Can you tell me how frankfurt germany is like?

Question

I live in canada and im 15. I want to change schools and I have a chance to move to frankfurt and live my realtives. my parents are ok with it. I would be going into my grade 11 year. can u tell me how frankfurt is like. I really want to move there but im not sure yet. can u help me out.

Answer 1

It is like anyother big city. Not a very nice place to live in.

Answer 2

You would be moving to a country where English is not the national language.  The German language is quite difficult to master and has a gutteral sound to it.  I was on a German train station once (a major terminal) needing directions and I could not find even one person on that busy train station who could understand English

Answer 3

You love this place. I live there 24 years. Is a multicultural, interesting and fun place. Many international banks, like in NY, nice big train station, big Airport, nice stores, cafes, main river, zoo, botanic garden, many many museums, parks, subway, more and more.

You have some opportunity you can learn German language. Don't worry at the beginning so much, people learning here English starting in the 3. Grade. You can make some new friends. That's fun too.

Answer 4

Of course it's not USA or England, etc, where English is a main language. Why do they have to speak English? Ridiculous

Answer 5

I was just in Frankfurt in March. Most people speak English, in fact, they start teaching their children in about the first grade. The public transportation was excellent. It was easy to transact business and I saw signs for Bertliz, which is a company that teaches different languages. It is truly an international city and also the financial capital of German.  I truly enjoyed my time there and am planning to go back soon.

Answer 6

Frankfurt's nickname is Mainhattan, because of its skyline. It is the European capital of banking and finance, so there is lots of money rolling around. You can see it in the number of people wearing suits and the amount of prostitution and  drugs available.

However for all its reputation Frankfurt is a relatively small, provincial town - nothing like the real Manhattan. A lot of your situation would depends upon where exactly you would live - which part of the city or which suburban village. This will determine which school you will attend, which is going to be the deciding thing.

One word of warning: Gymnasium is hard. It is a prep-school for uni, not for a blue-collar job. Many subjects which are taught in the US in college are taught in Gymnasium in Germany. (Sorry, don't know what it is like in Canada.) You might be better off attending 10th grade at a Gesamtschule, especially if your German is poor.

10th grade (Realschulabschluss) is the leaving grade for people who do not wish to go on to uni. Most people graduate at 16. If you have the grades for it you can always go on to 11th grade in the Gesamtschule after your year in 10th grade.

If you are determined to do well in Gymnasium, I highly recommend taking advanced math classes and at least one other foreign language aside from German now in your school in Canada. In order to graduate from Gymnasium you need to show proof of having had at lessons in 2 foreign languages for at least 3 or 5 years respectively.

See http://www.toytowngermany.com for advice from people who have changed from the Canadian system to the German one.

Answer 7

Frankfurt is a nice big city on the Rhine river and it has a modern look and is busy and has lots to do.

But I don't know if Germany has "German for Foreigners" in school.  If not your grades would possibly be low until you learn the language.  Start learning now if you can.  You can do it if you want, and it'll be very interesting, because it's close to Holland, Belgium, France, and Switz. too.

Answer 8

Many Germans do in fact speak English.  Frankfurt from what I remember is simular to your Canadian culture but yes you will feel the German appeal.  Germany is beautiful.

Answer 9

If your relatives can make sure you get into an international school, your idea sounds good to me. Just starting Gymnasium in 11th grade with no knowledge of German sounds like a sure-fire way to failure, but international schools run their classes in English and tend to let you get high school diploma as well as the German Abitur.

As far as places to live go, Frankfurt is a big city, so there is a lot of culture, a lively music scene, quite a bit of green inside the city and even more on the outskirts. The German dialect spoken by the natives is atrocious (don't get me started), but many people living there speak good German because they have moved there at some point in their carreer.

By the way: I read just today that Frankfurt is the most multi-ethnic of all major German cities. That would be a clear pro for me - as well as the turnout of today's anti-n**i demonstration. Frankfurt has a large Jewish community and is very aware of the historical obligation we have not to let something like the Hitler area happen again. If you are interested in history at all, Frankfurt has plenty of that, including the Paulskirche, which played an important role in the development of German democracy.