After 7 Years In Germany This Shocks Me About The USA

[@NALFVLOGS]

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[@Mike-zx1kx]

As long as American have to register their political party before voting. As long as Americans accept the US lobby laws, that judicially would be corruption in ANY EU nation. As long as America keeps the anti democratic electoral college. As longs as Americans accept you can redefine voter districts again and again between elections.. As long as Americans accept their media are owned by the same that donates heavily to political parties. YOU will be screwed over and over again to the point where US human life´s have as little value as in Russia and China! It have never been a good strategy to bury your head in the sand when your house is on fire! “One of the saddest lessons of history is this: If we’ve been bamboozled long enough, we tend to reject any evidence of the bamboozle. We’re no longer interested in finding out the truth. The bamboozle has captured us. It’s simply too painful to acknowledge, even to ourselves, that we’ve been taken. Once you give a charlatan power over you, you almost never get it back.” ― Carl Sagan

[@Ariadne-cg4cq]

It is not only in Germany but in most European countries also. I live in the UK and food is less than half the cost and a lot more healthy than in the b USA. I also visit Greece and Italy very regularly and the food prices there are much cheaper than the USA and similar to the UK

[@raziel8321]

​​@@Ariadne-cg4cqHowever, you shouldn't forget that many normal jobs in the USA are paid 2x to 3x as much as in Germany. As an example, a nurse in Germany has around €50,000 a year before tax. In the USA, the average salary in many states is over $100,000

[@flummi6966]

i just like what you are doing, and i just hitch on for your ride.i like it,greetings from cologne.And as an italian, you are welcome here.

[@writerconsidered]

Do yourself a favor and move back.

[@LETMino85]

You call it "friendliness", Europeans call it "I survived smalltalk" 😂😂😂

[@enricopittis6300]

No, introverted germans call it like this. Not europeans in general

[@thorin1045]

something like that, not even a thing of the usa, many country in southern europe do it too, had a great chnce to practice death stares in a spanish vacation, as everyone in the shops and other places tried to talk me like i know them.

[@jackjazzhands2357]

@@enricopittis6300 Oh, you missed the Joke-Bus. Wrumm..

[@jamesmcgarry1229]

Plenty of small talk here in Ireland 👍

[@torstent8979]

I feel a little odd when someone is asking "how are you" and I get the feeling it's just a "hello", no real interest in how I am. But the strangest small talk sentence I heard from American people was "you have to visit me when I'm back home". I absolutely didn't get the person don't actually wanted me to fly over and visit him. I had this twice...I live close to Kaiserslautern/Ramstein, so I have many US-people around me, playing in my football team (the real football) and so on. And I was a bit disappointed when a former US-Friend from my team left after inviting me, without leaving a phone-number, e-mail or address were he is going to live. Happend again with neighbors, going home to the US. And THEN I saw an episode of "Modern Family" were Phil Dunphy invited a south american family they met at an hotel pool and was shocked when they actually appeared on his porch. So in perspective of the US-Sitcom, the foreign Family was the strange part of the story. Very insightful. ^^

[@DaveWSimmons]

I just got back from Japan, shocked at what groceries cost in Japan vs. USA. Food in Japan is healthy, fresh and cost about a third of groceries in the USA. We are doing something very wrong here.

[@Real_MisterSir]

That's what unchecked capitalism will do for ya. Not to say capitalism is bad, nor good. It's neutral. But how we govern it ends up defining how useful the system is - and in many regards US governing systems of capitalism just have zero ethical foundation nor scientific and medical reasoning behind it. It's quite unfortunate that many Americans believe anything but ungoverned capitalism to = socialism.

[@yeshuaisthemessiah8523]

In many ways.

[@nicktankard1244]

Japan has the best food in the world I think. I miss Japan. But you also have to consider salaries. Salaries in Japan are much lower for most skilled jobs.

[@Fragenzeichenplatte]

Which is odd, considering the US can produce so much of its own food. They can grow everything from oranges and almonds to wheat and corn.

[@nicktankard1244]

@@Fragenzeichenplatte and they do. It’s not that simple. Food prices are affected but the overall cost of living and all that. Japan is just cheaper in general so is Germany

[@gary33316]

As an 18 year old, I enlisted in the USAF and was sent to Spangdahlem AB in the Eiffel region of Western Germany. An amazing, maturing experience! I went from living with parents to paying rent, utilities, restaurants etc in (then) Deutsche Marks! I learned how to work on cars, and so much more in German! I knew auto parts and tools in German. I didn't know the English words! I loved the pride in their local community and how well they treat their elders. My reverse culture shock still remains and it's been decades!

[@Vindolin]

Oh that pesky little airspace that makes flying to Belgium so complicated for us paragliders 😅. Nah, just kidding, thanks for your service.

[@ASW20kutscher]

@@Vindolin...now imagine it being any other airforce. Making do with that little Delta in Ramstein, considering the traffic they have, is just so amazing for us glider pilots in the area. If I look at the french map we would probably be covered in Delta up from 500 ft AGL all the way from the alps to the baltic if it was the french airforce.

[@Vindolin]

@@ASW20kutscher Oh right, looking at the French airspace map gives me migraine.

[@EK-gr9gd]

One "f", not related to the guy who built the tower.

[@_aullik]

@@eqeeqeqeqeeqeqeq6696 For those wondering about him. Just like America has those idiots that complain that America "has to do all the security work" for the EU and they should get their own armies to do this, there is the German equivalent who believes Germany is occupied because the US has bases here, completely ignoring that Germany has a base in the US.

[@SloMo2723]

After living for almost 5 years in Germany, words can't tell you how hard it was to come back and living in the US. The culture shock when returning to the US was unreal.

[@cmdrshima504]

Come back to us in germany... you are welcome. Greetings from a german friend

[@Reynaldo2712]

I feel you 100 percent - with all those (still)-tRump supporters now here...

[@Fred42069]

you should visit austria too

[@AL_THOMAS_777]

Thats simply due to the density of popoulation ! In europe you MUST learn to tolerate each other - because otherwise we would have an eternal civil war (bellum perennis) !

[@AL_THOMAS_777]

@@Fred42069 YEAH! Austria is such a nice country. And has one of the biggest percentage of nobel price winners in the world and of all times. Maybe its the clean fresh air of the mountains (see also Nietzsche in Sils Maria ! )

[@happygrandma4ruthP]

My friend was in the military stationed in Germany. He came back to Dayton Ohio after he was out. He stayed home for about 2 months and left the states and moved back to Germany. He has a job there and said he is never coming back😊

[@DickTechno]

Jeder ist bei uns Willkommen 🤗 Düsseldorf ist einer der schönsten Orte wo man leben kann Wrltweit

[@marikothecheetah9342]

Good decision.

[@fnaaijkens69]

The sad part is, is that Germany is a US-occupied war zone. As such, the goverment (that is: SHAEF command, US Military, Wiesbaden) HAS to abide by some international laws of war and treaties. That same government treats it's own population WORSE.... They're all criminals. You know the exceptions. Few. Ron Paul. Trump.

[@SharonLY-ni9ox]

I wish we could also move back but their high taxes would kill us, lol. We were so lucky to have lived there for 8 glorious years! ❤❤❤

[@garegos7184]

@@SharonLY-ni9ox high taxes but you get some nice stuff from that which americans just dont, imo id rather pay the taxes why dont you think so?

[@peerm2130]

Now I understand that in Germany people complain when there are chemicals in their food, while in the US there is a hint of food in the chemicals. I'm shocked at how expensive healthy fruit is there.

[@maximilianmustermann5763]

There's still a lot of chemicals in our food in Germany. It's not always declared obviously on the packaging. They have legal tricks to make ingredients sound like something very natural that actually isn't. For example when it says "Würze" ("seasoning") you can be 100% sure it's just sodium glutamate. But it sounds much nicer when you call it "seasoning" (and it's legal to do so). Many other examples like this.

[@TheSpangster]

@@maximilianmustermann5763 "Flüssigwürze" is just water. :D

[@CabinFever52]

Someone has to pay for all the research put into the gene manipulation.

[@kevinlakeman5043]

This guy is FOS. I got plenty of the same ingredients in food in Europe as in the U.S.

[@cacatr4495]

A hint? One can taste them!

[@wordsmithgmxch]

When I got close to retirement -- in Switzerland -- I had to decide: Move back Stateside? Stay here? And a stupid little sentence started running through my head: "I do NOT want to grow old and frail in a country without SIDEWALKS!" Here, you can walk (or bike) anywhere. If it's too far, there's public transport. In the States, there are many -- just GAPS -- in the net of pedestrian / bike paths -- and everything is SO spread out!

[@FischerNilsA]

Better reason than most I heard! I know a whole bunch of expats in the seniour age range - practically every one of them had "health care" as first and main reason to not go home stateside after starting retirement.

[@mementomori5580]

@@FischerNilsA You make it sound like "health care" is a bad (or at least not a good) reason...?

[@likethatidea9899]

Not to mention healthcare ._. As one gets older you start to notice more and more how important it actually is.

[@jondurr]

Switzerland/Area =15,940 mi² United States/Area = 3.797 million mi² The US is 238 times the size.

[@johnclements6614]

@@jondurr What has that got to do with being able to build side walks.

[@wordsmithgmxch]

I was buying some cheese in an American super market a few days ago. One label proudly exclaimed: "WITH REAL DAIRY!" Geez, dude, what do you make cheese out of BESIDES dairy? And would I wanna EAT it?

[@Quotenwagnerianer]

"what do you make cheese out of BESIDES dairy?" In the U.S.? Probably with corn syrup considering they put that filth in everything. ;)

[@mike-wh5hd]

Analogue cheese. Thickened vegetable oil. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cheese_analogue

[@Real_MisterSir]

@@mike-wh5hd As opposed to digital cheese, surely

[@L4NC3_L0T]

I had a bottle of SPRING-water a while ago... it said "VEGAN" and "ORGANIC" on the label in BIG letters! Dude, it's water that comes out of a spring and gets filled in a bottle ! How the #### can that be NOT "vegan" and "organic" ? I guess big corporations(Nestle...) found ways to even do THAT and make chemically altered (unorganic) water that at some point got mixed up with animal products(not vegan any longer) and STILL is capable of being called "spirng-water".

