10 German habits I lost when I moved to the USA | Feli from Germany

[@FelifromGermany]

Hey everyone! I hope you enjoy this video 😊 Don't forget to like and subscribe (if you're not a subscriber yet for whatever unknown reason?! 🤔) and let me know down below what you thought of the video and which habits you've ever dropped or picked up when you lived somewhere new! P.S. Yes, my tongue is blue, I know 🙈

[@FelifromGermany]

Haha yes there are a few. You should check out Wanted Adventure, Hayley Alexis, Diana Verry, Aspen Abroad, Deana and Phil etc.

[@imacastle]

As an American I can tell you that sometimes the dating here is too confusing for me. I think men and women should be able just to hang out and have fun if they enjoy it! The walking is familiar. I wanted to walk to get some soft drinks from a gas station. Just 1.5 blocks. They kept asking me to wait until they could give me a ride 🤣 I'm from the Midwest and understand the value of a roadtrip. "It's only 14 hours. We can do that in one day!" I enjoy taking my time when I go out to eat. It's easier for the digestion. I understand that people like to flip tables quickly but I'm not going to rush the experience because it's more than "just food" for me. Perspectives are interesting!

[@grob391]

Let me guess...your tongue is blue because you ate a popsicle, or a ring pop.

[@fenderbassnguitar]

Speaking of German Netflix programs, have you watched Dark, it's AMAZING!

[@Olbersbro]

Hi Felicia, auch in Deutschland ist in den meisten Industriebetrieben eine 15 Minuten Kaffeepause (ca. 9 Uhr) und eine 30 Minuten Mittagspause (ca. 12 Uhr) angesetzt. Laut Gesetz muss die Pausenzeit auch nur 30 Minuten betragen. Erst ab einer Arbeitszeit von mehr als 9 Stunden muss eine 45 Minuten Pause genommen werden. Von einer Stunde als Pause habe ich bisher noch nichts mitbekommen leider ;)

[@LeeFKoch]

Since I'm an American living in Germany, I'll give you 10 American habits I lost: 1. Wearing shoes in the house: Germans always slip out of their street shoes and into some house shoes or slippers. In fact, many Germans have "guest slippers" for when somebody comes to visit them, or frequently, polite guests will bring along their own slippers. 2. Driving everywhere: I have actually come to prefer walking places or riding my bike around town, especially since parking in Germany is hard to find. 3. Talking loudly in public: I never realized how loud we Americans tend to be when talking to each other in public. But when you are sitting in an outdoor café in Germany, and a group of American tourists passes by, you can't help but notice how incredibly loud they are in comparison to everybody else. Maybe this is because we are so amazed at how old everything here is compared to the US. 4. Holding open the door for a female: As an American guy, I was taught to treat women with respect and to be chivalrous. Now, I know that times have changed in America, too, but Germans don't do this, and quite a few German women have expressed that they find this behavior patronizing and they resent it. 5. Saying "excuse me" or "I'm sorry": While we Americans aren't quite as polite as the Canadians, we are definitely more polite than the Germans. As you have pointed out in several of your videos, Felicia, Germans are VERY direct and they don't use a lot of the verbal "nicities" that are common in the US. A good German friend of mine once told me off for constantly saying, "Entschuldigung, tut mir Leid!" To which I answered, "Entschuldigung, tut mir Leid!" ;-) 6. Standing in line: Starting in Kindergarten, we Americans learn to politely wait in line until it's our turn. But go to a German bakery or butcher's shop, and you will seek the end of the line in vain! Customers just group up in front of the counter, yet Germans consider it very rude to not wait until it's your turn. So it's up to you to notice who was already there ahead of you, and who came in after you. The salesperson does not do that for you. They usually just ask, "Who's next?" 7. Putting ice cubes in all of my drinks including water. 8. Giving driving distances in units of time: If you ask an American how far it is, say from your hotel to the airport, they will most likely tell you how long a drive it is: "The airport is a 45 minute drive from your hotel, unless you go during rush hour, then it's more like an hour and a half." Germans don't do that. They tell each other how far it is in kilometers. 9. Relaxing by going out for a drive: I used to love just taking my car for a spin out in the country or down a straight stretch of highway with my windows rolled down and some great music on the radio. But I find driving in Germany very stressful. It is a way to get from A to B, but definitely not relaxing! 10. Leaving the lights on all over the house, even when youre out: Germans are much more ecologically-minded than we Americans, who may leave the lights on in a room, not only when they are in another room, but even when they leave the house for a night out. Germans tend to only have the lights on in the room they are in at the moment, and they never leave the lights on when no one is at home!

[@johnalden5821]

@C J Wow, that was kind of harsh.

[@gcb345]

@C J What's this? A judgemental asshole calling someone else annoying?

[@Bob31415]

@C J I feel sorry for anyone that has to deal with your sorry ass. You don't seem annoying. You really are annoying.

[@mtatipd]

It’s not annoying to me, but simply stating a fact. Another thing European do quite easily and Americans tend to get offended with.

[@LifeAsMarie]

Love that you gave us the other perspective 👍

[@LeeFKoch]

And since most people here in the comments section mention the "dating" thing, I enjoy being able to go out with female friends and not have to worry about anybody misconstruing my intentions or a neighbor thinking I'm having an affair. I'll never forget the time my wife and I were visiting friends, and the husband said to me that he didn't want to go to this classical music concert with his wife (because he didn't really like classical music), but she had bought 2 tickets. I mentioned that I had wanted to go, but because my wife doesn't care much for classical, and I didn't want to go alone, I hadn't bothered getting a ticket. My friend said, "Take my ticket, take my wife! Heck, you can even take my car." No stress, no problems, and everybody had a nice evening.

[@badgerpa9]

Swingers international grandpa calls that. lol just joking

[@Rayvn7]

Yes they are just really dumb. Whoever would say that you are "dating" someone just because of that is apparently mentally deficient.

[@Milesco]

You just described an episode of _The King of Queens!_ 😄 ("Bed Spread", 19 May 2003)

[@peterloschmann3750]

"Heck you can even take my Car" , the most importend of the 3 Things for a German 😂

[@Buggiy]

American cities are centered around cars. Everything is organized for reaching it by car. The area for big family houses is designed to get away from by car. Most of the time there is no sidewalk to go by foot to reach a certain area. There are even primary schools in the usa which you can only reach from a highway by car. So parents have to bring their kids to school (or with a schoolbus) till they are old enough to drive. The design in which cities are build influences your way to live. Its one of the main reasons for using the car all the time.

