Please take this video with a grain of salt and remember that this is just my personal opinion, other opinions are totally valid as well! 😊 👉 Go to piavpn.com/felifromgermany to get 83% off Private Internet Access with 4 months free!

I am German and have just been to the US for 3 weeks and I have to admit, I was expecting the Americans to be fake friendly and that it would annoy me. But not at all, I LOVED it! It wasn't too friendly in my opinion, it was just right and so much nicer as in Germany. Also loved the free Water and free refill 🙂

In the fall 2017 a couple of German guys I knew from work came to Houston on business. The Houston Astros were in the middle of a playoff game and of course it was being played on every television in the bar. The crowd in the bar was going wild, and everyone was cheering and being loud. My German friends were absolutely enjoying themselves and one of them says over the loud crowd, "This is like a scene from a movie!". They couldn't believe this was actually how Americans reacted, they had only seen this in movies, and couldn't believe it was real.

I thought it was a little weird that German’s I met (especially those who haven’t been to the states) automatically assume American friendliness is fake or superficial. Sure that maybe the case for some people, but I think there are just as many people out there that are just genuinely friendly.

Once in Hamburg I went into a clothing store to look around. The store owner asked if we needed help and we said, no we’re just looking. His response: you can go outside and look through the windows. 😂

I am German and have lived in the US for almost 30 years. Most of what you are saying is what made me want to live here, because I liked it so much better than in Germany. So I could not agree more with you. Yes, there are some people in customer service in Germany who are nice and trying to give their best, but the vast majority is not. And after experiencing this here, I wanted my future kids to go to School here, and they did. I had a blast going with my kids through all the Scholl activities, supporting, cheering them on and seeing them excel in something other than just academics. Yes, I still love certain things about Germany, and I miss others, but would I want to live there again? Nein!

I served in W. Germany from 83-88 and while I loved so much about it one thing nearly ruined my experience there and that was…drum roll…the bureaucracy. I’ve never experienced anything that aggravating and soul crushing. I heard it said that “Germans live to fill out forms” 😂 That certainly rings true for me.

Having worked in the US restaurant industry, I can say the reason my restaurant chose not to charge for refills on soft drinks was because the syrup in the fountain machine cost something like $0.05 per gallon, so giving someone a soda or a lemonade cost the business practically nothing. Most places in the US that make a lot of money on drinks are primarily looking at alcohol sales when they cite that, though I suspect there’s a bit of psychological pressure happening where people are more likely to order a fountain drink with free refills than they are to order one without. In my experience as a diner and an employee, most people only get one or two refills at most anyway, so if eating the 25 cents or whatever that a Pepsi or Coke refill costs means that you’re more likely to sell the first $3.00 Pepsi or Coke in the first place, that’s a pretty good deal! Just my theory anyway, love your videos and your perspectives!

American customer service also extends to office workers who answer the phone, who don't get any tips at all. :) To those who think it sounds fake, I can say from experience that you do force yourself when you first get a customer service job, but after six months to a year, it becomes automatic and not forced at all. Then making a smile actually makes you feel good inside too, so being friendly isn't fake at all. Unless you're having a bad day, of course, but not normally. :)

Thanks for this interesting video 👍 I immigrated from Germany to the USA, 24 years ago. Last 3 years living with my family in Columbus, Ohio. I consider myself blessed to live amongst such friendly people with an overall positive mindset and a good attitude. Positivity is contagious! What I will remember from your video is when you said: Americans ask “Why not?” while Germans ask “Why?” Even after 24 years in the US, I sometimes still catch myself saying “Why?” instead of “Why not?” Greetings from Ohio and Happy Holidays, Marco.

I’m a fourth generation German American. I’m astounded by the degree of German cultural traits that you describe remain in my family. The persistent cynicism and questioning one’s life choices around the questions “why” versus “why not?” I’ve long recognized my family’s inclination toward these attitudes and behaviors being distinct from other American families, what hadn’t fully occurred to me was that these were German traits. Das interesiert mich ganz!

I feel sorry for late bloomers in Germany. I wasn't good in High school, but my senor year of H.S. math became clear to me. So I went to college and became an Engineer. Imagine if I didn't have that option. I would have certainly been a Hauptschule student in German, but instead I now have a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering. Late bloomers are people too. :)

A guy I worked with was once a manager at Taco Bell… he said it cost Taco Bell 2 cents to make a drink. It makes perfect sense to offer free refills as the drink initial cost will Cover it, and Incentivize people to buy drinks.

