13 Culture Shocks in Germany as an American Living in Germany 1 Year Review 😮🇩🇪
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- Опубліковано 31 тра 2024
- After a year of living in Germany, we look back at German culture shocks we first experienced when living in Germany as Americans. Are these first culture shocks in Germany still shocking?! Or do they become more normal the longer we've lived as Americans in Germany?
⏩ CHAPTERS
00:00 Intro
0:33 Insurance
1:14 Sundays
1:51 Public Urination
2:20 Quiet Hours
3:12 Crossing the Street
3:53 Work-Life Balance
4:48 Cigarette Machines
5:23 Building Numbers
5:54 Cars
6:23 Pfand System
6:58 Homeless Population
7:36 Punctuality
8:17 Drinking Fountains
🎵Music: share.epidemicsound.com/2dyu06
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We are Mike and Becca, two passionate travelers who love traveling deep and experiencing a place through its food, history, and culture.
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The TÜV isn't about making sure the cars are "nice looking", it's about whether it's safe for being on the road. You're allowed to drive absolute most rusty junk cars as long as all the important parts are still working properly
Very true! Perhaps we should have specified that. Thank you for pointing that out!
There is nothing better than one day of calmness and relaxation like on a Sunday.
The best thing EVER.
I need it.
It absolutely reinforces the need for relaxation!
"Quiet hour" isnt as extreme as it sounds 😊 you dont have to be quiet, you just cant be annoyingly loud.
We were definitely worried about it at first, but it's not as extreme as it initially sounded, especially given that people vaccuum in our building on Sundays, which we were told was a no go when we arrived.
@@MYTravelBF Depending on the areas you film at, you're either in Linden or List. Both quarters are pretty permissive regarding these topics.
@@MYTravelBF It also very much depends on who your neighbours are. Without neighbours that are a little bit "too German", you're never going to have any problem (Unless you are like a former neighbour of mine who would put on drum 'n' bass at full volume at 2 in the morning with a bass that made the plates in my cupboard clink.)
@@MYTravelBF Everything that is considered part of your daily life like hoovering or using your washing machine is absolutely allowed. There is also this idea going around that you have tobe 'quiet' between 1 and 3 in the afternoon. If people tell you that, well Mike, tell them that has been abolished decades ago! 😊 But indeed used to be a thing. 🙄
@@TomRuthemann Thanks for the additional information! Luckily, our neighbors have been nothing but friendly!
I don't know about Spain, but in Germany, especially the train stations are hot spots for actual homeless people and those are usually *not* pushed out of town (no loitering laws) and therefore remain very visible. Also, there are a lot of professional beggars who pose as homeless. This is even often part of organized crime. As others have pointed out, everybody has the right to assistance, and those who actually really live on the street do so on their free will, either because they have drug, alcohol, or other problems and want to stay for themselves rather than participate in public programs offering shelter or other forms of accomodation. And of course, nobody can be forced. Depending on the local town, there are programs trying more or less successfully to reach especially those people to get them out of that vicious circle of not being able to have a regular schedule, not finding a job, and not finding a regular apartment which is often why they end up on the street.
Of course, the housing situation has also worsened over the past few years, especially after Putlers war on Ukraine. More than a million refugees from Ukraine alone have been taken and needed shelter, on top of hundreds of thousands of refugees from other world regions. That together with neglecting social housing over the past several years has made things harder. And of course, Putler and his friends are using refugees as a tool to destabilize western democracies.
Still, the difference between the US and Germany are the criteria for counting homelessness and how these people are pushed around and often end up out of town in some spot where most people would never set a foot and consequently do not see them. You won't find the kind of tent city in Germany that you see in some parts of the states, and many people who are called homeless in Germany wouldn't even be considered homeless in America.
Take care!
Thank you for all the information and details! And for watching of course!
Germany is surrounded by several neighbor countries like them to the east. The social system in Germany made it attractive especially for this Europeans with lower perspectives to immigrate to Germany even if they stay homeless. Therefor lot of this poverty is imported too.
Legaly speaking, kids noise is not noise in Germany. Complaining about kids noise is as fruitfull as complaining to the police that the birds sing too loud.
Love the comparison 😂😂😂
I think one problem for homeless people is, that while they could get help, it takes a lot of bureaucracy to actually get help. So if you became homeless because you could not deal with german bureaucracy in the first place, it is difficult to get back into society.
Another thing i noticed is, that many homeless people (at least in my city) are not from around, but from different countries, i dont know why though.
We'd imagine that there's a lot of bureaucracy that goes into receiving help which would make it difficult for people to do it.
all our waters are potable except the one where it says NO DRINKING water
just fill your bottles where ever
We know, and we do. It was just shocking coming from places that had public drinking fountains in every park or square. The water quality in Germany is very high!
@@MYTravelBF It's also something that is about to change at least in parts of Germany. Climate change is making cities think about putting up more water fountains and some have already started.
Good concept for a video. You also always pick such nice spots for recording.
Thank you! We really appreciate it!
The people around a trainstation are not homeless.
That are people who use the strategic location for begging.
Most of them have a home.
At night you don't see many homeless.
If people are sleeping in their bags in the city, usually it is because they want so.
Normally there is a bed-place for every homeless in the communities.
Thank you for the information!
@@MYTravelBF It was part of my job, for about 30 years in Frankfurt am Main.
I knew the numbers of the real homeless and they were always low.
Of course there are some, but not as much to call it a problem.
People sleep on the streets for different reasons.
Some because they are really homeless.
