American was Shocked by The Things That Only European Knows!!

[@hannesschwan6284]

as a European you mostly see the differences between you and your neighboring countries, but from this outside perspective it’s nice to see that on a higher cultural level we have so much in common .. plus, it’s nice that no one acted if their way was somehow better than the other

[@jeroenrat6289]

Well, I think the Europeans is better in most cases they talked about here, except maybe the cold or iced water😅

[@omega1231]

They did also coincidentally have most of the countries where f.ex. they kiss on the cheek, that isn't very widespread In Europe in general

[@julialungan4722]

​@@omega1231kissing on the cheek is widespread tho, most of western europe does it and many in eastern too (im romanian and we kiss 2 times, one on each cheek)

[@flitsertheo]

@@omega1231 In Belgium this leads to funny situations because in general the Flemish (as a Germanic people) don't kiss foreigners or male relatives on the cheek while the Walloons (as a Latin people) do.

[@giftofthewild6665]

​@jeroenrat6289 In Spain, soft drinks (including water) will almost always come with ice. Germany isn't a hot country, so it makes sense the water won't come with ice, but in Spain it's hot so ice is a standard with cold drinks.

[@Ana-385]

I have the feeling that in America such a percentage of tips is unfair because regardless of the quality of the service, it turns out that the customer has to pay the difference between an unworthy salary and a decent salary instead of the employer. A tip should be a reward for extra effort or pleasant courtesy on top of a normal salary, it's not up to me as a customer to pay extra just because you came to work.

[@flitsertheo]

That is exactly what it is, the customer pays part of the employees wages. No wonder they can offer you "free" refills.

[@grahvis]

Tipping, as done in the US, is a way of the restaurant displaying false prices. That advertised $20 meal won't actually cost you $20, but $24 or $25.

[@xxstormxx56]

​​@@grahvis 25 and 30 are too much, what is gonna be in the future? 40 or 50 perfect? So the restaurant is gonna go bankrupt because you no longer welcome customers! What an irony, the land of freedom that promotes consumerism and exploiting poor people.

[@chrislambaa7586]

They do the same with sales tax. In european countries its always included in the price tag. In the USA it will be added at the end of the sale.

[@diamantestres]

​@Ramjeet_PooInTheStreet_ ¿Las propinas .se.declaran? Igual es por eso, no lo sé.

[@olgahein4384]

For everybodys information: The german girl actually confused maternity leave (parental leave actually) with maternal protection time. - Maternal protection is several weeks before due date and several weeks after birth. When a woman gets pregnant though, she gets closely monitored by her doctor. That doctor can prolong that maternal protection through an employment ban by a lot - depending on the womans job, her mental and physical health and actual pregnancy or birth complications. I have met women who went into that maternal protection the day they learned about their pregnancy (like 2nd month or so) and for 8 weeks after birth. That time the woman get paid full income and e.g. vacation days can not expire and other stuff. - Parental leave is what follows after maternal protection and can be used by either the mother or the father or both. The duration for one person is 12 months at least with a percentage of the payment (65% minimum), and lasts up to 3 years (rather the 3rd birthday of the child). The payment is only for the first year though and can be split into 2 years, by receiving only half of it. In that time, no matter if with or without payment, social security is covered without payment as 'qualification time' - means you have no gaps in your retirement or unemployment insurance. If both parents want to use parental leave, then only one parent can use all of it, the other parent only a fraction of that time additionally. The payment is not the income but one of the many social 'income replacing payments' that is done by the government or government controlled institutions (though sometimes it is done through the employer, who then get reimbursed) - While maternal protection has a minimum that mothers HAVE to take, without exception, they can cut it short before birth. Parental leave can be completely cut off if they wish. That being said, this is for employed people. Self employed people of any kind have it a bit harder in many ways.

[@DiaryandPoetry]

The parental leave payment for selfemployed is the same as for employed. The minimum you get are 300€. And you get the 300€ even if you were unemployed. Thats why getting the parental leave payment is such bereaucratic act. And if i remember correctly and it hasnt been changed you get 60% of your monthly payment.

[@NordpolPinguin]

The payment is capped at 1800€. If you have a high income, you won‘t get that 60-65% unfortunately. At maternity protection is 6 weeks before due dare and 8 weeks after.

[@king8717]

Ok

[@WellValUa]

I went for this comment! I want to add, AFAIK the parental leave is 14 months for both parents to split, one cannot take more than 12 months though

[@mimbutzki9337]

​@@WellValUa not quite correct. The secon parent can take two months, too, yes. If the second parent is the mother she has to take it. And you can take two years, but you then only get paid the half (so something between 150€ and 900€ instead of the 300€ to 1800€).

[@daftirishmarej1827]

Also, let's tip our hats to how excellent all these ladies English is!!!