My daughter was upset recently when she had to renew her residency permit. She had moved a few months before to a different apartment building a few blocks away and had notified the appropriate office. But no one told her she had to completely start a new residency permit because of the move so instead of a simple renewal she had to start all over again as if she had just moved to Germany. Normally not a big deal but the office had removed the appointment scheduling from their website and you could only schedule an appointment over the phone or in person, and no one ever answered the phone and there was no way to leave a message. Do regular people in Germany still have fax machines? Maybe for the future she should get one. She ended up having to spend most of a day waiting in line at the office to make an appointment to go to the office to renew her residency permit. The amount of time wasted makes even State Department of Motor Vehicles offices in the US look highly efficient in comparison.

As an American, if customer service is the 1st thing you list as being better in the US than in Germany, I sure dont want to deal w German customer service.

Having worked in restaurants and bars in the US I have to say that interest in the customers isn’t fake. The best part of the job was talking to customers! It’s fun to learn about other people’s lives and experiences. The job is hard work, without those positive interesting interactions I would have quit much sooner. I finished putting myself through college by working in a bookstore. The best part of that job was also helping my customers. Finding out what books they liked or didn’t like. Helping them discover new authors. It was so rewarding when they came back in and let me know how they enjoyed a book that I had recommended. Americans just generally enjoy talking to new people.

I’m American but my in-laws are from Germany and my wife was born in the US but has German citizenship and speaks fluent German. I’ve studied in Germany ( and Austria) and have been to Germany many times. There are lots of things I love about Germany but one thing I dislike intensely is ghat I feel Germans lack a standard politeness that is generally standard in the US and the UK, etc. If some slams into you walking on the sidewalk, nothing is said in the way of an apology or excuse me. This is unheard of in the English speaking world. German bluntness can be off putting for many can be also interpreted as rudeness although it is really a cultural matter.

I went to a Gesamtschule and had a really good experience there. It was possible to leave at year 9, 10 or 13, so depending on your grades and your personal plans you could decide if you want to do Haupt, Real or Abitur. We were also encouraged to participate in both Haupt and Real exams, even if we wanted to do Abitur. This was really beneficial for practicing exam situations.

A quick note on restaurants and business models: U.S. restaurants make their money from customer volume. When I lived in EUrope, one thing I noticed about restaurants is that customers will often sit at a restaurant for a very long time. That's true in France, Italy, Spain, etc. as well as the part of Germany where I was living. A European meal is a lengthy, social affair that can last hours. In the U.S., there are restaurants like this of course, but most rely on a fairly quick turnover of tables so there are more customers, and therefore, more business. This is why Europeans are sometimes startled and annoyed when American waiters keep asking them if they are ready for the bill right after the meal, whereas Americans are sometimes annoyed that their waiters in Europe are nowhere to be found as soon as they are done dining.

I just can't understand...why would you think someone being friendly/helpful isn't genuine? People in customer service ARE nice (for the most part). It's not fake! It just baffles me.

I am German and I agree with you on every single point you raise. Especially the school system, even though I find that we should keep the opportunity for students to leave school a few years earlier with a lower level diploma that allows them to start an apprenticeship. The one point that leaves a sour taste is the „civil servants are lazy“-stereotype though. I work at a government agency, we only have 80% of the staff we need and I am in my second year of a four year trial period. I am constantly afraid of not being fast enough and I don‘t understand how my more experienced colleagues do it all. I also don’t think I could half-ass anything in order to be faster as our decisions are really high-stakes. I constantly worry about making legal mistakes and really hurting people.

I have spent some time in Germany and your comments regarding customer service are spot on. I am amazed at how much of a hurry everyone is in when grocery shopping. I have been yelled at for not being quick enough packing my things by another shopper behind me. Regarding the school system, German emphasis on skilled trades is something we could use here in the US.

As an American who has worked for the US government for many years in many facets, the bureaucracy of the US system actually shares a lot of similarities. Yes, it is far more digitized, but outside of an initial 1-2 year probation period at the beginning of employment for a government employee, it can be extremely difficult to get rid of someone outside a literal act of Congress. They have implemented various systems of incentives to try to change stagnant behavior and poor performance, but it can be a serious problem. So, it’s definitely not just Germany.

In the US we have this “the customer is always right” mentality. It makes things a pain in the ass if you’re the one providing the service when you have to put up with rude, inconsiderate, stupid people and can’t talk back or you’ll be fired, but it’s great for the customer. Working in customer service in the US you have to have the patience of a saint and good acting skills 😂

The reason that most wait staff at restaurants here in the US survive on tips is that money talks! The waiter can actually influence how much they make depending on how good the service they offer is. Those who are good and put in the effort make Really good money. My sister started waiting tables in a small town, really small ( 1900 souls) at the age of 15. She did well and learned quickly. By the time that she was 18 we were living in a small suburb of Houston and she really starting raking it in. Same for every good waiter or waitress. They LOVE working for tips because they pretty much decide how much they will make and can then decide how many hours that they want to work that week. After she started bartending, at 19 (yes, she lied about her age, but back in the early '80's, nobody cared, she was raking in so much money that she would routinely drop $400-$500 bucks on a bet on a big football game. That is $1500 in today's money and she wasn't even 20! Because the nicer and more proficient you are, the more you make, the lazy and stupid wait staff drop out and, as a whole, the better staff just keep getting better. That is why making hourly pay for wait staff at a federally mandated $15 an hour is just stupid. The service gets worse, customers are NOT going to tip well if the meal is ridiculously over priced to begin with in order to support lazy staff and the entire system crumbles.

