UPDATE: Thanks so much for all of the views and comments! It's great to feel so close to Germany again. If you liked this, check out my thoughts on leaving the EU --> ua-cam.com/video/BoFAazBbMZg/v-deo.html
It’s definitely nice to have some time to slow things down. I was single for most of my time in Hamburg so it did get a little lonely at times but I can imagine with a family it’d be great.
@@IntentionalTech it also gives many families the opportunity to have some quality time all together at all. Imagine if always one or another had to work -
Also, it is a kind of detox from all the raging consumerism. Why do some people act like 6 out of 7 days aren't enough to go buy things? Buy more on Saturday, you can do it, I believe in your immense capabilities, lol.
When I lived in Germany I loved eating strawberries. The where so sweet. I now live in Texas and have yet to eat a strawberry that is sweet. Every one I ate is sour. No sweetness at all. I stopped eating them here. I also loved the slower pace of living in Germany. Here in the States everything goes so fast. Its so much hoopla every day. No quite moments. Americans don't know how to rest, the always have to do something. Never knew I would miss the quietness of Germany, specially on Sundays. Here in the States the live so damn fast. On Sundays in Germany my mother took me hiking a lot. We hiked up to old castles, visited and just walked in our beautiful forests, picking wild berries. Those berries where the best I ever tasted. The wild flowers all smelled intoxicating. Yes I miss my homeland much.
@Tërnoci Madh Das ist sehr lieb von ihnen. Das ist so ein schoenes angebot. Jedes mal als ich nach hause geflogen bin, war ich immer in Frankfurt angekommen. Ich wurde immer von meiner lebenden schwester abgeholt. Leider sind nun alle meine Geschwister gestorben. Ich bin die letze die noch am leben ist. Ich war die juengste von 5 Kindern und die einzige die nach Amerika gezogen bin. Von ganzem Herzen wuenschte ich das ich wenigstens noch einmal meine Heimat wieder sehen koennte. Leider erlaubt mir meine Gesundheit das nicht mehr. Ich bin in Radolfzell am Bodensee aufgewachsen. Es ist eine wunderschoene Gegnung auf zu wachsen. Als ich das letze mal in Deuschland war (ich war da weil meine mittel Schwester gestorben war) konnte ich kaum glauben wie viel sich dort so viel veraendert hatte. Der Bahnhof ist nicht mehr da. Jeden Tag ging ich ueber eine Bruecke die ueber die Zugschienen gebaut war um zum Bodensee zu kommen. Ich hatte eine schoene Kindheit dort verbracht. Seenachtsfest war immer besonders schoen. Laternen funkelten auf dem See und es war besonders schoen wen es dunkel wurde. Auf einem Pavlion wurde immer Musik gespielt. Egal ob es Seenachtsfest war oder jeden anderen Tag. Auch vermisse ich die Kirchen Prosession. Ich glaube so heist das. Wahrscheinlich habe ich das falsch geschrieben. Ich lebe schon lange in Texas und leider habe ich worte vergessen. Ich habe hier keine gelegenheit Deutsch zu reden. Jeden Tag gehe ich an you tube und schau mir alles von Deutschland an. Ich lese so gerne die Komentare die auf Deutsch geschrieben sind. Da sind viele woerter drin die ich vergessen habe, aber wen ich die lese kommen die mir langsam zurueck. Manchmal lese ich Worte die ich nicht kenne. Ich wuenschte das sich nichts veraendert hat. Ich wohnte in einem sehr alten Haus direkt gegenueber von der Kirche. Ich freue mich das das Haus noch da ist. Das Haus steht da seit dem 15ten or 16ten Jahrhunderd. Ich wohnte in der 5ten Etaje. Alle andere waren Bueros und das Amtsgericht. Ich vermisse unsere wurst, das Bauern Brot, die Broetchen und die Asbacher Schokolade mit Brandy. Ich kann die hier auch bekommen. Muss die aber bestellen und die sachen kosten unglaublich viel. Diese Geschaefte sind alle in einem anderen Staat. Wo ich wohne giebt die es nicht, oder die sind zu weit weg von mir. Die Kosten sind unheimlich hoch mir die zu schicken. Es sieht aus als ob ich ihnen ein Buch geschrieben habe. Ich wuensche ihnen einen sehr schoenen Tag und liebe gruesse aus Texas. Ich hoffe sehr das es OK ist das ich so einen langen Kommentar geschrieben habe. Tschuess and be safe.
@Tërnoci Madh BTW, what you just said about missing me too, is not true. No German would say that to a person the never met, but I love your offer to buy me Strawberries should I ever come to Frankfurt. Thank you so much. That is the nicest thing I have heard in a long long time. Below I think I wrote you a book. Hope I'm not boring you to tears with it and you give me the courtesy and read the whole thing. I might went a little overboard with my what I would call letter, not Kommentar.
@@ruubn1337 Ich heiratete einen Amerikaner. Er war von Ohio und wir lebten da fuer 8 Jahren. Seine Arbeit brachte ihm zu Texas. Die Winter Monate sind da meistens mild und er kann da Jahr lang Arbeiten gehen. In Ohio konnte er oft fuer Monate lang nicht Arbeiten. Wir haben schlimmes Winter Wetter. Er ist zuerst nach Texas gefahren alleine. Er hat viel Arbeit in Texas gefunden. Nach paar Monaten bin ich dann auch nach Texas gegangen. Es ging uns gut in Texas, und wir sind hiergeblieben. Ohio ist ein schoenerer Staat. Es dauerte mir ziemlich lange mich an Texas zu gewoehnen. Mein Mann ist for 13 Jahren gestorben und ich wollte nicht mehr umziehen. Ich Guesse sie auch herzlich aus Texas.
Thanks for watching and glad you enjoyed it. Haha that’s one stereotype that never even kind to mind. I guess I had a good laugh with a lot o my friends in Germany!
As Robin Williams said about the Germans not having and funny people , did they ever consider that maybe they killed all the funny people as well as all the others .
@@bruceburns1672 butthurt are we ? Ur living in the past rather than concentrate on the future. Just go outside into a home for elderly people and tell them this bs keyboard warrior
As a German who has been living in other countries (South America, North America and currently South Asia) for the last 10 years of my life, the thing about German directness/openness is still the one quality that i'm unable to shake off (not that I want to) and that still causes misunderstandings with the local people sometimes. Like when I am asked to do a specific kind of work gig and I tell them frankly I am in that specific case not the best qualified option for them. That, yes, I could give it my best shot, but I'm still sure it would be subpar work for my personal standards and they'd be better advised in that case to find somebody more suited. People outside Germany are often very baffled with that kind of admission. In North America people will just do whatever and give it their best shot as long as someone is willing to give them the cash for it. In South Asia 'No problem, i can do it' is the standard answer if you ask someone if they can do a certain work for you, and it's up to you to determine in subtle cues if they actually are suitable for the job. And it frequently causes insane delays and frustration with unsatisfactory work in the long run. Meanwhile I know what I can and can't do or what I can do only up to a certain standard and I'll tell a client frankly to save both of us that waste of time and frustration. I'm not interested in beating around the bush and delivering subpar work that will later reflect badly on me. But I feel at first people who hear that kind of no from me are often seem to feel almost personally rejected. Similarly on a more personal level, this directness/openness sometimes makes it hard to gain new friends or pushes people who you just got closer with away a bit. Like, in Germany you can go to a Biergarten with a bunch of new colleagues for the first time, get into a heated discussion about some political or general issue and get back to office feeling you've come a bit closer to the people you had the discussion with, and they actually do treat you like 'they know you' now afterwards. They might even pick up the discussion again at the next get together just cause they kind of enjoyed it. As long as it's not an atrociously offensive set of opinions (racist, misogynist etc) Germans tend to want to know your 'true stance' on an issue. They're okay if you disagree with them. They just want to know the true you and it doesn't really affect if they'll like you or not. Abroad I've really come to value that character trait a lot. It happens so often to me that I get a bit more comfortable with people, which makes me relax a bit and be more my 'German self' and I forget I still have to mind the local cultural etiquette, and I start to get involved in discussions like that with my new friends or friends of friends and then I hear through the grapevine that they think I 'don't like them' because of what they perceived to be a personal disagreement, when I felt it was just a normal discussion without any personal emotional aspect to it. Just cause I disagree with you, doesn't mean I can't like you. The very fact of me spending so much time and effort on the discussion with you means I've already opened up to you and think you are a person who's interesting enough to have a discussion with and trustworthy enough to openly share my mind with. And even if there should be such a deep rooted significant disagreement - say, you don't believe in basic human rights, in which case, sure being friends will be quite impossible - it's still better we find out about that sooner than later by addressing it openly, rather than finding out ages later that one of us was just lying through their nose for the sake of group harmony.
Thanks for the thoughtful response! Having worked with a lot of Germans and New Yorkers, I'm now used to the direct style but it was hard to adapt to. I think it's important to acknowledge that there are at least two stages of communication though - 1) How we explain our POV and 2) How that is perceived. In the case of British English, we tend to imply what we want to say, rather than state it exactly. The problem is that non-Brits don't pick up on our social queues and perceive what we've said in a completely different way. I think the Japanese are similar to us in this respect, which could even be why they are important trade partners for the UK. What I've learnt from working in international settings is that it's all of our responsibilities to learn the differences in communication and adapt our style so that there is as little ambiguity as possible. This is incredibly hard but very worth it. In terms of not taking on jobs that you can't do, to me that's just integrity, self-awareness and the perception of what is meant by a good job. I often turn down translation jobs that ask for someone to translate from English into German because, while I am a C2 speaker of German, I fundamentally believe translation should only be done into your native language unless there's no other option. You also mention how in-depth German conversations can be and you're totally right! Many Brits would find it incredibly uncomfortable to talk about things like politics or money the first time they meet someone. I used to get incredibly frustrated at parties in Germany, where everyone just wanted to talk about my job or what I was doing in Hamburg. From my point of view, I felt like it wasn't the place of other people to intrude on my life history the first time we met and I was at a party to forget my day job. That said, I appreciate I am now sharing all of that on UA-cam :D Anyway, hope you found my response interesting. I agree that it's fine to disagree on some points and in fact, it's something we desperately need to relearn as a global society.
@@IntentionalTech Loved your reply! Really appreciate you took the time :) And yes, so much yes, on the translation issue. I do translations mostly from English and Hindi to German. With English being the language I've been speaking most in my day to day life over the last 10 years, in a pinch I might occasionally agree to translate something very short from German to English for friends, but I always still tell them to never use those translations for official copy or at least to have a capable editor take a look over it first. If it's a proper project I tell them to seek out a proper English native translator. It's money well invested in not making your product look cheap and unprofessional. At the end of the day English is just not my native language and I do realize my English is still full of mistakes and 'German-isms', while in German I just know what 'sounds right'. So yep, I completely agree, the best translations are still those that have the translator's mother-tongue as the target language. I occasionally get approached for translations to French and Spanish too, just cause some people heard I can speak them. It's so hard to explain to some people, that just cause I can read a book in a certain language or order a pizza, it doesn't mean by far I'll be able to produce correct and natural sounding text in it. Yes, I can make myself understood, but every native speaker will be able to tell right away that a non-native speaker did that translation even if it may be grammatically correct. To come back to the topic of directness one more time, I feel you on your party experiences. Germans generally don't do small talk all that well and the topics considered appropriate for relatively new acquaintances can differ so drastically between cultures. While the job topic is already quite annoying when you're really just trying to unwind, try being a childless 30+ year old woman at a party and have someone who you've only just met an hour ago try to convince you in a very concerned voice of the necessity and benefits of procreation, all while you can't empty your bottle of beer fast enough to finally be able to excuse yourself to get another one ;) Anyway, over the years I've learned to do the whole indirect communication thing a whole lot better I think... I hope... Except for those moments when I get a bit too comfortable around people :p At the end of the day it's a matter of practice and exposure. My husband has also been a great help in that regard. He's lived some years in the UK, deals with Americans a lot, and he himself is Indian. He has the best antenna for reading the room and smaller cues to tell if a bit of communication went down smoothly or not. Meanwhile for the longest time I used to be just over here blissfully unaware of having offended anyone or not having caught most of what the other person actually was trying to say. At this point if I really feel someone is trying to say something that I'm not really catching I try to make light of it telling them 'I'm German and can be a bit of an oaf sometimes, I need clear instructions, please.' XD And yes, 100%, the world needs to relearn to disagree and continue a dialogue regardless. We're all just people, none of us is perfect and we're all bound to be wrong about one thing or the other at some point. But how would we ever even learn about it, if we're only talking to people who share all of our opinions.
Haha it is really hard to explain that to clients in the market for a translation but that’s why they consult the experts, I guess! Thanks for the discussion!
@@IntentionalTech & 1983simi Hey guys, could you do me a favour? Could you please start a UA-cam-channel where you just sit down together and talk about random topics? I would definitely love it! Your conversation was really thoughtful and a pleasure to follow. Obviously you both are very smart and eloquent individuals.
I spent six and four months on two USAF tours in Germany between 2018 and 2019. I have wanted to go back ever since, for an even longer time. I felt so healthy and happy during those times. The culture, people, and food are just great. Thanks for the reminder.
@@larswagner8457 Funny story - in the UK, we call Weißweinschorle a ‘spritzer’. My friend found out the German name the hard way when she ordered a ‘Spritze’ in a German bar 😅
I agree on living in another country. It opens you up and you learn a lot of useful lessons about yourself and others. I appreciate you for sharing your perspective. Thank you.
Chris, I really enjoyed your thoughtful analysis, especially since you neither denigrate the UK nor give undifferentiated praise to Germany. Planning to move back to Germany after 35 years in the US, and your video gave me much to think about. Thank you.
I am a German teacher in the US who has spent about 3 years in Germany. I adore this video and will share it with my students. The Sylt mug!!! :)) Dankescheon und weiter so!