[@L4NC3_L0T]

@@JamesCotter-be4se Cheese Whizz is only 51% actual cheese... And that would probably be LOWER if not for a law that would make it illegal to call it cheese-"anything" if it ain't 50+% actual cheese.

[@Vemperor666]

It's kind of bizarre, that raw food prices are more expensive than processed food sometimes. Gives me Orwell vibes that everyone has to take his daily dose of "special ingredients"... X-D But as a German, the biggest culture shock when I visit the US comes from that smalltalk thing you mentioned. I immediately feel very uncomfortable when asked "how are you?" because I'm not used to smalltalk and don't wanna lie to anybody. So I sometimes come up with typical German answers like "tired", "hungry", "in a hurry", etc. - which are completely inappropriate because the anticipated answer is something positive with questioning back to give everybody a good feeling. This type of "constructed dialogue" is very weird for me... 😛

[@Beeen132]

I for myself find that small talk thing very annoying and rude because they will ask you "how are you" but they most of the time don't even care a little for any answer. Seems like they only do that to make themself feel good like: "oh I'm such a polite person". Irony because I'm not very polite atm but Germans you'll encounter in every regular everyday scenario will greet you, will say yes, please, thank you and so on. What else do you want? In smaller citys you'll even get greeted by total strangers when walking past each other.

[@magnetospin]

Because processed food can be kept a lot longer.

[@hikkomori.official8640]

Wo ist denn der Unterschied zu Deutschland?

[@Vemperor666]

@@hikkomori.official8640 Ich war nur in Florida bis jetzt. Dort schien es mir die normale Art, einen Apfel zu kaufen, ihn vorgeschnitten und einzeln in Plastik verpackt mitzunehmen... Rohes und unverarbeitetes Obst und Gemüse sind dort im Supermarkt generell eher Randartikel.

[@4Curses]

Just give it the typical german answer.🤷‍♂ Moin, Gemoije, Morsche, Hi, Hallo, Salü, Tach, Guntach, nabend, Gun Awend, Grüße, Grüzi... I can only imagine what face they would make.

[@AdminSignalHill]

As an American new to Germany, going to the local famers market is a gourmet experience. I was so thrilled to discover that they're everywhere, and every week year round! Real cheese like brie, gouda and roquefort and fresh crusty bread are, for most people, special occasion or restaurant foods, not an every day thing. Its just too expensive. Only mass produced american cheddar, grated mozzarella, and preservative laden packaged bread are in the realm of everyday affordable. And the cost of fruit and veg - especially organic - is a top 10%er type of indulgance.

[@Julia-lk8jn]

I'm happy that you're enjoying the experience! My favorite market is a mix of food stalls, actual farmer's stalls, produce vendors (sell produce they bought, not farmed) and fabrics stalls, and it's easily 80 minutes from my door step. That's a long distance for me, but I love going there and buying some actual hand-made, long rise, "we mill our own flour" bread. (Lots of bakeries in Germany buy dough pieces and just toss them into the oven, it's the only possible way to have 40 sorts of bread and bread rolls every day.)

[@gehtdianschasau8372]

i was wondering about the prices. Afaik, the taxation works completely different. In Europe, the price that's on the sticker, is what you pay for it, tax included (VAT is 20% for most items). In the USA, the netto price is on the sticker and the tax is added at the register. Did i get that right?

[@AdminSignalHill]

@@gehtdianschasau8372 yes, taxes are not included on the "sticker" price. However the tax rates are much lower, and there are no taxes added for certain items like groceries. For restaurants and consumer goods its around 5-10% depending on where you are. Some states have no sales tax at all. This variance from state to state and even city to city - and year to year - is one reason its not included in the price. it changes so much!

[@gehtdianschasau8372]

@@AdminSignalHill thank you.

[@real_Nessa]

So you really really need to visit a Weihnachtsmarkt (Christmas market) in a bigger city. 😊

[@luciustitius]

A friend of a friend, who lived in California for a loooong time, summed it up like this: The US are the most drugged up, worst-fed, most consumeristic country, with the most corrupt and insane politics in the western hemisphere - but he loves and misses all the madness terribly.

[@vontrude3310]

or as I say - the richest third world country :) and yet I miss it.

[@exosproudmamabear558]

@@vontrude3310 There is no better way to say that truth be told.

[@Aceman4Ever]

Very well said. I think one trigger is the very deeply rooted extrem or as we call it in German „turbo capitalism“. Don’t get me wrong, I am a capitalist, but if you go into a turbo mode, meaning money and profits is always goal and priority number one, it backfires. You end up drugging your own population, feed them shit, sell them anything … people are just trying to make as much money as possible without any sense of that this backfires. You are just extremely good at making money and creating wealth, but not very good at spreading it amongst your population/citizens. Just think about the healthcare cost alone this turbo capitalism causes.

[@blindleader42]

For politics in the Western Hemisphere. I think you mean _second least_ corrupt and insane. Are you somehow forgetting (or just ignoring like most of us do) nearly every other country in The Americas?

[@nicktankard1244]

@@blindleader42 i think "Western hemisphere" here means the western world. In that case it's kinda true.

[@pla1nswalk3r]

The whole high school/college football thing is so weird. Nobody in Germany would even think about going to a high school/college game of any sport unless a family member or friend was playing.

[@jennyh4025]

But Germany usually doesn’t have school teams at all. That’s what we have our sports clubs for. I think it might be different, if Germany had school teams. But I don’t think it would be quite as popular as in the USA either.

[@AbuHajarAlBugatti]

USA schools have sports so big because its the only way for blacks to earn a academic grade there. Yes in usa you can become a academian just by playing sports lmao shows how much worth qualifications are from there

[@D0MiN0ChAn]

Kreisliga C represent 🤣

[@fussball-heute]

Pro-Sport ould make schools way better. Otherwise maybe not focussing too much on physical activities and mass shootings instead of brain activities and do not only multiple choice tests it's the reason why Germans are smarter than Americans (in average - but we are adapting fast to ignorance and sillyness).

[@sellers737]

@@s1dubbzz751 thinking europe doesn't have racism is top notch copium

[@donboehner6005]

Nalf, this was an excellent video. Many Americans have never left the country and some never even left their home state. I’ve been fortunate to have traveled internationally and the things you pointed out are great comparisons. It’s hard to improve things when we have the attitude that the way we do things is better the rest of the world. For example here 24/7 things are politically charged unnecessarily. Thanks for enlightening us all.

[@davesaunders7080]

Simple truth's

[@dingusdingus2152]

I once met a guy in Chicago who was in his late 20s and he had never been outside of Chicago city limits in his life.

[@elabuterin7150]

You hit the nail on the head! Americans have no clue what goes on in other parts of the world or how people live there. I also lived in Germany for a very long time and traveled the world quite a bit. Some of the questions and comments I’ve gotten from my fellow Americans are embarrassing. Looking at the broader picture I have to ask how many Americans can AFFORD to travel? Majority lives paycheck to paycheck. We have been brainwashed that we’re not trying hard enough or we need to get a better education. And it usually comes from people who have never had to work hard a day in their life. Why we keep putting up with it is beyond me 😡

[@kooringagnd]

​@@elabuterin7150subsidies

[@DrJRAyers]

I do agree about being politically charged frequently. It didn't used to be that way. That has grown in the last 20 years. Hard to point to one cause, but social media hasn't helped.

[@erdnuzz8368]

What shocks me as a German: How much we change more and more into the direction of the US.

[@nvh682]

Hahahh no we do not🎉

[@sophiastorm8616]

As in a lot of other European countries. It scares me...a lot

[@carolejean8110]

In France too😢 sadly.

[@ElSantoDeMostoles]

How much we change into the direction of the Middle East...

[@Crestolis]

Norway too :/ i hope that stops

[@danz114j]

Regarding pedestrians being scarcely considered in the US I must say I had the very same impression. The first time I visited the US, over 25 years ago, I came to Los Angeles on a work trip. It was late may and we were staying in the Beverly Hills area, so what with the good weather and the pleasant neighbourhood we would tend to walk around, as we would usually do in Europe (I live in Italy). First thing I noticed was that, unless we were close to shops or some sort of business area, we would hardly meet anyone else walking around. One evening I walked for about a mile to get to a restaurant from where we were staying and the only other person I met on the pavement during the whole journey was a guy who'd just popped out of the house to put out the bins for collection. The next thing I realised was that to cross Santa Monica Blvd (4 lanes of traffic both ways, which is already incredible to see inside a city to european eyes), you had to take it in two legs, because the green light for pedestrians only lasted around 10 secs. This meant that you had to cross to the centre isle and wait for another green to get to the other side, while the wait in between the two was waaaaay longer. No wonder Carl Lewis and the Santa Monica Athletic Club won all those sprinting medals, you need to be fast if you want to survive crossing the streets down there... 🤣

[@r.schumacher]

Fußgängerzone...what a word for an english speaking person. Very well done :)

[@berlinbeachkat4878]

Nothing like “Wohnberechtigungsschein” 😂😂😂 Grüße in die Heimat

[@ludwigsamereier8204]

Kudos for the Umlaut :)

[@wanneske1969]

Try the band 'Ostzonenwuerfelsuppenmachenkrebs'. :-)

[@JohnDo-ntchaknow]

The culture shock when returning to the US is profound. It's almost impossible to explain to people. Interviewing for positions abroad now. Between the military and later contract work abroad I am more comfortable abroad now than living in the US.

[@sandybuerle5528]

I hear you. I lived overseas for years and would do so again if I could.

