Health assurance in Germany

German health assurance has been better in former times but it still isn't so bad compared to many other countries. When you are employed permanently you are automatically assured by one of the national assurances. There is a large variety from which you can choose. Since this January the contribution you have to pay is the same for all health assurances, it varies only due to the amount you earn because a certain percentage is deducted from your salary like the contributions for unemployment assurance and taxes.

However, the benefits vary from assurance to assurance. Some offer refunds if you participate in check ups or join health courses, others return money if you haven't gone to the doctor for some time. It really depends on your interests. I am with an assurance which offers a very good service offering you to participate in up to 4 sports or health courses and they also offer a very large variety to choose from. If you have found a course yourself and it is rated qualified they will pay also this one. The courses usually offered are: yoga, pilates, back exercises, muscle relaxation, nutrition seminars and many others.

People with their own business must assure themselves through a private health assurance. There is also a large variety of those. The rates depend on your age, sex and health record.

When you visit the doctor for the first time be sure to bring along 10 Euro. This is the "Praxisgebühr" = charge for medical registration which is due every 3 months. The doctor will write you a "Überweisung"=referral for other doctors. If you don't have this sheet you will have to pay once again if you visit another doctor. My habit is to ask for all the referrals of likely doctors where I might have to go every time I pay the 10 Euro - so I don't have to go back again to ask it explicitly when I need it.

If you private for medical treatment and pay yourself you can negotiate the prices usually. So if you plan to have a treatment in Germany, you can combine it with some sight seeing or shopping. Just contact me for more information if you are interested. I know a really great dentist with a dental technician. They can fix your treatment in a relatively short time since they don't order cheap stuff from China but make everything here. If something doesn't fit, he can fix it without problems.

Waste Separation in Germany

One thing other Europeans grant us in Germany - among other things like building good cars and being quite punctual on meetings- is that we are really good at separating garbage. The point is that - if you take off glass, paper, compost, plastic and clothes - there isn't very much left to put in the trash bin. The incentive is that you only have to pay for what is left now. We are so good at separating that garbage is so damp now that they have to add paper again for burning the stuff!

Every district has its own system. There are yellow bags in Stuttgart for plastic, in my home town we have green, black and brown bins. The brown ones are the most disgusting ones, they are meant for organic waste. Try to do this during summer when they collect it only once a month and you will know what dying by odor means. If you are audacious enough to put even meat inside you will also have the visit of fluffy friends like rats or worms. In this case I advise you to put on sun glasses when you throw away the garbage or just use the organic ton only for garden waste like I do sometimes - avoid freshly mown grass which can be just as bad! If you have a large garden you can bring all your garden stuff to the "Häckselplatz" - where they shred all the branches and you can bring back home some "Rindenmulch" which is bark mulch.

Insider Tip - Some German necessary

Although the blog is in English, I hope you plan to learn some German while you are here- I recommend it for any stay in a foreign country. Even if you are just go on a vacation, the more you understand the language, the more you will enjoy your sojourn and be able to participate in every day life. If you speak a little bit of our language I have a great leisure and culture tip for you. We have been to a fantastic theater show yesterday. The form of theater is called "theater sport" or "improvisation theater". This means that the spectators participate in the show by suggesting cues for the different scenes. The actors take up the cues and create an individual intelligent and funny show. You will never know before what happens because it always depends on the prompts of the people. We spent a great evening with great company in a nice cellar in downtown Bietigheim - near Stuttgart. Looking forward to repeating it!

Cannstatt Spring Festival

Still some time but not so long to go. On the 11th of April starts the Canstatt Spring Festival (Cannstatter Frühlingsfest). You will find all the things you can find at the "Oktoberfest" in Munich which will be known to most people. There are large tents catering traditional German food and - of course beer - as well as non alcoholic drinks and a large variety of other stuff. They will offer folkloric German music as well as modern Rock or Techno - just choose the tent which you fancy the most. Before that - why not take a trip on the roller coaster and have some cotton candy or toasted almonds.

