Happy Thursday. Let me say here that doing something for your mental health (in the realm of normal) is never a bad thing. You are the only person that can care for yourself and look after yourself. I am hoping when I go back to Germany that I will be in a better head space to tackle the negative energy that is floating around the country :( I know that it is a temporary problem and it is not how I know German people to act.

I spoke to some foreigners living in Germany. They have their own life stories and bad experience here. But what their are all agreed with was that they travel back and forth to their country of origin (every 3-6 months) to get back to their normal mental state otherwise "you can get crazy in Germany". The amount of hate and aggression in Germany is enormous.

This is my 3rd month in Germany. I'm here as an exchange student and I can relate so much! I've never felt so unwelcomed in any country and I was wondering if I'm the only one. Can't wait to leave.

I'm German and this attitude of Germans is the biggest reason why I live happily in the US for 36 years now. Every time I went back to Germany I got traumatized because I just am not used to this low kind of interaction anymore and don't want to join them. The neighbor of my family in Germany poisoned their new little trees that were supposed to build a nice property line because she is a Zugereiste" referring to my mother moving there from Northern Germany because she got married to my dad 25 years ago. I was mistreated and my kids emotionally abused by teachers after we moved from Berlin to Northern Germany. German people are harsh, always looking for the negative, always finding fault even when the job was done 120%. It is also interesting that women are the worst. I am a psychologist, Psychology was "invented" in Germany but the Germans have never heard of applying it to daily life and their interaction with each other. Interesting is also that they never follow local rules when they are visiting foreign countries. They are incredibly disrespectful and ignorant and always argue, lecture and criticize! It's annoying, very shameful and very very embarrassing!

After 4 years of living here in Berlin, I am finally done with this country and I am leaving. I am the only asian in our apartment building and an elderly couple living above constantly attacks me. It all started from a one time incident of me cooking Pasta with "garlic" in it. Apparently the elderly couple above is allergic to garlic. It left a bad first impression and since then they have been aggressively making me feel that I don't belong. They called the apartment owner to complain about my cooking, it then escalated to my husband's smoking when they can no longer complain about my cooking. They then claim that I am cooking something exotic and I should go back to where I come from. Everytime they know we are cooking, they shout and make loud remarks. I never even cook with spices anymore, my life here has been bland like the RACIST germans living above me. They traumatized me so much to the point of causing my miscarriage due to the constant attacks. My mistake was never telling the doctors about this nor asking some professional help. It took awhile for me to accept it was RACISM as I have never experienced this ever. I lived as a Digital Nomad before settling in Berlin and I was never treated like this before. So I was in denial for a long time. The final straw for me was when the Racists called the apartment owner and complained that I cooked "two times" in a day. I am so traumatized by living here in Germany that I am in the process of selling everything in the apartment to leave in a month. I would rather contribute my high taxes to where I am wanted and definitely it's not in Germany.

I am from Hungary and I could not finish my university so I went to Germany to work. From the first moment it was horrible in Bayern . They do not want to talk to you, in the Rathaus loudly saying heavy racist comments . At work constantly you have to smile and ask 1000x wie gehts or the team lead calls you for a talk. There is no socialisation, Germans do not wanna mix with you. You do not get any help or kindness , Germans are cold as ice , no emotions or empathy at all (at the vet office after putting my dog to sleep they called the security and took me out as I was crying very loudly hence I was bothering others….). A lot of time they do not pay for your work, you have to live with 5-10 people in a room without heating, work conditions are poor and dangerous. Germans keep reminding you that you are always lower than them, I call this indirect racism , where they explain themselves indirectly so you cannot say that hey , racism..I live already for 4 years at home , but I still work with germans in IT. Horrible.. Constant humiliation and you are not allowed to talk back. Now that I work in a needed profession every week they call me with an offer to move back to Germany as they need IT. Sometimes I still have a nightmare that I am waking up there in that cold, traumatising environment. I am sorry but Germany is a horrible place where identity and being you is not allowed. Very oppressing culture , kind of robot like. I will never go back to there, not even for holiday.

