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10 reasons why you should date (or even fall in love with) a German

The Local spoke with an American-German matchmaker based in Wiesbaden to get some (much needed) tips on dating a German. After consulting with her German clients, she came up with some sound advice on finding Teutonic bliss.

10 reasons why you should date (or even fall in love with) a German
Photo: DPA

“Dating someone from another country can be quite a challenge when you live abroad, especially if you aren't familiar with the culture, the habits and the language,” Jessica Dreyer, who runs the matchmaking service US Love Wiesbaden, tells The Local.

“In my position as an American-German matchmaker in Germany, I know about Americans' questions and insecurities over dating a local, but I also register the huge interest in finding a local sweetheart.”

SEE ALSO: 10 beautiful ways to express your love in German

Dreyer put her head together with members of her dating service to come up with the most important reasons to date a German, and some tips on how to deal with the cultural differences. This is what the German love-seekers had to say:

1. We don't all look like Diane Kruger

Diane Kruger Photo: DPA

Germans are not all tall, blonde and blue-eyed like Claudia Schiffer and Diane Kruger, or Thomas Kretschmann and Ralf Möller. But don't we have a great variety of different types of women and men in Germany?

2. We always come on time

When you have a date with us, you can expect us to be on time. Just the way most Germans are.

3. We like expanding our horizons

Germans are open-minded about meeting new people from different nationalities. It gives us that international flavour when we have to speak English with a foreigner. We like that. Learning English in school for years was a good and important thing in the end.

4. Don't mistake shyness for disinterest

When a German single is on a date with someone from abroad, we seem a little reserved or shy in the beginning because we take time to get to know someone. We are also in general not too over-excited in the way we greet you and speak with you.

Don't take this for a lack of interest, it's just the way we are – a little reserved. But once we get to know you and we like you or, even better, we fall in love with you, we open up a lot. We open up our hearts by telling you about our families, our friends, and our inner thoughts.

A woman holds a heart-shaped balloon. Photo DPA/ TMN

5. If you meet the friends, you're on the right track

You are heading the right way if your date asks you to join them to spend time with friends at someone's house. Germans like to keep a close, intimate circle of friends. Only if she or he feels you are the right one will they invite you to accompany them to friends.

6. We don't all love sausage

In Germany, we don't drink beer and wine, or eat sausage, dumplings and Schnitzel all the time. Many prefer the lighter cuisine or live veggie. We also don't all wear Dirndl and Lederhosen – outside of Bavaria, at least. You've probably noticed this by now. But of course if you want to enjoy a Maß of German beer with some traditional food, or try a regional Riesling from our beautiful vineyards, let's go for it!

7. We'll help you feel at one with your body

We may be able to teach you that there's nothing wrong with getting naked at a public sauna, undressing for a relaxing day at a spa, or being topless at the beach. We love to be natural – try to loosen up!

8. German women like an old fashioned gent

Most German women like a man to be a gentleman and love to be treated like a woman. Forget about the rules such as “after the third date, I should be able to expect such and such from them”. That doesn't work for most Germans. It's best not to expect anything at all and relax. Just listen to our signals, body language and eyes, and then you'll understand.

Photo: DPA

9. We're in it for the long-term

Most Germans will date you for a much longer period of time than might happen elsewhere. We'll be in a relationship with you for many years before we decide on the next step, the big M for marriage. We also typically do not become a mum or dad before we hit 30 to 35 as a German woman, or 35 to 40 as a German guy.

10. When you break through the ice, the water underneath is warm

Once we fall in love with you and we have butterflies in our stomach (Schmetterlinge im Bauch), we are warm-hearted, reliable and loving partners. We are no exception when it comes to the most important values in life: finding love, having a family and keeping good friends.

CLICK HERE for all our guides to Living in Germany

 

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LIVING IN GERMANY

Living in Germany: Battles over Bürgergeld, rolling the ‘die’ and carnival lingo

From the push to reform long-term unemployment benefits to the lingo you need to know as Carnival season kicks off, we look at the highlights of life in Germany.

Living in Germany: Battles over Bürgergeld, rolling the 'die' and carnival lingo

Deadlock looms as debates over Bürgergeld heat up 

Following a vote in the Bundestag on Thursday, the government’s planned reforms to long-term unemployment benefits are one step closer to becoming reality. Replacing the controversial Hartz IV system, Bürgergeld (or Citizens’ Allowance) is intended to be a fair bit easier on claimants.

Not only will the monthly payment be raised from €449 to €502, but jobseekers will also be given a grace period of two years before checks are carried out on the size of their apartment or savings of up to €60,000. The system will also move away from sanctions with a so-called “trust period” of six months, during which benefits won’t be docked at all – except in very extreme circumstances. 

Speaking in parliament, Labour Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) said the spirit of the new system was “solidarity, trust and encouragement” and praised the fact that Bürgergeld would help people get back into the job market with funding for training and education. But not everyone is happy about the changes. In particular, politicians from the opposition CDU/CSU parties have responded with outrage at the move away from sanctions.

CDU leader Friedrich Merz has even branded the system a step towards “unconditional Basic Income” and argued that nobody will be incentivised to return to work. 

The CDU and CSU are now threatening to block the Bürgergeld legislation when it’s put to a vote in the Bundesrat on Monday. With the conservatives controlling most of the federal states – and thus most of the seats in the upper house – things could get interesting. Be sure to keep an eye out for our coverage in the coming weeks to see how the saga unfolds. 

Tweet of the week

When you first start learning German, picking the right article to use can truly be a roll of the “die” – so we’re entirely on board with this slightly unconventional way to decide whether you’re in a “der”, “die”, or “das” situation. (Warning: this may not improve your German.) 

Where is this?

Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Boris Roessler

Residents of Frankfurt am Main and the surrounding area will no doubt recognise this as the charming town of Kronberg, which is nestled at the foot of the Taunus mountains.

This atmospheric scene was snapped on Friday morning, when a drop in temperatures saw Kronberg and surrounding forests shrouded in autumnal fog.

After a decidedly warm start to November, the mercury is expected to drop into single digits over the weekend. 

Did you know?

November 11th marked the start of carnival season in Germany. But did you know that there’s a whole set of lingo to go along with the tradition? And it all depends on where you are. First of all, the celebration isn’t called the same thing everywhere. In the Rhineland, it’s usually called Karneval, while people in Bavaria or Saxony tend to call it Fasching. Those in Hesse and Saarland usually call it Fastnacht. 

And depending on where you are, there are different things to shout. The ‘fools call’ you’ll hear in Cologne is “Alaaf!” If you move away from Cologne, you’ll hear “Helau!” This is the traditional cry in the carnival strongholds of Düsseldorf and Mainz, as well as in some other German cities.

In the Swabian-Alemannic language region in the southwest of the country, people yell “Narri-Narro”, which means “I’m a fool, you’re a fool”. In Saarland at the French border, they shout “Alleh hopp!”, which is said to originate from the French language. 

Lastly, if someone offers you a Fastnachtskrapfe, say yes because it’s a jelly-filled carnival donut. And if you’re offered a Bützchen? It’s your call, but know that it’s a little kiss given to strangers!

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