[@CountCocofang]

Very astute observation on #3. I think this is also one of the main issues the USA currently faces. People are literal fans (as in fanatics) for their political side and get extremely invested, unhealthily so. And because of the two-party system this leads to a total divide. You can also look at how political campaign debates are handled in the USA. It's totally gamified and presented like an action or sport event. It's also crazy how the same phrases are repeated over and over to really hammer catchy slogans and basic talking points into voters brains.

[@thatguy8869]

Indeed. The only way to get into the US or state legislatures is to win a district. There is no "Man habe zwei Stimme" as there is in Germany, making it difficult for the US to have more than two viable political parties, and almost impossible to have more than three vialble parties. On top of that, our 2 parties are drawing our distrct lines, meaning that most districts are "safe"; ie, more extreme.

[@notroll1279]

In Germany, many people are pretty reluctant to tell whom they vote for - not necessarily because they are ashamed of tgeir preference but because they find the discussions awkward. And there is a high share of non-aligned voters who often vote differently from election to election, which is also facilitated by the larger number of parties - and the fact they can't form a government without entering coalitions, anyway. They are called "Wechselwähler" (literally "changing" or non-aligned voters), many of whom see themselves as the ones determined to punish bad polititians and reward good ones.

[@threesheets1965]

I feel like I was dragged into politics against my will. That's America since 2016. It's existential for both sides now.

[@Pale32Rider]

You nailed it on these things! I am an American who was living in Germany for almost 2 years up until this past September. I now live in England for the 2nd time ( bit more my speed). The shock of what is charged for good meats, fruit and vegetables amongst so many other things in the US is insane and sad. Pedestrian walk areas and bike routes are a true luxury once you have experienced them and then go back to the States . I totally agree with you on the representation of politics and might I add religious beliefs being almost more of a sport in the US. I do not miss being slapped in the face with people's opinions and the lack of respect for privacy in those matters. Job well done on vid here! 🍻

[@greattobeadub]

I was in the US a few years ago. My sons begged me to bring back some flavors of M&m’s that we don’t have in the EU. One of them got a major allergic shock to something that was in them. He never had that before. They all went in the bin. I can also confirm I was shocked by the prices of basic healthy food in the supermarket.

[@smileychess]

As an American, I read ingredient labels religiously. Not because I have any allergies, but because most packaged food contains dozens of varieties of poison. There is a growing trend of products without this junk in them, but they cost more. I haven't eaten M&Ms in years, despite missing them from childhood.

[@toomuchinformation]

The EU has stronger food legislation.

[@thenevadadesertrat2713]

Wages are commensurately higher in the U.S.

[@BigDaddyXD]

Love to hear you miss Schwäbisch Hall a bit, because as a Schwäbisch Haller i can say that we miss you too :)

[@meribel2926]

[@Why-D]

This difference between car-centric and made for pedestrians is incredible.

[@mihailivanov2454]

They are car-centric and yet he drives 10h with a cracked windshield. This is not happening in Bulgaria, more so in Germany.

[@Fragenzeichenplatte]

Incredible and depressing. I don't know how people can stand it. Maybe they are just used to it and don't know better.

[@Colbato.]

You should always look at the big picture and not focus on the details. The US is car-centric because it is such a big country. If, for example, Germany were as big as the US, it would have the same effect.

[@Fragenzeichenplatte]

@@Colbato. No. New Zealand is car centric but it's not a large country. Europe is a large area but it's not car centric. The size of the US is irrelevant.

[@Why-D]

@@Colbato. India is as big but not as car centric. I think, it is about history and changes. After the second world war many countries in Europe tried to copy the USA, with car centric towns, but now we realized, this is a bad idea. See the Netherlands, they changed their towns to people centric. To travel long distances, the car might be an option, but why are all the cities in the US are so wide? With the subburbs, the towns are unnecessary huge. Making them smaller would make public transport much easier. If you could take a bus from the train station, a railroad would make sense, but if you need a car to go from the train station to the destination a train station doesn't makes sense.

[@blotski]

The politics thing interested me. It always gets me that Americans are actually registered as Democratic, Republican or Independent. Where I live your vote is supposed to be secret although you don't have to keep it secret if you don't want to. It's almost rude to ask somebody how they are going to vote, though.

[@kenmohler4081]

This is pretty simple, actually. We have primary elections where the members of a party choose their candidate for the general election. It doesn’t make sense to have republicans chose the candidate for the Democratic Party. When you go to vote in a primary election, you declare which ballot you want. Nobody is going to ask you which party you belong to in a general election.

[@mangalores-x_x]

@@kenmohler4081 The difference is how you can register for that. In Germany and elsewhere obviously parties will decide their candidates but there is no registered vote on it, party members can have impact on it, but it is not treated as this preelection circus.

[@nabun111]

In germany we ask, what do you think about that and that topic. But asking what are you voting for, is limited to close friends and family. (exept you are activ in one partie with is less than 2% of the population)

[@Diamantlos22]

@@azbycx737Honestly I disagree. The media landscape, be it news or social, lends itself to loud people hammering out predictable hard line talking points on typical (practically hand fed) political issues, but when you just have normal conversations with people, you find that the average person can have quite independent and nuanced views.

[@oneroneen]

​@@kenmohler4081Kinda true for most America, but I live in Virginia we have a type of open primary also known as " Jungle Primary" where your primary vote is not limited to party affiliation. I kinda prefer this way, has the potential to give a pathway for more independent candidates. Money and organization still give the 2 major parties big advantages.

[@filue2690]

when i went to the US for the first time (as a Swiss who can't drive), i went and asked the receptionist of there is a supermarket nearby and she was very happy to let me know that it was "very close"... shortly after i realised, she didn't even think of the possibility that i wanted to walk there... it was "just" a 20mins walk ;P

[@jerrycase8968]

I just got back from Germany a few days ago. I was only there for a week and I saw enough to realize the differences and I even have a slight hint at the culture shock coming home. I cannot wait to go back. I did experience small talk a few times from Germans, which I didn't think they were known for and it was very nice. I was in areas where I don't think many Americans go, so maybe that was it. It's an amazing and beautiful country with very nice people, stunning architecture, great food, and really good beer. I would encourage anyone who can go, to go! It WILL change your perspective on life in the US..

[@AL_THOMAS_777]

Soon the world will be ONE (united in peace) That means we all will travel around and around exchange ideas with each other til EVERY single "evil" difference or doubt or negative thinking and acting is abolished and THE WHOLE wide world will be as "good as germany/europe/Bimini/Bhutan/paradise ! Me I personally vouch for this with my name

[@the0nash]

thanks for your nice words, i hope you come back to germany soon and have a good time :)

[@Haroekoe]

I am a Dutchman, my sister lives across the Dutch/German border. I tend to visit her family frequently. The Dutch are very outgoing and spontaneous, while the German are more aloof, to themselves but friendly. They respect your privacy and won't invade your personal space. For a Dutchman a slight cultural shock but I can say I started to appreciate Germany and Germans more and more. Whenever I come I buy crates full of local food brands. Some food products are cheaper in Germany while others are cheaper in the Netherlands, so people in the border area know what to shop where. Go visit Europe Americans! I love visiting America too but I am grateful living in Europe

[@djzrobzombie2813]

Don't go to Germany if you are black

[@smileychess]

I spent 6 weeks backpacking around Germany and Prague in 2015. It really stuck with me. I can't move there at this stage in life, but maybe in 10 years I would like to live abroad. I certainly noticed some problems over there, but some big benefits too.

[@Carol_65]

We went back in August for the first time in 8 years (Pgh). All I can say is YES to all of this! For me, it was also the size of everything in the grocery stores. I literally took pictures of things like a tourist.😂

[@mikedamat]

I'm an American and 8 is a huge culture shock to me too. "Any society where a natural man, the pedestrian, becomes the intruder and an unnatural man, encaged in a steel shell becomes his molester is a science fiction nightmare" -Ray Bradbury

[@shahlabadel8628]

So true!

[@Diamantlos22]

It’s more about population density than anything. Live downtown in a major U.S. city and you’ll find it fairly walkable. A bit less so because the streets are wider, but consider the U.S. cities were built centuries later than the European ones. On the other hand, if you live in a suburban (as opposed to urban, of course) area, the area that any given shopping center is meant to service is much bigger, such that the majority of people in the area will need to drive. Thus, the infrastructure must be designed accordingly. If you have 90% road traffic but you design the infrastructure to account for 90% foot traffic, your road traffic will be horrendous. You can call it part of the culture, but it’s culture by necessity.

[@mikedamat]

@@Diamantlos22 US cities were built before the car, but we're bulldozed for them. American suburbia has only existed one generation and our infrastructure is already failing. It is fiscally and environmentally impossible for the US to remain as car centric as it currently is.

[@Diamantlos22]

@@mikedamat yeah I’m not trying to say US cities came after the car, but they weren’t nearly as established as centuries-old old world cities, and thus as they grew it was easier to adapt and build to accommodate the automobile.

[@mikedamat]

@@Diamantlos22 A huge part was automobile lobbyists stealing cities from pedestrians. Which was a terrible mistake for cities' financial health, the environment and its citizens mental and physical health. We really need to make building walkable communities and safe routes for people outside of cars legal again.

[@reginakeith8187]

To be honest, even those of us who live here (I'm in oklahoma) find the huge numbers of homeless people that started appearing everywhere a few years ago disturbing. It used to be a rarity here but now there are even homeless people camping out behind my neighborhood in the suburbs. They're literally on every street corner. This state has really gone downhill in the past few years by not caring for any but the wealthiest people. I see way more Lamborghinis now too. Coincidence?

[@KJ-md2wj]

If you can raise the rent as if it's a personal printing press without regard to how it will impact other people and society at large, then you can own all the BMWs, Lamborghinis you want. That's the American dream now at its zenith.

[@joaquinsalas7178]

There seems to be an orchestrated campaign in America to get rid of the middle class. You have these extremely rich people come out in extremely poor

[@easypeasy7584]

​@@KJ-md2wjit is all going downhill in the US. They have played through capitalism and reached the last level.

