Warning.

All the information typed here are to help the students coming from India to
Germany for studies. This material is purely out of my interests to help students
coming here to Germany, as most of the time many do not know how to plan as
they leave to foreign countries for the first time. I bear no responsibility or liability
towards any untoward incidents happening out of this if you blindly follow it. This
is no bible or commandments. I have just outlined points out of my experience and
problems. These are just some of the points to note.
********* THIS IS NOT A PERFECT DOCUMENT *********
AND BY FOLLOWING THIS BLINDLY YOU ARE DOING SO AT YOUR
OWN RISK.

The following are the things which you are supposed to do after you get your VISA and before
you board a flight to Germany, and this information is specific to students coming here for
studies. These are the things you have to get when you come to Germany from India.

Please remember that Germany is not USA, so tactics applicable to USA is not applicable
to Germany, by this I mean, do not come to Germany months in advance like in USA in the
hope of finding a job. Come to Germany, settle down with a place to stay, get familiar with
your university, course and place of stay within a month and then start to apply to job.

After VISA you are still in the middle of the desert. Its only half way through. So after VISA
WHAT????? I answer these questions below. How to shop, how to pack your luggage, what
points to bear in mind before and at departure and at and after arrival........ etc. Some of those
questions I have tried to answer. Give a careful reading and avoid many troubles.

Clothings:

1. Underwears and banyans (undergarments) are very expensive. Try to get the stock for 2
years.
2. Get 2 pairs of thermal wears (also called as inners). Get Rupa thermal wears. Do not get
more than 2 pairs because they are extremely expensive and not required more than 2 pairs.
When I say pair. I mean one top and one pant (trouser). So you have to get 2 pairs of inners
(thermal wears).Thermal wears should always be tight to body to keep u warm Also when
you get the thermal wears usually the top is full sleeve. If you wear only half sleeve shirt or
T-shirt then get half-sleeve inners. Inner are worn over your undergarments and T-shirts or
shirts and pants (trousers) are worn over inners. Otherwise your T-shirt or shirt will be half-
sleeve and inner full sleeve.
3. The place you live (Germany) is very cold so get atleast 4 to 5 jeans or as much as you want
for 2 years.
4. Get good nice T-shirts and shirts as much as you want for 2 years.
5. Get good sweater (only one is enough) may be from Raymonds.
6. Carry 2 or 3 formal pair of dress. Most of the time its cold so you will not be able to wear
formals all the time.
7. Get a good muffler and one monkey cap (only one each).
8. Get a pair of good woollen gloves and leather gloves (only one pair each is enough)
Remember all the items I mentioned above are very expensive if u try to purchase them here.
The same quality in India costs half or one third.
9. Get one pair of nice shoe for winter. I bought one from Liberty original showroom (where no
other brand other than Liberty is available) in September 2002. I asked for a winter shoe and
he gave me a nice Liberty Gliders (costing me Rs1140/-). Buy something similar. Do not buy
shoes that come upto your knees as they are told that they are for winter. You must remember
that you cannot wear such type of shoes for classes. And such type of shoes are useful if you
are on the roads for most of the time, which u will not be.
10. Buy a nice formal shoe. You cannot wear leather shoe in winter you will die of frost bite.
Formal shoe is only for summer which is only for 3 months in a year. Carrying formal shoe is
option (if u carry formal dress carry it) but winter shoe is must.
11. Buy 4 to 5 air of nice woollen socks and 4-5 pairs of cotton socks
Note:- woollen socks and woollen and leather gloves and winter jacket which you buy in
India will not withstand most of the time the cold of Germany. So buy such that as soon as
you come to Germany you will not face problem. And after you come to Germany and
settle properly buy one here, because they are manufactured to withstand the cold here.
12. Carry a nice strong umbrella, because it always rains here in Germany in summer, winter and
during snow periods as well. So umbrella is a must.
13. Since Germany is cold country most of the time in a year, better get one good pair of slippers
to wear in room or house. Otherwise buy in Germany.
14. Get 2-3 good bath towels.