Ohhhh yes, the polite and the honest language. 8 Years ago I was booking a hiking week with a friend in Scotland. And it was organized in a way that we always slept in the same hotel and every day the guests could choose besides the foods for breakfast, dinner and the hikes the hiking tours themselfs with 3 different difficulties. And sometimes it was not so easy really understanding the difference between a medium and a hard tour. And so one day at a tour briefing I have given directly the idea not only showing the distances of the hikes from above but also some kind of side profiles that show how much hight you need to go up or down on maybe one kilometer. Maaan I guess I was jumping into a cave of lions. From that day on one of the guides treated me like I was flying a bomb raid over London or so. He was even unable to shake my hand in the moment of the officially good bye from the hotel. I am quite sure, this guy later voted for brexit! 😁
German here, grew up in Britain from age 7 through 22, left in 1989. Absolutely loved it. Two things I really miss are: the casual friendliness - I found it much easier to make contact with people in Britain, and of course the sense of humour. It's not that Germans don't have any, there's just a lot less of it on display. Really enjoyed your video; you made several interesting points. Mach's gut und weiter so! :)
Thanks, Gerald! Yeah, when I first moved over I found it really hard not calling people I didn’t know ‘mate’. I mean you can call people ‘digger’ or ‘alter’ but it doesn’t always go down well!
Thank you, Chris. This was very kind and convincing. I hope you make good lifetime friends here with Germans as I did with a Brit, with an US-American and with a lady from New Zealand way back when I was a student at Marburg U. These people have become valuable and dear to me through all the years that have passed and I really feel kinda blessed that I have had the chance to get in touch with people from other cultures. That has made my life richer, more complete and tolerant and in the end I am convinced that we are all the same deep in our hearts. We have far, far more in common than what separates us. If mankind would realize this, all wars would be over and never happen.
Beautiful video. Totally agree with all the points. I’ve lived here in Germany since 1992, and I can say that this country has changed me too, to a more considerate person, more environmentally conscious. I’ve learned my duties as a citizen. I wish you a good stay in the country.
seems like you enjoyed your time here quite a lot. I am happy about that and also that it challenged your mindset on so many points. Asking questions really is the first step
Hello Chris. Good video post. Interesting and informative. Thank You ! My wife and I live in central New Jersey (ugh) and have lived here for many years. We have traveled to many places around the world in the last 20 years (before covid19) and in May-June of 2019 spent 2 weeks touring Germany and 1 week touring Austria. Everything you talk about in this video is so "spot-on". We absolutely fell in love with Germany (especially Bavaria), Austria, it's people, and their way of life. Spending time in other countries has changed my perspective drastically about many things. I look forward to going back to Germany someday to spend much more time there. Hope you and yours are all well.
Hi Jason, thanks for watching and sharing your experience! Sounds like you had a great trip. Our last big trip was spent in New York and Boston (via Iceland) and we loved it there too. Let’s hope things get back to normal soon so we can experience more of the world.
I had the chance to live in Wales for half a year and I loved it: the coast with the endless trails,, the port, the live music in the pubs, the ponies that were running free and the scrabble nights. When I came back to Germany, people would get annoyed with me, because I would say "sorry" all the time. It had become so normal for me, I didn't even notice. I had to unlearn it.
I lived a while in the US. While in Germany if things like food are offered to you it is considered to be polite to reject them the first time waiting for them being offered a second time and then accept them - in the US often there was no second time and your "German" behavior was observed as rather insecure, studid or not knowing what you want.
@@henningbartels6245 haha that’s interesting. I worked with a lot of New Yorkers in London and was honestly taken aback by their directness too. It’s a whole other level than Germany.
@@henningbartels6245 Sorry, aber ich kenne niemanden in meinem äußerst großen Bekanntenkreis, der aus Höflichkeit beim ersten Mal ablehnt. Vielleicht gibt es regionale Unterschiede...
Thanks for your thoughts that got me thinking that the UK must have changed somewhat over the last few decades. My experience of England, living there for a couple of years as a student (decades ago now, oh dear), were quite different from what you describe. Whenever I came back for a holiday to meet friends and family in Germany, I was stunned by the expression of people on the platform as soon as I entered a German railway station. They looked grumpy and discontented and very subdued and unhappy, whereas English people seemed to me much more relaxed, friendly and smiling their way through everyday life. Also, I didn't notice any differences in 'consumerism', rather, the English seemed to me to be less materialistic than Germans. Very strange. Social codes were different (honesty, politeness, get-to-know rituals), of course, and I felt quite unhappy for a time while I was trying to adjust. But in hindsight I cherish that experience. I also felt that pop music was much more important as a contributing factor to a joyous life, if you know what I mean. I loved that general climate or way of life. The one thing in your comments that definitely rings a bell is the difference in attitude regarding history. British TV then was full of WWII films with German Nazis shouting 'Schweinehund' (that may have changed by now??), but I was repeatedly asked if I was from West or East Germany. There seemed to be no interest in what had changed on the continent. On the other hand, there were traces of British exceptionalism and a sort of shrugging acceptance of British colonialism in every conversation that turned on these matters.
Fascinating stuff. Thanks so much for sharing. It sounds like the two cultures have changed immeasurably over the past two decades. Many of the positives you mention about the UK still exist, such as the friendliness and enthusiasm for music. However, I think we are now seeing the impact that deepening inequality, rising poverty and a manipulative media culture is having on the British psyche. Germany, on the other hand, (certainly a city like Hamburg) has benefited from more exposure to the wider world and a much stronger economy. There is still inequality in Germany as well plenty of other social issues, but generally inequality is lower and the quality of life is high, which I think puts less pressure on people to act defensively.
Thank you for your wonderful words. It was a good idea to start with the fact that you were living in Hamburg, with the nice cup of SYLT in the background. Germany is fairly big and has a lot of different countries with a lot of different habits. I didn´t make it through all of them, but trust me: They are very divers! Keep up the good work!
„We will miss you”??? Britain is still on the same płace since hundred of year’s. It will not remove and will be Japans neighbors. If you use plain It still 30 minutes away from Hamburg.
@@RobbytSon I'll certainly miss the brilliant European colleagues I've worked alongside in London, many of whom have decided to leave because of Brexit
@@RobbytSon well, the EU as an institution the way I see it won't really miss Britain, they weren't fully commited from the get go anyways. But there are other member states that getting rid of would have been more beneficial for sure. And yeah, I am pro EU but still want the EU to kick out countries lol
I'd argue that the food thing is very regional. Hamburg is pretty northern and fairly close to the sea by comparison which means it's closer to britain in terms of cuisine than most of the country. By contrast, if you head further south, the food gets more influences from french, austrian and slavic cuisine (which I would personally consider to be an improvement but eh...). Then again, if you've encountered stereotypes about british food, a lot of it was probably more playful teasing than people genuinely believing that you all still enjoy the food of the 70's (James May actually has a fun series about the culinary atrocities the british comitted during that time on youtube).
So true. I absolutely love the likes of Spätzle and Flammkuchen. I do think I would prefer the Southern German cuisine.At the same time, being able to walk down to the Fischmarkt in Hamburg and pick up some calamari and a fischbrötchen on a Sunday morning was so good.
Hi Chris, when I read about your experiences I was very pleased and at the same time I wondered if you really have been in the same country where I have spent my whole life!
I have traveled to Germany and the Netherlands. A friend moved to the Netherlands from the US. Everything you said almost verbatim applies to the way Americans see the world. The myth "America is the best at everything" After traveling and being exposed to the way other nations do things.... America has a lot of catch up. Simply electing the fascist president we did four years ago. Shows we Americans need to get out of our echo chamber. Even after that president we are still dangerously close to self destruction. Thank you for your video. All good points.
They will but, for how long until the GOP wins again. On the supreme Court they actually are trying to argue they can't compete unless they make it more difficult to vote. I hope even the conservative supreme Court says no to that. If not not sure where the US is headed. There is a lot that the US can and should learn from other countries. I have and still am.
Your video is very interesting. I live in Berlin and I am very fond of seasonal and regional food, esp. esparragos. ☺️😂 Would like to eat it nearly every day in early summer. It has to be from the region, we are having best conditions here.
PS: I did never have any problems with food in the UK. But it is true that English teachers in Germany are still telling crazy stories on british cousine. That there was mint in everything or that you could only eat chips. 😉😂😂
Glad you liked it! Haha I mean I do love mint with lamb but that’s also common in the likes of Turkish cuisine, which the Germans love. I am jealous of some of the food you have in Berlin though.
You are a very organized and talented speaker, not a single äh, no breaks. I wish I could speak that fluently. You do not waste time of your people talking a lot content and avoiding filling just time. Well done! Ever imagined to become politician?
Haha the power of editing! It usually takes me about 25 minutes of talking rubbish to film a 5 minute video 😅 but thank you for your comments. Sadly I think I’m too left of centre to make it as a politician in the UK!
@@IntentionalTech Then your editing is good. If England is too right for your liking pay Jacinda Ardern in New Zealand a visit and tell her that would fit in there ( wie Faust auf's Auge ).
Sommermeals in the north includes "Rote Grütze", red fruit boiled soft and thickened with starch, not gelatin, eaten with cold milk at its best. And there is "Sauerfleisch" with roast potatoes. Pork is cooked in spices like mustard seed, black pepper, juniper berries and bay leaves, sugar and lots of vinegar, plus gelatin, and then allowed to cool down. Winter is the time for all those cabbages, "Sauerkraut" and smoked pork is nothing for a hot summer's day.
I don't think I ever had that but I do really like Grünkohl. I've been really missing the Christmas markets this year in particular. If you're familiar with Hamburg, you'll know that they eat something called Labskaus. A fun fact is that we eat a variant of that in Liverpool too thanks to sailors brining it over in the early 1900s. The people who worked on the docks became known as 'scousers', which is now how people refer to anyone with a Liverpool accent.
@@IntentionalTech Yes, I know. There is an article on that issue in connection to that hilarious play "Educating Rita", instead of a foreword or in the appendix of some edition. I will see whether I can find it in my bookshelf. And the question is who invented that word and who took it from whom. We know that the origin of "Labskaus", "lobscouse", or however you spell it, lies in the food stores of the windjammers at the end of a long journey when the last remains in it were mashed together: salt beef, dried potatoes, biscuits, salt fish... and served to a more of less grumbling and toothless ( scurvy) crew who had fantasies about tossing the cook overboard. Who knows how much of that stew was in fact maggots, cockroaches, and dead mice and rats plus their dropplings. And that "Labskaus" that you can buy in tins at supermarkets looks as if it has been eaten before. Good "Labskaus" though is far from that. Someone had that excellent idea of mixing beetroots into that potatoe/corned beef mash to give it an appetizing colour. The pickled herring and pickled gurkin go with it, not into it. And all of it is covered with a fried egg or two.
@@christiankastorf1427 It‘s fascinating where our cuisine comes from. The Liverpool version of ‚scouse‘ is usually made with lamb and root vegetables but we also eat it with beetroot and red cabbage.
Happy New 2021, Chris. Btw, asparagus is very healthy, lol. And our food is seasonal as we try to eat regional grown food as much as possible except for bendy bananas of course :-).
Aspagarus and strawberries is a combination of anti-seasonal food, because strawberries grow a month later and have to be imported at the aspagarus season. Only in exeptional mild years both seasons can overlap briefly.
@@IntentionalTech Actually it is favourite combination for farmers: often aspargus farmers have strawberry field as well. So they can keep there saisonal workers (mostly from Poland or Romania) longer: when aspargus cutting is finished, they continue with strawberry picking.
Chris, as a German I can say Your comments are very interesting in deed. I could even better understand if You reduce the loudness of Your background music.
I found the British need to hear 'Thankyou' A LOT!!!! In my experience of living in many former British colonies it's the one undeniable mark left on the people. I'm in HK now and sometimes I say 'ThankYou' so many times I forget what I am doing. The British literally scream 'Thankyou' sometimes after blatantly offending a person. I was once on a flight and this young British woman refused to pull down her window blind, the cabin crew lady asked her 4 times and on each occasion the British woman insisted everyone else wear their sleeping blindfolds (not sure what the correct term is). Then, wait for it, the cabin crew woman came with her breakfast and what did the British woman shout out before getting her food 'Thankyou SO much', I'm pretty sure everyone at the back of the plane heard her. She really gave off the vibe that she genuinely felt she was doing everyone sitting on the aircraft a favour by teaching us all manners lol. To me that's just typical British behavior
Great video. I would say some of the points seem quite heavily influenced by you having lived in Hamburg - one of two german "left" cities - tho. If you'd go to a small village many things are unfortunatly quite different.
Thanks, Poppy. It’s a tough question! I think the quality of life is higher in Germany and I probably should have said in the video, but of course the experience is much different in cities like Hamburg or Berlin than elsewhere. I don’t know if I’d enjoy living in other regions as much. As much as I loved it, I did get really homesick for the last couple of years because I missed family, friends and familiarity. For now at least, living in the UK is where I feel the happiest. That’s probably a bit of a cop out 😅
I am German and lived in the UK for 16 years until 2019. It just did not feel the same anymore after Brexit and definitely did not feel welcome anymore. It's a real shame as Manchester became my home for such a long time, but it was also difficult making friends with English people. For some reason I never warmed up to them as a friendship there seemed to consist of only the Pub or Football (or the combination of both) and pretty much my whole circle of friends there was made up of immigrants (from all over the world). That is not to say there aren't many nice Brits around, it's just different in my experience.
Sorry to hear that, Christian. It’s been quite shocking to me because I don’t really know anyone who voted for Brexit and I think that just shows how divided people are these days. It can be difficult to make friends with people when they already have an established social circle in a particular place. That’s the reason a lot of English people tend to group together in German cities too. I got lucky in that I made some close German friends at work and through playing football but also found a great international community there too. I can see how an aversion to football and the pub would make it difficult and even as a Brit it can be hard to break away from alcohol- related activities to enjoy other things. I’m hoping that covid makes people realise there is more to friendship than just getting drunk with someone. Anyway thanks for sharing your experience. I hope we can heal the divisions over time.