[@Fannystark007]

People are getting sick because of the rich, but shootings are in schools every day. Coincidence?

[@armingips8973]

@@easypeasy7584 last level? mh🤔 next should be socialism..

[@snuffle2269]

I was stationed in Schweinfurt 70-72 and had the greatest German's as landlords. They did so much for us and when I went out on 2 Reforgers I knew my family was safe. I created a "lot of curiosity " when, as an officer, I rolled up my sleeves and moved mortar and cement blocks in a wheel barrow from the front yard to the back. The landlord laid the blocks in a wall while his son-in-law mixed the mortar in the front yard. The Germans had never seen an American officer do manual labor. I just looked at the project and said they need a third person. At that time many American families lived in military housing and they complained at everything not having ever left the states; "There is no McDonalds here."

[@Omega0850]

I am German and i lived in Schweinfurt too for some years, (quite close to the US-barracks) and i have to tell you that you were unlucky. Schweinfurt is a quite ugly city. Old town is nice, but the rest is pretty grey, in my opinion. But to end this on a positive note: Now there is a McDonalds right next to the US-base. Yay!

[@M.Đ-z4u]

No mcdonalds?🤷🤷

[@maximilianmustermann5763]

@@Omega0850 There's a McDonald's on every corner in every German city and town nowadays. Burger King too. And Schweinfurt is an old industrial town, it's not really known for being a beautiful town or a tourist spot. It's known for ball bearings.

[@HS-wp5vb]

This is exactly the reason why the German army never provides accomodation to soldiers abroad (unless stationed in barracks). Go, rent, meet the monkeys. Do as the locals do. Shop where they shop. Mix and mingle. Broaden your horizon. That's the idea. I'm glad you did it.

[@tritop]

it all was phantastic in early 70th, you would not recognice it today

[@Richtschwert]

German here. So funny how you describe the american smalltalk of an cashier. To get asked what you are doing the weekend would be VERY awkward in germany. From a german perspective this would lead to thinking one of the following: - "none of you're business" - "strange question, is he/she planning something ?" - "cashier must have mistaken me with someone he is friend with" - "cashier is flirting and wants a date?" - "cashier is maybe on some drugs" - "jesus, just do your job. no time for chit chat"

[@mghocke]

In my experience, and as somebody who's spend his first half of his live in Germany and the latter half in the USA, I must say that Germans are a lot more interested in politics for all the right reasons. They indeed don't see it as a sport and a winner-loser kind of thing, and they have zero hesitation to talk politics as soon as the first round of beers is served at the pub. I think they are much more engaged in this regard. The other thing I want to mention: before I finally moved to the USA I spent a lot of time traveling between both countries. I never got sick or nauseous from American food after a long stint back in Germany. That seems to be a highly individual kind of thing. Last, but not least, I think you missed one really important cultural difference: the role that money plays in society. I realized this very quickly when I read an article in a newspaper in the USA about some natural disaster somewhere in the world (I don't remember the details.) The damage, expressed in Dollars, is always mentioned right at the beginning of the report. As if everything needs to be expressed in some kind of monetary value.

[@ilecier]

Certain media in Germany, first and foremost the BILD tabloid, are following the same scheme. A price or income tag together with people's age are always the first things mentioned in any story.

[@vinckr5553]

@@ilecier in which kind of value aside from monetary would you want it to be expressed?

[@ilecier]

@@vinckr5553 Well, what do you mean by it? Basically, I would wish for more unbiased focus on a story's content. What good is it to mention that X is wearing a $100,000 watch when the story goes about their interpersonal relationship or moralize by connecting certain incidents with a person's age? Like when you are 50 you can't do this or that and so forth. Just one of many examples. Over time something that I call age group bullying builds up.

[@jennyh4025]

I want to add that most Germans and most German politicians aren’t quite as extreme as the US two party system. I know there are more parties, but the electoral system makes it pretty much impossible for anyone else to actually have a say in bigger elections. In Germany political parties have to be able to compromise to form coalitions. Because it’s pretty much impossible nowadays to form a government (in any way, from town to federal) without forming a coalition with our electoral system and voting style.

[@AbuHajarAlBugatti]

@@ilecier Bild has been bought by the USA a few yrs ago

[@Webster64]

Nice video. It's always interesting to see the cultural differences in detail, not just big things like gun laws and political system. But as a german I must say. 10:25 the crack in the windshield is a cultureshock for me. I see it so often in foreign dashcam videos. In germany it's like "Oh I got a 1mm (1/32 inch) crack, I need to fix it or even change my windshield." I think it is even law to change it if it is a crack and not just a small stone chip.

[@mamuttme]

In Poland driving with such a big crack you would be stopped by the first police officer and you would be given 7 or 14 days (don't remember) for doing a car inspection (after changing the windshield) or the car would be completely banned from driving. Same for broken head lights or tail lights, tires in bad condition or visibly leaking fluids from the car (and other issues easy to be seen by the officer).

[@Fragenzeichenplatte]

Yes it's quite the big crack haha

[@SW-gf6zl]

10:26 Even if police don't care for it - a crack that big simply is dangerous 😲 At _any_ time the complete windscreen can crumble leving you with _zero_ sight through it 😱

[@charlesunderwood6334]

Just back from a driving holiday in California. God a cracked windscreen in San Francisco, and phoned hire company saying I wanted it replaced. They did not seem at all interested and told me that is would be fine until I got back to LA a week later.

[@captnmaico6776]

​@@mamuttme Same for germany and I think most european countries. Its 90€and one Punkt in Flensburg.

[@Robert-er5wq]

6:28 it completely shocks me how little pride schools and universities take in their academic achievements and how strong the emphasis is on sports. Thats not what schools are for, at least not in Germany.

[@Techrat3D]

I am half German, and like to call myself an Ameri-Kraut. If you understand German, I refer toy myself here as Fränkischer-Ami. So I moved to Germany when I was 8 years old, not by choice, and grew up on the German economy. With 18 I joined the US Air Force, and had my culture shock when I was stationed in the US. I felt like a foreigner. After my service, I moved back to Germany, and have stayed since. Yes, I do visit the US now and then. My last trip was to Florida last year, and my feeling was worse than ever before. Frankly, I do not know if I will ever move back to the US, even though it was where I was born, and still love it. But... I have a good paying job, and a loving family. Maybe things will change when I retire. The future will tell.

[@rcrinsea]

America is a crazy country now. Many of us want to get out due to the crime, violence, craziness, lack of respect, etc.

[@sweetnovember9346]

When you retire??? That’s when people want to get out of here!! Everything is expensive and crime is huge!

[@Techrat3D]

@@sweetnovember9346 What I get on retirement here, will be bigger than what I would get in the US. It also depends where you want to move to, and I will not move into a big city, as crime there is crazy. But if the US keeps on its current course, I will not move back.

[@djzrobzombie2813]

​@@Techrat3Dmove to Thailand.... Who what's to live in fascist Germany?!?!

[@Maymaysmaymays]

As a Swede who went to upstate New York last Christmas, the preponderance of flags everywhere was definitely the main thing which caught my eye

[@Real_MisterSir]

They do love displaying their flags everywhere, for sure.

[@Sheisthedevilyouknowwho-ft9we]

New York like California is full of 🌈flags. They need to replace the 🌈 flags with 💩💩,flags because that's what it's all about "pride", they love rooting around in that 💩hole don't they😂

[@sandersson2813]

Sheer insecurity. No idea why they have to display flags all the time.

[@ronny-lb1cr]

​@@sandersson2813 Flaggerism is in their dna. The US flag is more valuable than people which is insane from non-American perspective. If you kneel down to protest during the national anthem you're a traitor and in trouble.

[@Pierluigi_Di_Lorenzo]

As a Swede I know that very many private homes have a flagpole. And a little flagpole on the dinner table. And Swedish flags in the Xmas tree. You won't find that in Germany.

[@emausderratsuchende5447]

As a German from old Europe, I can only absolutely agree with you in every detail, exactly and no other. When it comes to the relationship to cars, it's fair to say that the distances in the USA are of course considerably longer than here. Thanks for the nice review.

[@nachnamevorname_the_original]

What is „old Europe“ ??

[@vinckr5553]

@@nachnamevorname_the_original america is historically considered as the "new world" while europe is considered as the "old world" if you are more interested in the topic, i can only recommend you the last 500 years of western history ir's a wild ride

[@biancat.1873]

@@vinckr5553 "Old world", yes. But "Old Europe" implies there's a "new Europe" 🤷

[@harryundheididallmeier8089]

Als wir in Amerika waren haben wir schnell festgestellt, dass es wesentlich teurer ist sein Essen selbst zu kochen wenn man gute Produkte verwendet. Gut wir haben nur im Bioladen eingekauft weil wir schon wussten, dass alles Obst und Gemüse mit Chemie gespritzt wird und ich das nicht gut vertrage. Was mich allerdings erschüttert hat und das schreibt nie jemand, dass ganz egal ob man Salat, Kohl oder anderes Gemüse kauft, es nach nichts schmeckt. Ich habe fürs Tail-Gatin (ich hoffe das schreibt man so) einen Kartoffelsalat gemacht und auch Kartoffeln schmecken nur nach Wasser, das war mir schon etwas peinlich, ich habe soviel herausgeholt wie es ging aber es fehlte einfach der typische Kartoffelgeschmack. Mein Neffe meinte dann, dass in Amerika alles groß sein muss und darunter der Geschmack leidet.

[@AbuHajarAlBugatti]

Da findest du halt nur genetisch modifizierten gmo fraß

[@akashatrinitaet369]

Als Deutsche Kartoffel, wuerde ich mich per Eilbrief sofort in die Heimat versenden lassen, Kartoffeln die nach Nichts schmecken ~ gleichen einem Genickbruch. Wir wollen ja serioes bleiben.

[@vaska1999]

Same in Canada, alas.