LOL the fact that many people watched this and shared their similar stories proves a point. I’m 5 years in and I wanna leave too

I left Germany after 5 years. It was just too hard to make friends.

Planning to leave germany soon. Its not working for me

We spend most of my life in Germany. Have university degrees, earn above average.. our first languages is German.. But we never felt accepted! These people are full of negativity, hate and racism. Since we have a small baby, we have decided to finally leave this country. It makes me sick to see how much they hate kids, especially when they're not Bio Deutsch.

I have been experiencing lots of negativity in Germany too😢 My German boyfriend's parents are awful to me. His mom sends me mean messages and I told his parents I was born and raised in America but they still continue to ask me questions about China. My boyfriend's dad even pick things out of his soup at an Asian restaurant and ask me what everything is even though I said many times "sorry, I don't know." I feel like if a white person say they are American, they wouldn't be questioned more but many Germans keep making me feel like I can't be a real American😔

I have been dealing with the same situations for the last 12 years.. my advice, do not move here unless you are desperate.. shitty weather, some people are rude and nasty. Some times its racism, mostly it's just the way they are.. i haven't got used to this kind of co-existance, and i dont think i will ever do.. and trust me, the money is not worth it...

Unfortunately the ‘nastiness’ had nothing to do Corona. Empathy is not a common trait in Germany and Austria. Many people are living their protagonist lives and everyone else is just in their way.

The whole thing with people telling you to return to africa reminds me of when i returned to germany from the US, people in school would constantly bully me and tell me to return to the US not knowing i was actually from Würzburg. When they found out i wasn’t actually american their attitude changed. People need to be kind

Thank you so so so very much for this video and to everyone who commented. All this time I thought I was the problem! I’ve changed myself tried everything to be accepted in society, wondered what I did wrong but at a certain point I couldn’t figure it out anymore. The world is big and my whole life the life experience in Germany (as a Black woman) was my world. I need to travel until to explore other worlds, people and other mentalities. I’ve always gave the people in this country the benefit of the doubt but you and the people in the comments had the same experiences - the society and atmosphere in this country is so rude and extremely negative. It almost crushed my spirit. So thankful for the internet! I’ve once told a therapist that I feel like I’m surrounded by predators. If you don’t have good friends, a family or a safe home - it’s very hard here to say the least.

i had such an encounter with a Racist lady in Düsseldorf Airport. i was taking my Coffee and looking for a place to sit, there was one with electrical socket so i plugged my Laptop i took some time to do some work while charging it. There was a Phone charging near me, one Lady came angry to me and was yelling " Er will mich Klauen er will mich Klauen" , someone Translated to me that she was accusing me of trying to stealing it. Lady i am a Computer System Engineer i almost certainly make multiple times your salary and maybe your entire yearly income in one month. I am no Refugee still they deserve respect and you end up making yourself looking like human garbage

Thank you for your honesty. I left Berlin after 5 years. Tension in the air with angry locals is palpable

Its "Lagerkoller", but no reason for being racist. Sorry you had to deal with that

I lived in Germany before the pandemic and encountered the same rude behaviour almost everywhere I went. So, no excuse. I’m really sorry for your negative experience. I totally feel you. I hope you are in a better place now. X

Wow, watching this after a year and now as a Ukrainian refugee in Germany, I can tell I had almost exactly the same experience with old people here in Germany, they are the craziest bulliest people I've ever met in my life, sorry you had to go through that.

I was on my way to my job in Germany. At a train station the was a guy with a musicbox and who sang rock hits live there. And he was really good! No one...absolutely NO ONE looked at him. Every single person ignored him, just like trying hard not to move the eyes in his direction! It was very very weird for me. But then two security guys came to him and wanted just to see his papers, that he is allowed to do this. Only at that moment everyone started to look at this situation with a big nasty smile on their face. They wanted to see him get arrested or like that. He showed them something and they went away. This was the perfect picture of germany.

