!

What might be a challenge - which a former colleague of mine bitterly complained about is, that whenever he tried to speak German in a shop or similar, the people there would rather try to answer him in English (he's from Singapore) than patiently wait for him to slowly finish his German inquiries...

 

[TofuRobot]

Hallo @Andy_T , guten Tag!

That would be really frustrating! So, I guess the pressure is on to be able to speak well enough not to sound like Im fumbling I suppose most of the shop workers in the bigger tourist cities all speak English (better than the average American tourist), so that's going to be their default? ...When I went to France in 1999 (Paris, and St. Emilion), I was very glad I spoke some French - there were few people who seemed like they wanted to speak English, and it seemed like they appreciated the fact that I was trying (I took 4 years of French in school 10 yrs prior, and spent a year studying on my own before we went). Could be a very different attitude there, though.

My class doesn't start until the end of January... und so weit ich habe allein gelernt, und ich kenne zufällige Sätze, wie...
"Es gibt zu viele zu tun!" und,
"Kennst du seinen großen Bruder?" und,
"Was is los in dieser Stadt?" und,
"Es gibt etwas an ihm, das ich nicht mag"


I'm trying to study as much as I can before I start my class... und I will take you up on your offer, for sure! Vielen Dank!
...ist es schwer, vegan zu sein in Deutschland?