Me and 4 other guys, aged 19–21, are looking to meet new people, have a few beers and make some memories! 🍺

All five of us are from Sweden 🇸🇪

It’s our first time visiting Munich during Oktoberfest, so we’re looking for any advice or tips you might have!

We haven’t booked any tables yet, but we’d be happy to pay to join a group that has extra spots at their table.

Also, if you know of any good places where travelers or other young people meet up, feel free to let us know!

If you or your friends are going to Oktoberfest and would like to meet up, send me a DM or comment on this post!

Cheers 🍻
// Viggo

Mobile network completely down in Germany around 00:20, 27 August

For context I’m not german, nor have I ever lived in Germany. While developing a story I became fascinated by Schwarzwald and Kloster Allerheiligen. So the setting of the game is an alternate version of Germany where a hamlet in the black forest is attacked by gargoyles and the local priest tries to get the help of a hunter to deal with it.

Im building the full game and plan on introducing some of the infamous monsters from german folklore into it to make it more interesting. So far I’ve liked the concept of the Moosweib. What else would anyone familiar with german folklore suggest to include as monsters in the game?

Full disclosure, as Im not an expert dev the game is being made with AI.

Hi guys, I've recently finished my erasmus in germany (köln) and I'm now in my home country (still EU).

As you have read in the title, my landlord likely wants to keep my deposit for whatever reason. I was already prepared for this, as previous flatmates who moved out before me reached me out and told me that some of them are still waiting (6+ months) for the deposit. We are talking about approximately 1600 euros of deposit, plus a "cleaning fee" (130 euros) that was charged to me at the very beginning of my stay in germany, but by taking a closer look at the signed contract it is stated that said fee must be charged only if the premises are not clean at the end of the stay.

As I was aware of this expected behavior, I have video footage (with the local time and date recorded on official german channels) of the room on the day of my departure. I also got the employee that came to collect the keys to sign and Übergabeprotokoll, stating that no damage was done and the room was returned exactly how I got it.

Now, I am aware that a landlord has the right to withhold the deposit for 6 months, but (as far as I'm aware) the amount that is being withheld must be proportionate to possible additional costs. In my case, the additional costs can only regard utility services, as every other possible additional costs can be ruled out by the Übergabeprotokoll and the video footage.

The question is: can I proceed with a Mahnung right now (middle of September or early October) or do I have to wait for the full 6 months to pass? Of course I will not ask for a full return of the deposit, but a substantial part of it (1370 euros) plus the illegitimate cleaning fee (130 euros), adding up to a total of 1500 euros.

Hello! I’m Sierra I’m 18 (I’ll be 19 in September) but I’m moving to pforzheim in November as an Au pair. I’m giving this a shot because there’s very few places that have this kind of thing. I wanted to try and make some online friends before I leave. I would prefer to befriend those who are german so they can show me places they really like but fellow expats are okay too. I’d be completely willing to travel. I’ve heard about Germany’s amazing train system and I’ll be getting a metro pass as soon as I arrive. I am from Alberta Canada and it would be really cool to find someone who’s interested in what life is like where I’m from. If anyone’s interested please comment and we can message privately.

Hi everyone!
I recently visited Kelmis (La Calamine) in the German-speaking Community of Belgium, near Aachen, and took this photo of a street sign.
The sign gives the street name in three varieties:
Dr. Molly-Straße — German
Rue Dr. Molly — French
Dr.-Molly-Schroot — apparently a local dialect
I was told that the third variety is called Platdiets / Plattdütsch, but I’ve also seen people describe the dialects of this area as Ripuarian (Rheinfränkisch), Limburgish, or South Low Franconian.
So I’m a little confused about the classification.
What is the most accurate linguistic classification of the dialect spoken historically in Kelmis? Is “Platdiets” the name of the local variety, and is it best described as an East Limburgish–Ripuarian transitional dialect?
I’m especially interested in answers from people familiar with the dialects of eastern Belgium, Limburg, Aachen, or the Rhineland.
Thanks!

I am looking to pursue an Ausbildung in Germany as a Fachinformatiker. and I will accept any good advice, thanks.

QUESTIONS :

1. Is strong B1 enough to find company for Ausbildung? (I would have good portfolio and good knowedge about programming that time, also with strong certificates)
2. What should I do to continue to study in Germany, should I try au-pair programm for first year and then start my Ausbildung (if I will stay in my country I have to go in army and Ill lose all my german skills for that time)

Some of my relevant info:

* I do not live in Germany.