I am a native german. and you are telling the truth. We like to complain about other people. i feel sorry about that

I feel sorry for you. I live in Berlin for 5 years and experienced rude behavior too. I'm totally 'white' eastern European girl and, working all the time, quite well educated and speak good German and still treated like stupid 'Putzfrau' by some German ppl.

Even as a German, other German people say I am weird because I am a cheerful person who enjoys to laugh and have fun😂 Someday someone told me why I was laughing and whether I was laughing about her😂🙄

I'm very surprised by the dislikes. Your experience in Germany is totally valid, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise! You have the right to live wherever you feel most comfortable and accepted. Hope you're doing well, currently

I think this pandemic has really brought out the worst in people all over the world.

How awful. I've been living in Germany for 8 years and one of the main characteristics of German people is unfortunately the lack of tact, sensitivity and empathy. Many people have absolutely no manners. I've been battling with depression for nearly two years now and as a way to get overcome it and open up, I invited someone over and cooked dinner...what I got mostly was a critique of my apartment and questions such as when or if I was going to get the German citizenship. I mean, where is basic human decency and kindness?

Lithuanian here, who moved to Germany when i was just a lil child. Can relate to everything you spoke about and i also plan to move out of here. The negativity is just... let´s say i am speechless. Still after being here for a longer time now

I just came to Germany magdeburg and cannot wait to get back to the UK. Wish I never came. Arrogant rude people. Having travelled to many countries this is the worst I've had so far.

I'm an eastern European living in Germany, in a small town. My husband (german) doesn't have friends anymore, since he married me. He was excluded from all the groups, quietly. They are all nice and "friendly" when we meet on the street but the fakeness it's obvious... they are neidisch und hinterlistich. The older people are very mean, bitter... and direct. And when they don't say it to your face, they speak/gossip (loud) about you, with you standing 2m away. And YES, they are RACIST!

Germany does a really good job at letting you know you don't belong there. Some days I am shocked with how people treat me in Germany. Girl I am right there with you!! Coming home to America for a visit REALLY SOON! Stay strong!!!

Hayley you're NOT offensive at all. I agree with everything you said in this video. These are also the reasons why I want to leave Germany. The most things I don't like is really poor customer service, unfriendly people, people suddenly screaming at you on the street/making fun of you/sometimes even threatening you (mostly drunk people). Germans in general are really so pessimistic and too serious. I had many experiences where people literally stared at me, because I'm not following the boring fashion, which is common in Germany. Of course not every German is like that, but still most people are just unbelievably rude, without even knowing the person. Especially for introverts it's so hard to survive in German society. You're always made fun of: You're so quiet, you never say anything didn't realize you were here. (Are people just dumb or don't they realize that this is hurting) I miss my time in other countries where all people are friendly and want to integrate you into their culture/ introduce you to their friends. I lived in Singapore for a little less than 1 year and you just realize the differences. I had a reversed culture shock when I came back to Germany. As soon as I get the opportunity I will leave BRD.

As a European, I can confirm there are many racists in Europe. You're not imagining it, or being overdramatic. You are right be disgusted, just like most of us feel disgusted by this kind of people.

i am born and raised in germany studied here, work and pay my taxes. Still many people discriminate me just because my Name is turkish. The problem in germany is not rasicm its more that a lot of german people feel they are superior over you what make the country cold and depressed.

I am Mexican and did the same myself. I am a permanent resident in the country and not planning on moving but this last winter was INTENSE. I was feeling so depressed and anxious. Just came back from Mexico after staying there for 3 months. Best decision ever. The environment in Germany at the moment is quite toxic. I still love the country tho.

I lived 17 years in Germany and I agree with you . What you think about Germany I just fehlt the same . I am portuguese andI fehlt awful there for your reason.That Why I decided come back home. Actualy I got married a German thats why I landed there. But it was really bad. Because arrogance is everywhere.

