‘’Andere Länder, Andere Sitten.’’, I first heard the phrase during my German Language class when I first started my exchange semester at the University of Liechtenstein. I think this phrase will keep ringing in my head whenever I visit another country in the future, either as a tourist or again as a student. As a direct comparison in English, the phrase ‘’when in Rome, do as the Romans do’’ has the similar meaning, which means we should respect the local culture and values in a new environment.

When I first arrived in Vaduz, I did not expect that the culture would be so different from the neighbouring country, for instance, Germany, where my home university is. After having lived in Dessau, Germany, for a year and pretty much adapted to the way of living there, I thought that Liechtenstein wouldn’t be so different. There are some cultural differences that I noticed, even though it’s not that far away from Germany.

I first set foot in this country in late September, just a day before the orientation day began. I hopped off the bus, which took me on a 16-hour ride from Leipzig to Vaduz, and shortly after, I met my landlady, who gave me a ride to my current accommodation. At that time, I didn’t feel so different, as she is fluent in English, so we could communicate without issue. She showed me some part of Vaduz along the way and I feel the atmosphere is not that different than a typical German small city. I would say that I was amazed by the environment, which reminds me of my hometown in the mountainous part of Indonesia, as the town is surrounded by mountains, but of course, more advanced in many aspects. However, things change little by little when I restart my daily routine.

First thing that I noticed is, most of the people that I met seem ‘’warm’’ to strangers that they met on the street, it feels like the warmth that I get in some part of Indonesia. I get a lot of greetings from most of the strangers that I came across on the street, often greeted with ‘’Hallo’’ like what Germans usually do, or ‘’Hoi’’, which later on I came to know that this is how people in Liechtenstein say their greetings. It was a totally different experience compared to what I experienced in Germany, at least in Dessau or Berlin, the two cities that I spent most of my time in. People are much ‘’colder’’ there, minding their own business, strict, almost machine-like.

Surprise after surprise happened throughout the time, as I continued my student activities. I decided to do my exchange semester in Liechtenstein because I was looking for a German-speaking country so that I could keep practicing my German language skills. However, the reality speaks differently, as I learn a surprising truth. Yes, Liechtenstein is a German-speaking country, but it came with a twist. The residents speak German with some sort of accent or dialect, which makes it sound like a different language. I thought I could cope with the discrepancy in my current language skills, but eventually, I only managed to understand a handful of what other people say when they speak German here.

‘’Lost yet familiar’’ would be the befitting phrase to describe my first few weeks living in Vaduz. I feel a bit lost again, just like when I first moved to Europe to start my master's degree program.  Although some of the living aspects resemble what I used to experience before, such as the environment or nature, the language, and the warmth of the residents. Yet, it’s an enjoyable experience.