Once you have lived abroad and come back home to your country, you might start noticing some things you did not notice before you left. I find this a particularly odd experience, since when you live abroad, you tend to only miss the good things about your home country. Returning to Germany, I found there were some annoying things I did not notice before, but I also started to cherish some stuff that I used to take for granted.
In this post, I would like to share some views about my home country, Germany. I’d like to add that this is my personal view only.
The Good
You say "Guten Appetit" before every meal (or as a Bavarian: "An Guad'n). The only English saying that is remotely equivalent I find is "Dig in", which I don't like that much. I wasn't fully aware that the English language did not seem to have an equivalent for this, but I quite like having a phrase to wish someone a good meal.
There is an insurance for everything - your health, your house, your car, your stupidity (no, really). If you are stupid enough to pour beer over your friend's laptop, there's an insurance that will cover for that. It's a sweet life.
Studying is for free. Well, almost. You might have to pay around 50€ to your university to cover the bureaucratic efforts, but other than that it's free. That is why you might hold a master degree. Or two.
The Bad
There is no air conditioning. For some reason many Germans seem to think that ACs are the devil#s work and a lot of times people will tell you they get sick from air conditioning or the famous “Zug” (stream of cold air) from an open window. Having lived in a top floor apartment in Berlin during a summer with 40 degrees Celsius, I have to say that there are indeed times where an AC proves rather useful.
People stare. They stare and are being rude meaning nobody will come and ask if you need any help or assistance when you are overwhelmed in the new coffee shop. Waiters at restaurants and bars will give you the feeling that you bother them with your visit rather than spending money and are the reason why they even exist in the first place. We even call it “Servicewüste Deutschland” (service desert Germany), because the service can be very bad.
You want to buy groceries? Better go before 8pm because after that the store will be closed. A beer during the day? No way, bars open only at like 5pm. Shopping on a Sunday? NEVER. Unless you live in Berlin and have a bunch of Spätis around you, you better spend your money between 7am and 8pm.
Move everything. When you rent an apartment in Germany, there is literally NOTHING in it. That means you will need to get a refrigerator, countertop, bathroom furniture and sometimes even window blinds.
The Awesome
You *prost* everywhere and every time you get the chance. Which is always, because beer is everywhere. Drinking in public? Not a problem. Walk down the street with a beer in your hand and NOT get arrested.
Getting from A to B is easy peasy. Bike your bike everyday and everywhere you want. If you're not the bike kinda person, just take public transport. It literally goes everywhere (and if Germans complain that it is not on time, we actually mean it's 3 minutes late. HOW DARE YOU, DEUTSCHE BAHN?). If public transport isn't your thing either, you might want to have an awesome fast and furious driving experience in your car. Because - no speed limit. Go everywhere fast. Not that the country is so big that you couldn't be everywhere in around 8 hours anyways. But still - drive as fast as you wish.
Besides the awesome transportation possibilities the location is also THE BEST. You are basically in the heart of Europe, which means every other European country is really close. That means, flights are cheap, too!
Brotzeit is your favorite dish. There's amazing bread and spreads everywhere that it never gets boring! German people don't eat out that often compared to Americans but if you can have Brotzeit at home, who would want to anyways?
What do you think about my opinion? Did you live abroad for a while and noticed some new things about your home country after you returned? What is your view on the topics I mentioned? I'd love to hear your opinion!
Kate recommends: Fabian. The Story of a Moralist by Erich Kästner is one of my favorite books. It is set in Berlin during the end of the Weimar Republic. It is a great book to read about the sordid details of the bustle metropolis Berlin in the 1920s - with illegal night clubs, experimentation into ‘alternative’ lifestyles and Jakob Fabian, the protagonist, who finds himself unemployed and moving closer to the edges of society. Erich Kästner is a famous author, mostly known for his children’s books but I can warmly recommend Fabian as a great read for when visiting Germany (or whenever, really).