I love Christmas in Germany, the atmosphere around the Christmas markets makes it feel really like Christmas, and most of the shops have the Christmas atmosphere too.

The “fake happiness & fake friendliness” issue fascinates me since happy events in the lives of others often make me feel better than if the same events happened in my own life. I suspect that joy in the success of others comes from thinking of them as members of our family. That must be learned and cultivated in a culture, but the resulting pleasure in seeing good things happen to others is authentic and encourages others to view the world the same way.

#3: Here’s my take: Europeans are descended from the people who did not seek a better life in the New World. In the same way, US Easterners are descended from those who did not seek a better life in the western expansion. Therefore, the farther west you go, the more you’ll find openness to new ideas, improvement, change. I think that largely explains the pessimism of Germans, but also of other Europeans and Eastern Americans.

Feli, I’m an American and a Cincinnatian. But I’m 100% German heritage. When I has young i was quite unknowingly critical like you described many Germans are. I always felt I was being helpful giving my friends and family advice or my opinion. It took a couple of my good friends to point it to me to where learned how to be more supportive and less critical.

The only reason I live in Germany is because my husband is a beamter. He's the Studiendirektor for a Gymnasium. Whether he is a good teacher or not I can only judge by the fact that he's always working. Evenings, weekends, and today is the first day of Cmas vacation and he's in his office working. He works even during Summer break. It's like I married a doctor *lol* About the paperwork - last week I had to go to the doctor to get a Krankenschreiben doctor's note cuz my husband had Corona. As I arrived at the office and asked for the paperwork, I suddenly was struck with how absurd it is that I had to do this, knowing full well they have fax machines! And email, and scanners. Welcome to the new century where you don't even offer a fax to a customer and I need to drive my car to pick up a physical piece of paper? I asked and she said it's because we're privately insured. WTH. I knew you were going to mention CS. I love that you embrace good CS. I had two bad experiences just last week. I waited 20 minutes in line in the rain at the fish truck. Someone jumped in front of me (well, started a new line beside me) and before I could take my turn she ordered and they let her do it! Then I went to a shop to buy a new butane gas container to refill my lighters. I asked if they would recycle my empty and the lady just said NO. No "I'm sorry no" just no. And I don't think they belong in any trash container I own. Isn't there a law that states if a business sells something that must be recycled differently, they have to also accept the old/broken one? That lady is so mean, every time I come to her shop to buy our weekly magazine she looks at me like I'm ruining her day by being there. Oh, and she smokes cigarettes in the shop.

Having grown up in the USA in a German household, I totally understand the pessimism thing. It's kind of the story of my life. And I struggle with it myself.

I was a foreign exchange student in 1991-92 at the University of Dortmund with a few other Americans from my university. We brought our own music from home... mostly classic rock, on tape-cassettes. Our German friends might have liked it, but they said with a critical tone that it was too happy, and not at all realistic. We were happy with our happy music.

Hi Feli! One of the things I just love about you is your happy enthusiasm about the subject you are addressing. You are lovely! Best wishes from Southern Spain. 😀

Great video! I do think that tips is a factor for why US customer service is better than Germany but I think there’s a lot more to it than that. From what I hear, even business that are non-food related and don’t rely on tips have better customer service than its equivalent in Germany. Chick fil A idea a fast food restaurant that don’t rely on tips but their customer service is better than 90% of top based restaurants. Culture is a huge part of it

Your pessimism take hit home with me. I had the misfortune of growing up with a self described "Pessimistic" mother. I just turned 55 and expect to be in therapy for a couple more decades combating the damage her negative personality inflicted 😢😮😊

I live in a small New England town. I was at a local parade a few summers ago when I overheard some German tourists standing nearby. I was surprised -- we're not near any major cities and hardly a tourist town! -- so I asked them in my rusty high school/college German what brought them to the area. They were equally surprised that someone 1) knew German and 2) was being so forward and friendly to strangers. (They also thought the parade was like something out of a movie about tiny American towns. 🙂) In the end, I think they were very, very happy that a stranger approached them and was friendly. They said they'd been driving through New England for ten days and initially thought our "American niceness" was all fake, but quickly realized that we really do mean it in nearly all cases, and they were really enjoying chatting with strangers.