Wild Garlic

Wild Garlic (German: Bärlauch; Latin: Allium Ursinum) makes part of the garlic family and is one of the wild herbs you will find in many places in our region in spring.

You can mix the leaves with cottage - or curd cheese and butter or add it to your salad or soup. It protects against high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis and other illnesses.

This herb usually can be found near broad-leaved trees, you can smell them by the distinct odor of garlic. Pay attention, it is very important when it hasn't flowered yet because the leaves are also quite similar to those of the lilies of the valley which are poisonous!

Dried they loose their qualities, however you can freeze them. It is not like the fresh stuff but not too bad for the winter season. Don't cook it with the dish like rosemary or thyme, just add it before you serve it.

You can also find it on the markets during the season if you don't want to search it yourself, however I have seen it even in the "Stadtgarten" in the center of Stuttgart.

Spätzle

Introduction

Spätzle are a Swabian noodle speciality - Usually it is used as a side dish like potatoes or rice,

but there are also other dishes like "Käsespätzle" - where it is made with cheese and onions and usually served with a green salad.

Of course, nowadays it is easy to just buy the ready made Spätzle in the supermarket and toss them in a pot of boiling water

If you want to get the real thrill of producing Spätzle yourself, you have to take some time and it is worth it!

The traditional way is to make them using a cutting board and a special scraper:

It takes a little time to learn it, just practise a little bit before inviting guests - so you can impress your guests with your new ability. Click on this link - it is in Swabian but quite slow- so you will understand without speaking the language or dialect.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5DqFq1GQFI&feature=related

Recipe:

This is the standard recipe - however every Swabian has his or her own recipe. Just try this first, then try to alter it if you wish. You can work with different kinds of flour, you can add spinach for green spätzle, walnuts or herbs like wild garlic (I will write about this, too - it doesn't take long until it grows again).

500 g flour
5 eggs
1 tea spoon of salt
water








This recipe is calculated for 4 persons (abundant)

Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and whip them. Most traditionalists do it manually. You can also use a hand mixer is you wish. When the dough has a rubbery texture without tearing it is right. Otherwise add water or flour.

Fill a large pot with water and let it boil. Add salt. Prepare bowl and strainer. When the water boils put the board and scrape for a moment in the pot, then start the procedure. Put 1 or 2 spoons of dough on the board and smooth it out.
When the Spätzle appear on the surface, they are ready. Take out the Spätzle with the strainer and put them in the bowl which is already filled with cold water. - That's it. When you have finished you can take the prepared Spätzle and heat them up in a pan with a lump of butter.

tips and tricks:

• The dough won't stick to the board if you put the board and the scraper in the boiling water before adding the paste.
• If you want to create an especially opulent dish, you can replace the water by more eggs
• You can replace part of the dough by semolina. This will give the Spätzle a more soure
• If you use mineral water instead of normal water, the dough will have a more fluffy consistency
• You can prepare a larger quantity and freeze them without problems.

You can say you to me

One problem for people who learn the German language, coming from an English speaking background, is the usage of the "Du" and the more formal "Sie" when speaking to a person.

Germany is not the only country in Europe where you have this difference, but every country has other rules which aren't always easy to learn and are changing constantly.

I have lived and worked in Italy where the "Tu" is used much more easily than the formal "Lei" and the general trend is really that you use the informal form much more than in Germany.

General rule of thumb - if the person is older than you are, use "Sie". If you meet people for the first time and it is not a leisure situation like sports or friends who are presenting you to other friends, use Sie. If the person addresses you with "Sie", do the same. If you are not sure, use "Sie", even if it is somehow wrong in the situation, it is better because people will tell you to use "Du" and the first name. On the other hand nobody will tell you, not to use "Du" if it isn't appreciated because they don't want to offend you and refrain from telling you because you are a stranger and probably don't know the difference. Best practice is also to avoid any decision and to wait how the other person starts the conversation with you. It takes some time to get used to the practice and and develop a feeling for the situation.
If people start formal, they may switch to informal afterwards. If there is a large age difference, it is always the older person who makes the suggestion. Sometimes this can also happen after years and it feels awkward to change after such a long time.