[@hydrolito]

I walked to school up through the 5th grade in USA. After that rode a bus to Jr. High School in city.

[@scottfrench4139]

I'm from the L.A. suburbs (and my parents grew up in Highland Park, just a tad north of downtown L.A.), and, of course, L.A. has the biggest driving culture in America (and maybe the world). You think nothing of driving an hour to do something. In college, one of the books we read was "The Powers That Be," and the chapter on L.A. centered on the Los Angeles Times newspaper and the impact the Otis/Chandler family had on how L.A. is designed. Suddenly, it all made sense. They (and their fellow barons) owned interests in oil and rubber, so the more cars on the road, the more money they made. And so they started building suburbs that required more driving and did away with public transportation. (My mom remembers riding the Red Car trolleys.) There is much better public transit in L.A now, even an actual subway system (some of which is not underground), and people do use it, I understand. It's not convenient for where I live, so I've used it just once.

[@NotMyName888]

I disagree! I didn't even have a car when I lived in Chicago, and most of my friends didn't either. You absolutely don't need one there. In fact, it's an annoyance.

[@georgemiller151]

No city I’ve ever lived in was “centered around cars”. This includes New York (my hometown), San Francisco and Philadelphia. I will go further and say that if an area is dependent on cars for mobility it’s not a city.

[@stoneagedjp]

This is a habit I lost after living abroad for a while: Social drinking. In Japan, you can have as much as you like and then just take the train home. Here it's just too much of a hassle.

[@SpidermanandJeny]

And you can also keep drinking on the train. No one will care unless you're loud and obnoxious.

[@timosyska9894]

I mean not to be rude, but maybe you just had bad friends for that or idk. When i go out drinking with my friends, there is absolutely no Problem if I want to leave early.

[@Abcdefg25152]

@Nicer Dude aka MC NicE in germany that's a bigger problem. In the states there are often towns with a few thousand people. In germany there are mostly villages with a few thousand people and I think you can image that it isn't that easy getting home as a 18 yrs old, drunk and in the middle of the night - and that 5-15km

[@sdgardner1954]

@Nicer Dude aka MC NicE True. My son, when he visits me, and drinks too much, uses Uber or Lyft.

[@helenemaja0912]

Like denmark haha

[@benztech5726]

Oh damn girl look at your subscribers, you getting close to 100k. Because of your videos I have been learning German online. Auf wiedersehen

[@drdotter]

Feli got me learning German, too! Tschüß

[@rickyn1135]

“I just not ready for a relationship right now”. The ‘with you’ is left out. USA here. That’s my experience.

[@bobtheduck]

A close friend who I had a crush on told me "I don't think I'll ever get married. I just don't think I should" She was married (to another guy, obviously) a year later.

[@hairyairey]

"It's not me, it's you" - I bet no-one dares to say that!

[@doroparker1702]

@@bobtheduck in Germany this girl would have told you the truth. She likes you as a friend and she likes talking to you as you are friendly and care for her. But unfortunately she has a crush on somebody else and hopes she will be with him. So if you want to meet it is fine for her. If it is OK for you that her heart belongs to the other guy. Even when she is single. Normally German girls don't mess around with random guys. At least the clever ones with self esteem. Friendship and promises mean something.

[@pdraggy]

I haven't had a date in years!.... sorry wrong thread (talking about the 'fruit' date...)

[@tomrogue13]

"Dating in America has too many rules" Agree 1000% Some of my best friends in college were women and I honestly hate the attitude that guys and girls can't just be friends

[@The_Dudester]

I had an interesting relationship that spanned 12 years. For the first 2 years we were boyfriend/girlfriend, seperated amicably, then became the best of friends. In one 2 year stretch as friends we lived in the same city. During that time we often slept over at each other's places. No sex, just two friends talking way too late into the night and falling asleep. It was before cellphones and several times my mother tried calling (unsuccessfully) when I was at Kristi's. She couldn't understand a man and woman sharing a bed and not having sex. The whole thing came to an end when she proposed to me and her secret life literally tumbled out of the closet (she had a secret life no one knew about).

[@seeleausstahl3595]

@@The_Dudester okay, so, I *completely* understand if you don't want to get into the details and you want to keep things private... but... if that's not the case and you want to say more, I'm pretty curious what happened after that cliffhanger. 😂 I think it's awesome that male and female could sleep over as friends. As long as you both know how each other feels about the friendship and you're comfortable with each other, it shouldn't have to be a problem. Honest communication can make any relationship (in the general sense, including friendship) comfortable and healthy if both individuals choose to be healthy. Of course in your situation there was a plot twist, but... Lol.

[@BartholomewSmutz]

I'm older and out of circulation now but when I was younger I never found women interesting on a friendship level.

[@the0ne809]

Most of my best friends are females. Many of them are married now and i know their husbands. I don't understand why people cannot be friends because they are from different sex. I hate stupid rules.

[@seeleausstahl3595]

@@the0ne809 Yeah, stupid rules. For whatever reason, in the past several years I've found that I've connected with way more males than females as friends. If I couldn't be friends with a guy, I would have deprived myself of friendship at some point. It can be hard enough to make friends sometimes, so I'm glad I'm not limiting my options by gender.

[@warp00009]

We are so glad you're here! Be well and stay safe!

[@robertzander9723]

Living abroad can change your life, if you are opened enough for a new experience and a different lifestyle you will automatically change something after a while and that's absolutely fine and properties like thinking more positive is a good one, keep that and mix it up with the good ones from Germany. People Germany have enough reasons to smile a lot more, that country accomplished a lot in a short time. Thanks for video and that big, big smile in your lovely face!!🥂🍀🌹

[@kata5182]

Love German Girl in America. True statement - also American's don't walk anywhere because it's too dangerous! Too many cars, too big 6 lane roads, cars don't even look for cyclists or pedestrians. Everything is bigger here, our butts are bigger too because of this stupidity.

[@grahamlive]

Bit of a catch 22 that. Nobody walks because the roads are too busy to walk on. The roads are too busy because nobody walks.

[@benjaminmarker]

That is the complete opposite from my hometown, Copenhagen, Denmark. Bikes and pedestrians come first and all car drivers know this and make way for them. I don't even have a drivers license, as it is faster fo get around on a bike than to drive. Also, it's healthier and better for the envirement. ;)

[@hydrolito]

I'm American over 6 foot 1 inch and 148 pounds with clothes on.

