When you think of Germany, a famous stereotype that comes to mind are rules. As a Canadian living in Germany, I quickly realized this stereotype is indeed true. The Germans are as serious as a heart attack about following rules. There are literally rules that are written and unwritten for everything under the sun, in order to function like a good, well-behaved citizen. I wonder whether some of the origin of German rules can be traced back to the 1700's when Adolf Knigge's book – "Über den Umgang mit Menschen" was written. A majority of German mannerisms that are still followed today, can be found in Knigge's book. I have even learned that to have good manners means to have “Knigge” and following the rules is a must to “Knigge”.

Ruhezeit (Quiet Time)

The first rule I discovered was “Ruhezeit”. Quiet time is daily between the hours of 1:00-3:00pm and 10:00pm-7:00am when excessive noise is prohibited. Don't even think about mowing the grass, vacuuming your flat or playing loud music or you could face a visit from the Ordungsamt, pay a fine and have an enemy for a neighbour. Even outside the quiet hours, noise should be avoided if it might disturb other people. In my previous ignorance, I apologize for repeatedly breaking this rule, having my vacumm turned onto the highest level of noise during Ruhezeit.

Hausschuhe (House Shoes)

There is also the unspoken rule of owning house shoes. When you walk into most German households, you’re certain to see piles of shoes by the door. In fact, it’s not a matter of taking off your shoes when you get home in this country, but rather switching into another pair of shoes. When you come home from work, you take off your work shoes and put on your house shoes. Essentially there are shoes for every occasion. Seeing that Germans are extremely practical, I think the reason for house shoes is a combination of avoiding cold feet, slipping safety and keeping your feet clean. I've learned, to be a good German, one owns several house shoes in every size and most importantly offers house shoes to all their guests.

Versicherung Sucht (Insurance Addiction)

Another guideline to living as a German is the obsession with all forms of insurance. It appears, the love affair with insurance gives Germans a sense of protection and planning against everything: from explosion insurance, legal expense insurance to bike insurance and tap water insurance - they will make Germans sleep better at night. If you can imagine, they even have insurance for Oktoberfest. Yes, if you accidentally suffer an alcohol related injury while drinking it up at Wiesn, there's an insurance for that. Personally, I have not yet become an insurance addict because I cannot seem to justify spending half of my salary on events that are likely never going to happen. I will continue to to live on the edge and break with this German mentality.

Nächstenliebe (Love Thy Neighbour)

Overall, these rules seem to show that Germans have a good sense of the commandment “loving thy neighbours”. At first it may seem extreme or strange but at the end of the day a little bit of quiet time, house shoes and insurance isn't hurting anybody. After awhile, the German level of rules comes natural - if there is a sign obey it, if your German friend tells you, listen to them. I would consider myself to be successfully "Germanized" and living the German paradise of rules, order, and structure.