Very comprehensive explanation of information!! I really enjoy your channel!! You are a natural on camera!! Keep up the good work!!

Watching this video while visiting my mom in Germany 😂 And she agreed with your first 2 items. (she didn’t watch the whole video) The water/free refills thing was definitely a culture shock for me as a teenager in the 90s. I’m used to it now. 😅

Free 'glass water' is always a thing in Mexico as well. I also found it so weird growing up and visiting Germany that I couldn't get any Leitungswasser for free or at least for restaurants to have some bottled water with 0 bubbles available. I would literally go to the restroom and drink from the tap! Desperate times called for desperate masures 😬

Loved this video! The way you share your very thoughtful insight is making the world a better place. Let’s all learn from each other, from the good and the bad. Thanks for another great video.

Feli, I just have to say I really enjoy your insights! I’m a fifth generation immigrant from Germany, so I’ve never lived there, but I love being able to learn about my heritage like this. I truly appreciate your humility in how you present your thoughts!!

As a German who works at a government agency and who isn't tenured (we don't do that anymore where I work), i heavily disagree. Yes, people do go home at noon on Fridays, but that's not because they only have half-days on Fridays (unless they are part time workers). They just accumulate enough overtime hours during the other weekdays so they can leave earlier on Fridays. They don’t actually work less. Even if the office is closed, that does not mean everyone is going home. They're dealing with the bureaucracy during those hours cause - and this may be shocking to some - every goddamn file people hand in needs to be processed. I guarantee you: Nobody in Germany hates the bureaucracy more than civil servant workers. 😂 And the reason things take so long is just that: Bureaucracy. We hate it too. But we don’t make these rules. The government does. The other reason is that there is just too few of us. Most of us work overtime like crazy. And those who are lazy ... those exist, but they exist in every bigger company. And then those who aren't have to pick up their slack. On the point of digitalization: Where I work we have all documents in a digital file. There is only one printer left in the entire floor my office is on. Whenever we do get a fax, it gets digitalized and sent to us as a pdf-file as a mail attachment. Most stuff that seems antiquated, at least where i work and in my experience, is because of laws. Eg. we can't accept some legal forms digitally because the LAW says we can't. So people have to mail it via post it or send it via fax. Which - if you remember - gets converted into a pdf file anyways. We send faxes digitally too 😂. Your story about writing a mail and receiving back a letter is probably also because of a law: Data Protection Laws. Mails can be hacked. Therefore depending on what information you want, they can only convey it to you via letter because that is the only way they can be sure it is only read by its proper recipient. Sooooo yeah. Bureaucracy is a problem. Not the actual civil servant workers. Of course there are those who are lazy etc. But i know for a fact that those exist elsewhere as well.

Thinking about what could go wrong is essential almost always, but to follow it up with your reason to push forward, reasons to still do it and why that's the happier choice....that's the key

I entirely get this! I am American by birth, but have lived in other countries at two points in my life, and I've had the exact same experience. It made me appreciate many things about life at home, but also drew my attention to certain other things that my host countries did better.

Fun video. Feli you are wise beyond your years. I hope you, Ben and family have a wonderful Christmas 🎄 🎅

Good one Feli. Having lived in Germany in the early 1980’s, I know what you mean. In 2005 my wife bought a new Mercedes C-Class Kompressor Sport. It was a fantastic car and we loved it, however…below the center console where 2 cup holders were, condensation would occur and drip onto a circuit board that controlled the shifting of the transmission. It shorted out and it cost us $1500 to be replaced. We asked Mercedes to sell us the extended warranty as we were only 150 miles past the original warranty. Of course they said no. So…I wrote to Mercedes USA in english and Mercedes Deutchland in German. They BOTH said…”So sorry for your issue…but have a nice day.” We were sadly disappointed by this and sold the car in 2007 as it was starting to have other issues as well. We really thought a lot of Mercedes…and they let us down big time. They lost a customer for life. Great video today. :-)

Your friends being more excited for you about anything good for you is usually genuine and its sad about Germans being upset for your happiness

I had similar experiences in UK with some teachers who could not be bothered to do any teaching. Effectively we were just constantly given exercises from books, just keeping us quiet. It was quite a revelation when I went on to further education and had lecturers who actually told us things!

Merry Christmas to you and yours Feli. Hello from Northern Minnesota.

I like the german extracurricular system, it’s the same as in my home country (Lithuania). It allows students to find new friend outside of their school, expanding their social circle and allows shamelessly explore other facets of their personality, that could be mocked or ridiculed in school. For example I attended a sewing/design extracurricular and was appreciated by my sense of style and fashion there, and I was bullied because of it in my school. But knowing that the school people is not the whole world helped me get through it.