[@benjaminmarker]

@@hydrolito I only do metric, but thats 180+cm and around 75kg? Pretty normal European size, but the US is one of the fattest countries in the world..

[@MrGeschmacksneutral]

@@hydrolito We use to call this kind of figure "Spargeltarzan" (Asparagus Tarzan). Some think its an insult, but most think of a complimet.

[@robinbirdj743]

I like the German way of being honest and practical. It’s my favorite German thing, besides Bienenstich, and the long compound words. German thinking (mostly) makes more sense to me. Now if I can just figure out the sentence word order.

[@captnemo2740]

Still ride my bike just have to be super cautious.

[@scarypotter8242]

This is me with my sister, I want to walk half a mile downtown and she complains it’s too far

[@toddcorley464]

I can't believe how fast your channel grew sense you hit 50,000 subs. It's amazing and I hope you enjoy each moment of your successful channel

[@michaelbayerl1683]

I love traveling to Europe, because I actually lose weight (walking and healthier food) while on vacation. Not in USA

[@sayrerowan734]

I spend half the year on Louisiana and half in California. I start losing weight as soon as I get to California. Just a totally different culinary environment.

[@charliefoxtrotsky4104]

@@sayrerowan734 i get that.....but the best meals I've ever had in my entire life were from restaurants in Louisiana...New Orleans and Lafayette. seriously amazing food...probably not heart healthy though lol EDIT: thought again about this ....I know why you lose weight when you spend half the year in CA. California cuisine sucks. I've been to L.A. restaurants and I was not particularly impressed. Had german food in Lincoln, Nebraska....Amazing. Crab cakes in Rockville, Maryland....Outstanding. BBQ in Texas......Fantastic. Literally anything but especially Cajun food in Louisiana...some of the best food in the world. California has good things I'm sure, but it is definitely not the top of the heap as food goes

[@airborntruck6263]

It is possible to be healthy in the USA though.

[@emteemac]

Umm. You DO know that you can walk and eat healthy in the US also... right? Or is it that you don't want to. Whose fault is that?

[@airborntruck6263]

@@emteemac Thank you! Finally someone that isnt ignorant about the US. 😂😂

[@trahkrik]

Five years into my European adventures, my German company and a big American company had a come together meeting in Wetzlar. Our delegation was 4 Germans and me, theirs was 4 Americans and a Frenchman who was an expat about 6 month longer. He and I really hit it off and shared many expat tales over lunch. Coming back from lunch we were talking and walking. As his voice got quieter and quieter I noticed that while I had naturally walked with my Germans toward the stairs, he had naturally walked with his Americans toward the elevator for the whole two floor climb. We looked at each other across the foyer and busted out laughing.

[@TimLi-1]

What I learned is that I probably should've been an European... Walking is fun and I love trains!

[@feuerschlange6374]

In that matter i'm american. I don't like trains. Delays ftw. But i wouldn't take the care for a 5 minute walk to the store, unless i have to buy a lot of things. But then i wait until i need to drive at least half an hour, to get the engine warmed up

[@eLISAbeth0395]

So it's maybe time to become an European ;)

[@TimLi-1]

eLISAbeth0395 Where should I go?

[@TimLi-1]

Feuerschlange I definitely understand train delays. I’m just fortunate enough to live in a region with fairly good train service.

[@doroparker1702]

@@TimLi-1 what language do you speak? There is English in England, Scotland Ireland. Spanish in Spain. Portuguese in Portugal. French in France, Belgium and parts of Switzerland. Swedish in Sweden. Finnish in Finland. Norwegian in Norway. Iceland -? German in Germany, parts of Switzerland and Austria. Italian in Italy and parts of Switzerland Croatian in Croatia Polish in Poland Czech in czechia and Slovakia Romanian in Romania French, Italian in Luxemburg So it is united states of Europe but as you see it is like California, Arizona, Florida, Texas had completely different languages. If you want to work and live in Europe you have lots of very different things to choose from. England is leaving the European Union this year. So things are changing very soon.

[@silavantalyn]

Oh yes, the 'complaining' part is so true. I lost that habit within a week when I lived in Sweden for 5 years, and it was great! Now I'm back in Germany, and back to complaining, even though I know it's exhausting. For some weird reason, complaining seems to be considered good manners here, having some kind of soothing effect when in fact, it has the opposite effect. I suddenly realised that on one of my first days in Sweden, when I was almost offended by nobody joining me in complaining and instead people were trying to comfort me 🙈

[@TomuBaka]

I love the German criticism as long as is constructive, there're always way you can improve as a person or culture. Also, the bluntness that they have is a relief compared to other cultures like American or Latino, etc. I find people tend to be too sensitive or dramatic, most of the time, outside Germany.

[@walterhambrick8705]

Your comment about taking time to eat tickled me. When I was in high school, I lived a little over 2 blocks away from home. We got 1/2 hour for lunch. That game my brother and me 2 minutes to get home, 2 minutes to eat, 2 minutes to get back to school and only 24 minutes to play guitar!

[@aoikatt6770]

I live in Cologne, Germany, and I've never experienced being judged by my outfit. Of course, I look at people and people look at me, but I see it as curiosity instead of judgement. In school and at the university people mostly wore/wear a comfortable outfit. Maybe cities differ in that aspect.

[@SkeeveTVR]

belongs what u are wearing. The german people will watch and judge you when you wear .... - sweatpants for shopping - Jeans and Shirt (short or long) for a job interview - Sandals with socks (not every german do it anymore :-D ) If you wear normal jeans and t-shirt on the streets, nobody locks at you. Even in my school-time was that a normal outfit. But no sweatpants (there just for sport class).

[@felicious6384]

I got judged several times for wearing a shirt with a tie. People thought, that I would be rich and a snob. I felt really misjudged, and I was a little hurt. Other times people thought, that I have more authority and expertise, than my colleagues, although my colleagues were the professionals, and I was just the aide. I think there is a reason, that "Kleider machen Leute" (clothes make the man) was written in German. :D

[@californiahiker9616]

You’re so right about walking! When I was growing up in 1950’s Germany we walked everywhere. Most people didn’t have a car. My parents often took us for a Sonntagsspaziergang (Sunday walk), usually in the forest. After I arrived in California I found one can’t really walk to the grocery store, it’s over a mile away. You can’t really carry 5 bags home walking more than a mile. There often are no sidewalks. In summer the temp is 90 at 11 AM, and at 5PM it can get to 108...... and anywhere in between. Some years ago I formed a hiking group. We would take day trips to such places as Yosemite, the coast, or other near-by State or National Parks and hike there. It was a big hit with my friends. Some moved away and continued hiking in their new locations. Where ever you are living, or traveling to, get a hiking book of the area, or check out AllTrailsdotcom and see what you might discover! This is a habit which will serve you well, even when you’re a senior citizen. 🙂

[@theanderblast]

I giggled a little when you said France and Germany have a rivalry. Maybe it started in 1870?