I hate Germany, people are so unfriendly. Unfortunately can’t leave because the father of my kids is German and does not want to leave. When the kids move out I am going back to NL.

Omg!!! I am a south Asian living in germany since 4yrs, I have experienced some of the similar situation u have mentioned in the video😖 Even I felt the same,Germany has so much negativity n negative energy , people are rude for no reason, which is making me more depressed !!! I thought it’s only me who is feeling so until I saw this video!!! I can totally relate to the instances u have faced😔These 4 years of my stay in Germany has been the lowest point in my life so far I can say!!! I spoke to my husband about how I feel staying here, we are planning to move to someother country soon once the pandemic gets better✌🏻

I’m in Germany right now and I’m READY to go. It’s been so hard and depressing lately. I’ve been here almost 3 years and haven’t seen my family since I’ve been here. I’ve enjoyed Germany but it’s time for a change.

Leaving germany as soon as i can. People are so evil here. Everything is money. It got so bad to a point where a ‚Cent’ is more important than a human being in here.

Been here for nine months. Trying to find the good in Germans daily, but boy is it difficult! Boy do I have stories, too. Praying that what I'm experiencing does not rub off on me!!!

Being German and living in Germany I can very much relate to this. I had elderly ladies screaming at me for no good reasons in an elevator and even those ones I've known for years who are living in the same street. But it was not only German elderly ladies. It's not only old people, but younger ones and older ones, men and women. Lots of people are in a very bad place! I even witnessed colleagues in the office screaming at each other. It was a conversation about whether it's harder right now for people with children and that quickly turned into a heated discussion. ("People who don't have children can't understand our problems with working in home office at all. You have no way of knowing what it's like. You can't understand/comprehend/empathize.") As soon as Germans start talking SOMEONE needs to be right. Usually the younger person or the one considered to be inexperienced is supposed to agree with everything the older person says. In Germany you will NEVER hear people say: Let's agree to disagree! I've also met a lot of young men telling me that they are depressed because of all the new rules and regulations like not being able to go to the gym and at the same time losing their jobs. Germans have a tendency to take all this (the pandemic) very seriously while at the same time taking it personally. Although all this certainly has some pretty devastating consequences the economic and personal crisis might also be a chance for some people to reinvent themselves, to learn new skills and prove to themselves that they are resilient or can at least become stronger. There is a saying that might be helpful: "Die Lage ist hoffnungslos, aber nicht ernst." That translates as: "The situation is hopeless, but not serious." I think you can also find this quote in the great ironic book "The Pursuit of Unhappiness" (=Anleitung zum Unglücklichsein) by the psychologist Paul Watzlawick. Even if there is no hope and everything seems dark, you should never take life too seriously because this world is and has always been a crazy place and there is just no alternative to optimism. Right now I have to look for a new job for the third time in the crisis because all of the places I worked at could no longer offer me a job due to Corona and the government's rigid policies that may or may not be helpful. Still, I know I have to stay focused on being (and becoming more) successful and calm. I can't always do it, though. I just tell everyone around me that I have good days and bad days right now and to please judge me for what I do and say on the better days. We will all have to apologise to a lot of people after the crisis and negativity is not the best attitude, but certainly right now it's a very common one.

Germany is a tough place to live...You have to REALLY know who you are, be able to live on " your own", be completely self-reliant, be able to ignore people with bad vibes and become more self-centred..I always say, if you can live here and find any kind of happiness, you can live anywhere..Big hug to you...Human beings deserve more though..❤️

That's why I left Germany a long time ago. As a native born German I know my people very well and it's not only the pandamic. I don't want to go further in it. But I am an American citizen now an I'm glad about it.

I am an Asian artist and live in Germany. It's very difficult to be accepted here. When talking to them, for example some artists or people who work for the gallery, they are nice, but sometimes what they was talking with me. I felt that they still look down on me. So I feel more comfortable doing art online for people from somewhere who are really interested in my art.