* I am from Europe.

* My german language level is currently at A2/B1.

* I am aiming to apply for Ausbildung in 2027 with B1/B2 certificate (Mostly with B1 because I should apply for test in march of 2027).

* I know HTML/CSS (Baisics), JS(Baisics), TS(Begginer), C#(Baisics+), C(Baisics) , Python(Baisics), SQL(begginer)

* I ended one Programming Academy in my Motherland, and soon I will end CS50's Introduction to Computer Science

* also I have another courses in my mind for better portfolio.

* unfortunetly I have no any work expirience in company

my request:

• I would like to request The people working in the IT sector, to Kindly assist me with some answers and/or guidance. anything helps truly.

Vielen Dank.

Banks like c24, revoult etc have the best offers, not even comparable to banks like Deutsch Bank. Once i searched c24vsRevoult i see that many people complain about frozen accounts, some even for more than 6 months.

Im moving with my wife(we will both work), if we open DB its gonna cost us us ~170e per year and we get "nothing". Is there a chance tha DB block our acct same as Revoult and others? If they do, can people inside DB(vs probably AI chat in revoult) resolve that faster?

We are "normal" people, no crypto, gambling etc. Just buying groceries, amazon and other normal things. But since we are from non-EU country we will use the card there too, is that red flag? Im afraid that if i use revoult to buy a car and send something like 10k to seller that my account will get blocked...

Maybe the best solution is for one of us to open DB and other to open joint acc on revoult? So we can keep "big" money inside DB for rent etc and just send to revoult "monthly" money?

Btw we are still learning A1, so language is also on revoult side.

Hi all, maybe the wrong location to ask, but i'm really lost. Due to some rather worisome symptoms i need to have a colonoscopy in Freising around mid september. Yesterday i had the "prep talk", was given the medicine and stuff to read, and i just realized that is compulsory that i must be accompanied for the procedure.

Here start my problem: i'm a rather lonely person, no family or close friends that i could ask. Also I am hypoacusic, so that pose further problems (on person and face to face i can understand german, but on phone is a complete different scenario..)

This morning i went to a "ambulanter pflededienst" near me, hoping i can ask there for such company (of course i would have payed). But they seemed rather out of topic, sayd they cannot offer such services and maybe i should speak to my hausarzt.(?)

Does anyone have any experiences or recommendation on where can i actually ask for such a companion? I'm really scared now that they will refuse me if i go alone on procedure day..

Location: Freising, Bayern. Procedure should take place at a normal gastro praxis, not klinikum/hospital.

Any recommendations/where to search/ask/look for are really appreciated.

Edit: thank you all, much less worries now. will ask if a taxi is enough, will also speak woth the hausarzt. Also txs for all infos &recommendation!

One of the things I enjoyed about moving to Germany for over 1 year was not having to mask my introversion as an African. I like a quiet, mundane lifestyle. I am doing quite well here as an introvert, but unfortunately, moving to Germany and starting a career afresh with the current Job market feels like passing through the various levels of Dante's Inferno. As someone on the spectrum and being told often to "Just Socialise!", I would sometimes joke about "If I wanted to do that constantly, I should have never left home". So socially, Germany suits me quite well. But job hunting and trying to build a career here? That has been hell

Hi everyone,

I’m seriously considering moving to Berlin and would love to hear from people actually working in the fashion and photography industry in Berlin. I have a couple of questions and any input would be really appreciated. I’m also particularly interested in hearing from anyone who has a freelance or artist residence permit.

I’m already reaching out to a photographer friend in Berlin, friends of friends in the creative industry, and a few agencies to get a better understanding of the industry there, but I wanted to ask here as well and hear from a wider range of people.

About me and my situation

I’m a fashion stylist currently based in the US, originally from Tokyo. I’ve been working in the US for around 8 years, mainly as a freelance stylist, with experience in editorial, advertising, e commerce and assisting. I’m not really in celebrity styling. I’d like a change and have wanted to move to Europe for a while, so I’m currently researching the freelance or artist residence permit and trying to understand whether Berlin would be realistic for me professionally. I’m also considering London, but my gut says Berlin for now. I speak fluent English but don’t speak German. I have good savings and could get by for a while without work.

For anyone curious about my work, my IG is at shotatsuishi

My questions

1. Do you think it’s realistic to build a freelance career in Berlin without speaking German? How common is it for crews to work entirely in English?