@@IntentionalTech let's hope so...and Liverpool in my experience is somewhat different in a way that compared to other English places (particularly up north) it is much similar to Europe in the way that Liverpool and many Scousers tend to be more on the left (unfortunately today that's becoming a bad thing with that liberalism)...in the traditional sense.
hi, thats all true. i am german and your video makes me interested in staying in germany although i ve been so tired of the no fun and avoid connection mentality here.
Hi Samuel. Thanks for watching. I definitely get that. I always found it was difficult to get to know native Hamburgers but when you did break through, they were very loyal friends. Hopefully when the pandemic is over people will be more open to connecting.
... the opposite "culture shock" I had. I was working for nearly five years in Liverpool. The work-live-balance is much better in germany. But I loved the pub culture in Liverpool, and the football in UK. I was a nice time and I made a lot of friends. But for me, I realy don't know why the UK want to leave the EU? It is a big mistake, aspecely for the young??!!
Haha that’s cool. I think I was lucky in that Hamburg might have the most familiar pub culture for a Brit. I’m really glad to hear you had a positive experience in Liverpool! And yes, Brexit is still quite an emotional blow for many people like me. Hopefully there’s still some way we can make it less devastating in practical terms but only time will tell.
@@IntentionalTech I think that he has a point though, I'm German and as much as I enjoy living in Germany (also Hamburg btw), it is sometimes irritating how - how to phrase it? - 'intense' some Germans get about many things. This can also be a good thing sometimes when it helps us to push some issues and tackle them, but it can also have an adverse effect not only on quality of life but also on finding a common ground in society. Nevertheless, I think that the main difference between (especially young) people in Britain and Germany is more based on big city VS rural area, education & job and personal interests than based on where you are from or even mere nationality as stated by your passport. Nevertheless, I'm glad to hear you enjoyed and appreciate the experience. I think you can only grow as a person by living abroad!
@@LimboJimbo Yeah, that’s completely fair. It did annoy me at times too and I found that some people did overstep their boundaries. I thought about mentioning it in my video but I do my best to take a positive slant on things generally. You’re 100% right on the urban / rural point. I think Hamburg is even completely different to the likes of Munich as well. To me, it actually feels a lot like the city Liverpool would be if its industry hadn’t been crushed in the 80s. But that’s another story! Thanks for watching and offering your thoughts!
Hi Chris, really enjoyed your video. It was great to see a realistic and unprejudiced account of life in Germany. Like you I'm a ex scouser who has been living in Germany since 1975 and I love it. I can identify with many, in fact with most of your opinions on German life but I most definitely disagree with your view on Sundays. I can't stand them even though in Berlin there are lots of ways to get around the restrictions imposed by the christian churches and the unions.
Hi Tom, thanks for watching and glad you enjoyed it. Haha I don’t blame you for not liking Sundays. It took me a long time to adjust but even then there’d be the odd bank holiday weekend when I’d forget to do the shopping and be stranded for days without proper food. On reflection I also forgot to mention how frustrating it was not being able to use a bank card in shops and being charged for using the wrong kind of cash machine. I’m sure you can relate to that too 😅
Tom, we're probably about the same age. Remember your youth in the late 70s and 80s. Would you have enjoyed clubbing in germany if you would have had to work on sundays? Give it to the youngsters. They are the future.
@@IntentionalTech Next time there's the Franzbrötchen competition in Museum für Hamburgische Geschichte, you come and taste all the Franzbrötchen you want. There's also a book about the German/French war and how the Franzbrötchenn might have come to Hamburg: franzbroetchen.de/der-fremde-im-backtrog/
@@annez1681 haha I’m there! The history of food is so interesting. I think I mentioned it in another comment but people from Liverpool are called scousers because we eat a variation of Labskaus brought over from Scandinavia in the early 1900s.
I believe that many Germans have encountered an English textbook at school or maybe in the Volkshochschule where one of the "Good to know" sections that "England has no cuisine" and it is one of the few small-talk things every German seemingly knows about Britain. That and the that it "rains cats and dogs". I taught English to adults in two Volkshochschulen in and around Bielefeld and every year that statement would be trotted out by someone. I taught a business English course and we used to talk about how British English speakers request things and the words we pad a statement with to get someone to do something. "Photocopy this" - will get a response like "what did your last slave die of" "If you have the time I would be grateful if you could photocopy this for me" will get a quicker response. Many Germans wouldn't recognise the latter as a request to start with. LOL
Thanks for sharing. It's incredible the impact that some outdated clichés in old text books can have on people's education. In school, we learnt that Germans drink tea with lemon - in reality, Hamburg at least has one of the best coffee cultures I've ever experienced. It's also quite limiting because a lot of Brits learn in school that in German, 'the verb is always at the end of the sentence' - of course, it does when you're using a modal verb but the core structure of German is still that the core verb is always the second element in a sentence. So speaking basic sentences need not be perceived as overly complicated. I personally find negation in French much trickier to get the hang of! In terms of Germans learning British English, I've often got the sense that its taught with a version of received pronunciation (RP) that has long died out in the UK. As a result, some Germans pronounce the letter 'a' as if it were an 'e'. This made it difficult for some people to understand my accent, which has a flat 'a' more akin to the German pronunciation of 'Mann'. However, even in the South, the 'a' has evolved away from the way Germans are often taught.
@@IntentionalTech Germans eulogise what they call "Oxford English" with its rhotic a i.e. "ba(r)th" rather than the classic Northern English "bath" I am originally from Yorkshire so have a basic non-rhotic a and when I taught in a UK secondary school in Oxford (I was teaching mathematics) and the kids from the roughest areas said "gra(r)ph" and "ta(r)sk" whereas I would say "graph" and "task" and was seen as weird. My partner's English accent sounds at least a social class above mine and I gently tease over that. I think it was Shaw who wrote in the mouth of Henry Higgins "An Englishman has only to open his mouth for another Englishman to despise him" British English accents tell you about: region, social class and education where German doesn't to such a big degree. I have to say the French I learnt in school made me: hyper-correct in verb forms used and sound like Charles de Gaulle giving a speech which soon got knocked out of me interacting with small town shopkeepers when I worked in a chambres d'hôtes.
@@johncrwarner So fascinating. I actually took a module on Northern Literature at university and that was the opening quote of the course. Tony Harrison is still my favourite poet for that reason. I really recommend ‘Them and [Uz]’ and ‘V’ - read them aloud in your Yorkshire accent for the full impact though. I’m often caught between stools because people in Liverpool would call me a ‘wool’ (someone with a Merseyside accent but not necessarily a scouser), whereas down south I’m known to many as ‘the scouser’. It’s strange how your identity shifts in different contexts related to accent and place. This was something I found less easy for Germans in the North to relate to because while there is a Hamburg accent, heavily influenced by Plattdeutsch, everyone in Hamburg can switch into Hochdeutsch at the drop of a hat.
Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts Chris. I'm half Scouse/half German myself and have therefor particularly enjoyed the comparison between the city you call home and the country I grew up in. I always assumed Liverpoodlians were very direct too when it comes to expressing their opinions and thought them to be very similar to most Germans in that regard. At least in comparison with people from the South of the UK. Do you think there's a North/South divide when it comes to 'directness' in the UK?
Scouse / German - what a combo! Thanks for sharing your thoughts - it’s a really great observation. Yes, I think there are a lot of people up North who pride themselves in ‘telling it like it is’, especially in Yorkshire and probably in Liverpool and Manchester too. However, it might also be a class divide that is also present in the South. Often in ‘polite society’, the expectation to shroud your true feelings in indirectness can be a form of social gatekeeping, which is used to exclude people from working class and minority backgrounds by branding them as being a ‘loudmouth’ or ‘aggressive’. In that sense, it’s also a problematic feature of British English.
Vielen herzlichen Dank - lieber Chris - für diese hervorragende Zusammenfassung deutscher Tugenden, deren überragenden Wert leider wir Deutsche oft am wenigsten zu schätzen wissen, da wir leider die Gewohnheit angenommen haben, uns auch 70 Jahre nach dem bösen Krieg immer noch in Sack und Asche zu kleiden, ohne zu Erkennen, was wir an vielem Guten haben und daß ohne eine Mindestmaß an gesunden Patriotismus und Heimatliebe kein Gemeinwesen auf Dauer gut gedeihen kann!
Danke auch, Rainer. Es freut mich, dass das Video so viele Deutsche erreicht hat. Meine Zeit in Deutschland werde ich nie vergessen - es war mir eine Ehre dort Leben zu können!
I'd love to hear Chris's opinion on how to effectively study German. I've spent the last year on various apps and channels and can hardly string a sentence together. I'm disillusioned. :(
Sounds like a great idea to me - would love to make that video. Don't worry though, I've been in the same boat with French for the past two years. Do you live in a German speaking country? Your approach might change depending on that. Good luck with it - keep going!
Your first point can be summarized under der Kantsche Imperativ: always behave in a way your behaviour could become a public law.very deep embedded in german mindset
That’s interesting. I’ve always had the impression that the Dutch are pretty relaxed. Only ever been to Amsterdam but the trams are a really nice system.
I highly recommend to learn, when a German is (over)polite to you, then grab your feet and run. If we are totally honest to your bones, then you know, you are a Friend! Einfaches Beispiel... Ich "Sieze" nur Leute die ich unsymphatisch find. Anderes Beispiel: Nur guten Freunden sage ich ins gesicht, was ich denke und fühle.... There is a Phrase, that comes from the niederrhein: Dem bin ich mit dem Arsch ins Gesicht gesprungen... in this Case, the tone makes the music.... "Du blödes Arschloch" with a smile can be an offend or a compliment... f.e.... if a friend catches you being stupid, it means: ok, ya got me. If a car early hit you, when you are Biking, then the phrase is not so polite...
Well done Sir, you have put it in a nutshell, I am German and I lived in NZ and the UK, so I know both sides of the coin. Please come back to Germany after that covid shit, and hopefully, after the UK comes back to Europe (not holding my breath) Ah I nearly forgot, go LFC, and for a scouser your english is pretty good :-)
@@IntentionalTech Yes it resonated with me indeed, look I am 63 years of age, and I am so sorry that a lot of Brits in my age bracket have made your life so much harder for you, and it was based on nothing, please believe me that I am sad as hell to see you guys suffer for nothing. We are all family, despite the fucking (sorry) history. I will shut up now :-) West Ham 1 Liverpool 3, hurray
Grünkohl is my childhood horror :D I hate it 'til this day and never tried it again. Rosenkohl and Wirsing are the same. Smells like really old people and tastes like old socks with salt and pepper :P
I think Germans have confronted their recent history very well and I go past several groups of "Stolpersteine" set in the roads outside the places where Jews, Communists and Socialists lived and that is just on the 100 m to the tram stop from our flat. Their knowledge of older history can be hazier I was trying to explain the parliamentary system in Britain and referenced the English Civil War mentioning the 30 years war as an "anchor point" for their reference. They knew less about that period than I did which is interesting as nearby are the Weserrenaissance towns which economically died with the 30 years war hence the nice architecture and tourist sights. One student said "you know more German history than most Germans"
8:20 I am not sure what you mean. My stereotypes (as a German) regarding English people are mostly good. Were you confronted with negative stereotypes? The only one I can think of is the "party mentality" on Mallorca, but we germans are not better in that perspective. :D (And regarding the English cosine: add a "Kürbiskernbrötchen" and the germans will love it no matter what.) ;D
I forgot how much I missed Kürbiskernbrötchen, and also Franzbrötchen with Kürbiskern. I think some of the stereotypes I faced we’re definitely related to the Mallorca mentality you mentioned but went a little deeper. That our comparative lack of foreign language skills denotes arrogance or laziness. I was also genuinely surprised how many people see GB through the lens of the royal family and of course it became easy to be stereotyped by Brexit. You’re right though, all in all I found the Germans to be very positive towards me and the UK. I think despite the differences we share fundamentally similar cultures.
@@IntentionalTech Well, my stereotypes are: talented actors, beautiful english accent, great tea culture and politeness. :) Or and not to forget: Doctor Who!!!! But yes, I think many europeans saw the Brexit as a "bad move" like everybody who voted for it saying "we don't like you anymore". But this topic is way to complex to reduce it to that. And as a question: In Germany every student learns English and on the "Gymnasium" they also have to learn a third language. Is there no school system in GB that "forces" the students to learn another language and if so, is there a specific reason? Do they really "not care" or is it just not implemented in the school system?
Great to hear 🙂 - of course, with these things it's often a lot of insecurity about our own identities which probably shows through in parts of this video too I think it comes down to education and exposure to other cultures. Most people my age would have learnt French, as well as Spanish or German, between the ages of 11 and 14. They would have then had the option to carry on a language. This is a lot later than when Germans begin learning English and I think it's perhaps too little too late for a lot of people. The knock on effect can be that people perceive languages to be more difficult than they actually are and as our media culture is dominated by English language films, music and TV, there might not be enough incentive to overcome the barriers. One fascinating way this is changing is that more and more young people are asking their parents for Korean lessons due to the rise of K-Pop. I was thinking of doing a video on this - let me know if you'd like to hear some more in-depth thoughts and thanks again for the great discussion!
@@schokopudding2716 And terrible food. But that one isn't a stereotype, it is just the truth. For those of us who followed Brexit, it was kind of a wake-up call that we are actually hated by a huge chunk of the British population. The Anti-German sentiments were strong in the leave campaign, and they actually worked. Brexit itself is just another idiotic populist project, but the kind of sentiments they tapped in say a lot of about the British population. Which really damaged their reputation imho.
