When I've gone to events with various groups here, I meet as many, if not more, other expats as I do Germans, so I have the opportunity to hear how they are settling in. As an expat myself, I find it interesting to hear about the experiences of other expats, especially those based in Germany.
When I was in Munich, I met several Italian guys at a gathering. One guy said that when he was calling German landlords about renting their apartments, everyone was saying "ciao" to him as they were ending the call. He thought that they were doing that because they knew he was Italian. We had a giggle over his revelation that it's actually a somewhat common way in Germany to say goodbye and it wasn't a special nod to his Italian-ness.*
*Okay, maybe that's not a word.
Yes, tschau is common in southern germany. However, italians use it also when they meet, not only when leaving. Going north you will find tschö und tschüss. In south-western germany, near france, we have "adee" from adieu, while near switzerland it is "sale" from "salut".
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