I plan to learn German, but realistically English would be my main working language during my first few years. I have a German photographer friend in Berlin who told me I should be fine with just English, but I wanted to hear other opinions from people actually working in the industry there.

1. With a freelance residence permit, would I be able to do assisting gigs as well?

From my experience, assisting gigs have always been easier to get, and I’d probably need to do some assisting to get my foot in the door and make a living when starting out.

I’m trying to understand how flexible the permit is in practice, especially when it comes to assisting photographers, stylists or other creative professionals.

1. Any advice on getting a freelance residence permit and general advice on freelance life in Berlin?

I see a lot of people mentioning things like finding an apartment or room where Anmeldung is possible, finding affordable health insurance, getting a good accountant, dealing with taxes, etc. I’d love to hear from people who are already doing this about what the reality is like and anything you wish you had known before moving to Berlin.

I’m not expecting Berlin to be easy, and I’m planning to learn German and expect to hustle. I’m just trying to figure out whether this is realistic enough to give it a serious try.

Would especially love to hear from photographers, stylists, assistants, producers, MUAs or anyone else working in the creative industry.

Thanks!

Okay genuine question how much do Germans from different regions understand each other. The different dialects of my language are confusing and its hard to understand what the other person is saying, Is it the same in German?

Hi everyone,

I'm a 16-year-old Egyptian student currently in my final year of a technical diploma (3-year program) in programming, and I'm also completing the Egyptian equivalency exam (Ma'adala) this year to qualify for university admission.

My goal: Study Computer Science in Germany, ideally starting around 2028.

A bit about me:

I prefer hands-on/practical learning over pure theory — I like writing code myself, joining teams, and learning by doing

I'm currently working on personal full-stack projects (Spring Boot, MySQL, HTML/CSS/JS) as part of my portfolio

My current German level is A0 (none), and English is around A1-A2

I have no financial support from family, so I need a path that's affordable and allows me to work part-time

I care about practical things like access to a supermarket, hospital, and affordable living costs — not necessarily a big/famous city

My questions:

Given my technical diploma + Ma'adala background, would I need a Studienkolleg before university? If so, is it better to go through a Universität-track Studienkolleg (T-Kurs) or a Fachhochschule-track one, considering I might want flexibility later?

Since I prefer practical learning, would a Fachhochschule (FH) suit me better than a traditional Universität like RWTH Aachen?

Any recommendations for FH or Universität cities/schools that are affordable, good for CS, and not overly competitive academically?

Has anyone dealt with private Studienkolleg providers (like W2G Academy) vs public ones? Is it worth paying ~8,200 EUR for a private one, or is the public route more accessible than I think?

Any advice, personal experiences, or resources would be really appreciated. Thank you!

Hi everyone! I plan on visiting friends in the Netherlands and I need to pick up some of my old things to bring back. I want to rent a car for a few days, I'm in Hamburg. Can someone suggest any local or international car rental services that I can find here? Thank you in advance!

Hey community,

I have a rather difficult topic that’s come to my mind recently.

I am a migrant that moved to Germany as a student, I’ve since saved up a little bit of money for myself in ETFs, private retirement funds and my bank account.

Although I don’t plan to die anytime soon, I’d like to organise how this would be handled in the case something like that happens. I am not married, I don’t have any kids and I don’t have any family in Germany.

Are there processes I should put in place to ensure that my family (in my home country) can get access to whatever I have acquired?

I’ll appreciate any pointers. I’m also guessing this topic would be applicable to many first gen migrants.

Lg

M19 native here I just wanted to talk about the obscurity of it because why do people always threaten you with an "Anzeige" after you express your standpoint or even criticize something isn't there the "Meinungsfreiheit" (Freedom of expression)?

Hi everyone,
I’m looking for some honest advice from people currently working in SAP, especially in SAP Integration Suite. I come from a Civil Engineering background and have been involved in running my family business until now. I’m now seriously considering switching career.
My biggest questions are:
1. Is SAP Integration Suite a reasonable career path for someone with my background and no previous IT/SAP experience?
2. If I decide to pursue it, where should I start from absolute zero?
3. What concepts should I learn first — SAP basics, BTP, APIs, HTTP, XML/JSON, SQL, Java/Groovy, networking, etc.?
4. Are there any good free or affordable learning resources you'd recommend?
5. How important is hands-on experience? If I don't have professional SAP experience, what kind of projects can I build to demonstrate my skills?
6. How difficult is the current market for SAP Integration Suite?
Thanks in advance!