And some do it, simply because they want to. This group is bigger than you would believe :)
In Frankfurt for every homeless there was a bed-place with shower and a place to wash the clothes.
Many organisations offering food and coffee.
In winter there is the "Kälte-Bus"
A bus circling the city and picking up these people if it's too cold.
So, sad story, every of these persons.
But no one needs to suffer hunger or have to sleep under the sky.
More homeless people, that depends. In bigger cities you find more. But what you also encounter a lot are beggars that are "working" for certain groups to collect money and aren't really beggars, or homeless. It's a scheme, a scam. In Germany being homeless is mostly by choice, as a citizen be it of Germany or the EU, the local city has to provide you a roof over your head. And they do. But some don't like the temporary housing, or don't follow rules regarding drugs. Or there are other exceptions or circumstances. And yes, as with everything there are exception to that. In winter when it's cold we often try to give them shelter but many refuse as they are afraid that the little things they own get stolen. And we have to, and we do, respect that - but we still offer every time.
Same with daily paied ckecks for food for homeless who let themselfes registered and take the daily walk to the Jobcenter. But there are more who dont want or dont manage this especially with drug problems. So there are programs in town with streetworkers and spots to help them in a way they could exept more.
Some shelters do not allow dogs with them nearby. And they won't be separated to their companion.
Stop speading this bs propaganda stuff. Nobody is homeless by choice
Thanks for sharing your perspective!
It's by inability rather than by choice, for example inability to abide to shelters' or programs' rules, inability to get through detox, inability to trust mainstream society etc., often caused by perceived injustice or blows of fate (loss of partner, job, family, business, home).
the water fountains thing really surprised me to hear. i have never thought about this. my first thought was that we may not trust them but the bring your own bottle argument is solid. i dont know, it's odd. i would certainly make use of them, especially in this weather we had the recent days :p
I've read suggestions to install drinking fountains in cities because of the rising temperatures. The may appear in the near future.
@@mondkalb9813 the rising temperatures 🤣🤣🤣
Which is strange, because the water quality is excellent and you could drink from any public toilet… But we don’t get fountains…
I think it's just because we have lived in places where water fountains are commonplace. It's not the end of the world, but it's defiitely been a change not having them.
That would be fantastic!
Because we can drink from ANY tap in germany :D so there is no use for drinking fountains when you can refill at any faucet youd like. while in the US at least on my visits i was always told to not drink the tapwater, so controlled drinking fountains are very usefull. But in Germany you just can get perfectly drinking water from every place that has a bathroom
Yes! The water quality in Germany is amazing!
There are drinking fountains in Switzerland, how do you explain this.
@@matekochkoch there are drinking fountains in germany too... im just saying they are way more common in the us than europe because of the water quality. Regarding switzerland they have so much naturally clean drinkingwater that they pipe natural springs into everything for example drinkingwater that is at that location anyway.
@@Xaamosjourney They are extremely rare in Germany. I know none in my area.
When you compare this to Switzerland they have the same water quality and there are fountains everywhere, not only a few. Zurich alone has 1200 of it. Basel has 246.
Germany has all in all 1100 public fountains of which most are located in the south.
BTW there is a App for locating them in Germany called "Trinkwasser unterwegs"
And why can everyone in the US carry a gun when it's not good for you?
Which is exactly one of the reasons why we wanted to leave the US🙌
Water fountains were never a thing here. Having said this, several places in Germany have water fountains with natural spring water. On the other hand, you can drink tap water almost anywhere.
The water quality is amazing in Germany, which is why this surprises us! However, it's great being able to fill up a water bottle from any tap.
@@MYTravelBF Yep, Tap water in germany is more regulated then bottled water.
So all Tap water is drinkable with a high quality. Except it´s written on the Tap that this isn´t drinking water.
So yes, every tap in germany is a water fountain and you could refill your bottle in every restroom.
Every homeless person can get a room and eventually a small apartment all covered by the government and social services. There are social workers helping them to adept. After a while they get a first job, and so forth. Most cannot cut it, live what we live, and go back to the streets.
Does that explain it?
That definitely helps explain it. Thank you for the extra detail!
@@MYTravelBF I let the details why they can't out, but you can certainly think of one or two reasons why? Alcohol, drug, crushing debt, insanity, you name it.
I am an American expat living in Japan. On the subject of cigarette vending machines. I too was surprised to find not only cigarette vending machines here, but also beer and sake vending machines as well.
Yes! We've seen a few beer vending machines too! We think it's more the amount of public smoking that's annoying to us rather the machines themselves though.
Ruhezeit (quiet time) is usually 10pm to 6 am or 7 am on weekdays and all day Sunday or Public Holidays. Some cities might vary the rules slightly, and landlords can impose stricter rules when you rent.
Thank you for sharing the exact hours!
@@MYTravelBF Ask your landlord and check your municipality though. to be exact. Just search "Ruhezeit".
Actually in most rural areas you should avoid noise between 13:00 and 15:00, because then you are able to take a nap after lunch without being disturbed ... before you go back and work until 19:00 😅.
We live in Rheinland-Pfalz next to a vineyard and they often start their farm machines at 6 in the morning in the summer because at noon and until 4 pm it will often be too hot to work outside.
Triple glazing will keep any disturbing noise out ... and it is usually only for a quarter of an hour... then they will make noise somewhere else 😅
Is shopping really the only activity you can think of for Sunday? And of course you can do housework during the quiet hours, as long as you don't produce too much noise. Germans like to follow the rules but we are not robots. I ignore the red traffic light at 5:30 h in the morning when I go to work because there is hardly a car in sight, at 7am it would be far too dangerous to do so. Insurance you really need is car insurance and liability insurance. The rest depends on your personal situation.
