10 Most Surprising Things About Living in Germany (Culture Shock!)

German efficiency is a myth, you don't need to suck down sausages for food, and more surprising things about living in Germany.
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00:48 No grocery shopping on Sundays
1:56 There's a shop for everything
2:46 Speaking German is wildly helpful
4:09 Not much spontaneity in Germany
5:11 Transit runs everywhere
5:53 Germans don't know how good they have it
7:34 It's not all brats all the time
8:41 The beer is... Good!
9:59 People really do wait at the red light
11:52 Germany. Is. Not. Efficient.
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[@justme9801]

Sorry that you find it inconvenient that stores are closed on Sundays but sales clerks do also deserve a day with the family. The US should adapt to this in my opinion. We all need to look at the other side too and employees love it.

[@BaurJoe]

Never said sales clerks don’t deserve a day with family. That assumes they work six days a week and Sunday is their only day off. Some people prefer working Sunday - Thursday and getting Friday and Saturday off. If the rest of the world can figure it out, so too can the Deutschland! (Though if I had my way, we’d all have three-day weekends.)

[@justme9801]

@@BaurJoe The world needs to figure out that we work to live and not live to work. There is a bigger reason behind it than you might realize. Sundays is reserved mainly for families and friends. What sense does it make if the Mom has to work and Dad is off or vice versa? What day would they be able to go to the zoo or do other things as a family or together with friends if one probably has to work? What might be convenient for a few is very inconvenient for many more others. Most Americans love the "Familiensonntag" and most people find better things to do on their day off than going shopping. It is a lifestyle that nobody can take away and I believe in the States and other countries they would love to adapt it also.

[@karstenbursak8083]

Walmart tried it in Germany in the 90s/early 2000s ... they failed BIG ! leaving in 2005 with billions lost

[@BaurJoe]

Interesting! Can't say I miss them here.

[@emiliajojo5703]

Never say anything good about Deutsche Bahn! Important rule in Germany.I think germans deny being unspontaneous because we all try so hard being more spontaneous.me,for example will be spontaneous on thursday.in two months.

[@BaurJoe]

Haha, I love this. "I will be spontaneous in two months time, DANKE!"

[@emiliajojo5703]

@@BaurJoe wasn't even a joke.we litterally planned just to drive and watch out for something without further planning.sad,but true.I can understand why non- germans may think this was a joke.btw every german has used the phrase: lass uns am Sonntag mal was Spontanes machen! Häufigste Antwort: diesen Sonntag geht nicht aber nächsten

[@lphaetaamma291]

german here and I did not understand immediatly what you meant with "brat", because "Bratwurst" means something like "roasted/grilled sausage" and Bratwurst is a "sausage", not a "grill" or "roast"

[@BaurJoe]

Stimmt. Perhaps something for a "Things Americans get wrong about Germany" video.

[@christiandust1195]

Most of this I totally agree The efficiency topic is actually wrong, cause „German efficiency „ that is wildly known in the world is related to businesses. Germany got an extremely high production output while havin very low working hours and great work life balance The government and bureaucracy always wasn’t efficient at all

[@BaurJoe]

Thanks for watching and writing! I'm familiar with that as one example of where the idea of "German efficiency" comes from. Perhaps it was true at some point. But even within businesses these days, it doesn't seem people are especially efficient here compared to other cultures/countries I've worked in. Maybe at an individual level, people are more efficient in getting done whatever they need to get done? But at the managerial level, in my experience, it still seems that it takes a long time to make decisions with much of the same bureaucratic decision-making style that we see in the government.

[@justme9801]

I can't believe that you have not seen stores like Globus or an Obi after 5 years in Germany. Specially Baumärkte are all over. The difference to the States is that only private people go shopping there. Professionals have their own suplliers and get the merchandise at a lesser price. I guess bigger businesses have this in the States also.

[@BaurJoe]

I’ve always lived pretty central in Düsseldorf and Berlin. These bigger Märkte are usually further away.