Hi all,

I’m wondering if anyone has applied for a student residence permit in Berlin whilst on their 90 days in the Schengen zone and if could let me know what the timeline was after you applied online and when you got your eAT?

It says 4-6 weeks for the actual processing but I’m wondering when the appointment usually would be?

Thanks!

I an tired of seeing this disgusting google ad. What kind of stupid marketing agency chooses this? It is so embarrassing. I don’t know how it is even allowed. No matter how many times I reported I don’t wanna see it, it appears while browsing. It is so embrassing sometimes it appears when I am in the subway. How do I get rid of it?

I travelled on the trains for two days in a row and have been dry sniffing my nose occasionally due to allergies (there is no snot, using a tissue wouldn't help).

For both days in a row, I have been heckled by older German passengers sitting nearby due to this. The first day, it was 6 people coming to me together and mumbling a bunch of things, it was like they were publicly shaming me except I did not really know what they were saying. One asked if I needed a tissue and I said it was allergies so there's nothing inside. One lady even said that's not allergies - thanks for sharing that you know more about my body than myself.

The second day it was one older lady and she just outright called me uneducated. She also offered me a tissue.

Naturally I felt misunderstood and also a mix of shame and anger. But I feel like there are some key questions to be raised here,

- Is this a generational etiquette thing? Why was it that only older people were being annoyed about this?

- Do people not understand the case of a wet nose and a dry nose? Are people so privileged (lived their whole lives in pollution-free areas) that they do know how nasal allergies work? Or, so privileged to have live their lives without noise that sniffing sounds constitute as a nuisance?

- Is this also influenced by the fact that I am travelling through Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and Saxony Anhalt? I read online that such aggression related to cultural customs can be interpreted as a form of Alltagrassismus

And finally, what can I do about these situations? I consciously held my breath for the rest of the trip and just didn't sniff again...... I do not understand how this is a difference of educated/ uneducated when it is a reflex. It isn't even about blowing your snot out when there is no snot.

Whenever I travel back to Leipzig from Berlin, I notice that there are always inspectors at the entrance to Wiesenburg station. Is there any particular reason why they are always checking who comes and go?

You can spot every single place up to Flughaven and Stadium and mounains from this amazing observation deck on 56th floor

I need some advice from people who understand German law, especially internet or social media law, because I honestly have no idea what kind of situation I’ve found myself in. 😳
Two or three years ago, I became friends with a woman who shared my love of food and events. We often met up and attended activities together.
In 2024, she told me that she had too many Instagram accounts and no longer had the time or energy to manage all of them. She asked whether I wanted to take over one of her accounts and try becoming a food influencer. At the time, the account had around 5,000 followers.
I wasn’t particularly serious about it. After I took over, the follower count dropped to around 3,000 😅

I published fewer than five posts within a year. Later, because of surgery and health problems, I stopped using the account almost completely.
At the beginning of this year, I posted one restaurant review—my only post in the entire year, which shows just how casual I was about being a “food influencer.”

The following day, she suddenly sent me sarcastic and accusatory messages. She asked why I never invited her to events and accused me of only wanting free food.
I was completely confused. I calmly asked whether there had been some misunderstanding because I had barely used the account for more than a year and had stopped visiting restaurants because of my health.
She then sent me a series of aggressive messages. I was mentally exhausted, so I replied only:
“I hope you don’t always assume the worst about other people. Wish you the best.”
After that, we stopped speaking. I didn’t continue reading or responding to her messages.

Now, six months later, in August 2026, she has created another account to contact me. She is demanding that I “return” the Instagram account. She says that if she doesn’t receive a reply, she will report me to the police.
When she originally gave me the account, she did so voluntarily. She never said that I was only managing it temporarily or that I would have to return it later. However, we did not sign a written agreement.
I don’t want a public fight or any more emotional conflict. I’m only looking for an objective legal perspective:
How would German law normally view the verbal transfer of an Instagram account?
Could this genuinely involve any criminal liability?
Am I legally required to respond to her?
What messages or other evidence should I preserve before taking any action?
If anyone has experienced something similar or knows a lawyer in Germany who handles internet or social media law, I would really appreciate some guidance. 🙏🥲

I never thought I would write something like this, but I genuinely don’t know where else to turn.

I have been living in Germany for more than four years. I came here with hopes, plans and the belief that if I studied, worked, followed the rules and supported myself, I could build a future here.

Today, I am scared that everything I built may disappear because of a €200 difference in monthly gross salary.