It's not the only Sunday activity we can think of. It's just different from where we grew up. We have seen Germans ignore the traffic lights, especially if kids aren't present and there aren't many cars. Thanks for commenting!
We have public drinking fountains in my area in Scotland. Fifty years ago they were everywhere this changed in the eighties but they are making a comeback. Up until the 21st century we had Sunday closing. Small corner shops often stayed open and supermarkets would operate reduced hours and there would be an emergency chemist and limited public transport but all other businesses closed. The pubs opened but for a long time that was heavily restricted. Sunday closing was lovely. Many businesses in my local town centre still close on Sundays. As for insurance - yep most folks have car insurance, buildings and contents insurance, life insurance. Of course it varies depending on needs - I even have insurance for my pushbike that covers me being in an accident with a car
The closing on Sundays was simply a change for us coming from Madrid and, before that, the US wherejust about everything is open on Sundays. It is a nice change, especially for those who would be working otherwise.
Good to see that not EVERY American thinks that Germany consists mainly of Bavaria and Baden-Wuerttemberg but considers to start his living here in Hannover, Lower Saxony - I appreciate it
We still want to visit Baden-Wuerttemberg! Thanks for watching and supporting the channel!
Shops at larger train stations are open on Sundays, so you can still shop groceries for example.
Or bigger gas stations. We have one in our town which is open 24/7
Yes, but these shops a far more expensive than normal shops... same on gasstations.
Yes, we know those are open, but it's less convenient than other places closer and cheaper. It's really not that big of a deal now after living here for a year, and something very nice for the workers!
Here in our part of western Canada we take recycling a little further. We have a refundable fee of about 25c for bottles cans juice boxes etc. We also have a non-refundable fee of 3-4c which runs a program where physically and particularly intellectually challenged people work collecting, packaging, counting and issuing refunds. It's a great way to recycle and provide a job to someone who may otherwise have trouble finding employment.
Cool! Thank you for watching and sharing!
In the seventies we still had springs everywhere from where you could take clean water.
Why they took them down, is still a riddle to me, cause they also looked kinda nice.
This year in Vienna/Austria I saw modern springs all over the town and found it very nice especially in the hot summer season that you could take fresh, healthy water from the springs.
It is definetely something, we should discuss with Belit Onay, because having them makes so much more sense.😊
Fascintating! We had no idea that they used to be so common! The natural springs sound like something that would be really nice for the city that other cities don't have!
Berlin has installed many drinking water fountains a few years ago. I think they are a great thing and help reduce use of plastic bottles. I hope they are being installed in more cities in the future.
I loved seeing them all over Rome, Italy, when I was travelling there some years ago. They have been there since 1870 I think. Not sure where else in Europe drinking water fountains are common.
They are very common all over Spain! Hoepfully Germany continues to install more.
Bottle and Can deposits definetly work. Cans and Plastic bottles were everywhere be4 they were added to the pfand system (originally only glass bottles)
The pfand system is really nice, and it seems to really encourage people to recycle more! Even if people aren't near a recycling bin, they leave it outside of a garbage for someone else to collect and get the pfand return. Genius!
I like your videos. I live in California and interested in moving to Germany! As soon as I get a job in Germany I will move there.
Thank you so much! Good luck on your job hunt and move!
That is my townhall in the background. Hi from Hannover!
Hello! We love it in Hannover!
Same thing In The Netherlands with insurance, really cool concept
Cool! We had no idea. Thanks for watching!
Paying refund money for bottles and Cans (Pfand) is also in the Netherlands (statiegeld) big bottles €0,25 - small bottles and cans €0,15
Thanks for sharing!
There are drinking fountains. They are, however, quite rare. Since you are in Hannover: check in front of C&A into the direction of the Döner place. I think there are about five in the city center, so not that very many.
We must have missed the ones in front of C&A! Coming from places where they are all over, it was a bit of a shock to see so few.
When my husband did an Engineering course near Mendelhiem in the evening his work colleagues and himself one evening went out for a meal together. Whilst in a bar one of his work of his colleagues wanted to buys some cigarettes. He saw a machine outside thinking that this was for cigarettes. As he could not speak German he didn’t understand what was written on the machine.
He returned back to the bar with an inner tube for a bicycle. Much to the amusement of the lady serving behind the bar. She lent him her ID and showed him where he could buy some cigarettes.
We were in Berlin last March. I’m pretty sure I saw drinking fountains there.
The Germans do love a rule. Again my husband worked in Konstanz every week they had fruit Thursday. If you did not take your piece of fruit the person working on the till would call him back shouting Herr Randall you have forgotten your fruit. Even though he may not of wanted it.
That's really funny about fruit Thursday 😂
Returning bottles happens in the US, too. Michigan has a 10¢ bottle return deposit on all carbonated drinks.
Very true, but we're not from Michigan so we've never really lived somewhere that it's been commonplace.
Always make sure to stop and wait at the red traffic light. I remember when I was a little child, I saw teenagers crossing a red light. I was angry and ran home to tell my mother. Haha.
That's a great story!😂😂😂
In the sixties we had a drinking water bubbler at school. But meanwhile he has been removed. The germans prever to drink sparkling water or sparkling juice from a bottle. They don't like drinking fountains. In some spa's they do exist. You can drink the healing water from a drinking fountain.
Interesting! It would be fun to visit the spas. Are there any you recommend?