[@brigittelacour5055]

So funny how German and French are the same ! Nearly every think is the same here in France even bier 😂 ( had a very nice Weissbier today), except for the stop at the red Ampelman and weren't known for our efficiency ( we're quiet efficent in fact ! )

[@missu8480]

stopping at the red light is a tell tale sign to spot a fellow German abroad 😂

[@JorlinJollyfingers]

You never experienced DB before it was privatised (Government sitll holding the majority). I had a close look of the transition because my dad was a "bundesbahn" official. Privatisation did it's usual things: Closing down tracks and stations, reducing staff, limiting investions and lowering service across the board.

[@BaurJoe]

Interesting. Still light years better than anywhere else I've lived, which is maybe more of a statement on how poor the service is in the US.

[@hape3862]

"privatised (Government sitll holding the majority)" = 100%. DB AG is owned to 100% by the German state.

[@falcotol9299]

Es ist einfach höflich Deutsch zu sprechen! Viele Amerikander gehen im Urlaub davon aus, dass man überall auf der Welt Englisch spricht. Welch eine Arroganz! Versuch dich in die Kultur des Landes zu vertiefen und lerne dazu ein paar Basisbegriffe, das wirkt Wunder!

[@BaurJoe]

Es ist ja höflich, irgendeine Sprache zu sprechen, wenn man ein Gast ist, aber ich würde nicht erwarten, dass jemand mehr als ein paar Freundlichkeiten lernt. Wir haben alle viel zu tun und es ist nicht einfach, eine Sprache zu beherrschen nur für einen Urlaub. Ich würde nicht sagen, Amerikaner gehen im Urlaub davon aus, dass man überall auf der Welt Englisch spricht. Sie gehen nur davon aus, dass es wahrscheinlicher ist, dass jemand in einem anderen Land ein bisschen Englisch spricht weil es einfach wahr ist, dass viele Leute rund um die Welt Englisch als eine zweite Sprache lernen. Aber ich weiß es ist einfach zu sagen, "Ach, die Amerikaner!" Ich habe auch viel Deutsch von deutschen Urlaubern mit Griechen gehört, als ich auf Kreta war, zum Beispiel.

[@JakobFischer60]

I am german and I was not aware of us being efficient. I would have laught about that misinformation.

[@BaurJoe]

It's definitely a stereotype of Gemrans from outside of Germany. So, feel free to laugh!

[@wernerharms4833]

Deutsche Bahn. It depends to what You're used to. And in this concern You're coming from the desert receiving a glass of water. But germans still remember the taste of champaign the DB once was.

[@Philemaphobia]

Diggi! DB got privatized in 1994! Most Germans don’t even remember what president we currently have :D and 2/5 of Germany never really had DB in the first place

[@pkkitchen6287]

Vry. Nice

[@BaurJoe]

A sheynem dank!

[@Jacob_._Roberts]

Do commuter trains / trams / buses require you to buy a ticket for each ride or can you buy 1 ticket for the entire day regardless of how many trains / trams / buses you use?

[@filipegrieb-dunlap5625]

In Munich it used to and friends are telling me so does Berlin

[@BaurJoe]

You can buy one ticket to get you from A to B no matter how many times you have to transfer. But you technically have to buy another one when you return, even if your ticket is still active on the Berlin transit app (BVG).

[@Jacob_._Roberts]

@@BaurJoe Thank you Joe.

[@BaurJoe]

@@Jacob_._Roberts Any time!

[@caligo7918]

You can buy tickets for a whole day, but those are more expensive than two one way tickets. There are also tourist tickets, that are viable for a week.

[@chevalierdupapillon]

All perfectly sensible, I'd say. Greetings from a Berliner!

[@BaurJoe]

Greetings back at ya from an adopted Berliner!

[@bigernie9433]

Very thoughtful and insightful, thanks ! I do not quite agree with your assessment a Home Depot-type store not being available in Germany. You have Obi, Bauhaus, Hornbach etc... For the lack of spontaneity you describe, Dr. Sheldon Cooper would love it here so I guess the average German is simply more nerdy than the average US citizen. I do not think Germany was ever very efficient, however, it is very thorough.....

[@BaurJoe]

Fair point about Bauhaus, etc. But the prevalence of big box stores is definitely at a minimum compared to North America, which has been a pleasant surprise!