[@bouli3576]

Just ask to people in Palatinate (Pfalz) when the rivalry started !

[@AlexKS1992]

I thought it was older than that. Like Frankish and Saxon old.

[@JohnSmith-sb2fp]

Napolean . That's when it started

[@Eignerartig]

The rivalry between Germany and France started up in the 16th and 17th century by three main reasons: 1. The question of who controls the Rhine as an important waterway, which led to several attempts of France to expand eastwards 2. In many regions of Germany the Reformation prevailed and many reformators agitated against the dominance of the Catholic Church, which was still the state religion in France. 3. The so called "fronde" uprisings against the french royalty between 1648 and 1653 as a consequence of the war between France and Spain since 1635, which had weakened the French royalty. Spain in these years was ruled by King Felipe IV, who pursued a warlike hegemonic policy against France and England and came from the dynasty of Habsburg that as well provided the German emperors from 1273 to 1806. But the term of an "hereditary enmity" between France and Germany only developed during the 19th century after the wars against Napoleon Bonaparte.

[@audealajoie2457]

Well I was a little bit surprised because as a french, I have never felt this "rivalry". We often "complained" (yes literally as in the video) about how Germany developed better economically than France since the WWII, but this is common french jealousy ( just kidding :p).

[@amandahowle5271]

Hi there! I just moved to Germany from California. It has been a big change! I definitely look to your videos for a lot of insight :) thank you!

[@FelifromGermany]

glad they can help with your move!

[@pterafirma]

In the US (TX here), we also say "can't complain", or similar phrases like "not too shabby", "I've had worse", etc. The dry understated manner of it is just an understood comic subtlety, maybe similar phenomenon with Germans saying "da kann man nicht meckern"?

[@volkerwendt3061]

Yessss. Exactly.

[@alicemilne1444]

Phrases like that are common in the UK as well. When someone says something is "not too bad" it actually means it is really quite good.

[@chellejack3480]

I really hate indoor air conditioning. Always too cold. I also hate the loud music in restaurants.

[@Akkaren79]

My experience with restaurants English speaking countries is, that besides the music, the people tend to have really loud conversation with loud laughing and so on. I feel in Germany (and other European countries) this is considered very rude.

[@bibida4499]

Well I live in Germany and I have been to many restaurants in which you almost couldn't understand the person sitting right next to you... I think this may be accurate for very noble restaurants, but "normal" ones are also not that quite here

[@piccadelly9360]

You have to visit Japan. McDonald on Japan is so calm that you yourself are afraid to disturb the rest

[@Stefan_Van_pellicom]

In Belgium you are supposed to speak at about 2/3 of your normal volume in restaurants. If people at the table next to you can understand your conversation without effort, you’re too loud.

[@johnalden5821]

At what point are you allowed to have fun when you are dining out? Also, would it depend on what kind of place you were in, such as the difference between a pub or bar & grill and a 3-star Michelin joint? Most Americans would act differently depending on the situation.

[@yungpxee6975]

i am italian and i live in italy and i can tell you that we are really loud people, when we talk to each other we usually speak very loud and it can seem rude for strangers, but for us is normal

[@bosconti1979]

Many of the things you speak about is really on point especially for older Americans, like myself!

[@mistermeanial1690]

When I worked at Amazon, I walked an average of 15 miles per work shift. When I got off work, I was not interested in walking anywhere. If we went to the store and were parked more than 4 spaces from the door, I would just wait in the car.

[@bimscutney1242]

I grew up in the Northeast US with no air conditioning and survived. We had a big front porch so we would hang out on the porch in the evenings in the Summer. Didn’t have AC in our first house my wife and I bought. Our second and current house has central AC and now I can’t live without it.

[@TheGalactimus1]

Ich muss schon sagen, dir zuzusehen hebt richtig die laune ... du hast so eine richtig positive ausstrahlung :) Wo hast du eigentlich mehr Zuschauer, in den USA oder Deutschland? Über die meisten der 10 Punkte denkt man garnicht nach ... aber wenn du das so sagst ... xD

[@fenris042]

That is so true about dating differences. I have had two girlfriends in Germany and I have several female friends as well. It was actually IMO easier to meet someone there than in the USA because there are so much less expectations, demands and rules there. You can be yourself to put it simply.

[@Charlie_Rowe]

One thing I remember about Germany was how we ate. Usually we ate a simple breakfast, then a big lunch. But for dinner was usually light. A soup and sandwich or a salad. In the U.S. we seem to make dinner the largest meal and then you feel tired all evening.

[@sparks3705]

It's better than eating a huge lunch and feeling tired all afternoon...

[@TimBee100]

You had your dinner at lunch and you had a light supper.

[@godfrey_of_america]

Yeah, better to feel tired in the middle if the workday, smh.

[@lexmole]

You already see it in the term: Dinner originally meant “main meal of the day”. So, it could also be lunch. What you in the US (and hence, nowadays internationally in English) call dinner, is in fact supper.

[@andrewmacomber1638]

Try living in Denver… hiking, biking and walking/outdoor activities is a huge cultural lifestyle there. Less A/C too. I’d say anywhere out west is more outdoor oriented. ✌️❤️

[@FelifromGermany]

I wasn't referring to those things as hobbies really, more as an everyday thing and a way of getting to places.

[@andrewmacomber1638]

German Girl in America yes I understand. And yes the culture in the West (Denver) is much more walk/bike to places as apposed to driving. Now of course it does always work, for example, I had a long commute to work so I drove. I do know a guy who bikes his long commute, but he’s B/A!😁

[@timsongster]

It’s funny your video just uploaded.. I just watched a concert version of 99 red balloons by Nena in German… (great song)

[@hairyairey]

@Sabot I now have the tune in my head. Cheers for that...

[@andywhiteman7886]

WALKING: I will walk 0.5 mile round trip to mail a letter to get the exercise but if I am pressed for time or the weather is bad, I will drive. When I lived in my last house, my service dog would walk me to the post office which was across the street but he would chose the most distant way to get there! He really likes his walks and when I go home from work at 12:30AM, he lengthened is 30 minute walk to one hour and if it was my day off, we went earlier and that same walk was lengthened more to two hours! (It seemed like that dog had a map of the area in his mind!)