In germany you find over hundert towns with a spa. The towns with the name "Bad" have a spa. For example: Bad Kissingen, Bad Staffelstein, Bad Füssing, Bad Brückenau and so on. I know Bad Kissingen. The healing water there smells of rust. The water is said to be good for stomach and intestine. There is also a state casino there, which is run by the Free State of Bavaria (Freistaat Bayern).
In the Czech Republic, we pay a three crown deposit on bottled beer. We get it back when we return to the bottles to a machine, and the amount really adds up. Remember, we drink the most beer per capita anywhere, nearly twice as much as the second place country. Among other places, the main square in our city center has water fountains for people and dogs, primarily. You can freely fill your bottle or your dog's bowl as frequently as you like.
I guess as no Czech would sue the community if the human or dog feels unwell.
Would Germans sue over this? 😂😂😂
It sounds like, other than the fountains, the Czech bottle return system is fairly similar to that of Germany.
@@MYTravelBF well some grumpy neighborings exist. But in general no Europeans would sue government for a service free of charge. Use on your own risk.
1. Public water to drink: We didn't have that because we didn't feel any need for that in the past. Europeans drink less water compared to Americans since we only drink water or beverages if we are thirsty while Americans have a different water drinking culture and drink water when they are not thirsty at all. Contrary to southern European countries we have a not-so-warm climate in northern Europe and therefore drink less. However due to global warming, many cities are discussing introducing public water for drinking, so it might slowly change within the years to come.
About deposit for cans and bottles: I live not far from the Dutch border therefore I sometimes go to the Netherlands for an hour or a few hours. Therefore I noticed the difference. In Germany, most people usually return their bottles and cans to the supermarket.
And the people who don't bother returning their empties usually put those next to a trash bin, not into the bin, because the empties get picked up by poor people who need the extra cash. And even if somebody drops an empty can somewhere in the street, if you return 30 minutes later it will be gone because it also got collected.
In the Netherlands, you often see empty cans in the woods, but also inside the cities in the street, and if there are bushes, you might find plenty of cans there. And in some cities like for example Venlo you see municipal workers picking up cans on a daily base.
But when I was returning from the Netherlands today while waiting for the train I saw on an electronic billboard on the platform for the first time a campaign introducing deposit for cans and one-way bottles. Multi-trip bottles already have a deposit, but in the Netherlands, you can only return those to shops that sell that brand, while in Germany bottles with some spread can usually returned to most supermarkets even if they don't sell that brand, but the legal obligation only applies to shops who sell the brand.
But as I understood it, the one-way empties in the Netherlands get a standardized sign and can be returned to all shops like in Germany, where the return of one-way empties is regulated by law.
Thanks for the extra info! There is definitely a different recycling culture in Germany and the Netherlands with the pfand.
In my city there are public drinking water fountains but not many. Maybe it differs from city to city.
Based on your comment and others, it seems to be different in every city, but overall, there aren't many.
@@MYTravelBF Maybe it`s also cause of the tab water. In Germany they say tab water is cleaner than bottle water and most people in Germany buy sparkling bottle water. Tab water only costs 2 cent for 10 litres . MAybe also cause there is an old rule that you can get free tab water in every restaurant or bar, i think this still applys today but it`s almost forgotten.
Michigan has had that type of bottle return in supermarkets for decades.
Michigan is one of the few states that does, but we've never lived there. It's too bad more states don't have it though.
We lived in Virginia and traveled quite a bit. There were no water fountain anywhere. No...a few ones we discovered once in a while but none was functioning. Many years ago they were found everywhere in the US, but not anymore. In Germany they start to install them now due to climate change and summers getting warmer and warmer.
That's interesting that Viriginia didn't have very many. It makes sense with the temperatures in Germany they don't have many, but yes, with climate change, it seems like they might be installing some.
Great upload new subscriber
Thank you!!
I had forgotten how nice Places there are in Hannover.
It might not be the most beautiful in Germany overall, but there are some wonderful spots!
There (almost) no water fountains, because of the reasin, that the bottles are not clean.
Actually...there is not really a need for it, since the weather is not as hot.
it makes sense with the colder weather. We were in hotter place before.
Are you guys touring europe? If so let me know if u get to ireland i been here 21 yrs, im from PA...
We're currently living in Germany, but we'll let you know if we ever get to Ireland! It's definitely on our list.
Drinking fountains are usually not necessary in Germany because in the past temperatures wheren´t that high. Also there is a liability problem with those since the quality standards are very high and need to be maintained = expensive. Also Germans prefere sparkling water over "Kranberger"
Making sparkling drinking fountains would definitely be a waste of money, and we know Germans prefer their sparkling water😂
In some countries you allowed to cross street on red signal if is no cars around and you not interfering
Yes, that's how it was where we grew up. Although it makes sense not to do it in front of children, so as to set a good example for them.
It’s always super misleading when people say ‘everything is closed on Sundays’ - cause it’s not. Only retail and offices and such are closed on Sundays. Everything recreational is in fact open - zoos, amusement parcs, restaurants, movie theaters, museums and and and.
It was a shock when we first moved here, but has become less of a shock because, like you said, a lot is still open, just not retail shops and supermarkets. Thanks for watching and commenting!
UK here, we have car (vehicle) insurance, home insurance, life insurance, and more.
We had all of those typical insurances in the US too. In Germany, they have personal liability insurance, which is the big one that's different, but also insurances for a bunch of smaller specific things, like bike, camera, etc.