[@lindsaycooke9282]

@harryundheidiallmeier8089: Die gleiche Erfahrung habe ich in den letzten 30 Jahren in den USA gemacht. Nach jedem Besuch dort habe ich mich sehr auf deutsche Äpfel gefreut - die Riesendinger in den US-Supermärkten schmecken immer nach nichts.

[@marcussanders7557]

Totally get you! I lived in Germany most of my life being the son of a German mother and a US soldier. I love visiting the states but two years living in Florida back in the early 90’s plus many visits thereafter, make me wanna stay here in Europe.

[@Pezehgehmer]

I must say as a German who went to the US: your last point, the vastness of the US and the crazy size of nature makes up for all the bad things in the US and i miss it here so much. Yes we have a lot of culture and other good stuff over here in europe but a every piece of land belongs to some town close by. I felt so free driving a lonely street in Nevada. I miss that.

[@kathykukura279]

I’m an American living for the last almost 11 years in the Stuttgart area. While I absolutely love living here, I agree, that the vastness and majesty of the U.S. landscape is something I really miss. I also miss having space between buildings and more privacy (vs my apartment building being very close to the neighboring building here). I love the American large grocery stores too. I can spend hours walking the aisles looking at all the items for sale. Excessive, yes, but something I really enjoy. That being said, I know I’ll miss living so close to nature, having easy access to public transportation, and traveling to other countries once I do move back home to Texas. I feel very lucky that I can experience both countries.

[@Blast-Forward]

@@kathykukura279 The Stuttgart area is very dense indeed. It's rare to see two villages that are even 5km apart from each other.

[@hadrianusemperor7261]

Then you have never been to Mecklenburg-Vorpommern or Brandenburg, I guess. For me, coming from the very populated South of Germany it was an experience to travel through the vast and much lesser populated states in East Germany.

[@kathykukura279]

I have traveled in the northern and eastern parts of Germany, and I do like the openness there a lot! This southern part of Germany is congested but beautiful too. I like Germany a lot, do not get me wrong! ​@@hadrianusemperor7261

[@jaro551]

Not me, a Belgian loving Germany for its vast nature and mountains 😂😭

[@glockenrein]

The food in the US meant real suffering for me. Everything tasted so sweet, it felt impossible to find a restaurant that served normal veggies with the food, what was called cheese was inedible and normal cheese cost a fortune, a cheeseburger was dirt cheap but oatmeal with fruit was so expensive. Normal food was just so hard to find and so expensive, but junk food was much cheaper than the food in Germany. It was very weird for me. My mom loved it because she loved that everything was sweet. 😂

[@ludwigsamereier8204]

You point out that everything tastes so sweet in the States. Well, my first honeybun just carried me away. It´s one of the few American things I´d like to have available here in Germany.

[@glockenrein]

@@ludwigsamereier8204 sounds like you and my mom would get on like a house on fire. 😂 I like sweets and desserts but even yoghurts and bread were so incredibly sweet it was really hard for me.

[@markweaver1012]

"The food in the US" is a bit like saying "The food in Europe". Food in New York City isn't much like the food in suburban Dallas isn't much like food in Los Angeles. Your perceptions undoubtedly have a lot to do with where you went in the US (and what kind of places you ate while there)

[@captaincabbagio]

@@markweaver1012 I think the point illustrated is the country's food and the lack of consumer protections as well as the quality, healthy food being too expensive for the average person to eat daily. There's a long list of American foods and additives that are legal in America and illegal all over Europe. The EU protects it's citizens from unhealthy/downright dangerous foods, and America protects the pockets of the companies who sell it.

[@jennyh4025]

@@markweaver1012I’m pretty sure food you buy in grocery stores is very similar all over the USA. And in my experience (as a German visiting family in the USA) the food we bought in the grocery stores was usually sweeter or more extreme than the German counterparts (chocolate doesn’t count, US chocolate is pretty much not edible for Europeans, to us it tastes like vomit).

[@lazystart]

It is hard to describe the homeless situation in the US to Germans, especially how it is in the Portland and Seattle areas. Like for Seattle before they took down the Alaskan Way Viaduct, it was like lining an entire side of say, Marienplatz with tents. I've used that to describe that to Germans and you can see on their faces that it just doesn't compute for them.

[@TheRockkickass]

So what if their are homeless people, how are they affecting your life? Just ignore then

[@L4NC3_L0T]

"...it just doesn't compute for them." Of course we can't grasp that. Our social security system catches so many people before becoming homeless to begin with that this amount of homeless people in a country as RICH as the U$A just looks INSANE. Not to mention how so many people in the U$A claim to be "christian" and just couldn't care less about their own citizens. So many american "christians" seem to do the exact OPPOSITE of what Jesus is teaching that they are literally ANTI-CHRISTIANS and it SHOWS.

[@jayeff6712]

@@TheRockkickass Typical american egomania.

[@dagda3000]

​@@TheRockkickassHow do you ignore homeless people living in tents in the centre of the largest cities?

[@annamc3947]

A lot of then are drug addicted. We have a big problem with this in the Bay Area too. They are finally starting to crack down on the drug dealers. Hopefully that makes a difference.

[@Real_MisterSir]

A crazy fact about the US infrastructure is that there is more space allocated to parking lots than actual residential space. And of that residential space, in a typical household you will still more often than not have a closed garage due to car dependency. And often times a household will have at least 2 cars, aka a double width garage - which on average equates to roughly 30% of a house footprint on its land. If you said "to hell with car dependency" in suburbs and similar urban areas, you could on average reduce space needed by 40-50% without actually lowering usable living space - meaning all the vast urban areas could be shrunk down to a size that could accommodate local grocery and goods stores within walking/cycling distance, thus removing the need for strip malls entirely, and the general car dependence as a whole. It's crazy what a little city planning can do, if you don't presume that a car is mandatory to live an average lifestyle.

[@wernerdittmann7579]

Well, but please do not forget the 'Zoning' which means that you need a car or two if you live in a sub-urban area. It's just not allowed to have grocery shops, not even pharmacies or alike in a 'housing zone'. Thus, you need a car to just do you basic shopping. In Europe you (usually) always have a shop nearby to get some groceries, that's also part of the overall planning.

[@Real_MisterSir]

@@wernerdittmann7579 zoning is just a byproduct of the car dependency to minimize unneeded commercial transport in areas where it is unwanted. Change the foundation for the planning itself, and zoning will naturally follow automatically as demand for harsh zoning will be non existent

[@dingusdingus2152]

Fun fact: in the u.s., an area the size of the state of Georgia is covered in pavement, including streets, highways and parking lots...

[@markweaver1012]

@@wernerdittmann7579 "It's just not allowed to have grocery shops, not even pharmacies or alike in a 'housing zone'" If you look in a city like Chicago, what you find is this -- supermarkets (with parking lots) on major thoroughfares and housing on surrounding side streets. People *can* walk to the store, and they do sometimes. But most Chicagoans (like their suburban counterparts) own cars (even if they have to park on the street) and will drive to the grocery store and bring home a week's worth rather than buying a bag or two of groceries at a time and carrying them home. This arrangement is really not driven by zoning, but by preferences.

[@watcher13th]

I like my two car garage, why would I get id of it?

[@avnHHW]

I am a German living in the US since a couple of years and everything you said is true.

[@real_Nessa]

In Germany it depends in which supermarket you buy your stuff. And when I buy groceries I always go to the cashier I like. And because of that they recognize me and we do a little bit of small talk. In other shops (even when I am there for the first time) I mostly have small talks with the people there because I start it. When you're friendly and have a smile on your face you can have this little chats with them. It's just like they normally don't start this conversations.

[@losarpettystrakos7687]

Being an introvert, I hate questions like "What are you up to today". And, honestly, I don''t know, how to answer such a question without a) being rude b) making things up c) revealing too much about my personal life to a stranger. Any tips how to handle it? ;-)

[@WimiBussard]

- What are you up to today - Don't talk to me, I have a boyfriend. Solved it for you.

[@salia2897]

Say something meaningless like "oh only doing some shopping, how's you're day going?" it is not like people like cashiers actually want to know. As a tourist to the US it was easier, cause as a tourist you are always just visiting the town you're in, so that's what you are doing, and people mostly like when you're visiting their town.

[@avr7120]

I would probably say "oh nothing really" even if im getting married later today lmao. though im not planning on ever visiting the US so I cant know for sure

[@rickycoker5830]

just say "not much man, how 'bout you"

[@hansmeiser32]

just be honest and tell them you don't know how to answer this question, ask them what kind of answers they expect and what answers they would like to hear etc. Sounds like this could be a fun experience.

[@snafufubar]

I have a theory about America and friendliness. With the plethora of guns in America, you 1) never know who is armed and 2) you don't know who has had a bad day. So it's much safer to be nice to everybody just in case you're that one incident too far.

[@robletterly6679]

close. You engage in the 'small talk ritual' to instantly discern if the person is ok. If they go through with it, then you can let your guard down. If you don't get the small talk, time to put your guard up.

[@glockenrein]

They also desperately need tips to survive.

[@zhenli2345]

@@glockenrein Supermarket cashiers do NOT get tips. Nor do store clerks, customer service representatives over the phone, or government employees. They are all friendly. Get yourself educated.

[@annamc3947]

It’s just part of the culture. I wouldn’t read too much into it. No one walks around armed, except maybe in Texas. 😂

[@toms8937]

Seen that theory posted elsewhere. Plausible, but odd that it would be the deciding factor in one's treatment of others. Although one is never required to engage in smalltalk if not wanted, it's best to be cordial and even-handed with people.

[@lesparks126]

The size difference between people in the US and Europe (and most of the world) always gets me when I first land in the US and am walking through the terminal.

[@sandersson2813]

I saw the FATTEST human being I've ever seen standing at Houston airport. The hilarious irony was that she was security. If I wanted I could walk quicker than she could possibly ever move.

[@choonblaze]

Moving to America was the first time I saw people about triple my size in real life. We'd only see them in some tv shows about obesity, didn't know it was a normal thing to see in public.