[@glacyneyla-tradingcardgames]

It's normal for Europeans to speak English. 🤷🏻‍♀️

[@daftirishmarej1827]

@@glacyneyla-tradingcardgames Now yes, a lot can speak basic English. 12 years ago, only those in tourist areas had a few words. I know. I moved from the UK to Italy. These ladies though, their vocabulary and grammar is excellent

[@unlimon6382]

I get you try to encourage, but unless someone is bringing up their learning experience it just feels weird. Most people who are actually fluent with a good level have dedicated at least five years to learning or they may even use it in their career. They already have that confirmation. At that point it's like telling an engineer they are really good at maths when they are calculating the check at a restaurant. Foreign languages are like any area of expertise. It feels really good when you are learning because people notice that and they say you are going in the right direction, but eventually you reach a point of fluency in which it actually feels like somebody is giving you a cookie for doing something that is no longer an effort for you. Like, imagine telling a translator "you speak really good English". It's kinda what they've been up to. It's hard to learn a language, but at that point it feels like you are just expecting them to be terrible. It'd be different if, say, the person has little confirmation that they speak great. That'd be the case of, as I said, newbies or people in the process of learning that haven't reached an advanced level or even somebody who has learnt a foreign language from far away or a not very widely spoken one. These women are in a programme in English. I'm pretty sure they know :/ they have really good English, don't get me wrong, but for someone of that level it's better to casually say it in normal conversation

[@ElusiveTy]

​@@unlimon6382It's not that deep. It's an accomplishment for ANYBODY to speak more than one language.

[@ElusiveTy]

It's unfortunate that most of them have chosen an American dialect, given the birthplace of English is right next to them.

[@Archy11102]

In US you'll see drug deals on TV, heads split open, thefts, people riddled with bullets, but God forbid if they show a nipple in the media. As an European, I always found this weird.

[@shalolly4310]

In those scenarios the ppl are clothed lol. I personally don't wanna see my fellow ppl naked. Only my boyfriend.

[@olivierb9716]

@@shalolly4310 oh, fragile

[@12OZK12]

@@shalolly4310 Yes, that was the point. It's strange. Nudity is perfectly normal. Literally everyone is nude. Yet you've created such a big taboo, that you don't see how twisted your perception is. Meanwhile looking at ultra-violence is fine (not saying it isn't). Which one of these concepts is actually everyday and normal?).

[@FranciscoJavier246]

Like there is no drug deals in Europe 😂

[@12OZK12]

@@FranciscoJavier246 You're illiterate.

[@OneGiuseppe]

Hi Giulia spoke the truth. America is always proud of the freedom, liberty and human rights there but when it comes to basic things they are just gone🇵🇸

[@lexwolverine555]

It’s Giulia, not Julia! Otherwise, it would be like me calling you “Giuseppe,” which is the Italian translation of Joseph!🙃

[@WillB-w9l]

Wouldn’t you say having to use the restroom is a basic human right? Then why do they charge you for bathroom usage in Europe? What would happen if you don’t have any change on you? Food for thought

[@kaszaspeter77]

@@WillB-w9l No, I wouldn't say that (I am European). It's a service. Besides, the idea is never to make money on running a toilet, the fee is just to cover the costs. No one ever got rich on a toilet :)

[@elincarlsson6388]

​@@WillB-w9lPay whoever cleans it maybe? Which is a human right when you work.

[@moondaughter1004]

@@WillB-w9lin my country we can use our card or pay with an app

[@charlesfromont773]

Hi, comment from France regarding water in restaurant : Funny thing that happened in France is that McDonald tried to sell « McWater » for one euro. But in France, restaurant are legally obliged to give you free tap water if you ask (they don’t have a choice), so you could, in a McDo be like : « Also can I have water please. - Yes it will be one euro more. - No no, FREE tap water. - Yes… of course… » They even talked about this in the news 😂

[@charz95]

Similar thing happened to me in Norway, restaurants are obligated to provide free water, but one time I asked for water in McDonalds they charged me for the cup

[@ninjarope]

I worked in the fast food restaurant in Finland (not McDonald's tho) and we had to charge for the cups. So if person wanted water to go, they had to pay. But if they eat at the restaurant, I was able to give them free water with glass from restaurant next to us. Or obviously if they had water bottle and asked me to fill it, I could do it.

[@charz95]

@@ninjarope yeah that makes sense, I just had never experienced that before here so if I had known I would probably had asked them to fill my water bottle

[@OneGiuseppe]

Hi

[@playlisttarmac]

Similar in Australia. All restaurants (including fast food) must have a free water option.