I have to have liability insurance for my job.And often we insure personal items that are expensive, especially if we carry them out and about. Insurance companies love not giving you your own money back, so if your camera is insured under home and contents, they probably wont pay out if it is stolen or damaged outside the home!!@@MYTravelBF
The two things that "shocked" me when I came to Germany were: 1) everyone was speaking or trying to speak English. My German was petty much zero at that time, still they all tried to talk in English with me. 2) "free" transportation for like 50 EUR a month, whenever I want, wherever I wanna go, whatever bus or tram I see; this complete worry-free system, just hop on and get around - I wasn't allowed to drive then with my US driver's license; way more freedom than I had in the bay area ... and maybe 3) the intertwine between local businesses, and residential areas... like a bakery on the other side of the street you can walk to
yes, we are evil socialists
Walkable city is best.
We only had the 49€ transportation for a few months now. You must be very new here?
@@DonDadda45 In some cities a mothly ticket was 50€ some time ago. it is limited to the city area and suroundings, though. Nonetheless, it makes a car unnecessary for most parts of your daily life.
@@peter_meyer €50 isn't really free though
I havent seen a Zigarettenautomat in years.
They're all over Hannover!
german quiet hour at night is from 22:00 - 6:00 .
Yes! This is much different than in Spain, where we lived before.
for the water fountains my argument would be us Germans like to plan ahead. so everytime you go outside you know where and how long you are away and you plan your hydration accordingly. so no need for a water fountain to refill your bottle.
That's a really good point! Germans do love to plan ahead! This was a shock even spontaneously getting together with friends after living in Spain😂
Just a google search told me Germany has so many homeless people its in the top 3 of europe. In Spain although there are more people without work there are more homes available and they are very Family orientated so it seems that they just take care for one another. I know that a lot of Families in Spain have apartments in the City (sometimes more then 1) and homes in the country. So if somebody gets homeless there often is just somewhere they can go....
Interesting! Thank you for sharing! Spain is definitely very family oriented.
Many of the homeless in Germany are from eastern Europe and dont have family in Germany. They often dont speak German and have mental, alcohol and drug problems. If you become unemployed you don't have to live on the street. The rent and heating are paid as well as around 500 euros in support.
You can make "noise" on sundays
The idea though is that you dont spend the entire day at home blasting loud music and being obnoxious.
Cutting your grass and vacuuming are totally fine, unless you live next to snobs.
Luckily, our neighbors have been nothing but wonderful! Then again, we don't blast music 😂
The German homelessness numbers -- so no the actual experience -- are so high because it includes refugees that have failed to find a housing and are living in temporary shelter. And since Germany took on a lot of refugees, this numbers is inflated. The same goes for Sweden.
You also see that since 2016, the numbers of homeless people has increased by over 50% -- again: mostly due to refugees.
Beside that Germany also uses a more broad definition outside of refugees. It for example includes people who temporarily live with family, and so on and so forth.
German numbers are still pretty bad though. Because there are other countries that measure their numbers in a similar fashion, and Germany is still one of the worst ones even among that group.
To get a feeling of how significant these definitions are, here a quote:
"Some 678,000 people in 2018 did not have permanent accommodation, up from 650,000 in 2017, according to Germany's BAG, a nationwide consortium aimed at helping the homeless. Of that number, 41,000 are out on the streets."
So 650k are considered homeless, while 41k people actually live on the street.
I really don't think you should compare to the US though. Because the US uses a way more narrow definition, but has states that still have more homeless per capita than Germany. Spain also uses a more narrow definition, and has ~5 homeless people per 10k. Meanwhile California has like 40 and DC even has 65.
As for the personal experience, I don't think that says much. Some countries intentionally concentrate their homeless population to where you can't see them, while in other countries they aggregate to homeless shelters or train stations. You not being able to see a problems, doesn't mean it isn't there.
Thanks for all the additional information!
Super interesting to learn, and yeah the US has problems with statistics in general in many cases due to state to state differences in collecting and reporting information.
Hi Mike, most of the spots from this video are looking very familar to me.
Yes! We tried to film at a lot of the same places we did a year ago for the first few videos!
Was it a culture shock to live in cities where it is perfectly normal to walk past buildings from the 13th, 14th or 15th century as a common feature in most every city?
As for recycling, I just checked and must say that I am a bit surprised that the recycling rate for cans in Sweden is 87%. I thought it was higher.
That wasn't a big culture shock in Germany for us as we previously lived in Spain, where many of the older buildings weren't destroyed in WWII. We were more surprised by the number of "newer" buildings here in Germany due to all the destruction. However, it really makes you appreciate the older ones that survived!
@@MYTravelBFTrue, the WWII brought terrible destruction but probably most in Germany as their cities were heavily bombed even until the end of the war. It is my impression too, that it has made them all the more interested in taking good care of what they have left.
Bamberg was one of the very few major cities not bombed, it is absolutely worth a visit!
We have few "homeless "too,but they don't sleep on the street.smaller german city,about 2 or 3.
It's probably different since we're living in a bigger city.
Welche Stadt ist das?
Hannover
I would really like to move to Germany, but I received some bad news today. Due to the freezing of the German government budget, the opportunities for voluntary work (FSJ and BFD) will be drastically reduced for foreigners. This has discouraged me and taken away my hope of being able to live in Germany. I have been planning this for a long time and have spent a lot of money on German language certificates and passport issuance.
Oh no! We're so sorry! There seem to be differing opinions on work opportunities for foreigners in Germany, but hopefully things will change for you!
At least the cigarette vending machines nowadays require an ID. I grew up in the 80s and 90s, and back then every kid could buy cigarettes from these machines.
Yeah i remember that 😂 Back in the Days you could even smash some 20pfennig Coins with a hammer to flatten them out and could get a Pack for 60pfennig instead of 3dm. These machines were classic 😅
@@Robin-vv9iy Was that maybe in the east? I don't think there was a 20-pfennig-coin in the west where I grew up.