@swanpride I actually like baked beans, bacon and fish & chips. And I never had the honour of eating in a restaurant of Gordon Ramsay but I would bet even you wouldn’t call his food terrible and isn’t he British? And regarding brexit: as I said before, I guess it is more complex than that. As from what I heard many English people were surprised by the outcome as well and didn’t vote in the first place because they didn’t expect it to go through. Similar as when the afd in Germany rose with such high numbers for the first time... but I can also understand your point of view. At first I was also very frustrated and maybe a little bit hurt. But as a normal citizen we shouldn’t take it personally. Not every German joined the AFD. Not every Italien has a pizzeria. Not every French hates GB. Not every English man voted for the brexit. So be Open minded towards everybody until they give you personal reasons to treat them otherwise. Hope you have a great and healthy Christmas and a happy new year.
Contactless payment on the underground and busses is definitely really impressive technology and incredibly convenient. I find having to stamp tickets in Berlin especially annoying. At the same time, I do love the trust afforded to people in Germany. Thanks for watching!
@@IntentionalTech Yes that's a good point about the trust, but especially in those COVID times in my city, just as an example, you couldn't buy tickets and you had to buy ticket online to download on your phone and if you couldn't do that you had no way to take public transport. So each has their positiv and negativ side I guess. But there are many things you mentioned that I never realised were so different for people that also experienced other cultures. Also I loved the way you said it in a simple, conversational way.
@@Yukimiko0001 That doesn’t surprise me actually. As much as I respect the German point of view in terms of slowly adopting new technology, I did find stuff like that incredible frustrating at times. The extreme reliance on cash (in comparison to other European companies) was always bound to cause issues sooner or later. Thanks for the kind feedback!
[American living in Germany for 4 years] I wouldn't say Germans are rude or impolite. I want to use the word 'inconsiderate' but this isn't appropriate either. I don't have an adequate word for what I experience here but I can explain why inconsiderate gets me most of the way there. To consider something, you need to be aware of that object. If you experience inconsiderate behavior, there are at least two possibilities to explain it: [1] The person genuinely does not know that you are there [2] The person knows you are there but does not care. Option 2 makes people seem evil. I wrestled with which categories most of my interactions would fall into for a long time. I've found that a good way to explore this behavior is by observing unconscious or low-conscious behavior (like how people walk in public places). When Germans exit stores in crowded shopping centers they leave the store and immediately step into a crowded stream of traffic; interrupting the flow without flinching. They do not wait for a break in that stream and then enter. They just step right into it. To the traveler just visiting Germany, this looks like the act of supreme egoistic behavior. They are clearly unaware of the inconvenience they place on the people around them. But after years of observing and realizing how incredibly common this behavior is, I no longer place them in category [2]. They genuinely do not recognize the people around them. I assume this is because they are trapped in their own heads. But how do you test a hypothesis like that? So the word inconsiderate doesn't quite fit for me because they cannot consider that which they are not aware of. They are somewhere between inconsiderate and oblivious. They are alone while they are surrounded. I think this must be a lonely place.
Super interesting. Thanks for sharing. I agree - one place you notice it in particular is when queuing. Brits pride themselves on queuing in a way that a lot of other cultures don’t but in reality I’m sure they just don’t think we’re assertive enough.
You’re probably right. It’s interesting though because the opposite is true in conversation. I feel like Germans wait for the other person to stop speaking and then offer a longform response, whereas English speakers take more of a back and forth approach - banter for want of a better word - and are more tolerant of interjections. Not sure you’ve noticed that but it really stands out to me.
@@IntentionalTech I think this is highly regional in Germany. In the Köln area, people talk over each other instead of waiting. People combat this by talking louder and louder. But the longform response may be more universal in Germany. Here, I get a giant story and at the very end of it is the meat and potatoes. I usually find myself thinking in my head "come on, please get to the point".
#2 "Getting things done properly" can be BAD too ... and there is a brilliant example in the Bovington Tank Museum, where they have a Panther(?) tank from WWII with beautifully hand crafted GERMAN chains and simple and bland "british-made replacement chains". They also have a Soviet T-34 with badly cut steel plates and gaps in the welds ... THE german character flaw is ... *OVERDOING THINGS* ... and we really need a "little angel" on our shoulder to constantly remind us about not doing that.
Leider leiden die vielen guten Erklärungen an der unterlegten Musik. Sie ist schon sehr im Vordergrund. Etwas langsamer sprechen wäre ein großer Gewinn beim zuhören.
@@IntentionalTech Wenn du die Möglichkeit hast, nimm die hohen Frequenzen etwas runter. Ansonsten liegt der Grad der Verständnis sicherlich auch an den Kopfhörern/Lautsprechern und deren Einstellungen sowie dem allgemeinen Verständnis der Sprache. Ich find's OK.
I don't know about you but in school we had more on WW1 than WW2. From a British perspective maybe its because it was the first industrial world war whereas WW2 had much more of an affect on Germany compared to WW1 than in Britain. Its unavoidable that Britain is where it is now as a result of its colonial past. Its such a shame that an honest study of it isnt taught at length in schools. Do you think children in the UK should be taught about the British Empire to the extent Germans are taught about WW2? By the way, after 8 or so years, I'm still not used to Sundays in Germany/Hamburg!
Yeah, I just remember being taught about evacuees and the different kinds of planes that were used. I do get the focus on the child’s experience of the war because it’s relatable and it’s also right to focus on the futility of the losses in WW1. I think WW2 is such a tragedy and so shocking that it’s impossible to cover anything to that degree. I just wish that we learnt more about the experiences of British colonies as well and tried to understand the harmful impact British rulership had on many of its conquests, especially as it’s still evident across the world. To be honest, Sundays took me a long time as well! 😅
That’s interesting. I guess less and less people live in the standard 9-5, Monday to Friday routine these days. Definitely think you need a balance between quiet and allowing people to express / enjoy themselves.
I forgot to mention that I also put an article version of this up on my website. I hope either of these solutions works for you. Thanks again for watching. www.chriscowley.co/lifestyle/living-in-germany-made-me-a-better-person
I been reading about the past of Germany and how it rebuilt itself. There is no denying that preference it quality is something amazing about the Germans. German efficiency and Mercedes Benz. Also is it true Germans live getting to the point?
Yeah, German manufacturing is definitely of a really high standard, especially in the auto industry. A lot of credit should go the so-called Gastarbeiter from countries like Turkey, Greece and Italy though who were vital in the rebuilding project. I’m still not sure on getting to the point. I don’t think Germans like small talk as well as we do in the anglosphere but they tend to have very long, in-depth conversations that don’t always get to the point very quickly.
@@IntentionalTech Okay I am wrong about the getting the point. I was watching a video about how German economy picked up and its was all credited to middle class people and the comapnies. While the world raged on entrepreneurship and the glam, Germans focused on making their products good. So for instance middle class business focused on only making nuts and bolts of higher quality and the generations of that family business continued to do the same. Thus the quality of nuts and bolts continued onwards. This focused approach resulted in higher trade deficit for the country. It was a fascinating read. Continuing the small talk - Check out C63 amg black or SLS amg Black. Man tell me these things are beauty.
@@unknowninfinium4353 Sounds fascinating. If you find the video again link it here. That definitely all makes sense - I might also add that most major German cities have one or two industries they specialise in so their economy is very decentralised in comparison to the likes of the UK. I think this is partly because Berlin was split into East and West for so long that it couldn’t dominate the country in the same way as other European capitals. Becoming a tradesman is also much more respected and seen as highly skilled work, compared to the UK where manufacturing is much more commoditised. I think that’s also a factor. As I understand, the gastaerbeiter enabled all of that to happen post-ww2 by working in construction and services to prop up the German middle class. It really is a fascinating country!
@@IntentionalTech You know what, all that you mentioned is in the video as well as the integration of east and west Germany. I'll send you the video, I envy you at this point. Also if this cant be said enough - Take care stay safe.
@@IntentionalTech Here is one: This is a great channel. This are explained well and clearly. Good channel overall on Economics. ua-cam.com/video/TzheqMtbEWY/v-deo.html This video explains about the Germany efficiency, also the part where Germans work less hours and produce quality. While the general thought of more work hours mean more productivity is wrong but prevailant.
UPDATE: Thanks so much for all of the views and comments! It's great to feel so close to Germany again. If you liked this, check out my thoughts on leaving the EU --> ua-cam.com/video/BoFAazBbMZg/v-deo.html
I hope we never ever go away from the Sunday with all shops closed - having a day more calm and a day, where most families can be together.
It’s definitely nice to have some time to slow things down. I was single for most of my time in Hamburg so it did get a little lonely at times but I can imagine with a family it’d be great.
@@IntentionalTech it also gives many families the opportunity to have some quality time all together at all. Imagine if always one or another had to work -
Also, it is a kind of detox from all the raging consumerism.
Why do some people act like 6 out of 7 days aren't enough to go buy things?
Buy more on Saturday, you can do it, I believe in your immense capabilities, lol.
@@teergeret haha definitely
When I lived in Germany I loved eating strawberries. The where so sweet. I now live in Texas and have yet to eat a strawberry that is sweet. Every one I ate is sour. No sweetness at all. I stopped eating them here. I also loved the slower pace of living in Germany. Here in the States everything goes so fast. Its so much hoopla every day. No quite moments. Americans don't know how to rest, the always have to do something. Never knew I would miss the quietness of Germany, specially on Sundays. Here in the States the live so damn fast. On Sundays in Germany my mother took me hiking a lot. We hiked up to old castles, visited and just walked in our beautiful forests, picking wild berries. Those berries where the best I ever tasted. The wild flowers all smelled intoxicating. Yes I miss my homeland much.
Sounds like an idyllic childhood! I grew up right next to the beach and a protected area of woodland so I can relate. Thanks for sharing.
@Tërnoci Madh Das ist sehr lieb von ihnen. Das ist so ein schoenes angebot. Jedes mal als ich nach hause geflogen bin, war ich immer in Frankfurt angekommen. Ich wurde immer von meiner lebenden schwester abgeholt. Leider sind nun alle meine Geschwister gestorben. Ich bin die letze die noch am leben ist. Ich war die juengste von 5 Kindern und die einzige die nach Amerika gezogen bin. Von ganzem Herzen wuenschte ich das ich wenigstens noch einmal meine Heimat wieder sehen koennte. Leider erlaubt mir meine Gesundheit das nicht mehr. Ich bin in Radolfzell am Bodensee aufgewachsen. Es ist eine wunderschoene Gegnung auf zu wachsen. Als ich das letze mal in Deuschland war (ich war da weil meine mittel Schwester gestorben war) konnte ich kaum glauben wie viel sich dort so viel veraendert hatte. Der Bahnhof ist nicht mehr da. Jeden Tag ging ich ueber eine Bruecke die ueber die Zugschienen gebaut war um zum Bodensee zu kommen. Ich hatte eine schoene Kindheit dort verbracht. Seenachtsfest war immer besonders schoen. Laternen funkelten auf dem See und es war besonders schoen wen es dunkel wurde. Auf einem Pavlion wurde immer Musik gespielt. Egal ob es Seenachtsfest war oder jeden anderen Tag. Auch vermisse ich die Kirchen Prosession. Ich glaube so heist das. Wahrscheinlich habe ich das falsch geschrieben. Ich lebe schon lange in Texas und leider habe ich worte vergessen. Ich habe hier keine gelegenheit Deutsch zu reden. Jeden Tag gehe ich an you tube und schau mir alles von Deutschland an. Ich lese so gerne die Komentare die auf Deutsch geschrieben sind. Da sind viele woerter drin die ich vergessen habe, aber wen ich die lese kommen die mir langsam zurueck. Manchmal lese ich Worte die ich nicht kenne. Ich wuenschte das sich nichts veraendert hat. Ich wohnte in einem sehr alten Haus direkt gegenueber von der Kirche. Ich freue mich das das Haus noch da ist. Das Haus steht da seit dem 15ten or 16ten Jahrhunderd. Ich wohnte in der 5ten Etaje. Alle andere waren Bueros und das Amtsgericht. Ich vermisse unsere wurst, das Bauern Brot, die Broetchen und die Asbacher Schokolade mit Brandy. Ich kann die hier auch bekommen. Muss die aber bestellen und die sachen kosten unglaublich viel. Diese Geschaefte sind alle in einem anderen Staat. Wo ich wohne giebt die es nicht, oder die sind zu weit weg von mir. Die Kosten sind unheimlich hoch mir die zu schicken. Es sieht aus als ob ich ihnen ein Buch geschrieben habe. Ich wuensche ihnen einen sehr schoenen Tag und liebe gruesse aus Texas. Ich hoffe sehr das es OK ist das ich so einen langen Kommentar geschrieben habe. Tschuess and be safe.
@Tërnoci Madh BTW, what you just said about missing me too, is not true. No German would say that to a person the never met, but I love your offer to buy me Strawberries should I ever come to Frankfurt. Thank you so much. That is the nicest thing I have heard in a long long time. Below I think I wrote you a book. Hope I'm not boring you to tears with it and you give me the courtesy and read the whole thing. I might went a little overboard with my what I would call letter, not Kommentar.
@@gigih.hammer306 hallo gigi,
darf ich fragen was Ihr Grund war nach Texas zu ziehen?
Schöne Grüße aus dem Ruhrgebiet
@@ruubn1337 Ich heiratete einen Amerikaner. Er war von Ohio und wir lebten da fuer 8 Jahren. Seine Arbeit brachte ihm zu Texas. Die Winter Monate sind da meistens mild und er kann da Jahr lang Arbeiten gehen. In Ohio konnte er oft fuer Monate lang nicht Arbeiten. Wir haben schlimmes Winter Wetter. Er ist zuerst nach Texas gefahren alleine. Er hat viel Arbeit in Texas gefunden. Nach paar Monaten bin ich dann auch nach Texas gegangen. Es ging uns gut in Texas, und wir sind hiergeblieben. Ohio ist ein schoenerer Staat. Es dauerte mir ziemlich lange mich an Texas zu gewoehnen. Mein Mann ist for 13 Jahren gestorben und ich wollte nicht mehr umziehen. Ich Guesse sie auch herzlich aus Texas.
As a German I like to hear how my life actually is, from foreigners who lived here. :D (don't forget, we have no humour whatsoever!)