[@tildat5336]

Unfortunately, there was no Swede who could shock the American by saying that the Swedish government grants parents 480 days of parental leave

[@davidesperanza5413]

Sweden is one of the most advanced nation in the world... A real social democratic country. I really think that the swedish way is the best

[@junglecat_rant]

​@@davidesperanza5413True

[@fungamesandstories]

They are young ladies, they didn't really know exactly how much maternity leave they have

[@Januarymash678]

⁠@@davidesperanza5413they just have too much terrorism because of immigration from eastern countries… which makes me sad for all the innocent people caught in the crossfire

[@kgjekdl]

@@davidesperanza5413 What are you yapping about?? They face a serious unregulated migration crisis rn.

[@Nonzukit]

I'm loving these conversations without anyone biting anyone's head off! Great cultural exchange.

[@bbdj2779]

On my first travels to Europe, I was really taken aback by the paid public restrooms. Paying to use the toilet even in places like shopping malls. But after living in Europe for some time, I view it quite differently now. I see them as a dependable luxury worth every penny. They are far more safe than public washrooms in North America, and they are dependably clean - often with attendants who will clean after every use. In North America, it’s a big gamble if the washroom will be clean with big odds that it won’t be. If you remember to have a few coins in your pocket for toilets when travelling around Europe, I believe you will appreciate them too.

[@HowItOughtToBe]

Most bathrooms in the UK are free and while some of them can be gross most of them are nice

[@irsinium]

Not true. Free toilettes on malls.

[@tarkitarker0815]

most malls actually dont have pay toilets, you do not NEED to pay, the cleaning staff prob looks angry but thats it. italy and france where the only places where i constantly had to have 50ct or 1 € for toilets bc they had barriers.

[@seldakaya0414]

In Germany, maternity leave is 6 weeks before and 8 weeks after due day, after that you get 12 months of paid leave if you take them on your own, if the partner does as well, it’s 14 months, you both can choose how long you want to stay at home. You can share 7+7 or 12+2 or 8+6, you can take the month together at once or after each other. You get almost 70 % of your salary you had a year before pregnancy, but at least 300 € monthly if you didn’t work.

[@empress2529]

really? 1 year of paid pregnancy and 14 if the partner also take paternity leave? In Israel we can take ~6 months of pregnancy leave, while ~4 are paid not by the workplace, but by a national insurance (of course, if the woman worked for at least 1 year before, if less, they receive less payment. In U.S, it is crazy.... also, they have different laws for small companies and for bigger, in big companies are more rights

[@SahinK.]

@@empress2529 not during the pregnancy, the up to 14 months is after giving birth. germany has amazing laws when it comes to stuff like that

[@carilaeeduardo3055]

@@SahinK. so why german has low fertility ?

[@sotweet6123]

That's pretty similar to Canada.

[@cathrinwittler7192]

@@carilaeeduardo3055because we don’t have enough child care facilities where you can leave your child while working…

[@g.m.5789]

I’m from Italy and what the Italian girl said about kissing is a little strange. It’s true that we kiss each other on the cheek as greetings, but we usually just press our cheeks together, mimicking the smacking sound of a kiss in a dramatic manner for the flare of it. Never once in my life a had someone greeting me plantings their lips on my cheek in a full on moist kiss with saliva as the cherry on top, except perhaps some elderly relative 😂😂😂😂

[@MissTwoSetEncyclopedia]

That's exactly what happens in France. The "bise" is not a real kiss. As you say, we just press each other's cheeks and make the sound of a kiss with our mouth. 😂

[@barawen_who]

We do that sometimes in Spain, more when it is people you are not close to, but I give real kisses to my family and best friends

[@jtidema]

Yeah, that's like here in the US with my Italian-American relatives, we call it an 'air kiss'.

[@yoongistongue4163]

I think that probably depends on how close you are with the person you greet. Like he in Poland if it's just a casual relationship ofc were not even touching e/o in any way but if its your long time bo see aunt... That's a different story 😅

[@RaffleE46]

She clearly doesn’t like France that’s why 😅

[@thesollys9540]

I thought tipping in USA was for service, as in taken orders and delivered?, now you are still expected to tip without any service?...FFS America, get your shit together and pay the staff properly instead of the tipping malarkey!.

[@mini1812]

Tipping for wait/table (as opposed to counter) service is the norm in the US and these are the employees that legally earn sub-minimum wage in many states, so not tipping at all is extremely poor form. (I agree that this is ridiculous.) The tipping for counter service is something they're trying to make a norm, but skipping it is not frowned upon because these employees do make the standard minimum wage (which is still not a living wage in many localities--varies A LOT). Also, it's not the same 15-25% as with US wait service, it's the token amount Europeans think of when tipping.

[@grahvis]

Believe it or not, some self-service kiosks in the US, ask you if you want to tip when you need to pay.