Oh wow! At least they require an ID now!
Public water foutains are not needed because the quality of our tab water. Botttle some tab water at home.
We always do. It's just when we run out. The water quality is excellent in Germany though!
Regarding public urination: It really doesn't happen often, except for festivals our in the vicinity of large football (soccer) stadiums after a match. The main take-away here should probably be that in Germany the punishment usually fits the crime. If you urinate in public in the US you might be charged as a sex offender oder something else that way misses the mark. In Germany you might get sent away ("Platzverweis") or might have to pay a fine for disturbing the ecosystem (e.g. if you're in a public park and pee on some exotic flower beds).
Germany absolutely handles public urination way better than the US😂
We have so few junk cars because every car that is some years old will be sold to neighboring countries. Maybe that is not the case in the US. Here, a car that is older than 5 years will be bought by a turkish or russian car dealer and shipped to the east, to south-east or even to Africa.
Interesting! thanks for sharing!
I lived in Germany for 35years and I never have seen a Hobo here. But I live in a 35k town, I guess they Hobos are all in bigger cities.
Maybe it's just where we are located🤷🏼♂️🤷🏽♀️
Most Germans don't like still water to drink. I also find that really, really odd, but in Germany water must be bubbly. That's why there are so few drinking fountains.
That makes sense, but we hate bubbly water 😂 We'll probably never get used to it.
the reason for Pfand on glas bottles is to wash and refill them, the Pfand on plastic bottles is simply to keep the streets clean 😂
That's probably why it's a higher pfand on plastic and aluminum than glass. Thanks!
Water fountains aren't a thing here because they have never been a thing. Making it a thing would cost money and communities don't like that. On the other hand, buying bottled water means paying VAT that benefits communities (on paper at least) and paying 25% deposit makes sure the bottles will be returned. There you have it.
Having the deposit really helps with recycling! It's also a good point about the VAt going back to benefit communities. We had never thought about that.
Drinking fountains? We have no tradition on that. We don't even have the tradition of drinking tap water. Only beer, wine and cider were regarded as drinkable for centuries. Only natural sparking water which was safe to drink for a longer time was accepted. So, drinking water is relatively new to us and the cities just don't know how to do it.
Drinking tap water is new? I understand it's not as common, but it seems it might be better than plastic water bottles, even if they are recycled.
@2:13 It is called nature's call and it might happen on public display if the person is acting daft.
@2:25 Not really, Germany has a lot of laws, rules and regulations but that doesn't mean everyone is obsessed with it. There are people who are obsessed with it, called Almanns.
@2:54 That is a problem. Just because it is legal doesn't mean it is good or less annoying, especially if you cannot tell the difference between kindergarten and fast food joint anymore.
@3:34 Don't kid yourself. Germans occasionally do the same.
@6:13 I prefer the American version where people are treated like adults and are responsible for the roadworthiness themself.
We really only saw it at some summer festivals when we arrived or outside of a football match, but not on a daily basis at all.
It was never realy hot for decades in Germany , thats why they dont have puplic water fountains.
It makes sense that they haven't had them given the historical temperatures in Germany.
Well done. For public pee, see it as giving back to nature, recycling. Same esp. plastic bottles, the deposit nudge you to return, rather to litter. And for public water fountains, they will be increased for hotter summers. How much it cost for the community to set up and maintain? Water is precious, so no free of charge tap water in restaurants. That's equals the excessive 15%+ tipping un-culture.
Wow! We've never actually considered that the free water (with ice cubes) and free refills could go into the 15%+ tipping culture...that's a really good point!
Consider all energy wasted for unneccessary AC or keeping ice available, saved. Keeping lights on at the office to camouflage that you already gone home.
7:30 The short & non exhaustive answer: freedom of movement within the EU (The Schengen Area ) & the expansion of the EU into Eastern Europe.
Thanks!
3:48 but how can you cross… the light is red. It just doesn’t work… The light is red😅
😂😂😂
In Spain the family takes care off their members
Yes...in many places they do this. We're not sure how this relates to the video😂
1. Kids noise: Well, kids cannot make as much noise as they want. If you live in a house with several apartments, you, as a parent, will soon figure that out, trust me. Noise is generally frowned upon in Germany, no matter who makes it or when.
2. Berlin has lots of drinking fountains. Dunno about other German areas.
3. Insurance madness: public health insurance is everything but cheap in Germany, and what you get for it is bad and less and less attractive every year. Often you have to wait six months to get an appointment to see a doctor. And usually we also have a "pill" centered medicine, just like in the US. After 3 minutes of "examining" you, they give you poisonous crap for the money you pay into the system. That's it! When it comes to other insurance, wait until you have a claim. Usually you just pay and pay and pay, but when you want something, you have to go from pillar to post and get very little or nothing in return.
Thanks for all the info! It's interesting that berlin has a lot of drinking fountains, but other places don't. Hopefully we don't run into too many issues with the insurance😬
Public water dispensers will not be set up due to strict health and hygiene laws. In addition, the costs would have to be paid by the cities and municipalities. Nobody wants that!
In Krefeld we have that in our shopping street.
Fair enough! That would make sense!
Interesting!
So are americans also all the time late to business meetings and in general come late to work. Hard to believe for me when i hear about your "working culture", especially not that your boss is fine with it if you are constantly too late.
Absolutely not. Even in Spain people were punctual for business meetings. This was referring to social gatherings in particular.