Thanks for watching and glad you enjoyed it. Haha that’s one stereotype that never even kind to mind. I guess I had a good laugh with a lot o my friends in Germany!
As Robin Williams said about the Germans not having and funny people , did they ever consider that maybe they killed all the funny people as well as all the others .
@@bruceburns1672 buhu what’s that shit talk doing here
@@Skankhunt-ic2km Not shit talk , fact .
@@bruceburns1672 butthurt are we ? Ur living in the past rather than concentrate on the future. Just go outside into a home for elderly people and tell them this bs keyboard warrior
As a German who has been living in other countries (South America, North America and currently South Asia) for the last 10 years of my life, the thing about German directness/openness is still the one quality that i'm unable to shake off (not that I want to) and that still causes misunderstandings with the local people sometimes.
Like when I am asked to do a specific kind of work gig and I tell them frankly I am in that specific case not the best qualified option for them. That, yes, I could give it my best shot, but I'm still sure it would be subpar work for my personal standards and they'd be better advised in that case to find somebody more suited. People outside Germany are often very baffled with that kind of admission. In North America people will just do whatever and give it their best shot as long as someone is willing to give them the cash for it. In South Asia 'No problem, i can do it' is the standard answer if you ask someone if they can do a certain work for you, and it's up to you to determine in subtle cues if they actually are suitable for the job. And it frequently causes insane delays and frustration with unsatisfactory work in the long run.
Meanwhile I know what I can and can't do or what I can do only up to a certain standard and I'll tell a client frankly to save both of us that waste of time and frustration. I'm not interested in beating around the bush and delivering subpar work that will later reflect badly on me. But I feel at first people who hear that kind of no from me are often seem to feel almost personally rejected.
Similarly on a more personal level, this directness/openness sometimes makes it hard to gain new friends or pushes people who you just got closer with away a bit. Like, in Germany you can go to a Biergarten with a bunch of new colleagues for the first time, get into a heated discussion about some political or general issue and get back to office feeling you've come a bit closer to the people you had the discussion with, and they actually do treat you like 'they know you' now afterwards. They might even pick up the discussion again at the next get together just cause they kind of enjoyed it. As long as it's not an atrociously offensive set of opinions (racist, misogynist etc) Germans tend to want to know your 'true stance' on an issue. They're okay if you disagree with them. They just want to know the true you and it doesn't really affect if they'll like you or not.
Abroad I've really come to value that character trait a lot.
It happens so often to me that I get a bit more comfortable with people, which makes me relax a bit and be more my 'German self' and I forget I still have to mind the local cultural etiquette, and I start to get involved in discussions like that with my new friends or friends of friends and then I hear through the grapevine that they think I 'don't like them' because of what they perceived to be a personal disagreement, when I felt it was just a normal discussion without any personal emotional aspect to it.
Just cause I disagree with you, doesn't mean I can't like you. The very fact of me spending so much time and effort on the discussion with you means I've already opened up to you and think you are a person who's interesting enough to have a discussion with and trustworthy enough to openly share my mind with.
And even if there should be such a deep rooted significant disagreement - say, you don't believe in basic human rights, in which case, sure being friends will be quite impossible - it's still better we find out about that sooner than later by addressing it openly, rather than finding out ages later that one of us was just lying through their nose for the sake of group harmony.
Thanks for the thoughtful response! Having worked with a lot of Germans and New Yorkers, I'm now used to the direct style but it was hard to adapt to. I think it's important to acknowledge that there are at least two stages of communication though - 1) How we explain our POV and 2) How that is perceived.
In the case of British English, we tend to imply what we want to say, rather than state it exactly. The problem is that non-Brits don't pick up on our social queues and perceive what we've said in a completely different way. I think the Japanese are similar to us in this respect, which could even be why they are important trade partners for the UK.
What I've learnt from working in international settings is that it's all of our responsibilities to learn the differences in communication and adapt our style so that there is as little ambiguity as possible. This is incredibly hard but very worth it.
In terms of not taking on jobs that you can't do, to me that's just integrity, self-awareness and the perception of what is meant by a good job. I often turn down translation jobs that ask for someone to translate from English into German because, while I am a C2 speaker of German, I fundamentally believe translation should only be done into your native language unless there's no other option.
You also mention how in-depth German conversations can be and you're totally right! Many Brits would find it incredibly uncomfortable to talk about things like politics or money the first time they meet someone. I used to get incredibly frustrated at parties in Germany, where everyone just wanted to talk about my job or what I was doing in Hamburg. From my point of view, I felt like it wasn't the place of other people to intrude on my life history the first time we met and I was at a party to forget my day job. That said, I appreciate I am now sharing all of that on UA-cam :D
Anyway, hope you found my response interesting. I agree that it's fine to disagree on some points and in fact, it's something we desperately need to relearn as a global society.
@@IntentionalTech Loved your reply! Really appreciate you took the time :)
And yes, so much yes, on the translation issue. I do translations mostly from English and Hindi to German.
With English being the language I've been speaking most in my day to day life over the last 10 years, in a pinch I might occasionally agree to translate something very short from German to English for friends, but I always still tell them to never use those translations for official copy or at least to have a capable editor take a look over it first. If it's a proper project I tell them to seek out a proper English native translator. It's money well invested in not making your product look cheap and unprofessional. At the end of the day English is just not my native language and I do realize my English is still full of mistakes and 'German-isms', while in German I just know what 'sounds right'.
So yep, I completely agree, the best translations are still those that have the translator's mother-tongue as the target language.
I occasionally get approached for translations to French and Spanish too, just cause some people heard I can speak them. It's so hard to explain to some people, that just cause I can read a book in a certain language or order a pizza, it doesn't mean by far I'll be able to produce correct and natural sounding text in it. Yes, I can make myself understood, but every native speaker will be able to tell right away that a non-native speaker did that translation even if it may be grammatically correct.
To come back to the topic of directness one more time, I feel you on your party experiences. Germans generally don't do small talk all that well and the topics considered appropriate for relatively new acquaintances can differ so drastically between cultures. While the job topic is already quite annoying when you're really just trying to unwind, try being a childless 30+ year old woman at a party and have someone who you've only just met an hour ago try to convince you in a very concerned voice of the necessity and benefits of procreation, all while you can't empty your bottle of beer fast enough to finally be able to excuse yourself to get another one ;)
Anyway, over the years I've learned to do the whole indirect communication thing a whole lot better I think... I hope... Except for those moments when I get a bit too comfortable around people :p At the end of the day it's a matter of practice and exposure. My husband has also been a great help in that regard. He's lived some years in the UK, deals with Americans a lot, and he himself is Indian. He has the best antenna for reading the room and smaller cues to tell if a bit of communication went down smoothly or not. Meanwhile for the longest time I used to be just over here blissfully unaware of having offended anyone or not having caught most of what the other person actually was trying to say. At this point if I really feel someone is trying to say something that I'm not really catching I try to make light of it telling them 'I'm German and can be a bit of an oaf sometimes, I need clear instructions, please.' XD
And yes, 100%, the world needs to relearn to disagree and continue a dialogue regardless. We're all just people, none of us is perfect and we're all bound to be wrong about one thing or the other at some point. But how would we ever even learn about it, if we're only talking to people who share all of our opinions.
Haha it is really hard to explain that to clients in the market for a translation but that’s why they consult the experts, I guess! Thanks for the discussion!
@@IntentionalTech & 1983simi Hey guys, could you do me a favour? Could you please start a UA-cam-channel where you just sit down together and talk about random topics? I would definitely love it! Your conversation was really thoughtful and a pleasure to follow. Obviously you both are very smart and eloquent individuals.
@@alexanderlotharson5634 haha glad you enjoyed the discussion. I actually want to get some guests on soon so why not?
I spent six and four months on two USAF tours in Germany between 2018 and 2019. I have wanted to go back ever since, for an even longer time. I felt so healthy and happy during those times. The culture, people, and food are just great. Thanks for the reminder.
Thanks for sharing, Jeffrey. Glad you loved it there too!
videos like these should be recommended much more. its just quality of life.
Thanks!
Well - they are not allianated - they are only out of the EU. I hope we will all go out - and make a new EU - which is really for the people.
I love the sparkle in your eyes, when you speak of Sonntagsfrühstück! :-)
You should see me speak about Apfelschorle! 😅
@@IntentionalTech 😄💗💗💗
@@IntentionalTech Haha, even better is Weissweinschorle!
@@larswagner8457 Funny story - in the UK, we call Weißweinschorle a ‘spritzer’. My friend found out the German name the hard way when she ordered a ‘Spritze’ in a German bar 😅
I agree on living in another country. It opens you up and you learn a lot of useful lessons about yourself and others. I appreciate you for sharing your perspective. Thank you.
Thanks, Bob. Appreciate you watching.
Perceptive & balanced insight - thanks for sharing Chris. If only more people were so open minded. Ich liebe Deutschland!
Thanks, Edward. Ich auch! :)
Chris, I really enjoyed your thoughtful analysis, especially since you neither denigrate the UK nor give undifferentiated praise to Germany. Planning to move back to Germany after 35 years in the US, and your video gave me much to think about. Thank you.
Thanks, Ralf. Great to hear from you and I’m glad you enjoyed the video. Sounds like you have some exciting times ahead. All the best with your move!
Hi Mr Ralf hope you are doing well and I call you upon to stand with our music school foundation. Glory be to God
autumn is grape time. gotta love it.
you appreciate a certain fruit much more when you can't have/ eat it whole year around.
i mean, you can but the imported fruit does not ever taste as good.
So true. I went berry picking in France this summer and it was like I‘d never eaten them before. Thanks for watching!
@@karl_3885 True and their bad for the climate.
I am a German teacher in the US who has spent about 3 years in Germany. I adore this video and will share it with my students. The Sylt mug!!! :)) Dankescheon und weiter so!
Thanks! Glad people are still enjoying the older videos ❤️
I'm genuinely touched by your video. All the best for you, love from Germany
Thanks so much. All the best for you too!
Ohhhh yes, the polite and the honest language. 8 Years ago I was booking a hiking week with a friend in Scotland. And it was organized in a way that we always slept in the same hotel and every day the guests could choose besides the foods for breakfast, dinner and the hikes the hiking tours themselfs with 3 different difficulties. And sometimes it was not so easy really understanding the difference between a medium and a hard tour. And so one day at a tour briefing I have given directly the idea not only showing the distances of the hikes from above but also some kind of side profiles that show how much hight you need to go up or down on maybe one kilometer. Maaan I guess I was jumping into a cave of lions. From that day on one of the guides treated me like I was flying a bomb raid over London or so. He was even unable to shake my hand in the moment of the officially good bye from the hotel. I am quite sure, this guy later voted for brexit! 😁
Haha it’s so strange what can offend some people. I guess he was proud of his tours 😅
German here, grew up in Britain from age 7 through 22, left in 1989. Absolutely loved it. Two things I really miss are: the casual friendliness - I found it much easier to make contact with people in Britain, and of course the sense of humour. It's not that Germans don't have any, there's just a lot less of it on display.
Really enjoyed your video; you made several interesting points. Mach's gut und weiter so! :)
Thanks, Gerald! Yeah, when I first moved over I found it really hard not calling people I didn’t know ‘mate’. I mean you can call people ‘digger’ or ‘alter’ but it doesn’t always go down well!
Crazy how much influence your environment can have on you. Interesting video!
It really is. Thanks for watching!
Thank you, Chris. This was very kind and convincing. I hope you make good lifetime friends here with Germans as I did with a Brit, with an US-American and with a lady from New Zealand way back when I was a student at Marburg U. These people have become valuable and dear to me through all the years that have passed and I really feel kinda blessed that I have had the chance to get in touch with people from other cultures. That has made my life richer, more complete and tolerant and in the end I am convinced that we are all the same deep in our hearts. We have far, far more in common than what separates us. If mankind would realize this, all wars would be over and never happen.
Thanks, Reinhold. I did make some great friends there and I feel the same way as you do. You can learn so much from just talking to people.
It's so great to listen to you and to learn about your perspective of Germany! Everything you say is so fair and true. Thank you.
Thanks a lot. Glad you could relate 🙂
Beautiful video. Totally agree with all the points. I’ve lived here in Germany since 1992, and I can say that this country has changed me too, to a more considerate person, more environmentally conscious. I’ve learned my duties as a citizen.
I wish you a good stay in the country.
Thanks so much. Yes, it definitely made me more environmentally conscious too. Glad you’ve had a similar experience. All the best.
seems like you enjoyed your time here quite a lot. I am happy about that and also that it challenged your mindset on so many points. Asking questions really is the first step
Thanks, Luzie. I think so too 🙂
Hello Chris. Good video post. Interesting and informative. Thank You ! My wife and I live in central New Jersey (ugh) and have lived here for many years. We have traveled to many places around the world in the last 20 years (before covid19) and in May-June of 2019 spent 2 weeks touring Germany and 1 week touring Austria. Everything you talk about in this video is so "spot-on".
We absolutely fell in love with Germany (especially Bavaria), Austria, it's people, and their way of life. Spending time in other countries has changed my perspective drastically about many things. I look forward to going back to Germany someday to spend much more time there. Hope you and yours are all well.
Hi Jason, thanks for watching and sharing your experience! Sounds like you had a great trip. Our last big trip was spent in New York and Boston (via Iceland) and we loved it there too. Let’s hope things get back to normal soon so we can experience more of the world.
I didn't even know I had a culture, so I came here to get hints from an English lad. Thanks :D
😂 thanks to you too!
Mittagsruhe Is usually between 13 o'clock (1pm) and 15 o'clock (3pm)
I wish I'd known about it before I moved over :)
I appreciate your use of respectful language as a form of expressing minute differences in cultural behaviour patterns. Very well done video.