[@alexanderstrauss4785]

If you look at the background of movies, concerts, documentaries from the 70s and 80s.... americans were like europeans, slim to normal. The question is what happened since then.

[@choonblaze]

@@alexanderstrauss4785 even just 20 years ago, very normal sized women were considered "plus sized" when they are literally 1/3rd of the size of actual obese whales.

[@wanneske1969]

@@alexanderstrauss4785 They eat crappy food and go everywhere by car.

[@eternitypartone2832]

At 8:15 you show the center of a really nice town called Landshut, situated 70 km north of München (Munich). And Belstner (the house far right) makes fantastic cakes and pies. Thanks for this sweet memory!

[@barrysteven5964]

I live in the north of England where people are known for being friendly and chatting to strangers is normal. You get a lot of banter in shops. I still feel uncomfortable though if a shop assistant starts asking me specific questions like what I'm up to for the rest of the day. It seems weird. Why would they want to know what I'm doing?

[@LucMarcelle]

They don't. It's just considered polite and friendly to show an interest in a customer/stranger's life as if you were already friends. It's also an easy way that people try to create conversation in order to get to know a person with the potential of becoming friends.

[@Ms84Jessa]

@@LucMarcellethe question then is: what’s the best/expected answer to this?

[@minoozolala]

@@Ms84Jessa Just answer honestly and in a friendly manner. It's really not a big deal.

[@Sine-gl9ly]

I'm with you on this. I'm a northerner born and bred; if it's a local shopkeeper who I see regularly that's one thing when they ask me a specific question but if its some random supermarket checkout assistant, it's just weird and intrusive. It doesn't seem to be as bad now, though, as it was just before Covid. I remember then getting very impatient with all these questions and actually asking one assistant 'Why can't I just pay for my groceries without telling you what I have planned for the rest of the day?' She said they'd been told to talk like this by management; I said to tell management that if they want to know they can ask me themselves, not delegate the task to people who have better things to do than annoy paying customers, and that the weather or the state of the roads are the only appropriate subjects for total strangers to talk about.

[@barbara5291]

A new NALF Video, you Made my day! When I saw the price of the pepper, I wasn‘t surprised at all because here in Austria grocery prices also went up enormously. It is pure greed by the producers and absolutely not justified by elevated energy prices. Very often, higher prices are disguised by asking the same price for a smaller package. The difference is often about 20 to 30%. It was so nice to hear from you guys again, I wish you a pleasant stay with the Alfieris, stay safe and healthy and come back to good old Germany😍

[@circlingtoyou2528]

Thank you so much! As a german who lived in Florida for a couple of years I share your observations 100%! I was shocked to learn the prices in the US and especially by the fact how dirt cheap all this unhealthy crab is over there. It’s so unhealthy!! People always made fun of me because I started every conversation with the comparison of the pepper prices 😂

[@MustafaCan-p8y]

People who know more than just their own culture enrich everybody ❤

[@xtacle1]

Very well put, interesting and fun to watch, thanks!

[@vaska1999]

Food prices in Canada are about 50-200% (depending on the item) higher still. I don't know what people are eating these days as everything's crazy expensive.

[@TjibbeVieberink]

Hi Nalf, just wondering. Did you ever seen something from "Not Just Bikes". He's Canadian and also talks a lot about "car centric" America. Greetings

[@tibor1234]

yeah, he made good videos about this topic.

[@UlliStein]

@@tibor1234 Oh yes, he is great!

[@choonblaze]

I don't think Americans would be interested in a non car centric lifestyle

[@Paragleiber]

Regarding the food prices I wish you would have also talked about the reasons. Why are those things so expensive in the US? Do apples and tomatoes not grow in many places in America? Why doesn't some company go ahead and sell those things for more reasonable prices and make a lot of sales?

[@KJ-md2wj]

Transportation costs are higher in the US (long distances), and if you jack up gas prices you affect all the other prices. Grow and buy local products again would help; however, prices are also political (e.g. luxury taxes, high gas taxes in Europe, etc.)

[@TheXshot]

Fresh produce is heavily subsidized in the EU, which is a good thing.

[@LucMarcelle]

@@KJ-md2wj It's much more complicated than that, and much more of a self-made problem than you realize. Due to trade sanctions both the US and Canada participate in, we both engage in a lot of export of food goods, and then in turn must import food to replace the food we just sold to a different country at a profit. It's an amazing mess designed to uphold good will via trade with other countries, that's gone way too far to the point where a lot(not all, but enough) of food grown in the US and Canada doesn't STAY in the US or Canada. The other issue has to also do with, a lot more in Canada than the US, but the northern states enjoy the same annoyances, the harsh winters which combined with the constant demand for out of season food, drives up prices via - you guessed it! - supply and demand being met by more imports. There are also things you may be unaware of such as tariffs on certain foodstuffs, meaning producers can only sell a certain amount of the product, and in some cases aren't even allowed to donate any, or use more than a small percentage personally, and must dispose of any excess product which causes a massive waste problem where there needs not be. An excellent example is on Canada's milk industry: Farmers can only sell something like 40 or 50% of their product and must dispose of the rest, with no option to donate product. This is done to regulate the price at a higher price than it actually needs to be, and essentially forces a reliance on margins rather than moving volume, which in the case of milk, could very easily be done.

[@johanneshalberstadt3663]

Your low grade nausea, yes, could be due to food additives and food processing, but could also be related to your immune system being used to different general bacteria and germ populations that are prevalent in the different countries/regions. Like yeasts and bacteria that aren't per se pathogenic but just different strains that demand some adjustments of your immune system regarding your specific microbiome.

[@thactotum]

right. a lot of people don't realize how regional microbiome makeup are.

[@Stepica]

True, but its strange its so unilateral. Lots of Europeans complain about this when visiting the USA, much less Americans suffer similar complications when visiting Europe. I would assume its a combination of both factors you outlined.

[@PhotonBeast]

I would say it's also the food make up itself too. For instance, the fat content in milk can be different - like in the Netherlands, there isn't heavy cream (as we'd call it in the States), with the highest fat content going up to like... 35%.

[@davesaunders7080]

@@Stepica Many US travellers comment on how they lose weight while on vacation in the EU. Some even comment how the gluten intolerance they had in the states is much reduced/gone in EU.

[@DarkHarlequin]

There is a kind of 'common knowledge' thing for me as a relatively frequent traveler if I travel to a whole other continent (India or SEA for example recently) I always plan 0 active things for the first few days. The combination of Jetlag, collecting germs on a long airplane flight, different food and generally different bacteria around (all of which my body is unaccustomed to) means I'll be mildly sick for a few days nearly all the time.

[@Kapalua606]

Hallo, guten Tag! Pretty accurate video I’d say. I have felt the same when I come back to visit family in the states. Still living in Germany and you were one of the first Americans I followed on KZbin when I first moved here in 2018. Actually went to first Football game in Potsdam a couple months ago. Hab einen tollen Tag!

[@baasbothal769]

this needs to be shared! great video man!

[@alteshaus5627]

I love the nature of the pacific coast states as a tourist from Germany 😉 And I like the friendly american small talk

[@sigridkramer4261]

same. i Was some years ago in USA for 6 weeks. i never felt better in my whole life. you are not isolated in usa bc people talk to each other. over here people ignore each other. but😅i gained 4kilos. that Was the only thing i didnt like😅🙋

[@dalangie]

Oh yes, I remember the incredible prices for healthy meals in the US too. I think I paid 4 times as much in the US when I cooked my favorite meal there for my friend. But for 5 US-Dollars I got the biggest chinese All you can eat buffet of my life (at least 11 years ago.)

[@HenrySimple]

The 2nd time I went to the US I went to San Franciso (for the job). Once we had some free time, my colleague and I strolled " through the city".... We didn't even walk approx. 500 Meters from the fair (Moscone) and we saw people with tents living ON/OFF the street... ... and I remember all the electictiy cables running over our heads. Mein Gott...Edit: first time I've been to Calif./ Nevada ws very revealing, too....

[@Astrofrank]

To be fair, in an area with earthquakes it is better to put the cables in the air, because after an earthquake they can get repaired easier than cables in the ground. But in regions with hurricanes it is a bit different …

[@ChristineHogan-t5r]

Recently watched Unicorn Town and really enjoyed it! Keep up the great work! (It also made me fondly remember my time as an exchange student in Germany many years ago. 😄)

[@sim81ma]

When I lived there (az) I was shocked by the fact that I could get a gallon of soda for a dollar, but a quarter gallon of orange juice was 4$. Bell pepper 1,50 a piece, 15 years ago. No wonder obesity in the US is a problem that mainly affects families on a budget.

[@Dragging79]

I remember as a kid moving back to the United States from Okinawa, Japan. I started to regret telling my parents how much I wanted to move back to the state's.

[@chikuwa291]

I went to the US during my high school days. It was just a two weeks trip, but at the end I was so glad to be back in Germany. I liked the American people and their friendliness, but I couldn’t stand their food. Even the sheer amount of it when I ordered just a small cup of ice cream made me feel uncomfortable, let alone all of the fried foods there was. The first thing I did when I was back and out of the airport was buying some bread at a bakery.

[@Cowboy-in-a-Pink-Stetson]

With regards to the marijuana legislations in the US: On one of my many road trips I spent a night in Trinidad, CO in 2009. It was a nice little town near the border to New Mexico and Texas isn't too far away. There were many restaurants and bars and a micro brewery with a riverside garden. I stayed in a fairly regular motel which was cheap but very pleasant. Really nice. In 2019 I was passing through again and decided to stay in the same motel. That was a mistake. It had become terribly run down and the guests were of a very different "class". The town itself had changed completely. No more nice restaurants and bars. The micro brewery was gone. All that was left were weed shops with armed security in each. It was really awful to see how the legalizing of Cannabis had ruined this town. With regards to the size of the States: In 2009 and again in 2019 I drove 'America's Loneliest Highway', highway 50 in Nevada. Started in Ely and travelled west to Reno. The evening before the trip in a bar in Ely I was talking with the Bartender. He told me driving out in the West was like being a seafarer in the middle ages. You stock up your ship (car) with all you need (water, 'vitals', gas, etc) before setting sail (driving off). After that you just follow the stars (the highway) until you reach the next safe haven (town). It truly was a bit like that. I swear I was driving for more than 3 hours without seeing another car in either direction, let alone a house or village. It's a big and very different country and I loved your video.

