Above all, the most important qualities you should bring with you are a willingness to learn and to get involved in a different culture. This includes learning to understand the Germans and their idiosyncrasies and, from a technical point of view, perfecting the language. You should have the attitude of consciously leaving your home country and wanting to live in Germany and, if possible, stay there. Of course, this is a big step in your life and you should think it through carefully. But once you have made your decision, you should work with all your might to realise it and make your wish a reality!
What are the Germans like? To begin with, of course, there is no such thing as the one German. Every person is different. But certain characteristics can be found in a more or less pronounced form. In the eyes of the world, Germans are considered to be sober doers who don't waste time talking and tend to behave insensitively, even to the point of know-it-all bossiness. On the other hand, they create results and solutions that work. Germans themselves consider themselves hard-working, orderly, clean, punctual and thorough. These qualities, which are also considered typical German virtues, leave little room for fun and humour. As I said, Germans think they are, but then real life (fortunately) looks a little different. "Work-life balance" is an important topic, especially among younger people, and the world-famous carnival shows that humour does have a high status in Germany.
Anyone who deals with Germans in everyday life will usually find them helpful. But the first contact is, if not dismissive, then reserved. In southern countries, strangers who meet on the street like to smile at each other and often exchange a few words. Germans, on the other hand, usually pass each other without a greeting and don't even show a smile. This makes them appear unfriendly in the eyes of foreigners. However, their behaviour stems from the fact that they maintain a much closer circle of family and friendly relations than is usual in other nations. Anything outside this circle is perceived as foreign.
That is why Germans in conversation with foreigners are often perceived by them as people who impose their opinions on them and "beat" their way through a conversation as if they had an axe to grind. Empathy: Not a thing! Foreigners often perceive this as gross rudeness. Germans, for their part, consider their directness an expression of honesty and precision. But the lack of good manners also has a good side, namely that the Germans are not quick to hold anything against you. In this respect, they are probably more tolerant than others.
One of the most unpleasant peculiarities of the Germans is undoubtedly their behaviour in traffic. Here, the people of the "poets and thinkers" often prove to be right-wingers and pushers. But as I said at the beginning, everyone is different. Or as they say in the Rhineland around Cologne: "Every Jeck (carnivalist) is different!"
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