Thanks! Appreciate it
lived in Hamburg from ‘02-‘11; Sundays and brunch in HH are def special
Amazing coffee scene haha
Hi brother hope you are doing well and I call you upon to stand with our music school foundation. Glory be to God
I had the chance to live in Wales for half a year and I loved it: the coast with the endless trails,, the port, the live music in the pubs, the ponies that were running free and the scrabble nights.
When I came back to Germany, people would get annoyed with me, because I would say "sorry" all the time. It had become so normal for me, I didn't even notice. I had to unlearn it.
Wales is beautiful. We sometimes spend NYE on the coast there. Love it.
I always thought Wales would be better off as a Bundesland. I speak both languages.
Hey mate you are such a great example of the benefits of travel, bravo
Cheers, Daniel. Thanks for watching!
Hi brother Daniel hope you are doing well and I call you upon to get involved in our music school foundation. Glory be to God
Let me know if you've had similar culture shocks in a country you've moved to. Would love to hear them
I lived a while in the US. While in Germany if things like food are offered to you it is considered to be polite to reject them the first time waiting for them being offered a second time and then accept them - in the US often there was no second time and your "German" behavior was observed as rather insecure, studid or not knowing what you want.
@@henningbartels6245 haha that’s interesting. I worked with a lot of New Yorkers in London and was honestly taken aback by their directness too. It’s a whole other level than Germany.
@@henningbartels6245 Das kann ich als Deutsche überhaupt nicht bestätigen! Man kann ein Angebot durchaus beim ersten Mal annehmen!
@@grace-yz2sr kann man, aber es wirkt gierig.
@@henningbartels6245 Sorry, aber ich kenne niemanden in meinem äußerst großen Bekanntenkreis, der aus Höflichkeit beim ersten Mal ablehnt. Vielleicht gibt es regionale Unterschiede...
Thanks for your thoughts that got me thinking that the UK must have changed somewhat over the last few decades. My experience of England, living there for a couple of years as a student (decades ago now, oh dear), were quite different from what you describe. Whenever I came back for a holiday to meet friends and family in Germany, I was stunned by the expression of people on the platform as soon as I entered a German railway station. They looked grumpy and discontented and very subdued and unhappy, whereas English people seemed to me much more relaxed, friendly and smiling their way through everyday life. Also, I didn't notice any differences in 'consumerism', rather, the English seemed to me to be less materialistic than Germans. Very strange. Social codes were different (honesty, politeness, get-to-know rituals), of course, and I felt quite unhappy for a time while I was trying to adjust. But in hindsight I cherish that experience. I also felt that pop music was much more important as a contributing factor to a joyous life, if you know what I mean. I loved that general climate or way of life. The one thing in your comments that definitely rings a bell is the difference in attitude regarding history. British TV then was full of WWII films with German Nazis shouting 'Schweinehund' (that may have changed by now??), but I was repeatedly asked if I was from West or East Germany. There seemed to be no interest in what had changed on the continent. On the other hand, there were traces of British exceptionalism and a sort of shrugging acceptance of British colonialism in every conversation that turned on these matters.
Fascinating stuff. Thanks so much for sharing. It sounds like the two cultures have changed immeasurably over the past two decades.
Many of the positives you mention about the UK still exist, such as the friendliness and enthusiasm for music. However, I think we are now seeing the impact that deepening inequality, rising poverty and a manipulative media culture is having on the British psyche.
Germany, on the other hand, (certainly a city like Hamburg) has benefited from more exposure to the wider world and a much stronger economy. There is still inequality in Germany as well plenty of other social issues, but generally inequality is lower and the quality of life is high, which I think puts less pressure on people to act defensively.
Thank you for your wonderful words. It was a good idea to start with the fact that you were living in Hamburg, with the nice cup of SYLT in the background. Germany is fairly big and has a lot of different countries with a lot of different habits. I didn´t make it through all of them, but trust me: They are very divers! Keep up the good work!
Thanks, Lars. I definitely feel like this video is a very Northern German view. Excited to head back to Germany and explore more of it post-lockdown.
It's such a sad feeling that the Britains said good-bye to the EU! We will miss you, Britannia!
Thanks, Matthew. We‘ll miss you too!
„We will miss you”??? Britain is still on the same płace since hundred of year’s. It will not remove and will be Japans neighbors. If you use plain It still 30 minutes away from Hamburg.
@@RobbytSon I'll certainly miss the brilliant European colleagues I've worked alongside in London, many of whom have decided to leave because of Brexit
They are not gone compleatly. Its just harder for them to live and travel in the eu.
@@RobbytSon well, the EU as an institution the way I see it won't really miss Britain, they weren't fully commited from the get go anyways.
But there are other member states that getting rid of would have been more beneficial for sure.
And yeah, I am pro EU but still want the EU to kick out countries lol
I do like your attitude and vibe in that vid. To watch it was very enjoyable for me. Keep it up bud. 👍
Thanks, Daniel!
I'd argue that the food thing is very regional. Hamburg is pretty northern and fairly close to the sea by comparison which means it's closer to britain in terms of cuisine than most of the country. By contrast, if you head further south, the food gets more influences from french, austrian and slavic cuisine (which I would personally consider to be an improvement but eh...).
Then again, if you've encountered stereotypes about british food, a lot of it was probably more playful teasing than people genuinely believing that you all still enjoy the food of the 70's (James May actually has a fun series about the culinary atrocities the british comitted during that time on youtube).
So true. I absolutely love the likes of Spätzle and Flammkuchen. I do think I would prefer the Southern German cuisine.At the same time, being able to walk down to the Fischmarkt in Hamburg and pick up some calamari and a fischbrötchen on a Sunday morning was so good.
Ich liebe Hamburg, meine Perle ! Brilliant Video, Thanks Chris it’s absolutely amazing 🌟✨💫
Thanks! I love Hamburg too :)
Great video Chris you make some really interesting points. Very proud of you! 😁
Thanks! Hope you’re doing well 🙂
Hi Chris, when I read about your experiences I was very pleased and at the same time I wondered if you really have been in the same country where I have spent my whole life!
:D It's funny how perspectives can differ. I have been told that this is a very Hamburg view of Germany though. Whereabouts are you from?
Let's be honest - Sundays are that quit, because everyone got drunk on saturday ;)
haha or they're only just getting home :D
Then saturdays would need to be quiet too =)
Love Germany 🇩🇪 from South Africa 🇿🇦
I have traveled to Germany and the Netherlands. A friend moved to the Netherlands from the US. Everything you said almost verbatim applies to the way Americans see the world. The myth "America is the best at everything" After traveling and being exposed to the way other nations do things.... America has a lot of catch up. Simply electing the fascist president we did four years ago. Shows we Americans need to get out of our echo chamber. Even after that president we are still dangerously close to self destruction.
Thank you for your video. All good points.
Thanks, Guy. Hope things improve under Biden!
They will but, for how long until the GOP wins again. On the supreme Court they actually are trying to argue they can't compete unless they make it more difficult to vote. I hope even the conservative supreme Court says no to that. If not not sure where the US is headed. There is a lot that the US can and should learn from other countries. I have and still am.
Good video, good luck for your journey
Thanks, mate. You too!
Nice video. Just one slight "correction": Mittagsruhe is from 1 pm to 3 pm - just so you don't get caught out!
haha I’ll always get caught out somehow. Thanks for the tip 🙂
Hi dear hope you are doing well and I call you upon to stand with our music school foundation. Glory be to God
Such a great summary, love it!!!
Thanks!
Your video is very interesting.
I live in Berlin and I am very fond of seasonal and regional food, esp. esparragos. ☺️😂 Would like to eat it nearly every day in early summer. It has to be from the region, we are having best conditions here.
PS: I did never have any problems with food in the UK. But it is true that English teachers in Germany are still telling crazy stories on british cousine. That there was mint in everything or that you could only eat chips. 😉😂😂
Glad you liked it!
Haha I mean I do love mint with lamb but that’s also common in the likes of Turkish cuisine, which the Germans love. I am jealous of some of the food you have in Berlin though.
So true! Not a single German has ever complained about mint in turkish dishes. 😁 For it is not a stereotype. ^^
@@Oberbaumbruecke haha exactly
Asparagus from Lower Saxony is delicious too. :D
thank you for this interesting perspective! :-)
You’re welcome, Sabine! Thanks for watching 🙂
You are a very organized and talented speaker, not a single äh, no breaks. I wish I could speak that fluently. You do not waste time of your people talking a lot content and avoiding filling just time. Well done! Ever imagined to become politician?
Haha the power of editing! It usually takes me about 25 minutes of talking rubbish to film a 5 minute video 😅 but thank you for your comments. Sadly I think I’m too left of centre to make it as a politician in the UK!
@@IntentionalTech Then your editing is good. If England is too right for your liking pay Jacinda Ardern in New Zealand a visit and tell her that would fit in there ( wie Faust auf's Auge ).
@@schattensand6129 thanks :) I really like her. NZ has handled the pandemic so well.
Sommermeals in the north includes "Rote Grütze", red fruit boiled soft and thickened with starch, not gelatin, eaten with cold milk at its best. And there is "Sauerfleisch" with roast potatoes. Pork is cooked in spices like mustard seed, black pepper, juniper berries and bay leaves, sugar and lots of vinegar, plus gelatin, and then allowed to cool down. Winter is the time for all those cabbages, "Sauerkraut" and smoked pork is nothing for a hot summer's day.
I don't think I ever had that but I do really like Grünkohl. I've been really missing the Christmas markets this year in particular.
If you're familiar with Hamburg, you'll know that they eat something called Labskaus. A fun fact is that we eat a variant of that in Liverpool too thanks to sailors brining it over in the early 1900s. The people who worked on the docks became known as 'scousers', which is now how people refer to anyone with a Liverpool accent.
@@IntentionalTech Yes, I know. There is an article on that issue in connection to that hilarious play "Educating Rita", instead of a foreword or in the appendix of some edition. I will see whether I can find it in my bookshelf. And the question is who invented that word and who took it from whom. We know that the origin of "Labskaus", "lobscouse", or however you spell it, lies in the food stores of the windjammers at the end of a long journey when the last remains in it were mashed together: salt beef, dried potatoes, biscuits, salt fish... and served to a more of less grumbling and toothless ( scurvy) crew who had fantasies about tossing the cook overboard. Who knows how much of that stew was in fact maggots, cockroaches, and dead mice and rats plus their dropplings.
And that "Labskaus" that you can buy in tins at supermarkets looks as if it has been eaten before. Good "Labskaus" though is far from that. Someone had that excellent idea of mixing beetroots into that potatoe/corned beef mash to give it an appetizing colour. The pickled herring and pickled gurkin go with it, not into it. And all of it is covered with a fried egg or two.
@@christiankastorf1427 It‘s fascinating where our cuisine comes from. The Liverpool version of ‚scouse‘ is usually made with lamb and root vegetables but we also eat it with beetroot and red cabbage.
@@IntentionalTech A dish in the north that is largely forgotten was white cabbage cooked with mutton. My father hated it,
@@christiankastorf1427 haha doesn’t sound very appetising!
2:25 Yes, that's what my life looks right now in Germany, too!
Thanks for watching!
Happy New 2021, Chris. Btw, asparagus is very healthy, lol. And our food is seasonal as we try to eat regional grown food as much as possible except for bendy bananas of course :-).
Thanks, Irmin. Happy new year to you too 🙂
very nice video, interesting insights into the British culture, thank you very much
Thanks to you too. Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Thanks for sharing your experience
You’re welcome. Thanks for watching 🙌🏻
Aspagarus and strawberries is a combination of anti-seasonal food, because strawberries grow a month later and have to be imported at the aspagarus season.
Only in exeptional mild years both seasons can overlap briefly.
Haha fair enough. My mind might be playing tricks on me. They might actually just be the same stalls restocking when the season changes.
@@IntentionalTech Actually it is favourite combination for farmers: often aspargus farmers have strawberry field as well. So they can keep there saisonal workers (mostly from Poland or Romania) longer: when aspargus cutting is finished, they continue with strawberry picking.
@@henningbartels6245 Ah, cool. Makes sense :)
Chris, as a German I can say Your comments are very interesting in deed. I could even better understand if You reduce the loudness of Your background music.
Thanks, Herbert! Appreciate the feedback back - the music is much lower on my videos these days 🙂
I found the British need to hear 'Thankyou' A LOT!!!! In my experience of living in many former British colonies it's the one undeniable mark left on the people. I'm in HK now and sometimes I say 'ThankYou' so many times I forget what I am doing.
The British literally scream 'Thankyou' sometimes after blatantly offending a person. I was once on a flight and this young British woman refused to pull down her window blind, the cabin crew lady asked her 4 times and on each occasion the British woman insisted everyone else wear their sleeping blindfolds (not sure what the correct term is). Then, wait for it, the cabin crew woman came with her breakfast and what did the British woman shout out before getting her food 'Thankyou SO much', I'm pretty sure everyone at the back of the plane heard her. She really gave off the vibe that she genuinely felt she was doing everyone sitting on the aircraft a favour by teaching us all manners lol. To me that's just typical British behavior
Great video. I would say some of the points seem quite heavily influenced by you having lived in Hamburg - one of two german "left" cities - tho. If you'd go to a small village many things are unfortunatly quite different.
Thanks. Yeah I can imagine. It’s the same here with regard to cities and towns.
Great video Chris. I'm curious to know if you had to choose, would you prefer living in Germany or here?
Thanks, Poppy.
It’s a tough question! I think the quality of life is higher in Germany and I probably should have said in the video, but of course the experience is much different in cities like Hamburg or Berlin than elsewhere. I don’t know if I’d enjoy living in other regions as much.
As much as I loved it, I did get really homesick for the last couple of years because I missed family, friends and familiarity. For now at least, living in the UK is where I feel the happiest.
That’s probably a bit of a cop out 😅
I am German and lived in the UK for 16 years until 2019. It just did not feel the same anymore after Brexit and definitely did not feel welcome anymore. It's a real shame as Manchester became my home for such a long time, but it was also difficult making friends with English people. For some reason I never warmed up to them as a friendship there seemed to consist of only the Pub or Football (or the combination of both) and pretty much my whole circle of friends there was made up of immigrants (from all over the world). That is not to say there aren't many nice Brits around, it's just different in my experience.