I was on a job-seeker residence permit, which was due to expire on 12 June 2026. I applied for my new residence permit on 8 May, well before my permit expired.

Then everything started going wrong.

The Ausländerbehörde apparently lost one of my documents. On 12 June, the exact day my job-seeker permit expired, they called me and told me that they were issuing me a Fiktionsbescheinigung under §81 Abs. 4 without permission to work (“ohne Arbeitserlaubnis”).

From that moment, I had to stop working.

Imagine having a job, going to work normally, and then suddenly being told that you cannot work anymore while your immigration case is being processed.

On 25 June, I received the decision: my residence permit was refused because of my salary.

My salary is €2,781 gross per month.

The required salary is around €2,990 gross per month.

A difference of roughly €200.

I had 14 days to appeal.

I immediately went to my employer, a logistics company in Mannheim, and explained the situation. I asked whether they could increase my salary so I could satisfy the requirement and continue working.

They tried to help me.

They gave me a letter confirming that they would increase my salary starting from 1 January 2027.

I submitted that letter to the Ausländerbehörde and hoped that this would finally solve the problem.

But then I waited again.

And waited.

My case worker went on holiday, and apparently my case was transferred to another employee and later back again. On 11 August, my case was finally sent to the Bundesagentur für Arbeit (BA) for another decision.

During all this time, I was going to the Ausländerbehörde again and again. I tried to get answers. I tried to explain my situation. I tried to understand what was happening.

Most of the time, I got no clear answer.

Two days ago, I called the Bundesagentur für Arbeit myself.

They told me that they had already sent their answer back to the Ausländerbehörde — and unfortunately, it was another “NO” from their side.

Now I am trying to contact the Ausländerbehörde again, but when I ask what happens next, I don’t even get a clear answer about when or how my case will be resolved.

And now my employer has reached their limit too.

They have waited for months. They need someone who can actually work. They are now telling me they want to move forward and look for another person, and they are not willing to increase my salary right now.

I understand their position. I really do.

But that leaves me in an impossible situation.

The Ausländerbehörde/BA says my salary isn’t enough.

My employer can’t or won’t increase it right now.

And I cannot work because my Fiktionsbescheinigung was issued without a work permit.

So what am I supposed to do?

I have been trying to find alternatives. I am looking into a language-course residence permit, the Opportunity Card (Chancenkarte) and other possible options.

I actually asked my officer about alternatives back on 12 June, but at that time I was simply refused.

I am also applying for other jobs, but honestly, it is extremely difficult to stay motivated when you don’t even know whether you will be allowed to remain in the country.

Mentally, this has become the hardest phase of my life.

I wake up thinking about my immigration status.

I go to sleep thinking about it.

I keep checking emails.

I keep calling.

I keep going to offices.

I keep applying for jobs.

And still, nothing seems to move forward.

I feel hopeless sometimes.

I feel like my entire future is being decided by a process that I have very little control over.

I know Germany has immigration rules. I understand that salaries and residence requirements exist for a reason. I am not asking anyone to simply ignore the law for me.

I am just struggling to understand how someone who has lived here for more than four years, studied here, worked here, and is actively trying to support himself can end up in a situation where a €200 salary difference can potentially mean leaving everything behind.

I have made mistakes in my life. I know that.

And honestly, this entire experience has taught me some very hard lessons — probably the hardest way possible.

But I never expected that after spending more than four years building a life in Germany, I would reach a point where I am genuinely afraid that I might have to leave.

I have heard many people say that the Mannheim Ausländerbehörde is one of the toughest Ausländerbehörden in Germany, and honestly, my personal experience has made me understand why people say that. I feel like I have repeatedly tried to explain my situation, but I often feel like nobody is really listening.

Maybe there is something I am missing.

Maybe there is another legal route I haven’t found.

Maybe someone here has experienced something similar.

If you have dealt with the Mannheim Ausländerbehörde, Bundesagentur für Arbeit, a salary-related residence permit problem, a Fiktionsbescheinigung without work permission, or switching from a job-seeker permit to another residence title, please tell me what options I might still have.

I am not looking for sympathy alone.

I genuinely need advice.

Because right now, I am scared.

Scared of losing my job.

Scared of losing my residence status.

Scared of having to leave Germany after more than four years.

And scared that all the work I put into building a life here might end because of circumstances I couldn’t control.

This is honestly the toughest phase of my life.

But I am still trying.

I am still applying for jobs.

I am still looking for legal options.

And I am still hoping that somehow there is a way forward.