[@davesaunders7080]

re Walking, in fact that is what I enjoy when I visit Europe, the great transit systems and the walk-ability of the towns and cities there. I enjoy just strolling around and notice all the little things that you miss in a car.

[@norwegianblue2017]

You can certainly do this in America as well. I live in San Diego. LOTS of places to walk around. kzbin.info/www/bejne/baK2pXSLf9B1rJI

[@shubinternet]

Cash versus card - this used to be the other way around. When we lived in Belgium (98-2006), I used my card to pay for things much more often than using cash. During that time, we used cash almost exclusively when in the US. Using cards or Apple Pay almost exclusively is a much more recent development here in the US.

[@lushonnoel7521]

I lived in Germany for two years and I agree💯

[@victorydessstro789]

I have epilepsy so I have to walk everywhere already. It’s a very enriching way to see culture, so I always feel guilty if someone offers to drive me somewhere.

[@georgiancrossroads]

American 1960: Heavy dating rules America 1980: All rules up for grabs America 2000: Internet Reorganizes Remaining Rules America 2020: Heavy (Unspoken) Dating Rules

[@georgiancrossroads]

@Badatallthis Stuff No one is doing the same thing as the past. This world is radically different.

[@FurchtlosUndTreu87]

@@georgiancrossroads u'r mental really week if ur doing that, im german just to be clear. I have the exact same habits since 10 years or more (with all bad and good ones), since i realized one rly important thing. if u'r rly planning the future with a person it just doesnt make sense at all, to change things u did ur whole life before. u will fall back in old patters if something goes wrong. the other person will be massively upset just because they feel fooled because of that. Its just easier to deal with a known habit, than just realizing someone does things u newer even thought about! My personal opinion to this is just: "As long as u dont violate someone with what ur doing, just do it. Because being true to urself, just makes u a more happy person and postive energy is the essence of a good relationship"

[@Anon54387]

That's similar to what I said, but the all rules up for grabs started to happened in the 1960s and was "full throttle" by the 1970s.

[@ernestestrada2461]

I used to have friends I could go out casually with but in the past few years that doesn't seem as easy as it used to be. I lived in Japan for several years and what I miss is the courtesy and the politeness how people greet each other.

[@terratrodder]

I spent a couple years in southern Germany and I loved the walking. Groups would form every weekend somewhere, you just had to look them up and join. Then beers afterwards. Great fun!

[@zeldamage001]

Agreed, German party culture is great!

[@anonymity790]

Loud restaurants is a Texas thing. I was shocked when I moved from New England where restaurants were more serene in general.

[@hstrykid]

I'm an American living for two and a half years now in Prague. For me the biggest changes are grocery shopping for one or two days instead of for a weeks worth of meals and walking and using public transportation. I grew up in California and have driven for nearly forty years until I moved here and now I can't imagine using a car for my daily routine. I'd also ride a bike more but Prague isn't very suited to bikes because of the lack of bike lanes and all of the hills in the city. All in all, I find living here to be much more pleasant than living in the US.

[@needfoolthings]

As soon as the Czechs learn how to combine colors, you'll be able to open your eyes, too! ;-)

[@danielahoti4109]

@@needfoolthings I don't understand your comment at all. Can you please explain what you mean?

[@needfoolthings]

@@danielahoti4109 How do I put this so that it sounds as diplomatic as possible...? Well, the Czech Republic is known for a predominantly bad taste in clothing with too many people having no (and I mean, none at all) instinct for what you can combine with what. It's based in practicability, I know that, but still.. it's bad. Was worse 10 years ago, though.

[@MsEllen918]

Come to New York City. We walk, use public transit (subway and bus), bike and use electric scooters. We even have a bike share program called Citibike.

[@Quarton]

Hey! Great List. I agree with most everything, too. Having lived in Argentina about 9 years, I love to walk - I've noted how we Americans don't walk much, and I think that's a huge shame. So, I walk everywhere. Often I'm the only person walking, but that only means I have the sidewalks to myself! I live in a small town (650 people, more or less) so walking at night, I can just walk on the road after 10:00 p.m.! There's NOBODY out, and only a couple cars or trucks go by. The other thing - taking time to eat & enjoy a meal. In Argentina restaurants don't even open until 8:00 p.m.! But, we would make our own meals at home, and we'd eat for about 2 hours with friends, and then we'd have a cup of coffee, a light dessert, perhaps - and we'd talk, play cards, etc. for at least another hour. Even after moving back to the U.S., I still cook at home. Eating out, my family relaxes at the restaurant. We often take an hour to eat - and yes, the restaurant workers, servers, don't like it, because they're not getting as many tips!! (This is a NEGATIVE part to tipping culture.) They treat you well, as long as you eat and get out so someone else can be served - and they get more tips. Thanks for the interesting videos!

[@bustermcnutt2452]

Born and raised in the Western US, and I've always been a walker. It's true: if you like to walk, you can get some funny looks. One time my wife went out walking for some exercise, and a neighbor actually asked her if she needed a ride! This was a working-class neighborhood in North Denver, so that's part of it. A half-hour away over in Boulder, which was wealthier and more health-conscious, no-one batted an eye if someone was just out walking around, or walking to the store, etc., so I do think class plays a big part of it!

[@esaholmberg]

Living in Finland, the need to use cash in Germany has been / will continue to be a puzzle to me. Up here, card / mobile payment is accepted virtually everywhere - even more in our neighbgouring Sweden. Cannot even recall the last time I've used cash for anything else than checking the threads on my car tyres (a 2€ coin has a 4 mm rim, handy for that). Some time in 2019, I think...

[@gammondog]

Cash is cheaper. Here in the U.S., merchants are charged for the transaction by the banks and credit card companies. That is why you will see a minimum charge for use of the card or a surcharge. Gas is cheaper too with cash and the attendant will ask if you are going to pay by cash or card. It's always wise to carry cash in case the mobile devise or card fails. There are some purchases that you may want to keep private and cash offers you anonymity.

[@kevinm.8682]

@@gammondog You're also more aware of what you're spending if you have to take currency out of your pocket and hand it over to someone. Psychologists have found that the "pain" of giving up cash you will NEVER hold again is different than the feeling you get when you hand over a piece of plastic and they give it back after they charge you. Now you don't even need to hand it over, it stays in your possession so you don't even really feel it.

[@sabertoothdragon4108]

Cash for smaller retail, cards for more.