I stayed in outside of Regensburg 4 years ago, and the customer service at my hotel was outstanding, and when I would order my meals I was given free tap water. For breakfast I would order coffee and orange juice, they brought out a carafe full of coffee for me. On the whole that was the exception and definitely not the rule.

I have a good friend who is a teacher at at Gymnasium in Mainz. I coach a middle school scholastic bowl team here in the US, and I was telling my friend all about my experiences as a coach. She totally agreed that German schools would benefit if they had more extracurricular activities and said that she was quite jealous of US schools in this area. She said she wished her school had something like a scholastic bowl team because it would foster pride in her school. Your hypothetical conversation about the air fryer reminded me of a conversation I had with my friend in Mainz. I was talking about how much I preferred gas ranges over electric ones and she kept talking about the dangers of natural gas or fire. She couldn't see the benefits.

I spent a little over 2 years (90-92) in Germany when I was in the Army and was stationed in a small town called Darmstadt. Although I didn't do as much traveling as I'd wished, I did see some fantastic sites while I was there. I truly enjoy your videos of the country I called home for two years! Although our experiences are over 30 years apart, it is pretty cool to hear about your experiences in Germany as well as your second home here in the US!

I've been watching you videos for a while, and I just want to say how much I admire your attitude that neither country is better or worse than the other. They're just different. Oh, and BTW, my 11yo daughter started learning German off Duo Lingo, and I've been trying to help her. I'm so excited!

So ist das halt, „jeder Jeck ist anders“ und ich bin froh, wenn mich im Laden kein Verkäufer anspricht.

Love your videos. Thanks for the information on German social nature. Was at the top of a German mountian pass and saw a restored Opel like I had in the 70s. As an American I was excited to see it. I talked to the guy and it seemed like I got a cold shoulder. I asked him if his car gets up to the top of these steep mountains with no trouble for a 50+ year old car. He seemed very put off by my question. I thought he was a jerk, but I guess he just wasn't into small talk. I have several antique cars, and I'm always glad when someone takes interest and talks to me.

I graduated on a "Gesamtschule" in Bavaria 2001 already - so maybe some details changed since I left the school. (even the names are not Realschule and Hauptschule anymore I think 🙂) The meaning of a Gesamtschule was to have the three different school systems in the same building but it was still divided into the different levels - so myself graduated at the Realschule for example and I have done the same exams as the kids on a Realschule only school in Bavaria did. It was not possible for me to visit history class in Gymnasium for example or take some courses of the Hauptschule to make it a bit easier for myself. The kids had alternative schools if they had problems with some courses - for example a "Wirtschaftsschule" which had the focus on business and economy for example. The value of the exams was the same as a standard exam for Realschule but the subjects where different and more specific - maybe less natural science and more economic calculation. The benefit of the Gesamtschule was that it was easier to keep friendships up after 4th grade - cause your friends attended on the same school as you and sometimes you even had sport competitions or events together with them. (Sportfest ^^) A problem of "Gesamtschule" schools is the number of kids. Everything is much bigger as it is in a school with only one school system and also the problems with drugs, force and social differences are much more available every day. My personal opinion... I think the school system in Germany is for sure not the best. The skills of the individual won´t be recognized enough and if you have problems in one mandatory subject like Math, English or German your complete school career will fail and doors will be locked.

A few weeks ago I spent my holidays in Naxos, Greece (btw. it was fantastic, Naxos is the most beautiful island I can think of! Try a visit! And no, I am not the advertising representative of Naxos😂) and it showed off that whenever you ordered anything at a restaurant or a bar, you got a big glass of tap water aside, most of the time even with ice cubes. I wasn't pretty much used to it and ended up by always smiling like a Honigkuchenpferd and thanking the waiter/waitress multiple times inan exaggerated manner and appreciating this gesture waaay to much for it was so uncommon for me as a German. When I heard Feli talking about this I had to laugh and simultaneously felt a little embarrassed regarding my behaviour.🙈 Greetings from the Ruhrgebiet!

After living in the US for 27 years and having grown up in Germany and living there for 30 years I absolutely agree with your points, especially # 1-3. The pessimistic outlook on basically everything which dominates Germany is probably the most "German" thing in the natural character there. It drove me away and I never regretted moving to America. The negativism in Germany permeates everything, from politics to family life. You succinctly summed it up: instead of asking "why not?" Germans always ask "why?" and come up with tons of reasons against it. And yes, customer service there sucks :)

Really enjoyed this video Feli, you are amazing!

Great list! I can totally agree, especially with point #3. One thing I love about the US is the entrepreneurial spirit whereas in Germany this kind of thinking is usually met with doubt and envy.

I haven't been to Germany in over 20 years so I hope it is better now, but I remember spending huge amounts of time waiting and waiting on super slow "service" at restaurants. The food wasn't great, took forever and you were treated with absolute contempt for coming into the restaurant in the first place. I don't think I'd waste my time at any restaurants if I go back, just hit a grocery store for some snacks and keep moving.