[@Retroxyl]

When you were drivin through these very long stretches of nothing other then wilderness, how were things like cellphone or radio coverage? Do they just end somwhere? Surely there is no incentive for any company to provide these services in an area entirely devoid of towns and villages is there?

[@dingusdingus2152]

Keep in mind, all of Germany is the size of Minnesota and Wisconsin. If you drove a car from anywhere in Germany in any direction for 2 hours you'd be in a different country.

[@Cowboy-in-a-Pink-Stetson]

@@Retroxyl That's right. After a while the local FM radio is gone. If you're lucky you can still pick up some AM stations, but these are often boring talk shows or worse, bible thumping missionaries. You know when you're getting near a town when the FM radio springs to life. No cell phone coverage out there either, unless you have a satellite compatible one. I tells ya, it's the wild west out there, 🙂

[@Julia-lk8jn]

@@dingusdingus2152 provided that you're doing 250 (east-west) to 350 kmh (north-south) during the entire trip, sure. (Not even using the longest distances within Germany.) Of course, the collection of speeding tickets would end up being pretty expensive, speed limit _does_ exist in Germany.

[@Julia-lk8jn]

I'm a bit skeptical; correlation is easily seen as causality. I would assume that during the same time that cannabis got legalized the homeless rates and rents went up (because they usually do) but that doesn't mean those changes were caused by the legalization. If this complete change was caused by the cannabis legalization, wouldn't it have to happen to hundreds of other small towns, too? I can't quite see how it would kill of restaurants and a micro-brewery; I grew up next to the Netherlands (as in: easy cycling distance), and they've got plenty of pleasant restaurants and cafés and shops and also 'coffee shops' , meaning: shops that sell cannabis). They seem to co-exist just fine. And yes, it is a pity that such a pleasant, wholesome town changed so drastically.

[@Wes-Tyler]

Also when you compare the prices, you have to also remember in the US the price you see is NOT the price you pay. You also have to pay additional sales taxes that aren't shown on the price sticker

[@marcoluoma3770]

I totally get it. After living in Ethiopia for years, coming back to the US was shocking. I remember saying to a colleague “everything is huge, and moving really fast.”

[@ArchyDolder]

I’ve had similar experiences when traveling back to the USA. One thing though, legalizing marijuana for recreational use in Germany has been widely discussed in the past couple of years and has even gone through a vote and is pending EU compliance approval. New laws are anticipated to go into effect in the first quarter of 2024. When this happens individuals will be able to buy upto 30 grams. People will also be allowed to grow up to six plants for personal use. There are a few curiosities about how it will work. For example, purchases may only consumed at approved purchase sites or at home. Legally speaking, you may only possess marijuana while in the act of bringing it to your home from the point of purchase. You may not take marijuana to the homes of theirs, nor may you share your pot with anyone. The only way you can legally purchase marijuana is by being a member of a “pot club” which will be organized as an e.V., the German equivalent of a non-profit organization. The e.V. Will be responsible for obtaining product from authorized wholesalers, the in turn distributing to its members. A little weird, possibly inconvenient, but big steps in right direction.

[@shelbynamels973]

The thing about food safety, and what is allowed to be put into food, is real. People would be surprised about the number of ingredients that are not allowed in food in various countries across the world - mainly the EU - that are perfectly OK in the US. Along those lines, California just passed a law prohibiting certain food dyes in Skittles, and as goes California so goes the nation.

[@Theomite]

I work with people who talk about California as if it's a Soviet Bloc nation, with

[@melpim69]

As a Body and mind health conscious and sustainable thinking squad of 4 ecology students (2 horticulture, 1 ecological agriculture, 1 biochemistry) we had a Roadtrip: eastcost from JFK to Florida and back to Jfk through the BlueRidgeMountains. 14 Days + before 5days NYCity. Unbelievable. Limping people, spirits drugged by medications, Mentally insane/incompetent people, the closer you turn to the south. Beautyfull Forrests. Awesome friendly peoples, best wishes to Steven with a "V" from Cincinnati Ohio. Nearly no Crops, Garden, fruitTree, Flowers, wild Wheat or Bushes on property land. Insane Without those lots of SickManipulated, To be mourned and pitied people it would be better. Grow your own plats bro. Nature is not your enemy its your everthing, its your planet to live as living on it, not as a shy plastic electricity gasoline humanDisgust. Be human not american. Maybe never again. Becaus there are a lot of more countries with same or less same beautyfull nature and way less mentalweak or sick people and healthier freshcooked food without unknown stimmulizers. Poor poor country. Im sorry for you

[@gabele2386]

I worked in Schwäbisch Hall myself :D , just for a short period of time, when I moved back to Berlin. Im impressed, you made it 7 years!

[@morskulskram1722]

We made a 3 month Road Trip from Seattle to San Diego a few years ago and i have to say Portland (Oregon) felt like half way between Berlin (our Home) and the other American Cities we visited on the West Coast. Portland has, at least in the City center, sidewalks, bike lanes, public transportation, farmers markets, small bakeries and cafés and also streetart and -culture similar to Berlin.

[@Mackerdaymia]

Can really relate to the food thing. Since leaving the EU, the UK has started to import all sorts of awful food. Whenever I visit, I have 3-4 days where I feel rotten

[@theholk]

As far as the "political bumper stickers" go: Part of it is that politics in Germany is generally speaking a matter of topics (which, granted, immediately feeds back into party affiliation in some sense), so IF there are stickers, they are usually in regards to a position on a topic rather than a party or even less a candidate. on top of just less "bumper stickering" in general

[@allangoodger969]

Got to have a little chuckle as an Australian. I can drive for 24 hours and still be in my own state. Yes I have experienced US food and could not stomach it, way too much sugar and salt.

[@alainmellaerts8926]

When I drive 30’ north I am in the Netherlands, 1h15 east in Germany, 45’ south in France and Luxembourg is a bit more than an hour southeast. London is about 1h45 by train via the Chunnel. People here think it is far when they drive to the coast 1h15 away.

[@juliuszaesi]

well deserved success on this video. That was so intereseting to watch!

[@francodenobili7654]

When I lived in the US from 1991 - 2008 ( Colorado, Utah, Oregon ), it was exactly the other way around - everything was so much cheaper there. But it all tasted the same - veggies and fruits - like plastic - I only realized when I moved back to Germany :):):):):):)

[@avioncamper]

You are correct Nick, fresh vegetables cost more than chips and other junk food. Your body was having an interaction with all the nasty chemicals in our food. Living in Europe has been very good for you. Nice to see Mickey, what's he doing now?

[@loisavci3382]

Could you be allergic to corn? I noticed I was always healthier whenever out of the US and eventually found out this was due to being allergic to corn. Corn products are in almost every food in the grocery store.

[@leonhayes188]

Unfortunately, politics in the U. S. has become a branch of show business. Voters seem to want entertainment rather than representation.

[@Immudzen]

What I have found is that every time I go back to the USA I end up getting sick. I can go for a year in Germany and have no issues at all. I went to Florida and any time I went inside a building my nose would start getting stuffed up and after a while I ever started coughing. If I went back outside that would go away.

[@lioness1575]

As European having lived in the US some time ago, I fully agree with you regarding the food topic.

[@williamhitchcock6265]

Years ago my wife and I took some german friends on our boat for a weeklong cruise. As we went up the connecticut river we could see nice houses with lawns running down to the shore. They made a comment, "such a big country" as we cruised up the river. My wife and I looked at each other and we thought, "big country....Connecticut ? The US doesnt get more crowded than this !".

[@vinckr5553]

yes the average german has no clue how large america actually is and how far the distances are they can't comprehend that a lot of german culture and law born in a extremely dense populated and tightly knit country like germany simply wouldn't work in america

[@williamhitchcock6265]

W@@vinckr5553

[@Julia-lk8jn]

@@vinckr5553 The average German is quite capable of interpreting a map, thx. And that "oh no that wouldn't work in the US because were shpecial" argument died from over-use around the time it was used for the 100th time in the metric-imperial discussion. Also; most Europeans consume way more US media than US-Americans (including road movies), so although that information is distorted - my, how slim, attractive and fit all US Americans are! - it gives you a broad idea.

[@Julia-lk8jn]

The US doesn't, but European countries certainly do ... I wonder whether that plays into the general attitude towards protection of the environment: When there's seemingly endless 'untouched' mountains, forests and other eco-systems, it could be easy to go with the 'obvious': That surely losing a bit here or there can't be a problem - there's plenty more, after all. Just as something that large and powerful can't be hurt by whether or not my computer and AC are running 24/7. Seemingly untouched nature is rare in most places in Europe because there've been cities here for thousands of years, and honest-to-god untouched is even rarer; it'd probably have to be on top of a mountain somewhere.

[@vinckr5553]

@@Julia-lk8jn no just because you are able to read a map doesn't mean you can actually comprehend how large a country is and what it feels like driving through it, for example have you ever been to america?

[@mojojim6458]

One reverse culture shock he doesn't mention appears at :23 - cars parked neatly inside the lines. TSGO

[@NALFVLOGS]

it’s incredible to see

[@user-bj2lu9qt3o]

Ahh... one of your pet peeves, right Jim?😉

[@mojojim6458]

@@user-bj2lu9qt3oMa chere

[@robletterly6679]

who's parking in lines? Germans or Americans? I would assume Germans being better at staying within the lines

[@mojojim6458]

@@robletterly6679Refer to earlier videos of the Nalf where he catalogues the inability of Germans to park within the lines. I guess it's one of the few areas where they can rebel without consequence.