[@choedzin]

One habit I acquired after moving to Germany was opening the windows to let the place air out. In the US, as I recall, this was only done to let cool air in when it was too hot (ACs were not so common in Detroit homes 50 years ago) but now I always open the windows for a while in the mornings and evenings, no matter what the weather.

[@FelifromGermany]

Lüften 😍

[@choedzin]

@@FelifromGermany Genau!

[@choedzin]

@G E T R E K T Good question. What my mother used to do back in the day was to get a spray can of chemical room deodorant and start spraying it all over, although, to be fair, she would sometimes even open a window if it wasn't cold or noisy outside (or anything else unbecoming to my mother's sense of decorum). I've also heard that US-American houses are not as tightly built as German ones (a house carpenter in Seattle once told me that the best houses there were those built by Germans long ago) so the air can circulate a bit without opening windows. Could be, I'm no expert.

[@adrianjuarez1162]

@G E T R E K T we turn off the air conditioner and open the windows.

[@MP-yk5pq]

i personally think the "getting looked at all the time" might be a thing in munich but not really German in general. i live in east Germany and i did not notice this here.

[@FelifromGermany]

You don't really notice it until you live somewhere where people don't do this 😅 but it's probably a little stronger in Munich than elsewhere.

[@MP-yk5pq]

@@FelifromGermany maybe. also i'm a guy, that may play a role too. 😅

[@cr0ss0vermusic]

it's probably about the fact that germans looking at other people gets seen as "staring" by foreigners. with that in mind, even as a german you might start to wonder why someone's looking at you

[@hairyairey]

@@FelifromGermany I've never noticed it when I've been in Germany. Maybe I'm just not attractive enough!

[@maryellenthompson8261]

This was really educational. Although I have visited other countries I have never actually lived abroad. I can relate, though, from moving from one region to another here in the US. I’m from PA, and where I lived (in Southwestern PA,) the women didn’t necessarily wear makeup when they went out. It depended on where they went. When I moved to AL, one of the first things I noticed was how women dressed up, makeup and all, just to go to the supermarket. That was one habit I hade to get used to.

[@David_Baxendale]

Yeah, walking. We were in Washington a few years ago on holiday (2008, so just before smartphones really took off). To save cash we stayed a little outside the center around where the uni is. One day we thought we would walk to the next transit station to see how far it was and just because walking is not unusual for us (we live in Germany). Along the way we asked several people for directions and all gave us driving directions and gave us that 'you are crazy people' look when we said we were walking. After a few hours we got there and as we didn't feel like walking back, we thought we'd get the bus back. We found the right bus, got on, described our hotel (and location) and the driver said 'ah ok, yeah I know it'. I then asked if he could let us know when it was coming up so we didn't miss the stop. He said 'you must know where it is, you go the bus here'. I said 'no we didn't, we walked'. The look he gave us, he even said 'what? You walked, that's like 6 miles'.. Quite funny at the time.

[@ralphbalfoort2909]

When I lived in Rutland, VT, I usually walked to the two grocery stores that were 15 minutes away from my apartment, and I usually yse either cash oa check at stores so that my purchases can't be tracked.

[@reuvenraimundhuber6664]

I loved walking all over the place when I visited Germany last summer in 2019!!! My first time in Germany and had a amazing time. I live close to downtown in Madison, Wisconsin which is very walkable since it’s a college town so I actually walk all over whenever I get the chance. I bought my first brand new car a few weeks ago but I only drive it if I have to go beyond like 4 miles or so. Otherwise, I’d much rather walk especially since parking can be tight in my area close to downtown. Madison is a great college town with our UW campus ... Go Badgers!

[@PropertyOfK]

Madison is pretty cool and walkable : ) unfortunately I've been there in August so not many students/parties etc but having a beer by the lake and seeing Greek houses was fun : ) I prefer Milwaukee thou, Summerfest was awesome!! All in all, Wisconsin is a great place to visit.

[@Joy-co6dq]

13:11; I'm from Germany and I was in a restaurant in England and the music was extremely loud there. You couldn't even understood your own words.

[@RicardoRoams]

I dated a German woman one summer while she was here in California on vacation. One of the things she noticed was the portions Americans eat at meals. When we would go out to dinner she could not believe how large the portions were. She rarely ate all her meal each time we went to a restaurant.

[@nadirwoodson9321]

and that's why we are obese

[@MollyFC]

I pretty much always need a box for leftovers when I eat out.

[@loulynn6106]

I often don't even eat all my meal wehen going out here in Germany. One American portion would probably be enough for three meals.

[@chicagog19]

I completely agree on the restaurant experience . I wish it was blend of both Europe and America. The attentive service coupled with time to have some conversation.

[@necrionos]

iam reading a book right now about how the human brain works. the author writes that trust seems to be the default state of a human, distrust and being vigilance needs to be learned

[@rorytribbet6424]

All I wanted when dating in college was to simply enjoy someone else’s company and if something more happened, then great. But nearly every girl I met was literally desperate to get into something serious and I kept having those honest conversations with them that I didn’t feel that way, and they resented me heavily for it even after just a month or so of seeing each other. They thought that I basically owed them a serious relationship after going out for dinner or drinks a couple times and hooking up. Very VERY unnatural. I still feel bad for them that they believe another person will somehow be the source of their happiness.

[@dawnhankins2352]

I found the dating and communication point to be very interesting. I have always thought the way we do things is a little strange. I'm going to make a little joke and say that the 20% of Germanic Europe I have in my DNA contributes to my blunt honesty. I think this is why I've had difficulty maintaining relationships and friendships in general. Communication sucks over here. Too many people want to speak in riddles and beat around the bush. Then yeah... Ghost you like you don't even exist. Hell, even my own sister did it recently. Blocked me on everything so I couldn't contact her anymore (but I know where she lives and I'm big sister 🤷‍♀️😂). All because I look at things from many perspectives and I don't necessarily always agree 100% of the time. They don't like it when I try to explain to them different ways of looking at situations instead of "taking their side". I'd rather be honest and real than fake and sugarcoat everything. Sometimes truth hurts, but I prefer it over false ideas.

[@Stefan_Van_pellicom]

Dawn Hankins This is exactly why you often hear Europeans describe their perception of Americans as “fake”. We don’t have the extra sugarcoat. We are much more distant and maybe even somewhat unfriendly at first contact, but when we open up, it goes much deeper.

[@___r0w]

Mich interessiert das Thema nicht... aber Daumen hoch das du die Video Idee verlinkt und erwähnt hast!