You make such good points here! I spent six months in Germany when I was in college, and I noticed all of these things even back then (a while ago!). I noticed the judgment issue, big-time! I was in Munich, and I felt that I was being judged and evaluated all the time!, and oh my goodness, yes! We always felt like we were intruding on the wait staff in the restaurants, just by being there!😂. I can honestly say, I don’t ever remember, feeling welcomed by a waiter or waitress. It’s interesting and also to regularly hear Europeans (in Europe) comment on America as being very “fundamentalist” and full of gun violence This confirms that they get all their information from the mainstream media, which pushes these misconceptions (for obvious political reasons).

As a Swede living in Munich, the customer service situation honestly puzzles me. In Sweden, tipping is rare, and never expected, but customer service is generally significantly better. So I don’t actually think that explains the poor customer service. Both countries also have a high level of job security. Would be interesting if you made a video where you dive a bit deeper into this topic, and tried to find out why German customer service is so poor!

Thank you for this post!!

Even if your life isnt where you want it to be; attitude makes a world of difference. And attitude can be contagious.

Restaurants in the US also make lots of money from drink sales. It typically costs the restaurant about 8 cents per cup/glass (their cost, depending on their contract with the drink vender) and they may charge $2-3 for the same. Free refills do not hurt their bottom line but infact make it a value proposition for the customer as an incentive to order it in the first place. Food costs are generally their highest expense (outside of labor) and generally margins are not great. Drinks or other specialty items are the high-profit items for the service industry.

A British bureaucrat (a personal friend) said to me he has to schedule time on the internet at some room down the hall and is then only allowed 58 minutes per day to update his files. No internet in his office, at home, or elsewhere in the department. In my US office if my internet goes down I have dozens of other desks where I can access the system and can ask any of my colleagues to log in on the laptops during their lunch hours. I have dozens of options and even then an IT is likely to show up in person to fix the issue. I can also work from home where I have four other laptops in addition to my company issued machine. Five internet-ready computers at home....dozens at work. Blessed I suppose but no excuses for not getting work done.

Dear Feli! Its so fun watching you and im learning a lot! Im an asian currently living in Germany and I agree with everything you shared specially the school system here.

Some suggested translations for some of the tricky words: For Ausbildung, I recommend using “vocational training.” “apprenticeship” sounds like something from a few centuries ago lol 😅 Behörden: You could say “official offices” or “administrative offices.” relativieren: In this context, you could use something like “use a lot of qualifiers” or “qualify your response.”

Customer service is definitely different! I as a former Waiter, Kellner, myself, spoke right up there without problems but my local friends looked a little stunned I was so bold. I said, it's there JOB!

Thank you for this video. I'm very interested in different opinions related to this question. So I was very curious what youre thinking about it. And as much as I think you're right, as much I'm disagreeing in many reasons you mentioned. In the end, there are many soft facts and its a personal preference, what you like or dont like. But I'm glad you told your 5 things and I agree with all of them in general.

Your insights are very valuable both ways

I actually really like, that your free time activities are less tied to your school here in germany, because it gives you people out side of the context of your school. As someone with a really hard time at school because of social reasons i was really happy to have an escape into a group of people who didnt bully me because of peer pressure. But iI totally see, that thats only really possible in an urban area and i also would have loved some way where it was extra but also more connected. Maybe an event where the clubs in your region get to present themself or something. Another thing where I disagree is bildung ist ländersache. I actually am really happy about that, because it gives a lot more freedom to be progressive. If u organize a schoolsystem in a centralistic way it tends to be way more conservative, right now the bundesländer can choose themselves whats best for them. Some bundeslandäder have religion as a mandatory subject and i would expect that it also would be if school were centralistic because for some bundesländer its a huge deal. Where i come from religion isnt mandatory, ethics is. And that just makes so much more sense for students here.

Generally waitresses and waiters are quite friendly here in Upper Swabia. However I remember one waiter at a quite popular pub who was always in an extreme hurry to get orders done and you had to be really quick at answering his questions. The way he was reacting appeared to be rude sometimes - but also quite funny because he was really doing everything to bring the things you wanted as fast as possible to your place. So actually after knowing him better some people actually liked the way he was working and preferred to be served by him. I did too. However it's a fact: you can get treated quite unfriendly for no reason at all. And although it happens rarely it isn't a nice experience. And allegedly there are places where such treatment is supposed to be part of the experience - eg. Berlin and Vienna (who would have thought).

I hope you and your family and friends have a wonderful Christmas

I have learned a lot from watching your videos. Some things surprised me and many made me think about things.

I never mess with people who are involved with cooking my food, and I also never send food back to the kitchen.

