Some of the things I found that are different between Germany and America...
Try going to a grocery store on a Saturday evening! In the last two years some of the grocery stores are staying open past 6 p.m. on Saturdays, but you wont find a single one open on a Sunday!
No checks please! Almost all commerce - in Germany, at least, is done via direct bank transfer payments, or what we call ACH payment in the US. I never wrote a check in all the time I was in Germany!
Residence registration: all residents, citizens or visitors, have to register their residence with the local Burgeramt. Because this is unheard of in America, Americans generally overlook this - but if you don't, it is impossible to get a visa.
Satellite tv anyone? In the US and Canada, you have to sign up with a satellite service provider, and get your equipment from them. In Germany, it's all programmed into the equipment, and you simply by the receiver that is preprogrammed.
TV and Radio Tax! While you are registering yourself at the Burgeramt, dont forget to play your TV and Radio tax, for each device you use in your home.