You are right honey. I feel very very sorry for you and I‘m ashamed for those people. Be sure, there are a lot of people in Germany, who are nice and worth of you getting them to know. I send a big hug to Florida. Lass den Kopf nicht hängen. 🤗🌻

Germans are much more critical of others, compassion is not their forte. Believe me, I have dealt with it for years.

I was born white in the US and I have lived in Germany since 2008. Many, many Germans go out of their way to exclude people who are not in their tribe. I have lost jobs (more than one) in Germany because of this tribal mentality. The question is what steps are needed to join their tribe and if it is even worth it. In daily life I regularly receive comments from native Germans regarding how the US mentality is more optimistic and happy than the pessimistic unhappy German mentality. These same Germans talk about moving out of Germany.

I have traveled quite a bit. I spent two weeks in Berlin in 2016 and I have never been treated more poorly in my life than I was treated there by people. I’ll never go back to Berlin.

Okay, now i'm scared!... I'm black and have been here for just 4 months... Its a different experience for me so far. I hope I'd keep being this lucky

As a native german I‘m ashamed for those peoples behavior and it‘s making me so angry that it‘s just not that commun around here to show stragers kindness. And its making me sad that tose are the ones to represent us in such a bad way. I can just hope for it to get better and please try not to let them bring you down. Best whishes from NRW

Born there and maybe its the south of Germany but im leaving this fucking place and never coming back

You can see it in their eyes and behavior that some people are racist and you are unwanted. I hope you heal soon and I wish you all the best.

Ich hab aktuell echt das Gefühl die Leute hier drehen komplett durch. Es tut mir sehr leid für dich, dass du solche schlimmen Dinge erleben musstest. :( erhol dich gut in Florida und ich hoffe du gibst Deutschland nicht auf. ❤️

OMG! Es tut mir sooo leid! 😔 Ich schäme mich dafür was die Frau zu dir gesagt hat.

me too - Swedish girl one year in Germany moving back home and will never step an other foot in Germany 💔

I so totally agree with you, 10 years in germany....cant wait to leave it for good!

The problem is also that the whole country is devided. Friends and Families are going a part because of different opinions about covid 19. That's a big psychological burden many people carry on their shoulders. Still not a reason to insult you. Sorry about that

Es tut mir sehr leid, dass du so eine schlechte Erfahrung machen musstest. Fühl dich mal ganz fest gedrückt und ich wünsche dir alles Gute. Du bist eine so liebe Person und ich liebe deine Art.

I ran across this somehow, and your experience absolutely resonates with all people of color in germany. I am American or Arab background married to a German. There is routine aggression and condescension directed at people of color in Germany, but Germans will deny it exists. It is maddening but we all experience it. I've learned to just ignore anyone who is rude and aggressive toward me. I literally ignore them as they try to discipline me and it makes them even more mad. I get satisfaction out of seeing Germans get upset that their aggressive disciplining isn't working. Nothing drives them crazier. Take care.

I'm so so sorry that this happened to you. I'm German myself and you're absolutely right. The pandemic has brought out the worst in people. I'm so sorry!

Those German Karens. 🤦‍♂️ Totally get you and I agree. Germans in general are not in a good vibe now. The winter has been far too long and that along with the pandemic has definitely pushed some people to the dark side. Still, I'm positive about the next few months. ❤️

Being Polish it happened to me a lot that people assumed or expressed that I either came to clean in Germany or don’t have money which was very frustrating. I was getting very annoyed because I was completing my phd at that point. I was so happy to leave, it is for sure not everyone but these exceptions can make this experience of living abroad unpleasant.

The stares are real girl. Specially in the smaller towns. I didn’t feel uncomfortable in bigger cities but wow they definitely let you know you’re an outsider in the smaller towns and villages .

