Going by the rules

I started working in Germany in 1980. I came originally because I studied German in London.

I felt at home very quickly. However, on a personal level I do feel sometimes that Germans can be a bit uptight and super formal. They like to go by the rules more than us. We are a little bit more open. We don’t have those “Sie” or “du” forms. You come to a different level very quickly with people. And one thing is absolutely true: Germans don’t know how to queue.

What do you miss here?

Cultural life. I do find it very strange that museums are closed on Mondays. It’s like they’re trying to prevent anyone from having a cultural life.