[@arnodobler1096]

Walmart lost Billions here in Germany

[@BaurJoe]

Good!

[@dasmaurerle4347]

There's no 'Home Depot' in Germany? OBI and Hornbach won't disagree...thank fk.

[@emiliajojo5703]

Often there are signs :be a rolemodel to children.children copy your behaviour,and german children go on their own.

[@peterfischer7084]

Since Deutsche Bahn got privatized it became unreliable. Before, they were very punctual.

[@BaurJoe]

I’ve heard this before… 😔

[@emiliajojo5703]

Of course we jaywalk!we just drive to Italy first...

[@BaurJoe]

Or take the train to italy ;)

[@Lucifer-ny4kw]

Trink Altbier das beste im Universum du hast da Uerige, Schlüssel,Schumacher, usw. Das Belgische Bier ist Marmelade 😆😆😆😆. 😎🍺🍺🤘🏻

[@BaurJoe]

Füchsen war immer mein Lieblings-Altbier!

[@danilopapais1464]

I wish we had more fax machines here in Germany. Everything I was able to do is now per E-Mail since almost no company, doctor or private person here has a fax machine anymore. We used to have the fax numbers right below the phone numbers on cards, brochures and other information and I would really have to put effort into it finding that now.

[@Xerlash]

You know aside from the little children thing, crossing on red lights in Germany can cost you your drivers License, even as an pedestrian or cyclist. For pedestrians however, this usually will not be executed by authorities until you are known to have it done repeatedly.

[@BaurJoe]

Fortunately I don’t have a driver’s license to lose! I don’t doubt that cops will enforce laws when they feel like it, but I haven’t seen or heard of anyone getting trouble in my five years here for crossing on a red light. I’ve only heard of a cyclist losing her license for cycling while drunk.

[@Xerlash]

@@BaurJoe usually theyll just fine you if caught whilst doing so. just wanted to give a heads up of an additional reason why many of us just wait the red lights out even if its save to cross. (: ot: i really enjoyed your video, appreachiate your honest thoughts 👍

[@BaurJoe]

@@Xerlash herzlichen Dank!

[@Philemaphobia]

This is the wildest unfairest law in Germany tbh. I never made a drivers license, so I can never be punished in that way. And drivers license isn’t cheap here either.

[@p.f.5718]

Can be you want to make a driver license in the future - it could be you have troubles about this - and if there’s an accident by going on red the insurance can make your day bad. Love from Austria 🇦🇹

[@Chuulip]

I think most of your stereotypes are affected by where you come from. I'm german and I live in Japan. If you've experienced the public transport here you DREAD going back to Germany. Also, Deutsche Bahn does suck. Especially if you have a long commute every day back and fro to university or work and you already have to get up at ass o'clock. In germany if you depend on our location transport and you have to be somewhere on time ypu have to take at least 1, better 2, trains early. This is amplified if you have to change trains/busses on your way. You are guaranteed to miss at least one connection train on a long trip. Of course for traveling purposes it doesn't matter but if you don't live in the city and you have to commute to one every single day you get pretty pissed pretty soon at DB. Ridiculous ticket system, dirty trains and train stations (the toilets give you HIV), very few staff workers, never on time. But then again I speak from my japanese experience where public transport is simply perfect in all those aspects. And you speak from a USA POV so you don't even have anything to compare it to 😅 so it's probably understandable. And about the red light. I actually wait for 2 reasons. 1, if there are kids. 2, because you WILL get fined if you cross on red and someone sees it. Even in the middle of the night alone. If police sees you, you pay. And I'm just too poor for that. Also if you have a drivers liscense and you break any rule in traffic (even as pedestrian or cyclist) this can coat you your liscense in the worst case scenario. And this is just so ingrained in how we were raised that we have this internal fear of not following this rule. Thank you for finally saying that germnay is not efficient. It is NOT efficient and everyone who says it is has never been there.