You arent lying about that joke for the government workers. I was in the US Air Force and worked with NATO in a small German village. Fridays you wouldnt see them after 12. We used to say NATO, Not After Two Oclock

Thanks for this awesome video 😚

Spent a week in Munich almost two weeks ago now and can confirm that your favorite beer Augustiner is definitely the best beer in Munich! We only ate at Augustiner restaurants there. Also in terms of this video, the service is definitely different but I respect it. At one of the Augustiner places we went to, I dont know if the waitress was flirting with me, but in a group of like 10 people she kept picking on me the whole time lol. Mocked me with how I said "goulash", was like "what do you want", and was like "oh you want to tip" at the end and had me input it into the machine. Was really funny but we loved it.

When I lived in Italy there were similar issues. The country was beautiful and the people wonderful for the most part, but when it came to customer service, they always treated you like you're a bother to them and government bureaucracy was beyond frustrating and pointless.

Die Amerikaner zeigen sich viel aufgeschlossener, wenn es darum geht, auf Fremde zu zugehen und mit Ihnen zumindest auf Small-Talk-Ebene zu kommunizieren. Mag zwar auch nur oberflächliche Nettigkeit sein (die aber immerhin ihre Notwendigkeit im amerikanischen Siedlerwesen gehabt haben dürfte), aber es ist trotzdem immer noch nett.

good morning Feli,💗💗 first I want to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas,🎄🎄🎀🎁 second, I want to tell you that this is a great report, see you next time

Another great video! I just love your effervescence!!! I also commented recently on another one of your videos in the past few days, and commented on how your English has become outstanding. And lastly, how beautiful your hair is, with such a nice color and sheen! Enjoy the holidays at home, and hopefully you won't run into too many 'Germans' who are either negative, or bad mouth your living in the USA, a country where most people in the world would like to live! My guess on this one issue, that the negative comments may be rooted in jealousy. 'Long, Long Ago, Far, Far Away', I use to live in Vienna, Austria (a truly wonderful city) as a teenager, so I have some concept of the differences between Europe and the US. I recall how early it got dark in the Winter. After returning to the US I have lived in quite a few different places in the US, including in Ohio - Toledo, Ohio. Today, we live in the Phoenix, AZ metro area, which is now 5 million people! And it is sunny here 300-320 days a year, but no snow for X-Mas (unless you go up into the mountains).

I used to live in the US (I'm from Switzerland) and while I understand your point about American positivity (and I partially agree with it), looking back at my life in the US, I feel like it was also rather exhausting at times. Yes, German people are reserved and sometimes negative. Swiss people are even a million times more reserved. But on the up-side, they're also mellow. And honestly, I kinda like that. In the US, I often felt as though everyone was on a never-ending sugar high; everybody's very emotionally charged. This made me feel pressured to act the same way, which cost me a lot of energy. More importantly, though, it also leads to a lot more open conflict. For example many Americans rub their politics or religion into other people's faces. I'm a very non-confrontational person, so I get super stressed out when people around me get loud, animated, or even hysterical. In Switzerland, public spaces feel very peaceful. People are very reserved (which can be frustrating) but they also very much respect your privacy and generally leave you alone, which is nice. Anyway, maybe this is why I love British people. They're much mellower than Americans and they allow themselves to be grumpy but they're also very humorous and self-depreciating, which makes interacting with them feel easy and fun, yet deep at the same time.

20:10 Many schools in the mountains also have ski teams. When I worked at Squaw Valley I loved working the lifts that were used exclusively by the schools. All of the kids knew what you should and should not do in a ski lift, so they almost never needed help. There was that one time when one kid dared the other to lick the pole on the chair on a really cold day. But I knew just what to d in that case. I grabbed my bottle of water and poured in on the kid's tongue, and it came unstuck with ease and zero pain. It was good for a laugh at least.

Hey! I agree, be HAPPY! Merry Christmas!

Hi Feli, The thing I would change is that if you are in a restaurant and order a Coke it comes in a little glass. On the other hand if you order a beer it comes as a 1 liter serving for probably less money. Since I don’t drink I always wondered why why I wasn’t asked if I wanted a large Coke? But everyone ordering beer automatically got way more to drink than me. Thanks, John

Feli, your ability with language is pretty amazing... ala.. Speaking American English so well with little accent... There is far more to that (in any language - and doing it well, than most people fathom... Thanks for sharing these videos... Really cool perspective!!!

#2 literally validates the last 16 months of suffering for me. thank you

The picture that I clicked on had you holding up your left hand with the title "after 7 years"...I had a totally different idea of what you were going to say-LOL.

Insightful video ... thanks!