[@annbsirius1703]

Nice video! I read an article once that said US restaurants began a trend in the 1990's to become louder. Not just music, but no carpets, louder acoustically, etc. The reason for this was because loud would be perceived as really busy= popular/good. I wish whoever first had that idea hadn't. I hate not being able to hear people!

[@California92122]

Great points! So true about the prices for traveling in Europe. Last fall we went to Paris (from Switzerland). We paid 3x more for the TGV (very fast train) than a low key airline ticket would have cost. One habit I lost when I lived in the U.S. was to look away when I approached strangers. In Switzerland, if you, say ride the elevator, you consciously avoid eye contact. In the U.S. i even started conversations on my own, which I was pretty proud of :-) One habit I *had* to get rid off was to pay everything via online banking. Back then (2001) a lot of invoices had to be settled by sending a check in the actual mail. I do hope this has changed by now?

[@Rayvn7]

Ummm yes, you would obviously "avoid" "eye contact" with a literal complete stranger in America or anywhere else. You have literally NOT even met this person yet you are going to try to act like you are literally married?? What a strange thing to say, "In Sweden we don't start at random strangers' eyeballs". One would obviously hope that you would never do that ANYWHERE!! Americans will greatly become actually friendly, once you know now everyone is avoiding you, I mean you obviously knew why already but you know uh stop staring at random strangers' eyeballs as though you were married maybe???!!

[@karliikaiser3800]

some amercian habits are scary to me... They are often resource wasting and make no sense if you have just a tiny bit of enviromental conciousness.

[@Jeweliedear]

Feli, think you would love to take train or road trip to Oregon. :) you can go ocean, forest or snow topped mtns in Oregon in less than 2 hours. Crater lake i also recommend. Portland/ Milwaukie area has great transportation and biking , hiking opportunities.

[@roseg1333]

I think the younger generations are scared of commitment because of the younger generations that came before them got divorced liked it was going out of style and they complained to their kids about relationships and their ex spouses. Also society has built a culture here about not committing to others or trusting them either. It’s really sad. We really should talk about things. I hope it changes back soon 🙏🏼

[@shagwellington]

Thanks for clueing me into a feature of xpress vpn I didn't realize. I use it but didn't know I could set it up to look like I am in another country. Good video.

[@achimgebhardt5982]

Half an hour lunch break is a german thing too. :)

[@MrJanml]

Times are over, where people had a beer at Lunch time, even in Munich. When I was a child, even in the North you could buy draft beer at McDonald! Wow, why they changed that?

[@MrGerdbrecht]

what is draft beer? I only know beer beer. Beer me beer you, beer us together.

[@m.s.3041]

But not in a fulltime job... Or you mean the splitting between the second breakfast break mostly 15 min. And then a lunch break of 30 min... ?

[@ChadSzorvas]

Music in the restaurants is usually quite uptempo. There are studies that show you eat more and faster with this music as a background. The loud volume simply ensures that you are affected by the music. All of this attempts to ensure a faster turnover, and thus more money per table than otherwise likely.

[@lazyperfectionist1]

"German girl here, and I 100% agree." American man here, and I _also_ 100% agree. I mean if several friends get together to have fun, and through the course of the evening, one by one, they leave, and the last two just happen to be one man and one woman, this does not exactly make it a date. I've never understood at what point what has occurred officially constitutes a date.

[@Mezelmoerder3D]

About Point 7, the lunch break: It's not quite true, that most fulltime jobs have a 1h lunch break. You have to look into our law for the working hours (Arbeitszeitgesetz). In there it says, that you have to take a break for at least 30 min (or two breaks of 15 min each) after 6h of work, when you have an 8h workday. For a 9h workday it is 45min of break timen which can be divided into 15min breaks. Everything above that is just good will of your boss :D

[@titian.]

I wanted to buy a wallet from The Ridge but then noticed that I cant put my coins and stuff in there and cried myself to sleep😂😂 (+ in some shops in my city they even take fees when you want to pay with card)

[@MrRyanSandberg]

As an American living in Europe. The #1 thing I don't miss is the American restaurant culture. I love to take my time at a restaurant, to not be bothered, and to not feel like I have to tip 15%! :-) Oh, and I always walk to the restaurant. Beside it being super close, we also aren't allowed to drink and drive in Estonia. Not even 0.01.

[@tomatrix7525]

Love your vids! Ganz herzlichen Dank dafür und viele Grüße aus Irland! Mach’s gut!

[@hunterleite9923]

I agree with traveling. Cheaper to travel outside the country, expensive for inside, and driving your car is the cheapest way to travel in the u.s. the 99 restaurant near me takes a long time for me to place my order

[@einfachdaniel3659]

I never heared of lunchbreaks lasting one hour. And never experienced that :'( Hm naja Pause vorbei

[@Anon54387]

We have the option to take 1 hour where I work, but I'm not aware of anyone that takes an hour. I don't think anyone wants to delay getting home to their family and friends by a half hour.

[@celineelisag8364]

Yes I do miss walking! “Mal kurz in die Stadt laufen”! And yes AC is nice but going out to eat in summer is annoying cause you need a jacket inside. When it’s 90 outside but Inside is like 65-69 degrees 🥶. Can’t relate to the complaining! I live here for about 3 years now and still complaint about so much mostly the Food!!! It got better but ever since I’m pregnant it got worse 🤫🤷🏼‍♀️

[@RyderX90]

Hey Felicia, a fellow german here ^^ I gotta say I really like your vids and i agree with almost everything you say xD BUUT i gotta say that "lame excuses" are not an exclusive thing to the US :b I actually got served ALL THREE of your examples, by the same girl. sooooo..... yeah. still. MUCH LOVE!