Sorry to hear that, Christian. It’s been quite shocking to me because I don’t really know anyone who voted for Brexit and I think that just shows how divided people are these days.
It can be difficult to make friends with people when they already have an established social circle in a particular place. That’s the reason a lot of English people tend to group together in German cities too. I got lucky in that I made some close German friends at work and through playing football but also found a great international community there too.
I can see how an aversion to football and the pub would make it difficult and even as a Brit it can be hard to break away from alcohol- related activities to enjoy other things. I’m hoping that covid makes people realise there is more to friendship than just getting drunk with someone.
Anyway thanks for sharing your experience. I hope we can heal the divisions over time.
@@IntentionalTech let's hope so...and Liverpool in my experience is somewhat different in a way that compared to other English places (particularly up north) it is much similar to Europe in the way that Liverpool and many Scousers tend to be more on the left (unfortunately today that's becoming a bad thing with that liberalism)...in the traditional sense.
@@christiandengler6689 Definitely. My fiancé is French and she’s felt the difference in attitude here too.
hi, thats all true. i am german and your video makes me interested in staying in germany although i ve been so tired of the no fun and avoid connection mentality here.
Hi Samuel. Thanks for watching. I definitely get that. I always found it was difficult to get to know native Hamburgers but when you did break through, they were very loyal friends.
Hopefully when the pandemic is over people will be more open to connecting.
@@IntentionalTech ...and that is exactly where i live at the moment. best wishes
... the opposite "culture shock" I had. I was working for nearly five years in Liverpool. The work-live-balance is much better in germany. But I loved the pub culture in Liverpool, and the football in UK. I was a nice time and I made a lot of friends. But for me, I realy don't know why the UK want to leave the EU? It is a big mistake, aspecely for the young??!!
Haha that’s cool. I think I was lucky in that Hamburg might have the most familiar pub culture for a Brit. I’m really glad to hear you had a positive experience in Liverpool!
And yes, Brexit is still quite an emotional blow for many people like me. Hopefully there’s still some way we can make it less devastating in practical terms but only time will tell.
What the Germans can learn from the British is "Gelassenheit", the way of NOT getting angry about this and that far too quickly.
@@christiankastorf1427 haha I always used to love hearing German bartenders shout 'Entspann' dich mal!' at impatient guests though
@@IntentionalTech I think that he has a point though, I'm German and as much as I enjoy living in Germany (also Hamburg btw), it is sometimes irritating how - how to phrase it? - 'intense' some Germans get about many things. This can also be a good thing sometimes when it helps us to push some issues and tackle them, but it can also have an adverse effect not only on quality of life but also on finding a common ground in society.
Nevertheless, I think that the main difference between (especially young) people in Britain and Germany is more based on big city VS rural area, education & job and personal interests than based on where you are from or even mere nationality as stated by your passport.
Nevertheless, I'm glad to hear you enjoyed and appreciate the experience. I think you can only grow as a person by living abroad!
@@LimboJimbo Yeah, that’s completely fair. It did annoy me at times too and I found that some people did overstep their boundaries. I thought about mentioning it in my video but I do my best to take a positive slant on things generally.
You’re 100% right on the urban / rural point. I think Hamburg is even completely different to the likes of Munich as well. To me, it actually feels a lot like the city Liverpool would be if its industry hadn’t been crushed in the 80s. But that’s another story!
Thanks for watching and offering your thoughts!
Hi Chris, really enjoyed your video. It was great to see a realistic and unprejudiced account of life in Germany. Like you I'm a ex scouser who has been living in Germany since 1975 and I love it. I can identify with many, in fact with most of your opinions on German life but I most definitely disagree with your view on Sundays. I can't stand them even though in Berlin there are lots of ways to get around the restrictions imposed by the christian churches and the unions.
Hi Tom, thanks for watching and glad you enjoyed it. Haha I don’t blame you for not liking Sundays. It took me a long time to adjust but even then there’d be the odd bank holiday weekend when I’d forget to do the shopping and be stranded for days without proper food. On reflection I also forgot to mention how frustrating it was not being able to use a bank card in shops and being charged for using the wrong kind of cash machine. I’m sure you can relate to that too 😅
Tom, we're probably about the same age. Remember your youth in the late 70s and 80s. Would you have enjoyed clubbing in germany if you would have had to work on sundays? Give it to the youngsters. They are the future.
I like your Sylt cup!
Thanks, Ulrich! :)
Moin Moin and virtual Franzbrötchen from Hamburg. You're always welcomed back :D Und: Es gibt kein schlechtes Wetter, nur falsche Kleidung.
What I wouldn’t do for a franzbrötchen right now 😅. Vielen Dank!
@@IntentionalTech Next time there's the Franzbrötchen competition in Museum für Hamburgische Geschichte, you come and taste all the Franzbrötchen you want.
There's also a book about the German/French war and how the Franzbrötchenn might have come to Hamburg: franzbroetchen.de/der-fremde-im-backtrog/
@@annez1681 haha I’m there! The history of food is so interesting. I think I mentioned it in another comment but people from Liverpool are called scousers because we eat a variation of Labskaus brought over from Scandinavia in the early 1900s.
In my eyes,you're the very best of britishness.love you,bro!!!
Thanks :) Appreciate it!
Great Channel 👍
Thank you! 👍
@@IntentionalTech by the way I'am a Manc!
@@FirstLast-ve6jg haha all welcome here 😃
Nailed it!
Thanks 🙂
nice touch with the Sylt mug 😆
Thanks 😀 It was a gift from a friend and I promised him I’d get it into a video haha . Glad you noticed it!
Thank you
I believe that many Germans have encountered an English textbook
at school or maybe in the Volkshochschule where one of the "Good to know" sections
that "England has no cuisine" and it is one of the few small-talk things
every German seemingly knows about Britain.
That and the that it "rains cats and dogs".
I taught English to adults in two Volkshochschulen in and around Bielefeld
and every year that statement would be trotted out by someone.
I taught a business English course and we used to talk about
how British English speakers request things and the words we pad a statement with
to get someone to do something.
"Photocopy this" - will get a response like "what did your last slave die of"
"If you have the time I would be grateful if you could photocopy this for me"
will get a quicker response.
Many Germans wouldn't recognise the latter as a request to start with. LOL
Thanks for sharing. It's incredible the impact that some outdated clichés in old text books can have on people's education.
In school, we learnt that Germans drink tea with lemon - in reality, Hamburg at least has one of the best coffee cultures I've ever experienced.
It's also quite limiting because a lot of Brits learn in school that in German, 'the verb is always at the end of the sentence' - of course, it does when you're using a modal verb but the core structure of German is still that the core verb is always the second element in a sentence. So speaking basic sentences need not be perceived as overly complicated. I personally find negation in French much trickier to get the hang of!
In terms of Germans learning British English, I've often got the sense that its taught with a version of received pronunciation (RP) that has long died out in the UK. As a result, some Germans pronounce the letter 'a' as if it were an 'e'.
This made it difficult for some people to understand my accent, which has a flat 'a' more akin to the German pronunciation of 'Mann'. However, even in the South, the 'a' has evolved away from the way Germans are often taught.
@@IntentionalTech
Germans eulogise what they call "Oxford English"
with its rhotic a i.e. "ba(r)th"
rather than the classic Northern English "bath"
I am originally from Yorkshire so have a basic non-rhotic a
and when I taught in a UK secondary school in Oxford
(I was teaching mathematics)
and the kids from the roughest areas said "gra(r)ph" and "ta(r)sk"
whereas I would say "graph" and "task" and was seen as weird.
My partner's English accent sounds at least a social class above mine
and I gently tease over that.
I think it was Shaw who wrote in the mouth of Henry Higgins
"An Englishman has only to open his mouth for another Englishman to despise him"
British English accents tell you about:
region, social class and education
where German doesn't to such a big degree.
I have to say the French I learnt in school made me:
hyper-correct in verb forms used
and sound like Charles de Gaulle giving a speech
which soon got knocked out of me interacting with
small town shopkeepers when I worked in a chambres d'hôtes.
@@johncrwarner So fascinating. I actually took a module on Northern Literature at university and that was the opening quote of the course. Tony Harrison is still my favourite poet for that reason. I really recommend ‘Them and [Uz]’ and ‘V’ - read them aloud in your Yorkshire accent for the full impact though.
I’m often caught between stools because people in Liverpool would call me a ‘wool’ (someone with a Merseyside accent but not necessarily a scouser), whereas down south I’m known to many as ‘the scouser’. It’s strange how your identity shifts in different contexts related to accent and place.
This was something I found less easy for Germans in the North to relate to because while there is a Hamburg accent, heavily influenced by Plattdeutsch, everyone in Hamburg can switch into Hochdeutsch at the drop of a hat.
@@IntentionalTech
Have you heard me reciting poetry?
Try ua-cam.com/video/e4-G5eyi2RM/v-deo.html
for me reciting a poem by U. A. Fanthorpe
@@johncrwarner Thanks for sharing. You have a great voice for poetry!
Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts Chris. I'm half Scouse/half German myself and have therefor particularly enjoyed the comparison between the city you call home and the country I grew up in. I always assumed Liverpoodlians were very direct too when it comes to expressing their opinions and thought them to be very similar to most Germans in that regard. At least in comparison with people from the South of the UK. Do you think there's a North/South divide when it comes to 'directness' in the UK?
Scouse / German - what a combo! Thanks for sharing your thoughts - it’s a really great observation. Yes, I think there are a lot of people up North who pride themselves in ‘telling it like it is’, especially in Yorkshire and probably in Liverpool and Manchester too. However, it might also be a class divide that is also present in the South. Often in ‘polite society’, the expectation to shroud your true feelings in indirectness can be a form of social gatekeeping, which is used to exclude people from working class and minority backgrounds by branding them as being a ‘loudmouth’ or ‘aggressive’. In that sense, it’s also a problematic feature of British English.
@@IntentionalTech Thank you very much for your swift response. Enjoy your Sonntagsfrühstück 😀
@@panoramanow haha thanks. You too!
@@IntentionalTech Go empty that fridge! 🍓🍑🍅🍋🥥🥝🍍🍎🍇🍊🍐🍒🫐🍈🍉🍏🥭🥑🍆🍑🍌🍅🥒🥗🌽🍞🥖🫓🥯🧀🪤🥓🥩🍖🍗🍔
@@panoramanow funnily enough we just arrived at my wife’s parents’ place in France. It’s a very French breakfast today of croissants and brioche 😅.
Vielen herzlichen Dank - lieber Chris - für diese hervorragende Zusammenfassung deutscher Tugenden, deren überragenden Wert leider wir Deutsche oft am wenigsten zu schätzen wissen, da wir leider die Gewohnheit angenommen haben, uns auch 70 Jahre nach dem bösen Krieg immer noch in Sack und Asche zu kleiden, ohne zu Erkennen, was wir an vielem Guten haben und daß ohne eine Mindestmaß an gesunden Patriotismus und Heimatliebe kein Gemeinwesen auf Dauer gut gedeihen kann!
Danke auch, Rainer. Es freut mich, dass das Video so viele Deutsche erreicht hat. Meine Zeit in Deutschland werde ich nie vergessen - es war mir eine Ehre dort Leben zu können!
I'd love to hear Chris's opinion on how to effectively study German. I've spent the last year on various apps and channels and can hardly string a sentence together. I'm disillusioned. :(
Sounds like a great idea to me - would love to make that video. Don't worry though, I've been in the same boat with French for the past two years. Do you live in a German speaking country? Your approach might change depending on that. Good luck with it - keep going!
Your first point can be summarized under der Kantsche Imperativ: always behave in a way your behaviour could become a public law.very deep embedded in german mindset
I’ve never heard of that but it makes sense. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Chris, you forgot to mention the Franzbrötchen: Franzbrötchen is making defintitly better persons :)
Hope you are well mate!
Haha I honestly miss Franzbrötchen so much. All good here, thanks! Hope you are too 🙂
@@IntentionalTech Crazy times but everything is fine here!
@@torbenhoeeg good to hear!
I learn things about Germany I didn't know.
Thanks!
Spargelzeit ist grossartig 👏
The only thing I’m not a huge fan of is hollandaise sauce!
good points bro! greetings from South Germany. PS Summarise: it is forbidden to wash your car on a Sunday;-)
Cheers, Gregor! Thanks for the tip 😄
I experienced the same trust in the Netherlands using the subway.
That’s interesting. I’ve always had the impression that the Dutch are pretty relaxed. Only ever been to Amsterdam but the trams are a really nice system.
I highly recommend to learn, when a German is (over)polite to you, then grab your feet and run. If we are totally honest to your bones, then you know, you are a Friend! Einfaches Beispiel... Ich "Sieze" nur Leute die ich unsymphatisch find. Anderes Beispiel: Nur guten Freunden sage ich ins gesicht, was ich denke und fühle.... There is a Phrase, that comes from the niederrhein: Dem bin ich mit dem Arsch ins Gesicht gesprungen... in this Case, the tone makes the music.... "Du blödes Arschloch" with a smile can be an offend or a compliment... f.e.... if a friend catches you being stupid, it means: ok, ya got me. If a car early hit you, when you are Biking, then the phrase is not so polite...
haha love it
Well done Sir, you have put it in a nutshell, I am German and I lived in NZ and the UK, so I know both sides of the coin. Please come back to Germany after that covid shit, and hopefully, after the UK comes back to Europe (not holding my breath) Ah I nearly forgot, go LFC, and for a scouser your english is pretty good :-)
Haha 😅 thanks, mate. Can’t wait to have a nice trip to Hamburg after this blows over. Cheers for watching and I’m glad it resonated with you!
