The Harsh Truth of Living in GERMANY!

I was born in Germany, but lived many years in the States. I chose to return to Germany despite a successful career in Boston. When asked why I returned, I explained that the USA feels like a country run by rebellious and immature children, while Germany felt like a country run by calcified and inflexible retirees. Germany appears, especially to foreigners, as extremely well organized. It's clean, quiet, and orderly. This can be an amazing benefit... but also a drawback. There was little patience here for anyone marching to the beat of their own drum. You were expected, at least publicly, to get in line and fit in. This is changing. Germany, like much of the world, has been affected by globalization. That has benefits... but also drawbacks. As Germany becomes 'less German', it's also less organized, clean, and quiet. Berlin, for instance, is not a 'German' city. It's a European city, for the most part, and an increasingly international one. You'll find Germans are strongly divided on Berlin. Some love it, some hate it, and that has a lot to do with what I'm describing. The issue that worries me the most was one you addressed in your video. The main reason I returned to Germany was social... as in our social conscience. Despite the typical US American's belief that socialism and capitalism are opposites, the opposite of socialism is greed. The USA is a culture based on Greed, an uncaring oligarchy designed to benefit only the few. Becoming wealthy justifies any and all means used to achieve that goal, to the point that obvious criminals can be elected into the country's highest office. Your observation "German society is one that cares. It's a country that really goes to great lengths to look after everyone and make sure that no one is left behind" is the core of the issue. This was based on a sense of community... and unity... which is currently being tested by Germany's growth, and the subsequent changes we're experiencing. Are the changes good? Yes and no. Was Germany better thirty years ago? Yes and no. Will we come out of this better or worse? I love my country fiercely, so choose to bet on 'better' :) Love the videos. As a German with an Irish-American father, I'm amused by the similarities and differences in views of a Brit with a Swiss mother. Cheers, from Berlin.

Collecting bottles is not a new behaviour. Most people put their bottles next to the bins as shown. People don't have to look through the whole bin then. Homelessness is a problem in major cities. The winter has been mild so far. Let's hope their won't be many casualties.

Like you, I too am grateful for being able to live here as a Brit. I love the forests, the language, the culture which embraces diversity and innovation yet still retains its traditions, the bread sorts, the health care, etc etc. Your video was very well put together and you really captured the essence of this country..the good bits and the not so good bits. Bravo!😊

Thank you for the honest view on Germany and especially the beautiful views of my beloved FfM. As a German with Croatian roots I often hear from expats how great and wonderful it is, but I rarely hear that: - more and more people struggle - 40 h/week might be true on paper, but you can forget about this when you work at a law firm, marketing, catering or something similar especially without a Betriebsrat - since the year 2000 everything changed drastically with regard to wages, inflation etc. - the "Einkommensschere" is evidently increasing and the middle class is disappearing All this has an inpact on the social structures in Germany like healthcare (we now have to pay for things which have been covert previously), poverty increases and the the number of children affected by it, xenophobia is on the rise as people have less money. However, there are still a lot of good things in Germany and I am greatful that they are still been recognized and acknowledged.

Loving the production value of your videos! It's funny how different German culture is from even other western cultures. I never imagined the culture would be so vastly different from my own. But I suppose you could argue that all cultures are vastly different from each other, including most western cultures. I think in a city like Frankfurt, you see the stark effects of increasing cost of living more readily, in comparison to other German cities. Same with Hamburg or Munich. But I remember the last time I went to my home country of Canada, I was really shocked by the visibly high levels of homelessness. It hasn't yet gotten to that point here, and hopefully governments at all levels will apply mitigation strategies in time to prevent that.

The bottle collectors are a fascinating subculture. Its not just homeless people who struggle to survive, but also people who make a decent living just from collecting bottles. Every week I see people bringing in shoping carts with hundreds off bottles at a time, leaving with a respectable amount off cash. Rivaling collectors can also become extremly territorial, causing conflict whenever they infringe on each other turf.

Wonderful video, well made with some very interesting good points. Honestly the start was one of the best things i have heard on social media for a while, Germany is like any other country, very diverse and not one part is like the other. Thanks for sharing

I'm also extraordinarily grateful and honoured to be living here in Germany (as a US citizen). I've lived in 6 countries now, and this one has become my favourite. I have so much respect and admiration for Germany that I've decided to try and earn permanent residence, and hopefully in the distant future, German citizenship (God willing). The US is utterly enslaved to its delusion of exceptionalism, but I have come to the conclusion that if any nation has earned the right to call itself exceptional, it is Deutschland.

I love your videos and how you make them, the calm way you talk and present your thoughts. This time (was not quite looking at the screen, only listening), I kinda jumped to the tab to see whether I could skip the add :D Great intro, you should sell it as image film for Germany or some regional marketing (or consider doing such things as a side business).

Thank you for trying to create such a differentiated picture of Germany. Many Americans describe Germany in their videos as if it were a fairytale land with beautiful landscapes, dreamy historic towns and residents moving from one bakery to the next in a pretzel frenzy and Oktoberfest mood. If, like me, you have lived in this country for almost 68 years and leave this country less often as you get older, you can almost go insane when you see what politics in Germany is up against. A look from the outside then helps to see that neither in the UK nor in the USA or in our other European neighbors is everything the way one experiences it from a tourist. I admire you for your British composure and wish you many more happy years in your adopted home of Frankfurt. Have a good weekend.

Came here via Rewboss. Hello! I also live in Frankfurt. I came back in 09 for "a couple of years work experience", and haven't left. There's a multitude of reasons for that, but the quality of life available here vs that of in the UK is a major factor.

We still need to fix a lot of things. Never stop but be carful to get all the aspect because one change can bring a lot of problems if you havent thought enough ;)

Very honest and balanced. Thank you very much, sir. Enjoy your staying there ..

For me, a big watershed year was 2006: the year Germans hosted the soccer world cup. They showed that the Germans could loosen up and party with the best of them, but still do it in a well organized manner. But since then I have begun to notice that things are less, stodgy, formal and dead serious as they were just a decade previously, and that this trend is continuing.

For those asking what „essentially free“ means (universities), I paid 300 Euros this Semester. About 200something are for a student ticket, about 20 are Sozialbeitrag whatever that is and the rest goes to the student parliament to pay for stuff like the student radio, Instruments for student orchestras etc.

The prices in UK super markets have also risen to astronomical levels within weeks.

Bin looters always have been there. In Hamburg, for example, they even advertised to put your bottle next to the bin or on top so that they are easy acessable. In most major cities this became the norm. In busy party areas like the Schanzenviertel in Hamburg you even have bottle holders on lantern poles.

Flaschensammler gibt es schon sehr lange, auch schon bevor die 25 cent erhoben wurden, allerdings hat es wirklich zugenommen.

Prices in uk have certainly spiked since October in uk too…To the extent that prices on the shelves were outdated…as an example jams in lidl have doubled since last year….

It's interesting and probably good that you leave politics out of your videos. Because to many Germans the country is going down. So to concentrate on the positive keeps one in a better mood.