[@Novadestin]

1. What you said is definitely, and sadly, true. People have forgotten how to just talk to each other here, there's just too much anxiety and fear being amplified over everything. It's sad that I now get excited when I find someone who can have a real conversation. 2. In case you didn't know, air conditioning is used to control the humidity in a place as well, not just the temperature. And, while I agree that a lot of places do set it too low and it's freezing in certain stores, for people like me, it really is a godsend and one of the main reasons I would probably only ever visit Europe in winter lol me saying "I can't live without it" isn't being dramatic, I literally can't function because my body doesn't control for temperature/humidity very well and I don't sweat properly (among other issues), so if I get to hot, it can cause dizziness, migraines, passing out, etc. It makes it hard to enjoy summers, but I'm sure Germany is beautiful in winter too :D 3. As much as I hate big cities, I am very envious of how close everything is. But, despite wanting to on some occasions, given what I said above, it can be hard for me to walk to places even if they are relatively close. 4. Optimism is infectious :D 5. The cashless stuff is usually more of a city thing and certain places that are more "out in the boonies" are still cash only or also require a minimum purchase for card. For example, there are a couple diners, a farm, and an orchard around where I live that only take cash. But, I don't mind, fresh ice cream from a working dairy farm is the best thing ever on a hot day! 6. Guilty lol comfy is king in the America! Although about the makeup I will say that there are some people, like myself, that just never wear it unless it's a really big event or something (a wedding, for example). I would imagine there are people like that in Germany too, but I'm curious how something like that would be viewed there. Like, if a German person is dressed nicely, but doesn't ever wear makeup, are they judged more harshly than someone who does? 7. Rushed eating also hugely contributes to the obesity problem here. 8. Wow. If gas is that expensive, I can see why people walk everywhere haha 9. It also depends on where you sit; obviously, sitting closer to the speaker will make it seem louder, just the same as being right under the air vent will make things colder. 10. The only time I've ever had to wait an hour for food was when we made a large sushi order during a busy time period, but that was also a pick up order so I barely noticed. Americans are definitely an impatient bunch though and I imagine a lot of people here would just walk out if they had to wait that long.

[@ebouwens]

I was inspired by German walking and biking when I studied there and have continued to buck the American culture for 40 years. Thank you Germany!

[@carlottalena7334]

❤️

[@helenemaja0912]

Do you guys drive everywhere? How is it possible not to bike? Or walk? Do you all live out in no where?😆😅

[@j.r.warren5794]

Been to Cinnci I don't blame you for not walking. I'd suggest running at least as far as Middletown.

[@tinkerwithstuff]

When I was in the US once for work, and had the weekend off, and walked from my hotel to a university campus less than 2km away and then on Monday asked the guys at the factory about the university, they were surprised: "Did you hear that? He walked all the way up to the university!" That reminded me of Back To Future III, where Marty told the bar attendees that, in the future, we'd have those automobile things, and people will at best walk for fun. I always found that to be an unrealistic/exaggerated assessment. Well. Not anymore :D

[@douglasostrander5072]

I waited an hour at the Wiener Wald in Gemany. A fast food restaurant.

[@dedwarmo]

I’m was born in the USA and I’ve lived here all my life. Dating terrifies me. What you say about dating in the USA is true.

[@rominef]

Lived in the UK for a while and the one new habit I picked up and still can't get rid of after so many years is thanking the bus driver. Which is sadly not something that people usually do in Austria, and the bus drivers look at me funny, too. So I always try to get off the bus through one of the rear exits to avoid the issue.

[@FelifromGermany]

Yes, it's common to thank bus drivers here too

[@chriscarroll5799]

I am so thankful for air conditioning, the temps in a office setting can get too cold but hey at least it isn't 95 degrees in a office/building. It seems that more and more Americans are biking to work or a store to get something, I think more companies should have a 1 hour lunch for their employees, nice video😀

[@Ohne_Silikone]

Seriously most Europeans would find it unethical to take a 100 meter drive, unless you have very good reasons. That said the infrastructure and safety measures must also facilitate walking, I lived on Aruba for a couple of months and bought myself a bicycle given the short distances, not considering: cycling on roads without bicycle lanes can be dangerous, the stifling heat and exhaust gasses, the dust and heavy torrents, the packs of dogs chasing you and snapping at your heels. The last thing was the most uncomfortable. More than once I needed to prepare myself to actually confront a dog either scaring it away or worse. People do get bitten by dogs, most of which have owners who don’t care that much.

[@zoetheexasperatedhistorian2516]

Huh, my grandma was born in Ohio but she literally has to complain about EVERYTHING. If she stopped complaining, she'd die. The funny thing is she has German ancestry! Her maiden name is Desenberg (also spelled Dessenberg and Dessenberger before that)! She has more German in her than we thought, lol!

[@oletoft4573]

If you don't walk, you are not German any more ! This comming from a Dane... I have been in all 16 Bundesländer at least once. I have not couted who many times I have been in Germany - but every year.. often more than 5 times. Walking (Gehen) is SO huge a part of being German .. and one of the biggest reasons I love going to Germany again and again. .. Park the park, and just walk for hours. I loooove it! I have also been to Queen City about a week some years ago.... There are places to walk, but yes, not like in Germany, Denmark etc

[@valruun]

"German mindset in a nutshell!" ... loved that one! 👍🏻

[@chrisschene8301]

I walked a lot when I lived in New York City, but not so much in the suburbs.

[@adamrspears1981]

I'd like to see it standard, that restaurants in America have a round of Schnapps ready at the table for when they seat people. But since this is America, I know that I am asking for too much!

[@jjguz123]

love exploring, in europe all kinds of stuff to see not much here unless u fly

[@jjguz123]

ww2 stuff everywhere.. they converted a bunker into a bar in ulm love that stuff

[@BubbafromSapperton]

Now: 100lb German Girl 10 years from now: 300lb German Girl Walking & biking does a body good 🤗

[@craftpaint1644]

Be nice, 255 pounds.

[@DrunkRussianVodka]

@G E T R E K T Butt faky

[@roguenoir]

Chinese American here.. I totally relate with you on the Complaining one.. this seems very common among the older Chinese immigrants while it's far less common among Americans (including Chinese Americans.)

[@norwegianblue2017]

Dating in the millennial generations sounds a lot more confusing and difficult than it was in my Gen-X generation.

[@mats7492]

its a mess

[@annaa6972]

I’m an American and I hate how overly cold it is inside buildings here. I’m always so cold and I hate it.

[@nightmare7219]

When I came to the states from France I noticed I also dont walk as often, this country just seems so much bigger. Things seem farther away

[@casperhunter6894]

I am Dutch and live in Belgium now. Language is almost the same, but there are many differences. In the Netherlands I used to do my big shopping at the supermarket on Saturday, and not forget to buy bread, because on Sunday most shops were closed except for one in my town, which was always super crowded. Right now things have changed, but one thing has not: almost all bakeries are closed on Sundays (except for a few in Amsterdam maybe), but in Belgium this is one of the busiest days of the week. I normally go there at 7 am (when it opens), and I will not be the first customer. Belgians also love their car and drive anywhere, alot more than the Dutch. This is also because the cycling infrastructure in Belgium is not that great to say the least. So it can be quite dangerous to ride your bike on certain roads.