@@IntentionalTech Yes it resonated with me indeed, look I am 63 years of age, and I am so sorry that a lot of Brits in my age bracket have made your life so much harder for you, and it was based on nothing, please believe me that I am sad as hell to see you guys suffer for nothing. We are all family, despite the fucking (sorry) history. I will shut up now :-) West Ham 1 Liverpool 3, hurray
@@dengels1957 Some brilliant goals, as well! Thanks, Grant. I’m sad about it too but hopefully covid will make us realise how much we need each other.
Grünkohl is my childhood horror :D I hate it 'til this day and never tried it again. Rosenkohl and Wirsing are the same. Smells like really old people and tastes like old socks with salt and pepper :P
😅 I’ve never even heard of Rosenkohl
I am from Hamburg bro, welcome :3
Thanks!
I think Germans have confronted their recent history
very well and I go past several groups of "Stolpersteine"
set in the roads outside the places where Jews, Communists and Socialists lived
and that is just on the 100 m to the tram stop from our flat.
Their knowledge of older history can be hazier
I was trying to explain the parliamentary system in Britain
and referenced the English Civil War
mentioning the 30 years war as an "anchor point" for their reference.
They knew less about that period than I did
which is interesting as nearby are the Weserrenaissance towns
which economically died with the 30 years war
hence the nice architecture and tourist sights.
One student said "you know more German history than most Germans"
I have to admit I’m really shady on the English civil war myself, possibly because the war of the roses has a catchier title?
In my opinion is the background music too loud.
Greetings from Germany.
Thanks for the tip. I took the advice of you and others and took out music for most of my later videos. 🙂
You didn't mentionend the Bier! ^^+gg Food might be equal, but ... come on! ^^+gg ;-) haha
Nice video! Thanks for sharing! Take care and all the best!
Haha how could I forget? Cheers!
8:20 I am not sure what you mean. My stereotypes (as a German) regarding English people are mostly good. Were you confronted with negative stereotypes? The only one I can think of is the "party mentality" on Mallorca, but we germans are not better in that perspective. :D (And regarding the English cosine: add a "Kürbiskernbrötchen" and the germans will love it no matter what.) ;D
I forgot how much I missed Kürbiskernbrötchen, and also Franzbrötchen with Kürbiskern.
I think some of the stereotypes I faced we’re definitely related to the Mallorca mentality you mentioned but went a little deeper. That our comparative lack of foreign language skills denotes arrogance or laziness. I was also genuinely surprised how many people see GB through the lens of the royal family and of course it became easy to be stereotyped by Brexit.
You’re right though, all in all I found the Germans to be very positive towards me and the UK. I think despite the differences we share fundamentally similar cultures.
@@IntentionalTech Well, my stereotypes are: talented actors, beautiful english accent, great tea culture and politeness. :) Or and not to forget: Doctor Who!!!!
But yes, I think many europeans saw the Brexit as a "bad move" like everybody who voted for it saying "we don't like you anymore". But this topic is way to complex to reduce it to that.
And as a question: In Germany every student learns English and on the "Gymnasium" they also have to learn a third language. Is there no school system in GB that "forces" the students to learn another language and if so, is there a specific reason? Do they really "not care" or is it just not implemented in the school system?
Great to hear 🙂 - of course, with these things it's often a lot of insecurity about our own identities which probably shows through in parts of this video too
I think it comes down to education and exposure to other cultures. Most people my age would have learnt French, as well as Spanish or German, between the ages of 11 and 14. They would have then had the option to carry on a language. This is a lot later than when Germans begin learning English and I think it's perhaps too little too late for a lot of people. The knock on effect can be that people perceive languages to be more difficult than they actually are and as our media culture is dominated by English language films, music and TV, there might not be enough incentive to overcome the barriers.
One fascinating way this is changing is that more and more young people are asking their parents for Korean lessons due to the rise of K-Pop. I was thinking of doing a video on this - let me know if you'd like to hear some more in-depth thoughts and thanks again for the great discussion!
@@schokopudding2716 And terrible food. But that one isn't a stereotype, it is just the truth.
For those of us who followed Brexit, it was kind of a wake-up call that we are actually hated by a huge chunk of the British population. The Anti-German sentiments were strong in the leave campaign, and they actually worked. Brexit itself is just another idiotic populist project, but the kind of sentiments they tapped in say a lot of about the British population. Which really damaged their reputation imho.
@swanpride
I actually like baked beans, bacon and fish & chips. And I never had the honour of eating in a restaurant of Gordon Ramsay but I would bet even you wouldn’t call his food terrible and isn’t he British?
And regarding brexit: as I said before, I guess it is more complex than that. As from what I heard many English people were surprised by the outcome as well and didn’t vote in the first place because they didn’t expect it to go through. Similar as when the afd in Germany rose with such high numbers for the first time... but I can also understand your point of view. At first I was also very frustrated and maybe a little bit hurt. But as a normal citizen we shouldn’t take it personally. Not every German joined the AFD. Not every Italien has a pizzeria. Not every French hates GB. Not every English man voted for the brexit. So be Open minded towards everybody until they give you personal reasons to treat them otherwise.
Hope you have a great and healthy Christmas and a happy new year.
I love the railway system in the UK, because of the paying system. I hate the way it is here in germany.
Contactless payment on the underground and busses is definitely really impressive technology and incredibly convenient. I find having to stamp tickets in Berlin especially annoying. At the same time, I do love the trust afforded to people in Germany. Thanks for watching!
@@IntentionalTech Yes that's a good point about the trust, but especially in those COVID times in my city, just as an example, you couldn't buy tickets and you had to buy ticket online to download on your phone and if you couldn't do that you had no way to take public transport. So each has their positiv and negativ side I guess. But there are many things you mentioned that I never realised were so different for people that also experienced other cultures. Also I loved the way you said it in a simple, conversational way.
@@Yukimiko0001 That doesn’t surprise me actually. As much as I respect the German point of view in terms of slowly adopting new technology, I did find stuff like that incredible frustrating at times. The extreme reliance on cash (in comparison to other European companies) was always bound to cause issues sooner or later.
Thanks for the kind feedback!
Sylt ... der am weitesten entfernte Vorort von Hamburg.
😃 genau!
I will have liked of the preciden Germony she 's clever Germany !
!
Thanks, Dany. Yes, much more precise than me 😅
[American living in Germany for 4 years] I wouldn't say Germans are rude or impolite. I want to use the word 'inconsiderate' but this isn't appropriate either. I don't have an adequate word for what I experience here but I can explain why inconsiderate gets me most of the way there.
To consider something, you need to be aware of that object. If you experience inconsiderate behavior, there are at least two possibilities to explain it:
[1] The person genuinely does not know that you are there
[2] The person knows you are there but does not care.
Option 2 makes people seem evil. I wrestled with which categories most of my interactions would fall into for a long time.
I've found that a good way to explore this behavior is by observing unconscious or low-conscious behavior (like how people walk in public places). When Germans exit stores in crowded shopping centers they leave the store and immediately step into a crowded stream of traffic; interrupting the flow without flinching. They do not wait for a break in that stream and then enter. They just step right into it. To the traveler just visiting Germany, this looks like the act of supreme egoistic behavior. They are clearly unaware of the inconvenience they place on the people around them. But after years of observing and realizing how incredibly common this behavior is, I no longer place them in category [2]. They genuinely do not recognize the people around them. I assume this is because they are trapped in their own heads. But how do you test a hypothesis like that?
So the word inconsiderate doesn't quite fit for me because they cannot consider that which they are not aware of. They are somewhere between inconsiderate and oblivious. They are alone while they are surrounded. I think this must be a lonely place.
Super interesting. Thanks for sharing. I agree - one place you notice it in particular is when queuing. Brits pride themselves on queuing in a way that a lot of other cultures don’t but in reality I’m sure they just don’t think we’re assertive enough.
@@IntentionalTech I think Brits and American's share this. Lines in Germany seem quite chaotic to me, especially at Bächereien.
You’re probably right. It’s interesting though because the opposite is true in conversation. I feel like Germans wait for the other person to stop speaking and then offer a longform response, whereas English speakers take more of a back and forth approach - banter for want of a better word - and are more tolerant of interjections. Not sure you’ve noticed that but it really stands out to me.
@@IntentionalTech I think this is highly regional in Germany. In the Köln area, people talk over each other instead of waiting. People combat this by talking louder and louder.
But the longform response may be more universal in Germany. Here, I get a giant story and at the very end of it is the meat and potatoes. I usually find myself thinking in my head "come on, please get to the point".
@@lwwells I'd heard that about Kölner. People are definitely more reserved in Hamburg though. Thanks for sharing your insights!
#2 "Getting things done properly" can be BAD too ... and there is a brilliant example in the Bovington Tank Museum, where they have a Panther(?) tank from WWII with beautifully hand crafted GERMAN chains and simple and bland "british-made replacement chains". They also have a Soviet T-34 with badly cut steel plates and gaps in the welds ...
THE german character flaw is ... *OVERDOING THINGS* ... and we really need a "little angel" on our shoulder to constantly remind us about not doing that.
Leider leiden die vielen guten Erklärungen an der unterlegten Musik. Sie ist schon sehr im Vordergrund. Etwas langsamer sprechen wäre ein großer Gewinn beim zuhören.
Danke für’s Feedback, Volker. Ich habe die neuesten Videos tatsächlich ohne Musik bearbeitet. Hoffentlich wirken sie nun entspannter.
@@IntentionalTech Wenn du die Möglichkeit hast, nimm die hohen Frequenzen etwas runter. Ansonsten liegt der Grad der Verständnis sicherlich auch an den Kopfhörern/Lautsprechern und deren Einstellungen sowie dem allgemeinen Verständnis der Sprache.
Ich find's OK.
Danke, Peter. Das Ziel ist mit jedem Video besser beim Drehen, Schneiden und Bearbeiten zu werden 🙂
@@IntentionalTech Viel Erfolg dabei!
@@peter_meyer Danke!
I don't know about you but in school we had more on WW1 than WW2. From a British perspective maybe its because it was the first industrial world war whereas WW2 had much more of an affect on Germany compared to WW1 than in Britain. Its unavoidable that Britain is where it is now as a result of its colonial past. Its such a shame that an honest study of it isnt taught at length in schools.
Do you think children in the UK should be taught about the British Empire to the extent Germans are taught about WW2?
By the way, after 8 or so years, I'm still not used to Sundays in Germany/Hamburg!
Yeah, I just remember being taught about evacuees and the different kinds of planes that were used. I do get the focus on the child’s experience of the war because it’s relatable and it’s also right to focus on the futility of the losses in WW1.
I think WW2 is such a tragedy and so shocking that it’s impossible to cover anything to that degree. I just wish that we learnt more about the experiences of British colonies as well and tried to understand the harmful impact British rulership had on many of its conquests, especially as it’s still evident across the world.
To be honest, Sundays took me a long time as well! 😅
Ehrenmann! 👍🏼
🙌🏻
Spot on! Was I too direct :-)?
That’s the kind of directness I can cope very well with 😃
Mittagsruhe is only in some parts of germany and its getting less and less for a good reason
That’s interesting. I guess less and less people live in the standard 9-5, Monday to Friday routine these days. Definitely think you need a balance between quiet and allowing people to express / enjoy themselves.
I as a German have some difficulties to follow you, therefore I would appreciate some subtitles. I don't mind if those were in english.
Thanks, Thomas. If you click on the cog (das Zahnrand) you should be able to select English subtitles. Hope that helps?
I forgot to mention that I also put an article version of this up on my website. I hope either of these solutions works for you. Thanks again for watching.
www.chriscowley.co/lifestyle/living-in-germany-made-me-a-better-person
Great video Chris. Thank you for mentioning British colonialism.
Thanks! If you haven't read Akala's book, it's brilliant.
The difference in mindset is: if you tell a German that you want to become a better person, he of she will answer:????? Why? Did you kill someone?
😅
I been reading about the past of Germany and how it rebuilt itself. There is no denying that preference it quality is something amazing about the Germans. German efficiency and Mercedes Benz. Also is it true Germans live getting to the point?
Yeah, German manufacturing is definitely of a really high standard, especially in the auto industry. A lot of credit should go the so-called Gastarbeiter from countries like Turkey, Greece and Italy though who were vital in the rebuilding project. I’m still not sure on getting to the point. I don’t think Germans like small talk as well as we do in the anglosphere but they tend to have very long, in-depth conversations that don’t always get to the point very quickly.
@@IntentionalTech Okay I am wrong about the getting the point.
I was watching a video about how German economy picked up and its was all credited to middle class people and the comapnies. While the world raged on entrepreneurship and the glam, Germans focused on making their products good. So for instance middle class business focused on only making nuts and bolts of higher quality and the generations of that family business continued to do the same. Thus the quality of nuts and bolts continued onwards. This focused approach resulted in higher trade deficit for the country. It was a fascinating read.
Continuing the small talk - Check out C63 amg black or SLS amg Black. Man tell me these things are beauty.
@@unknowninfinium4353 Sounds fascinating. If you find the video again link it here.
That definitely all makes sense - I might also add that most major German cities have one or two industries they specialise in so their economy is very decentralised in comparison to the likes of the UK.
I think this is partly because Berlin was split into East and West for so long that it couldn’t dominate the country in the same way as other European capitals.
Becoming a tradesman is also much more respected and seen as highly skilled work, compared to the UK where manufacturing is much more commoditised. I think that’s also a factor.
As I understand, the gastaerbeiter enabled all of that to happen post-ww2 by working in construction and services to prop up the German middle class.
It really is a fascinating country!
@@IntentionalTech You know what, all that you mentioned is in the video as well as the integration of east and west Germany.
I'll send you the video,
I envy you at this point.
Also if this cant be said enough - Take care stay safe.
@@IntentionalTech
Here is one:
This is a great channel. This are explained well and clearly. Good channel overall on Economics.
ua-cam.com/video/TzheqMtbEWY/v-deo.html
This video explains about the Germany efficiency, also the part where Germans work less hours and produce quality. While the general thought of more work hours mean more productivity is wrong but prevailant.
awww