Hi sis. I am there now and can relate to all you said. I'm an African and pray nothing takes me outside daily but it's impossible. Most Germans are highly irrational & mean. Even at the hospitals l still see worse situation and pray nothing takes me there again....Although Germany is a good country🙇

Hayley. I'm really sorry from my heart! Your observations are unfortunatly true. I work as a cashier in a german supermarket and the people are horrible these days. People are screaming and shouting at each other about nothing, and being disrespectful to others and us cashiers. I think people are becoming psychotic in a way. We are in lockdown since i-dont-even-remember-anymore, not seeing friends and family and "Ausgangssperre" at 21uhr. And that sadly makes people not only aggressive, but they're projecting their mood on people which seem foreign. Or they get the balls to be openly racist now?! 🤢 I'm angry, I'm outraged, I'm ashamed and I'm deeply sorry. Hope it gets better soon.

I am usually a talkative person but lm learning to be quiet and respond with smiles or nods when l interact with people here.It’s really helped to maintain my mood because unhappiness and bitterness are super contagious.If you interact a lot with unhappy people it’s hard to not be dragged into the drama and your words misinterpreted even if they know lm not fluent in their language.Being here has been difficult but l have really learnt how to be independent and learning that my happiness is my responsibility and only mine.

Sorry but this is true, I'm living already 30 Years in Germany and I'm still for them an immegrant and I experienced a lot cases like you. They are the unfriendliest people in the world. And that is true!!! Really!!

I lived in Germany for 15 years due that I was married to a German and we have kids, I wasn’t able to leave the country. Thanks God my kids are adults and that the nightmare of living there is over.

Actually the entire planet has turned rude, nasty, negative and violent.

It's very refreshing to see you reflective and aware of a lot of things. There's no need to apologize for your decisions to go to florida. You do you and stay mentally healthy and happy. There's enough people who don't do that for themselves...

Planning on leaving Germany to. I cant deal with the negativity anymore either. I gave Germany 10 years of my life but I never get anything back. These people have so much but complain about everything! Good riddance!

Thank you for posting this! I am currently visiting Germany and I can detect these same issues too. Some people are very rude and no matter how friendly you are, they don't respond friendly. I wish the best for you and let's hope that it gets better soon in Germany!

typiacal old folks... I hope that my generation will do better when we are the old ones. I feel sorry that you had to go through this experience.

Thank you for speaking up about this. I absolutely feel the same about the current atmosphere in Germany. So mentally straining.

I’ve spent more than a year living in Berlin but I don’t have any German friend except two guys in their early 20s who treated me very well. Btw, I’m a brown guy from India. I think the teenagers and people in their early 20s in multicultural places like Berlin are more tolerant and friendly towards immigrants than someone over 30.

As a Zimbabwe an living in NRW Germany for many years I've thankfully experienced barely any racism, but working at German companies is a special kind of challenge 😉 it helps to have international friends and work at an international company.

Hayley, don't let all this hatred bring you down. We all love you - OK, it may not help you in those situations. But you are in our hearts

Hi Sweetie, I am German living in Florida for 42 years now. I married a GI. I remember one of the trips back “home” where we just landed in Frankfurt. I had a stroller and a 1 year old. Stressful flight etc. etc. and I waited for someone to let me into the escalator line. No one did so I had to push my way in and I said in German real loud “I know I am back in Germany because everyone is so rude”. My husband was embarrassed but it was true. People just looked at me. I am sure they would have told me to go back where I came from if I had an accent. That was 38 years ago. Nothing seems to have changed. I understand the lock down and weather. The weather can surely get to you over there. I am not in Florida for the weather, never have been. The heat and hurricanes get to me, but you try to grow where you are planted. Love your videos and honesty. Wish you all the best. Who is Thiesi? P. S. My Granddaughter is mixed and my daughter and she have been living with us for 3 years now. She is beautiful. I love her so.

