German Directness and Environmental Awareness: An Argentine's Experience

Carolina Biagiotti found herself navigating significant cultural differences upon arriving in Nuremberg, Germany. One early experience involved a woman directly asking her and her husband to turn off their car engine to avoid unnecessary air pollution. While initially perceived as brusque, Biagiotti learned to appreciate this directness as a reflection of Germans' commitment to correcting what they see as incorrect actions, rather than personal criticism.

Before moving to Germany, Biagiotti worked full-time while pursuing tertiary education. Her aspiration for a university degree led her to enroll in college, but she struggled to balance her studies with her demanding job. The demanding schedule of early mornings and late nights proved unsustainable, prompting her to leave her degree program, though the dream of higher education persisted.

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That was one of the impacts upon my arrival: the level of care for public spaces and environmental awareness. Germans tend to be very direct, which can sometimes seem abrupt to us, but over time I understood they are correcting an action they consider incorrect and it's usually not personal.

Her connection to Germany began years earlier through a high school scholarship program. Winning this scholarship, which she initially thought was a joke to her parents, exposed her to the country. This experience sparked a curiosity that resurfaced years later when she felt her aspirations were difficult to achieve in Argentina. After researching her options and navigating bureaucratic processes, she moved to Nuremberg at age 23, just as the COVID-19 pandemic began to subside.

Arriving in 2021, Biagiotti faced a new life alongside her boyfriend, who had moved to Germany a few months prior. The transition involved not only adapting to a new country but also beginning to live together for the first time after weeks apart. The drastic changes presented a unique set of challenges as she embarked on this new chapter.

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When they told me I had won the scholarship, I called my parents to tell them and they thought I was joking. They couldn't believe that, among so many applicants, I had been selected. We were six students from Argentina who won the prize.