Almost all tap water in Germany is drinkable clean water
Yes, and it's delicious!
Cigarette vending machines used to cost 5 DM per pack. This meant that minors could easily do this.
Today you need a bank card and your date of birth is saved on it. So only adults can operate them.
At the beginning of the 1980s there was a political program on German TV. 5-6 politicians sat together, smoked, drank beer and wine and talked about important topics. It's surprising that the TV people were able to record anything through the smoke. Today unthinkable.
Today it is the older people who sensibly want to ban smoking, but the young people who resist the demands of their elders.
That's great at it at least verifies your age now. It's interesting that the older people want to put bans on smoking but younger people don't. It seems to be the opposite in other countries.
Biggest culture shock in Germany: Hannover !
😂😂😂
We have a lot of poor/homeless/drugaddict/drunkard-migration into Germany
Interesting!
Why is a bit of living different such a "SHOCK" ?
You know what really shocking is, pissing against an electric fence. ;-)
Culture shocks are not necessarily a bad thing, just things you don't expect when you first arrive. We can all learn a lot by experiencing different cultures and seeing things from different perspectives.
Homeless people and support.
There is no economic reason to sleep on street or in parks.
Everyone has the right to get support.
So it is the people decision in germany not to take that support.
In spain....the police avoids homeless people in the inner circle of the cities.
Thanks for sharing!
You infer from Hannover`s rules to the whole country. We have drinking water fountains here in Berlin and we don`t have one cigarette automat in the whole area here where I live. I wonder that you didn`t mention paying for pee ...
We are just going based off of our experience living in Germany, which obviously does not mean every single aprt of the country. That's great that in Berlin you don't have these machines and you have drinking fountains! We didn't mention paying to pee because it wasn't really a shock for us as we knew this coming here and having lived in Spain.
Every german will get 15 Euros per day and a paid appartment by the government if he asks for. So either homeless people do not want to or they are not german. There are a lot of people from south-east Europe and especially romanian Roma often are brought here by professionals to beg on the streets.
Sometimes drug problems and mental illness is also a factor to consider.
We had no idea! Thank you!
Not everyone will get a paid apartment. There are way too few apartments and houses available. Even üeople with reasonable income get in huge trouble when they are forced to move out and find something else. Homeless people are put into some sort of hostels along with other homeless people, often without much privacy, but with potential risk of thefts, alcohol or drugs. Many homeless people avoid these places and prefer sleeping somewhere outdoor,.
you can cut your grass on sundays just not with a combustion engine
The blade on an electric lawn mower does also make noise - too much noise for Sundays. Mine does.
Maybe it's not a problem anymore, when your lawn is already in a good shape and you only do a new cut on it. But even then it doesn't always run silent.
Thanks! We didn't know that!
The rampant smoking is shocking. The air quality is not great and having to be around smokers totally sucks.
It's more the having to be around smoking in restaurants, biergartens, bars, and terraces that's annoying than the machines themselves.
Cigarettes and vending machines, "German cultural inventions" an American is shocked about. That's my kind of humor!
Glad you liked it!😂🤣
Culture shock ???. You get traumatized 😂😂😂
Definitely not traumatized 😂
I think the Americans are worse with punctuality. They are always 5 or 10 ahead of the time.
😂😂😂 some definitely are!
Germany WC in Basketball 😊🎉
Congrats! They played really well! 🏀🏆
The homeless people you see in Germany are homeless by choice - as strange as that sounds. Our social safety net has no gaps, everyone is entitled to shelter and food according to the constitution. And the state provides that in fact. Those who do not sign up for welfare or live "auf Platte" ("on the slab", means "in the open") can - as adult and free humans - not be _forced_ to accept assistance. Beggars are not poor, that is their profession and a scam, don't fall for it. Oh, and don't think "illegal immigrants" would be treated any differently! The welfare system applies to all human beings who are within our borders, regardless of the circumstances of their entry. Period. It should be mentioned that drug addiction and mental illness are - of course - covered by health insurance (which everyone has, whether they pay for it or not), and that help is provided. I remember the police _begging_ a homeless couple on a park bank here in Augsburg several winters ago, to accept their help …
Well, mental illness isn't a thing by choice. And some types of mental illness make the affected person refuse any help you might offer. And this refusal isn't really their own choice either, because it's their illness making them choose this option. So there are in fact people with mental illness running around amongst homeless people.
@@dnocturn84 No, they are not. This is because people with behavioral disorders can be forcibly admitted to a psychiatric hospital. (We don't shoot them dead like in the U.S.) After a psychological assessment, a judge can incapacitate them and appoint a legal guardian. However, these cases are extremely rare and are always under public scrutiny.
In Germany, there is not a single homeless person who is not under care. The police know them and often have a friendly relationship with them, welfare organizations actively care for them, and in every city there are warming rooms and warming buses that are out and about on cold nights offering a hot meal and warm clothing. And of course there are homeless shelters, but we were talking about those who don't want to go there, right?
Thanks for all the information!
@@hape3862 This doesn't work in reality. The threshold to to force someone into a psychiatric hospital is extremly high in Germany. It basically only applies to people who threaten to attack and harm other people or themselves. This is only the extremest level of mental disorder, that you can adress with this.
But most people of that category aren't a threat to anyone and therefore can't be forced into a psychiatric hospital.
@@dnocturn84 Fun fact: I found out that today happens to be "Homeless Day" - "Tagesschau" has a short video on YT about it.