Books:
1. Get the copy of you syllabus or curriculum that you had studied in India in bachelors as it is
very important. Because you can show that syllabus and get yourself exempted from studying
those subjects again here.
2. It is better to get books related to you studies if you feel so.
3. If you have worked on any projects in universities or college or company then get them here
on CDs they will be of your help.
4. If you have music CDs get them. (This is optional)

Cosmetics:
Get soap, toothbrush, toothpaste, face cream (if you use), deodorant (if u use), shaving cream or
foam, shaving brush, shaving blade(s).... only that is required for one month. These items are
very cheap here (cheaper than India) and do not waste you luggage capacity carrying these thing
in excess. Get these stocks that is enough for one month only. and one comb to comb your hair.
Note:- Do not forget to get you comb.

Food and cooking related:

1. Ask you mother to teach you cooking. Cooking is very important. You must know cooking.
Eating outside is very expensive and not advisable. Learn cooking well.
2. Ask your mom to pack all the necessary spices like dhanya, chilli powder, red dry chilli,
mustard, pepper, cardamom, cloves, gharam masala powders, chana masala (from MDH or
other brand), chicken masala, pulav masala, biryani masala this masala that masala all sorts
of masala...........etc. These items are very expensive here.
3. Cookers are not necessary. But if you can carry some utensils like 6 spoons, 6 forks, some
knives to cut vegetables, 3-4 plates and 3-4 glasses and one pan for omlet and one vessel for
preparing Tea then get it. remaining utensils better buy it here as it is not worth carrying
them.
4. Do not carry foodstuffs from India like chocolates, biscuits,.....
5. DO NOT BRING OIL AND SALT AND RICE. Do not carry vegetables, you get all of them
here, just think logically, can you carry all these stock for 2 years??

Medicine:
Go to your well know chemist or family doctor and tell them your case of going to Germany and
say you want to take some “free-hand” medicine for general purpose. Make sure u get medicine
for
• Vomiting
• Fever
• Acidity
• Headache & Bodyache.
• Cold (running nose, nose congestion, cough,.....).
• Loose motion (dyheria).
• Vicks.
• Tiger balm, or Amrutanjan or whatever u like of this sort
• Throat pain (if u have problem of tonsils)
Note:- Try to buy tablets only, if you buy syrup then you will simply add to your luggage
weight. Syrup bottles are 500ml and if u carry 3 or 4 till make unnecessarily 3 KGs.

Note:- Carry a alarm clock which you can use in Germany. Also make sure that you have put
a new battery in it just before you board the flight. Also if you have not changed the batteries
of your wrist watch please do change it with a new one from exclusive showroom. All these
things are extremely expensive here.
Get a needle and thread for stitching (to stitch your buttons or some loose stitching...) Also get
shoe polish (just one polish and brush), if you want.

Winter Jacket: Carry a nice winter jacket. Not the usual black leather jacket. Those jackets
cannot resist the cold so better go to good winter cloth selling shop and ask them for it.

Notes for boarding a plane:

Cabin Luggage: Luggage which one can carry with him or her inside the aircraft is cabin
luggage. This must include marks cards, degree certificates, admission letters passport, ticket,
DD, Jacket, one pair of undergarment and one pair of inner and one pair of dress, No spices in
cabin luggage. Security will throw it out.
Cabin baggage must contain important items like your certificates... and so on, because leaving
them in cargo is not safe, as sometime the cargo baggage arrives late or get lost (which is very
rare case), so why take unnecessary risk and tensions on landing, best is carry them with you.
When you land in Germany you should have some foreign exchange (Euro) in your hand to buy
railway ticket to your university. So you must have 300 – 400 Euro in hand (all that us not
needed for ticket to your place, but you need money to pay for example advance for room..... etc.
till you cash your DD). So you must get this foreign exchange in India before you pass through
“emigration check”. Because after immigration at some airport you have to foreign exchange
counters.
PLEASE note the weather information (temperature) of Germany and specifically the place in
Germany where you want to go. Check it at http://weather.yahoo.com So that you know how you
have to dress.

Excess luggage ??? No problem..