[@liketobe2743]

The pictures used for our inner City shopping areas are very romantised. Schwäbischhall is btw one of the old conserved german cities. Usually its not so nice and many smaller german cities do have this kind of malls in the outsidearea of the city or by the highway and the inner city shopping areas are dying off and beeing replaced with bars, coffeshops, restaurants and pricey boutiques since normal german working people cant afford living in central parts of the city anymore. also online shopping is killing most of our shops in the city so the only cities where this still works have tourism and people with higher earnings. Go to cities like Bremerhaven and you will see what i mean.

[@Fragenzeichenplatte]

That may be the case but it's still much better than the US. The US is really bad in that regard. Even a city like Bremerhaven has a better bicycle infrastructure and better public transport than most US cities. The Bürgermeister-Smidt-Straße is heaven compared to the main streets of US cities.

[@joekhatib3798]

I was shocked at how Berlin was starting to take on the look of a large American City back in 2015 when I was there last! There are whole areas that have been taken over by Migrants and you barely saw a native German!!! 🤔

[@Fragenzeichenplatte]

@@joekhatib3798 You mean you didn't see people with white skin and you assumed they are all non-German migrants and that made you uncomfortable because you're racist.

[@jan-lukas]

​@@Fragenzeichenplattesadly, statistics say that migrants will commit more crimes. The reasons for that are obvious, because they usually have insufficient funds to secure a good living, but that doesn't change anything about the raw numbers that some random immigrant will have a higher chance of committing crimes than some random non-immigrant

[@lindaniedringhaus8790]

Thank you for this comment.I sometimes wonder if things are as rosy in Europe as we are told.

[@TheEulerID]

One the subject of pedestrians, in Germany in 2021 there were 341 pedestrian deaths compared with 6,565 in the USA (which rose to an astonishing 7,388 in 2022, a 40 year high). So in 2021, there were almost 20 times the number of pedestrian fatalities in the USA with less than 4 times the population. So a pedestrian is, on average, 5 times more likely to be killed in the USA than in Germany. The trend in pedestrian deaths in the USA has been heading in the wrong direction for 15 years having risen by 80% in that time period. That is astonishing, and nobody appears to be prepared to do anything about it.

[@wolfgangsperber7894]

Funny video! As always verry well edited and thought. But we can see, that you have other priorities: rushing through the last point to get the video finished as quick as possible! 😂

[@isana788]

If there is no zebra crossing in your hometown, Laura can "Germanize" the place a bit. Give her some white paint and a brush. That's not a problem.

[@LCamp-cr7fs]

Even when there „legal“ crossings, they are just suggestions to American drivers. The other day I stopped for a pedestrian right by the sign saying that you must yield to them. The driver behind me honked the horn! 😮

[@bastee2727]

Been to the US several times east to west (am German) and can relate to everything you said. The smalltalk-friendlyness to me is acted and not real: No you do not care ‚how i‘m doing‘ 😅

[@sigridkramer4261]

i am german and i think it makes people feeling good to be treated friendly. always good when people talk friendly to each other.

[@Rick2010100]

I have been stoped by teh police in Florida, because i had a walk in the neighborhood. The officer asked me what i am doing there, is said, i just have a walk. He asked where I wanted to go, I said that I had no destination, I just wanted to walk a little for the sake of exercise. He couldn't understand it, but based on my clothes he concluded that I wasn't homeless or a criminal and that I had bad intentions. I then told him that there weren't enough steps for the day on my health watch and I had to fill it up somehow. He was then able to understand that and wished me a nice day.

[@lindsaycooke9282]

@Rick2010100: As an enthusiastic walker (I don't drive a car) I'm glad I've not yet been questioned what I was doing, where I was going, or anything, when I take walks during visits back in the States - being suspected of loitering would ruin the walk for me. I hope yours didn't feel ruined. It's so strange, on a lovely day, to see you're the only person walking, far and wide.

[@tims.2832]

Really fun to watch, thx. Greetings from Bremen

[@tantumstv3465]

Nalf , Where are you ? Been a few weeks since an upload , Have a great Christmas

[@SillySpanish]

Wow that could be it I am in Hawaii right now and expected to feel nothing but happy but really struggling with the food and feel a bit depressed which is so out of character for me. Felt the same way last summer in Miami 🤷‍♀️ and yes I am German. Started cooking my own things here in my tiny hotel kitchen because I cannot even stand American restaurant culture. But you’re right probably paid as much for my veggies as I would have in a restaurant

[@SillySpanish]

But yes appreciate the small talk politeness and genuine interest

[@hansschultze8392]

It only takes so long to drive in the US because in the land of the „free“, the speed limits are very restrictive…🤷‍♂️😜

[@Real_MisterSir]

I was just about to say haha. The main reason we can cover the entirety of central Europe in a day is due to the highway speeds :D None of that "55 mph limit" bs

[@UlliStein]

That's because of the quality of driving education. You can not let a 16 year old boy with little experience drive as fast as he (or his car) can, but in Germany it takes at least 2000 € to get a license, so the drivers know what they do. THAT's the difference.

[@Fragenzeichenplatte]

@@UlliStein It's also the quality of the roads. The roads in the US are not good and cannot handle high speeds.

[@tillneumann406]

That being said, the Autobahn is frequently clogged up, unlike most of U.S. freeways except in metropolitan areas, and the extra speed you can go in places (nowhere near everywhere!) won't help you when it only leads you more quickly to the next congestion. And the overall good quality of German road surfaces (with some rather extreme exceptions, by the way!) comes at the cost of basically being unable to go anywhere without getting stuck because of road construction which also causes speed limits of 60 km/h (about 37 mph) for stretches of several kilometers.

[@Fragenzeichenplatte]

@@tillneumann406 > That being said, the Autobahn is frequently clogged up, unlike most of U.S. freeways except in metropolitan areas, The US has a lot of metropolitan areas. That's where people live and therefore drive. The US is less densely populates so obviously many highways will be empty. > and the extra speed you can go in places (nowhere near everywhere!) won't help you when it only leads you more quickly to the next congestion. Same for the US. Unless you want to go on a roadtrip but same is true for Europe. But at least Europe has many alternative options. The Autobahn is not always blocked all the time. You're being hyperbolic.

[@zAlaska]

I served in Germany for 4 years and when I got back to America I wish I had never left. Go from a nice life to living in a open penitentiary and ghetto. I've grown accustomed and well adjusted to the profoundly ill Society. Thinking in English without German words filling my head, thinking in German rather than English, even if my German wasn't that good I have perfect words that aren't available in English. Getting my subject pronouns and placements, the fire is on house in German the house is on fire in English created laughter when I spoke in German. The summer solstice party where everyone was German and it was in English, with three who couldn't speak it, neglecting their studies. Lots of people were there and the only reason why it was in English was because I was there. I was in bremerhaven and hanau. Got to go to see both sides of the wall and the color in East Germany was dismal gray everywhere. Pepsi was the only thing on a can with everything else in unlabeled mason jars at the grocery store in East Berlin in 1981.

[@TTMHEST]

Als jemand aus dem Osten weiß ich nicht genau wo du gewesen bist bei deinem Besuch in Ostdeutschland. Das es im Osten unbeschriebene Gläser zu kaufen gab ist leider ein großer Unsinn. Aber unterstreicht die allgemeine Meinung, welche gerne über das östliche Deutschland vom Westen verbreitet wird. Ja sicher war Werbung nicht ansatzweise so verbreitet wie im Westen. Im Fernsehen gab sogar gar keine. Was sich viele heutzutage wieder wünschen. Einen Film einfach mal nur anschauen ohne die viele Unterbrechung. Rein ökologisch gesehen ist diverse Werbung der Doppel Null schlecht hin. Es wird unnütz Strom verbraucht für Leuchtreklame, es wird Papier vergeudet für Prospekte. Dabei spielt das hirnlose verbrassen von Energie zur Herstellung von Werbung auch eine nicht unerhebliche Rolle. Aber zurück zu ihrer Beschreibung. Produkte zum Beispiel Lebensmittel gab es in der früheren DDR sowohl in beschrieben Gläsern aber in üblichen Kunststoffverpackungen wie heute. Sie waren nicht so bunt wie heute, was allerdings nichts Geschmack geändert hat. Wenn man bedenkt wie viel weniger gutes nur wegen einer guten Verkaufsstrategie bzw Werbung an Kunden herangetragen wird , wäre ich vorsichtig die Werbung so übermäßig positiv zu bewerten. Da sie aus den USA sind müssten sie es eigentlich am allerbesten wissen.

[@TTMHEST]

Ouh eines noch zu ihrer Ausführung. Wenn sie ein prinzipielles Problem mit dem Osten Deutschlands haben, dann leben sie das doch gerne aus für sich. Aber halten sich doch bitte mit unqualifizierten Ausführungen dazu für die Öffentlichkeit zurück. Immerhin scheinen sie vom Leben in Ostdeutschland keine Ahnung zu haben. Bevor das hier missverstanden wird ich wünsche mir keine DDR zurück. Warum auch. Ein zwei geteiltes Land ist nicht als richtig zu sehen und es war Zeit,dass es sich änderte 1989. Aber das ist genauso wenig richtig falsche Bilder zuzulassen. Egal von was. Ihre Bilder die sie beschreiben sie eben falsch .

[@terminator235]

Greatings from Bremerhaven

[@zAlaska]

The best years of my life were spent there where I got to be a German surrounded by Americans that never were. I wish I could attend The Wally's annual reunion. From the first day I arrived, I faced free drinks for me and my guest for the 2 years I lived there. My guest was always German. How many happy teenagers can you pack into the back of a 2cv box truck to fly down to Bremen on the Autobahn to check out the Aladdin, a retro theater converted into a bar? Seemingly, an endless line of people crawled out once we arrived. I hope you are just as happy and satisfied being there. I wish I never left and came back home.

[@marcblum5348]

Now, that vid was very interesting and informative. Thanks.