Yes, you are right. I may have (somewhat naively) mistaken the legal situation for reality. Reality doesn't look quite so rosy. But it's worth noting that "homeless" ("wohnungslos", without a home) in Germany actually means not having a place of one's own. German statistics do for example count refugees in shelters under "homeless," but that is not what is commonly thought of as "homeless", like sleeping under the bridge. The term "shelterless" ("obdachlos", without a shelter) is an additional category in German statistics, which in other countries would be the fitting equivalent to "homeless," i.e., sleeping in the open. And here we talk about even smaller numbers.
Just a clarification regarding the mentally ill: other countries (like Italy and the U.S., if I remember correctly) have simply closed the insane asylums decades ago and don't care about them _at all_ anymore, but let them roam the streets like zombies. Correct me if I'm wrong.
Why would you not have cigarette machines? It's convenient. Only adults are able to buy them and they are fully aware that they're bad, it's a personal choice. I don't even smoke anymore but I don't see how they're stupid at all
Obviously, it's convenient, but the cigarette smoke affects others around you. We suppose it's more annoying that smoking is allowed inside bars, restaurants, on terraces, and at biergartens. The machines themselves don't affect us, but rather the amount of smoke around.
@@MYTravelBF That's simply not true, smoking is fully banned inside any establishment in Germany that serves food or drinks, only on the outside tables it's allowed to smoke. In a couple states it's allowed if you create fully separated, shut off room from the rest of the restaurant, but that was such a hassle for them that this is never really done.
If you know of restaurants and bars that allow smoking inside they're breaking some serious laws and would be closed if caught. I think it's only allowed in some very few, highly conservatives region in the South. I haven't seen anyone smoke inside of such places for like 15 years now, I think the law was passed in 2007 or 08.
Also you completely strayed off from your original point, I don't see how the Automaten have anything to do with what you said. If they didn't exist people would just buy them elsewhere, they don't contribute to smoking rates at all (there are studies about this)
If you enjoy a german Grillfest and sausage, you will inhale far more carcinogens from the grill than the occasional waft of cigarette smoke in the open air.
I find it strange when Americans complain about cigarette vending machines but are otherwise absolute advocates of all individual freedoms. Especially since Americans have propagated and advertised smoking worldwide with the Marlboro Man.
Europeans, on the other hand, find it strange that you can buy firearms as a private person on every corner in the USA.
Gun laws in the US are absolutely terrible and much worse than cigarette machines. It’s just strange that in 2023 cigarette smoking is so widely accepted in Germany when other countries have done things to minimize smoking in establishments.
@@MYTravelBF In closed roomes it is mostly forbidden. Only in private rooms or outside it is allowed. I am a non smoker. But i have no problems with smoking People outside or in special establishments where smoking is allowed. It is everybodies right to be addicted to something is my opinion… ;)
@@SD_Alias Fair point😂
There are many individual freedoms that Americans fight against, the most popular and common typically lining up with one of the two political parties. I'm also disappointed when the huge lawsuits were brought against the US tobacco companies for lying about the health effects, we didn't limit the US companies from selling or producing their cigarettes outside of the US... This shows a political freedom to do business which does not apply to an individual in the U.S.
Thats the shops on sunday are close , is not only in Germany so. Thats has also Switzerland and Austria. Many americans also very shocked, how direct the germans they are. You have to be very argument resistant. People talk very hard to each other about any topics, but on the end the go drinking a beer together. Thats will be never in the US. Americans will running a way. 😂🤣
The directness of Germans is definitely another thing Americans have to get used to! Americans are typically not very direct at all😂
It is a bit amusing to hear complaining about "stupid cigarettes vending machines", because ",they're not good for you", when in some American states one can buy a gun in Walmart.
To be clear, I don't smoke and I find this habit pretty annoying.
We obviously don’t like gun laws in America. It’s one of the reasons we left. We’re not comparing gun laws to cigarette machines because one is clearly worse and more destructive. Incentivizing smoking just seems strange to us based on other places we’ve lived.
Without a job you do not get a flat, without a flat you don’t get a job.
It's deifnitely a catch 22.
that's not how English speakers pronounce the word "culture"
We're not sure we understand this one😂
We buy our drinks at Kiosks and supermarkets. Yes, some people use carbonizer at home and drink that way tap-water. But as well as ther is no free water in restaurants, why should there be free water elsewhere? If you want to get water: BUY IT!
A glass of tap water is essentially free for a restaurant, that is why it's free in most countries (bottled water still costs money). In Germany the restaurants just make a big chunk on their money on drinks which is why most of them only sell bottled water.
@@DonDadda45 No, they sell bottled water, because we do not drink tap water. If you are in Rome, do as the Romans do ...
Germany has such amazingly high-quality tap water, so why not reduce the use of plastic/glass bottles and drink more of it? That's why it's surprisng to us.
@@gamergamer5345 I've drunk tap water in Germany at lots of places - friends, cafes, etc. And Germans have done the same. Yes, 'Wasser mit' ( ohne) is often offered but if tap water is wanted it's there for the taking,
@@pdyt2009 Of course, SOME people here drink tap water, but in my whole life (over 50 years) I NEVER EVER offered someone tap water in my home, nor did ANYONE EVER asked for tap water. But you are right, I have seen one or two people in my life drinking tap water in Germany.
The Sunday thing is not just a culture shock for Americans. In many other European countries shops are open on Sundays, too (with varying degrees), and Germany is really an extreme case. I could never get used to it (I'm Belgian, and I shop a lot of Sundays).
In Spain shops were open on Sundays in Madrid, but not in other areas of the country. It all depended on the left or right government and which was in charge. We just miss having the option to shop on Sundays sometimes. However, it's probably better overall for the workers.