Thank you, Feli, for discussing the German School System. However, in the US, schools vary not just by state but by county (region within the state). This leads to some traumatic experiences if parents move. For example, my parents moved my last 18 months in a school district. My grades were good enough for Valedictorian or Salutatorian at a larger, diverse and challenging school. However, they moved to a wealthier neighborhood that was small and insular. My grades were A, B. But that district evaluated you A+, A, A-, B* etc. so my As and Bs were downgraded and I wound up 9th in a smaller class with less challenging curriculum. So… I never forgave my parents for me not getting scholarships. US school systems are so vastly different that if you change towns, it can affect your future! So yeah, not great!

Germany: using fax machines Meanwhile in the US: people using checks 😂😂😂😂😂😂😂

This is literally my new favorite channel.

So, a bit on the bureaucracy of Germany compared to the USA, I want to give some perspective as a person who grew up in the USA, and lived there until 36, and then moving to Germany being already fluent in the language. I was actually able to acquire a Arbeitserlaubnis leading to my Blaue Karte in a very short period of time, basically in a week. The bureaucrats I think were surprised that I would have all my forms and documents already prepared and complete when I arrived, rather than arriving assuming that it could all just get handled there very informally. So, they just kind of were able to turn the wheels of bureaucracy pretty fast. (Bureaucrat: “Oh, wait, you mean I don’t have to spend 30 minutes with you going over what forms you need to fill out, and what forms of documentation you need to bring? OMG, I love you, please, come, I will process your papers happily.”) However, I have also been hit by a wall of “we cannot do that.” But the reason for the refusal made a sort of sense within the rules, as my new work contract would conclude before the end of the validity of my Blue Card, so they did not want to change the title under which I was permitted to work, and expected me to simply reapply for a brand new Blue Card. (The visa service of my new employer managed to negotiate with a written document from a superior that this was allowed, and then the bureaucrats were happy to process the paperwork.) I also faced a wall of “there is nothing we can do” when my at-the-time husband failed to bring our marriage certificate with him, resulting in us being unable to get him an Ehegattenvisum before the 30-day Schengen Visa Free entry allowance expired, meaning he had to return to the USA for at least 3 months. But this is more of in the similar vein of the first paragraph, where many foreigners simply do not expect that they have to have all their paperwork complete and in order, and that bureaucracy can be handled by the seat of the pants. One difference I will note is that once German bureaucracy has stamped some sort of document, this operates with a high amount of presumption, and thus overwhelmingly definitive. In the USA, much of the bureaucracy is so cheap and easy to do, precisely because it can often be undone quite easily as well. Courts can regularly and happily simply just overturn all the paperwork and bureaucracy that one might have done. For example, your home purchase could be done by someone showing up with a superior deed, and suing you for a quiet title and take your home from you. “I didn’t even know this person existed!” 🤷‍♀Too bad, so sad. “What about the money I paid on the house?” Sue the person you paid it to in order to recover damages, good luck. So, in the USA, things are so readily solved by lawsuit that the bureaucracy is largely only responsible for recording decisions agreed to between private parties, nothing more, nothing less. Meanwhile, in Germany, having the bureaucratic documentation that a real estate property is in your name is an immediate affirmative defense to anyone attempting to supersede your ownership.

Hey Feli, ich liebe deine Videos. In diesem sind mir allerdings ein paar Dinge aufgefallen, die vielleicht aus einer bayrischen Perspektive stimmen können, aber nicht aus einer gesamtdeutschen. Ich bin Lehrer an einer Gesamtschule in Niedersachsen und hier ist diese Schulform sehr verbreitet und akzeptiert. Außerdem muss man, um verbeamtet zu werden, natürlich erstmal das Referendariat mit unzähligen Prüfungen machen und hat danach eine 3-jährige Probezeit, in der man sich in Unterrichtsbesuchen mit Reflexionsgesprächen bewähren muss. Bei anderen Jobs hat man da nur ein halbes Jahr. Auch sonst sind die Schüler- und Elternschaft gute "Kontrollelemente" für Qualität nach der Probezeit. Es gibt sicherlich gute und schlechte Leistungen bei Lehrer*innen, aber die gibt es überall und der Grund dafür ist nicht das Beamtentum. Keep up the great work, Feli!

I have a million stories about the German "mentality " I remember a German woman telling me at a club for foreigners to meet Germans (stammtisch) , that she loved going to the cinema as a hobby but wouldn't dare tell her colleagues at work because they would later say to one another "Her house must be very messy since she spends so much time at the cinema " I was floored at how something so harmless could be twisted into such a negative aspect. ❤

Vielen Dank Feli für viele, viele unterhaltsame Stunden in 2023 ... ich freue mich schon auf neue interessante Dinge 2024 - nur schade, daß Understanding Trainstation ein Ende gefunden hat. Ich wünsche allen ein frohes Weihnachtsfest und einen Guten Rutsch ins Jahr 2024 !!!