[@alis098]

So funny! At long last someone who is talking differnet of Germany, like all the American people living in southern Germany. Because things are so differnet in south and north especially in Berlin. I think most of the time you're right. Especially when you live in the eastern part of Germany where Russian was the first language to learn for a long time, people are not that good in speaking English. But I have to insist with the Deutsche Bahn (DB). We're still benefiting from a good system that run out in 1994 when the DB became privitized. They stopped to keep their tracks in a good matter to save money. Today travelling with the DB in longer distances or if you have to changes trains, often is a horror. When I'm going to visit my mom which lives in the south, and I live in the north, it should normally take me 5-6 hours. But in one of two cases I need more than 8 somtimes I need 10 houres and this ist the route berlin - stuttgart, which is not a small one! When my fahter was dying, I didn't mange it to come right, because of 4 hours delay with the DB. May be the system is better than in the U.S. but it is not better than in many other european countries. Again am example for the "good" German efficiency XD.

[@BaurJoe]

I’ve certainly heard plenty of DB horror stories. Thanks for watching!

[@JW-nh5or]

Germans are most efficient in holding their accumulated paper work together with a ring-binder (ring-binders) invented by a German called Friedrich Soennecken in 1886 in Bonn. Of course. LOL👍

[@BaurJoe]

Quite the brag! 😂

[@snakeoilaudio]

you don't get the complaints about the Deutsche Bahn because you didn't grew up here. In my youth (when the world was still black&white) your train system was so on time it was spot on, almost like in Japan or Switzerland. You could measure the differences between Deutsche Bahn and the Japanese Railways in seconds but not minutes. These days many trains arrive at manjana time. That's why most Germans complain. DB became a private company and we were told that everything will be better (coz of the private market and all this nonsense) but everything got worse.

[@BaurJoe]

Intellectually I get the complaints. But I’m often just grateful to have the option.

[@georgklinkhammer6024]

There ARE shops in Germany where you can buy almost everything (like REAL).

[@Philemaphobia]

Thats the old Walmart stores that real,- bought up after Walmart failed.

[@danielw.2442]

Another interesting topic would be relationships. I always have the feeling that US guys are more committed to and more serious about "official" relationships. Maybe it's just me, but I think they're more loyal and value a honest commitment more. 🤔

[@franhunne8929]

Don't ever go on reddit ..

[@BaurJoe]

Interesting! I have no idea how Germans would feel about this. But a friend did recently complain about German frugalness in dating.

[@Philemaphobia]

I wanted to write: complaining is German Leitkultur. Then your rant about efficiency began. (Compare the pandemic in Germany to the pandemic elsewhere) You‘re a German now! Congrats!

[@BaurJoe]

I prefer to think of it as kvetching 😂

[@thepurplesmurf]

About Efficiency … extremely low death rate and exceptionally high recovery rate seems pretty efficient to me, when it comes to the virus. Communication, yeah not the best, but this happens when too many cooks spoil the broth. Fax is still used because the Fax protocol is considered secure. A Fax in combination with the send protocol is accepted as proof/evidence at court. This can be extremely important for deadlines and similar things. Email is not safe, Telephone you can't verify if the caller really is that person.

[@BaurJoe]

I think it's pretty clear my comment on efficiency wasn't on recovery rates in the ongoing pandemic. And with the fax... I'll say the same thing I said before. The rest of the world seems to have figured out how to move on without fax without completely compromising security. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ But I'm enjoying seeing folks come on to defend relics of technology! Thanks for watching :).

[@MrLuddis]

low death rates can also be related to the inefficiency of monitoring the death rates.

[@konstus]

classic german bureaucracy in the end there :D

[@BaurJoe]

Yuuuup! Never not tired of it 😂

[@dasmaurerle4347]

You know very little about Germany. Ahh, an American living in Berlin...sigh...that makes sense🤦🤦

[@BaurJoe]

Spent my first three years living in Düsseldorf, have traveled to and spent time in all 16 states, and have written about various aspects of life/culture/travel in the country. But as I said at the beginning of the video, you're free to buzz off and keep scrolling :) Tschüss!

[@TheRagnartheBold]

The beer in Berlin is .... bad

[@BaurJoe]

Doch! There’s definitely good beer to be had in Berlin.

[@emiliajojo5703]

Spontäneiitey???don't even know how to spell 😙