If at the last minute while checking-in, if the air traveller staff tells you that you have excess
luggage and asks you to pay or remove some of your luggage, then be cooooool, tell him/her that
you are student and going to Germany for studies and you are carrying all important stuff. Do not
fight, be polite, cool and calm. If he or she do not listen, but insist you to pay or remove extra
luggage, then DO NOT PAY, just remove them from your baggage and ask you parents or
relative or whoever accompanies you to just send it by INDIAN POST. It costs only Rs.200/- per
kilogram from India to Germany by Indian post, which will take 10 working days to reach
destination in Germany from India. Otherwise I think you will have to pay 20 USD ($) per
kilogram if you want it to carry with you. Think which is best for you?

Arrivals:
Once you land in Germany (remember you land at a place called Frankfurt Am Main, which is
also just called as “Frankfurt”. There 2 places called by same name, so look at the map of
Germany, do not get confused) Get your “immigration check” and then you will be able
to collect the baggage's. In the airport itself there is a railway station, if you are unable to find it
ask for it at Information counter (here at information counter all speak English very well). Then
book your railway ticket. But remember tell them you are student before you book the ticket.
Because students get good concessions. Please show the address of place you want to go to the
person from whom you will buy your tickets, because if you do not spell properly you may get a
ticket for some other destination and will land up there.

Important Notice:
In Germany you cannot spend nights in railway stations because they will be locked in the night,
so you must plan you arrival in such a way that you can reach the destined place in Germany
(university or your friend) before night (21:00 hours German time). Otherwise you will have to
book a hotel, so eventually you will spend a large amount. You cannot stay out on roads because
its freezing cold.
Best advice will be reach Frankfurt Am Main at morning or atleast by afternoon (13:00 hours
German time). Choose your airline keeping this in mind.

Some Important German words to remember after landing in Germany. (better carry a German to
English pocket Dictionary)

German words English equivalent.

HBf means Haupt Bahnhof = central railway station
Bahnhof = railway station
Gleis = platform
Fahrschein = ticket
Ausweiß = identity (passport)
Zug = train

Note: there are many types of trains like we have in India, please be sure to get into the right one
going to the place you want to go. If you do not know, please ask.

Knowledge of German is very essential, because all the menus in university cafeteria (canteen)
are in German, (even in companies). If you want to travel by bus, or train or by tram or by, local
trains.... all the announcements are only in German. For example: ... the train is late by 20 min....
or the train arrives on platform 3 instead of 1.... So if you do not understand and make mistake
then you are responsible. All legal documents in Germany are only in German. If you want job
(part time in company of in hotels then you have preference if you know German language).
Most importantly if you want job you must know German. Do not worry if you do not know
German before you reach here, you can learn here.

Points to remember:
In Germany most of the cities are planned in such a way that you will definitely find all banks,
post offices, within a radius of 500 meters to 1 kilometres from central railway stations,
depending upon how big the city is.
Bus and tram connections are always next to railway station and local trains are most of the time
underground (just beneath the railway stations).

Do’s and Don’ts

• Once you are out of your country, you represent you country so behave properly. If you mis-
behave all say “Indians mis-behave”. We are the ambassadors of our country.
• Do not talk of Nazi or Hitler once inside Germany.
• If you do not know, please ask. Do not get into trains/bus/tram/local trains without a valid
ticket. Penalty is heavy and no arguments entertained.
• All public places like shops, bus stations, railway stations.... have CCTV monitoring. So be
to do not try to mis-behave or play mischief.
• If you do not know how to get the things in railway station always ask at information desk.
• Please do say “thank-you” after any help sought.
• Please do ask in very polite way. Westerns value this utmost to form impression.
• Germany is a work oriented society, so do your work yourself and do not depend on others
for anything, as most of the time all are busy with their own work.
• Same with money. Try not to depend on others. Earn your own money.

PASSPORT
Your passport is the only identification. So be careful with passport. Do not sport
your passport everywhere. Keep your passport at a safe place. If lost report to
nearest police station immediately. Whenever you leave your “city of residence”
you must carry passport with you. Do not hand-over or give custody of your
passport to any unknown person or to a person not known very well. Be careful
with illegal immigrants in terms of passport. Do not show you passport to
everybody.
Please be very careful with you passport, marks-card, degree certificates and other
certificates, and money you carry or you earn here.

If you have any questions please ask me. I am a member of Indians in Germany at yahoo groups.
You can post your query there.

----
!!!!Phew!!!! Penned by Kamalaksh Shenoy.