I myself am german but grew up in the US and moved back to start an Ausbildung (my high school diploma was not "annerkannt"). I feel so relieved to hear other people share the same experiences that I had when returning. I am very torn right now, still have 1.5 years left of my ausbildung but am seriously considering moving back to an english speaking country. The social system, health care, food, relatively strong job market, I could go on and on about the lots of benefits that make day to day life better, but sometimes I really question if it's all worth it. The negativity and seemingly "anti-(insert literally anything here) community" just puts such an extreme drag on my mood, and the worst part is that I've noticed myself (after three years) also assimilating and becoming more negative. Its just such a hard compromise to make. If anyone has any advice for me, please let me know because its a really hard decision. Anyways, sending everyone who struggles with similar issues lots of strength

Take good care Haley! Loved watching your videos, very authentic. Keep safe!

Oh hayley, you really gave me some strength through this video. I moved from Germany to Sweden last year but I had to return to Germany around Christmas due to the pandemic and have been here since. During these months here I have been getting so sad, hopeless and fearful.. I am going back to Sweden tomorrow and I am just so anxious, I haven’t slept in a few days, couldn’t eat, my stomach has been hurting and I’ve been crying and being sad because I feel this immense fear of going there for some reason because I feel like I can’t handle things getting even worse than this and here I at least have my family and my dog. This gave me hope that this anxiety might have come from the general anxiety and depression level in Germany right now (because I remember that I haven’t felt like this at all before Christmas) and that things might look way brighter once I am there again Thanks for sharing this video, I hope you will get a lot of positive energy in Florida! Love, Johanna

I'm so sorry, you experienced such negative encounters. But it is refreshing to hear even the ugly side of things. Hope it gets better

It's the reason me - I'm German - and my Indian husband don't even consider moving to Germany. I have some friends who got a bit offended when I told them the reason for us continuing to staying in India. They get very defensive saying 'But most people are not racist.' And I tell them, true, most people we know personally aren't - cause else I wouldn't be associating with them - but that doesn't help if every single day in day-to-day life you run into at least a dozen instances of microaggressions, 'othering' or outright racism. It begins with the being stared at, continues over the condescending tone some people adopt when talking to someone of different skin color - the assumption being the POC should be 'grateful' to be allowed to be there, and many media-fueled ignorant assumptions about my husband's home country - and ends with outright random slurs. It doesn't help that the people we know closely are not like that, if you're exposed to this kind of stuff on a daily, it just slowly grinds away at you. And frankly, even people we do know initially had a very hard time talking to my husband as a person and not just as a foreigner. The strong in-/outgroup thinking in German culture just seems to make it very hard for many people to interact with POC as people and not as a cardboard standup of the stereotype in their head. It takes time for people to warm up and shed their insecurity in front of the perceived 'other', but by that time you on the other side already heard so many weird borderline offensive things from them, it's hard to come around at that point. Frankly, I just refuse to have my husband have to deal with this on a daily. He's a highly educated entrepreneur who has been supporting both of us for 10 years and counting. I do work, but whatever I earn is negligible to what he brings to the table. He's ambitious, driven, smart, and innovative, and my admiration of those traits made me fall in love with him. I bristle with rage at the very thought of random people looking down on him due to his skin color. And we make these kinds of experiences basically every time we come to visit my parents. We try to laugh it off. But every single time we just know all the more, yeah, that's not the place to live for us. And my parents are living in a big city, mind. All of this makes me sad and ashamed, especially as I've felt nothing but welcome in India in a decade of living here, even when I did nothing to deserve it. People are just so happy to learn I like it here and want to stay here. That's enough justification for them for my presence here. If we should ever move internationally we only consider countries with a strong immigration culture (US, UK, Canada or maybe Australia) or Southern European countries like Spain, Portugal or Italy (neither of which gave us a bad but a more humane vibe when visiting). And yeah, generally just the negative vibe, that eternal omnipresent "Geht nicht."-attitude from small mundane things to major life-changing bureaucratic issues. It's so contrary to our lifestyle, we just can't with it.

