IF you are from Spain and you are assigned here in Germany, then you better start learning German. Because you are from Spain, you don’t need to get a visa to come here in Germany because as a member of the European Union, it entitles citizens of other countries not to get a visa anymore. And because Germany is located in Mainland Europe, you can also come here via land. There are train trips daily but like with plane flights, they are reserved ahead online. But if you want to bring your car from Madrid all the way up to here, then you can do so. Just make sure you’ll have someone with you to take over the driving if you are about to doze off.

Then when you have already reached Germany, it is now time to brush up on that German language. You can either enroll in a German language school or you can enroll in one online so your work won’t be interrupted. In a typical German language school, you will be asked to write down a one-sentence essay in German and recite it in front of the class. Don’t worry, your classmates are also adults just like you. You are also assigned a language partner. A language partner is someone from Germany who wants to learn Spanish. Thus, he or she will be able to tutor you in your German acquisition attempt but in return, you must teach him or her how to speak correct Spanish as well.

Even then, you can also learn German through language tapes or through DW. DW is a television station in Germany with worldwide reach and you can slowly learn how to speak German by just reading the ticker in the television and listening to what the broadcaster or the actress or actor is saying. Aside from that, you can also learn how to speak German just by eavesdropping on two German natives conversing with each other. German is not that hard to learn since Spanish and all its dialects such as Catalan and Basque are co-related with German in a way. It is actually a Romance language because it originated from Rome. The Roman language of old is largely influenced by Germanic and Frankish tribes when the Romans conquered Germany.

Anyway, most of the inhabitants here are Roman Catholics just like you so you will also be able to celebrate the Christmas season here in its entirety from Advent to the Feast of the Epiphany on the first Sunday of January 2008. You will also be able to experience the nine days of dawn masses just like you’ve been experiencing in Spain all your life. Another thing to understand here in Germany is that it has no minimum wage. So businesses here usually pay higher than the European average even though they still use the same currency which is euro. And if you want to know what is the authentic German cuisine here, then you may want to know that it is a very down-to-earth cuisine because they really serve you fresh potatoes just picked from the farm. If what you order is potato fries, then these are just harvested prior to being cooked. That’s how heavenly Germany is.

One thing to ensure yourself on leaving after your year here is that you have seen as wide a variety of German culture as you can. It is a large country and so the culture differs rather a lot between the North and the South, the East and the West. A Germany train can take you through all regions, guaranteeing you a thorough German experience abroad. A pass is the most recommendable option since for it is both economic and flexible, ideal for young travellers.

It is most important to research the whole of your holiday before coming, to maximise your time here and not regret a moment. Ask friends for tips, read newspapers, even try and learn some of the language - your trip will be one to remember!