Moving continents is a big decision that involves a lot of preparation.
These are some of the things I'm doing to prepare myself for my move to Germany in 2026.
Language
Language preparations have involved the following:
Something I've been doing for years now is having my phone in German. Everything from my settings to my home screen is in German.
My phone is something I use daily, so having it in German helps me stay immersed in the language. Since the default language on all my apps is German, I've learned words like löschen, überspringen, hinzufügen, abbrechen, and so on.
I've changed the default language on my Disney+ to German as well, and intend to do that with the rest of the streaming app I use on the daily. I will also be adding German subtitles, if not German audio, to all my movies and TV shows where possible. Side note, I recently heard of Lingopie, which I may also try out depending on the selection of movies and shows they have.
I've also begun some studies again. Right now, I'm focusing on the areas where I know I often make mistakes and/or lack in.
I'm currently working on memorizing definite and indefinite articles and their adjective endings, as I don't always know the right one to use for a noun depending on it's grammatical function within a sentence.
I'm also working on da- and wo- compounds, synonyms, and more vocabulary.
Listening to German music is something I already often do, but what is more new for me is reading German books. I just started a book called Ich schreib dir Morgen weider. It seems interesting so far, but has some darker themes.
I picked up another book from the thrift store recently that I will start to read next. It's called Liebes Kind.
I really do want to immerse myself in German daily as much as possible while I still live in an English speaking country. Having a speaking partner is a huge advantage (thanks Simon!).
Culture
Culturally preparations have involved the following:
Laundry in Germany is done differently since dryers aren't quite common given that they are a very eco-friendly country. Most people, especially during the summer, dry their laundry on a line outside.
Thankfully, this will not be a big adjustment for me since this is something I already do in Canada regardless of the season.
In Germany, they use the 24 hour clock, but in Canada we use the 12 hour (am/pm) clock. To help me adjust and better understand the 24 hour clock, I've changed the clock on my phone. My phone has been this way for a while now actually, so it's become quite easy for me to convert the times quickly.
Is there anything else you think I should be doing at this stage to prepare myself for my move? let me know in the comments below!
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