I'm Brazilian and I'm in berlin since october. Not only germans are harsh, I met other europeans and foreigners who had a terrible posture towards me. Unvalidating my personal pandemic experiences (I was living in brazil during covid, it was terrible) and choices about getting vaccines, self-isolation etc. Also the way that I work also bothers people, they keep telling me I look tired and should rest more, leave my studio... As if they had something to do with my life. I'm so tired and have almost no friends.

I am so sorry what happened to you. I am living and working in Gemany. My family lives in Greece and my other half in Cyprus. Last months were terrible in Germany especially at work. My customers know that we have a pandemic and less stock and every day I received angry phone calls and mails. I was sitting every day in my home office with stomach and head ache. Nobody around had the time to listen to me and give me some advise. So I listened every day to my music, did some gym etc. but this didn't help that much. Few weeks ago I've decided to make a small break and to go Cyprus. I've had to do a lot of paper work, expensive covid test etc. and Germans around me were like: how dare you travelling during corona and you will harm the environment by taking a plane. It was the best decision ever. I feel like a human right now... PS: the lockdown here is much harder then in Germany and people still behave like human.

Sometimes, a change of scenery is good for the soul. Here in the U.S. we've had our own set of problems over the past year + especially. Be glad, you haven't been around for that. It was incredibly challenging and stressful. The vitriol and condescension was at an all time high. I think, the whole planet is going bonkers.

So happy I found comment section where people are talking honestly. Im 5 years here and i never been so motivated to leave and go back to Africa. 5 years ago I had 15 university offers to do my masters including from USA, UK and Germany and I chose Germany due to their suppossed advancement. 5 years later i realise it's not worth it to sacrifice your health for just being in the country and the people dont even want you there. I finally realise it's a pipe dream and in Africa people are kind and warm you can live longer instead of daily mind games and coldness and negativity in this country.

Its been 40 days in Germany and i am already depressed

It’s insane because I literally just moved back to Florida from Spain for the same reason, things got so ugly there as well! I hope you’re feeling better and happier now, that’s the most important thing.

I'm sorry to hear how people treated you. I've experienced myself a growing rudeness of many people since the starting of the Corona lockdowns. It's sad and I fully understand you. I'm sure I don't need to tell you, not all people here are that way. Many greetings from germany, stay healthy und let's hope this crisis is over as soon as even possible.

Wow, that certainly sounds like a bad experience. I had the same fear before moving to Australia earlier this year. I am doing a nursing degree and had to come to campus but I was really anxious because it just seemed the world hate the Chinese, I was really scared of getting attacked by people. But after my arrival and quarantine, everyone at school and the community was just so friendly and positive,and I'm the only nonwhite student in my class. I can easily strike up a conversation with local people. I gradually to feel like Australian though I know I probably don't look like one in some people's opinion. But I love my new country and cannot wait to finish my degree soon and start to combat the pandemic! Hope your situation improves.

I’m really sorry to hear about your negative experiences. I hope things will work out for you back home.

I relate to so many things you mention in this video, but the Paris version!

I've heard several stories from my friends in the US encountering a lot of entitled and angry people and taking it out on vulnerable groups. They were talking about the same issues: devisiveness, frustration etc I think it is a global issue but every culture handles it a little differently. I understand that it's easier to deal with when the coping mechanisms are part of a culture you grew up with and that's easier to navigate. also, as you mentioned, you are not an immigrant there and in a better position to defend yourself. And you have your family as a resource. I am so sorry you had to experience this at all being in a vulnerable position.

I live here now (Frankfurt), and I agree with you. People... gosh.... I am from Miami, sorry you had to go through all that!

Good for you. The negativity and the smartass behavior of lots of people here, makes me pity them alot

I appreciate your strength to speak out so much! Big big role model to me😍! Wishing you a loooot of positive vibes and fun with your family ❤️

Wishing you all the best, enjoy that Florida sunshine! ☀️

Thank you so much for making this video. You helped me to realise that I am happy where I currently live. So grateful 😊