
The following is a chapter from an upcoming memoir on moving to and living in Germany. Read more here.
Do not enter. Do not take a seat. Follow instructions or go directly to jail!
Okay, the jail bit is hyperbole, but it’s not as far off as you’d think. There were plenty of warnings throughout my recent language exam insisting that we’d be fully prosecuted if we broke the rules.
THE RULES!
There are few things that German society loves more than rules. You know those videos of military members of coming home and surprising their spouse or kids? Think of the expression of whoever is being surprised––the unbridled joy, the euphoria. That’s how much German society loves rules.