[@rabbiezekielgoldberg2497]

You could just not tip. Also, just because the minimum wage and benefits are much more favorable to the employee in Europe doesn't mean those sorts of jobs will be available to the average person, depending on where you live in Europe. This video is meant to hate on America and, in the process, overlooks a lot of the problems Europe has. Europe is not the land of milk and honey that many think it is.

[@lolololol7573]

@@rabbiezekielgoldberg2497 Where did you find any hate in this video against America? That's really far fetched. It's just differences discussed.

[@rabbiezekielgoldberg2497]

@@lolololol7573 Note the expression _hate on_ does not imply any outright hostility. The differences highlighted overstate the desirability of some aspects of Europe, while presenting only trivially undesirable aspects. There is also the exaggeration of the prevalence of gun violence in daily US life without really understanding the root of the issue.

[@soniamoura325]

Love the Italian girl reaction to the driving! I also feel the same stress relief when driving!!😂😂

[@Dizzaton]

The subtitle that said "if you're on a bus" when she actually said "if it's your boss" killed me lmao

[@NavaSDMB]

That "restroom ticket" is NOT for public restrooms. It's for restrooms managed by a private company, which are in publically-accesible but privately-owned areas such as train stations (depending on the country, they may or may not be able to operate in highway stops). And the ticket always has a same-amount discount at the stores in the same place, so you can go to the toilet, pay whatever much it is, then take the ticket and it's a voucher for part of your drink, your meal or your magazine.

[@AnnieL194]

plus they are always clean, or at least cleaner so I would rather pay for a clean wc than get cholera from public bathrooms

[@flitsertheo]

@@AnnieL194 They are "clean" in more ways than one because it also keeps the less savoury people out, the "little ladies" guarding the premises will see to that.

[@tpilot_error404]

There are free public restrooms in Germany but they aren't "peaceful" and look like the prison version of it. Some (mostly non German) truckers " live" on these parking lots. I am a lady trucker ( lkw) and just don't have a choice where to go when I need to go. During covid we where not allowed using bathroom at companies we delivered " not for visitors" . Currently i get 8 euro a day for expenses like these ( employer doesnt need to have a lunchbreak room or sanitary building so you get some money to go elsewhere). My male colleagues just believe its just some kinda bonus for being a trucker and just p in bottles, wich they yeet out . Most truckers don't have a warm meal ( if any at all).

[@Grace-td5dd]

I live in the UK and the ones you pay for are never actually any cleaner. It’s hit and miss whether any sort of public bathroom is clean or not honestly. But most bathrooms here are free

[@NavaSDMB]

@escorpiuser I've seen them in a couple of train stations. I think the company is originally German.

[@ninglight4433]

Nudity in German (and some other countries in Europe) was the reaction of the young against the very strict regime of their parents and granparents (the WW1 and WW2 generation). These people are today in the 70ies and older and for them this was a symbol of freedom. This is also the name for it, Freikörperkultur (free-body-culture). But iaside of beaches, you see a lot less skin at the street, compared to US.

[@ravanpee1325]

That's not true...Look how the Princes of Hohenzollern had their orgys or the nightlife in the 20s in the Weimar Republic..also the Nazis promoted having children pretty heavily..of course people were more liberal in the 70s with the introduction of the pill..that has nothing to do with politics

[@ichl46]

Same here in Spain. That generation suffered the Franco dictatorship era, so when it ended and people started to gain freedom, many began to undress in beaches as a symbol of freedom. We call it here "El destape".

[@Barfield-cg7iq]

Funnily enough the FKK was encouraged in the former communist East Germany. I think it was seen as being down to earth and a push against bourgeois attitudes.

[@pck1166]

No, the beginning was earlier (ca. 1870) with the so called '(Lebens-)Reformbewegung' which included: Wandervogel, Reformschulen (Landerziehungsheime/Hermann Lietz, Waldorf, Montessori, ...), Freikörperkultur (Nudity), Vegetarismus, Homöopathie, Kneipp, Bircher-Benner (Müsli), Kommunen, Schrebergärten, Reformhäuser, Gymnastik, Turnen.

[@CineSoar]

In the US, topless at beaches is quite rare, and 'risky' as it can be illegal (3 conservative, landlocked, states), or some form of "discretionary" where the act of toplessness alone is not against the law, in places that wouldn't prohibit a man from going shirtless. But, law enforcement has broad discretion in cases they deem to be 'disorderly' or 'lewd'. In some areas, the state and local laws may disagree, in many cases "local custom" may allow it, even though there are local laws that say otherwise. So, going topless by someone who didn't grow up in Europe is generally done on a 'safety in numbers' basis (enough people do it at that location, that it seems more normal), or as outright protest against the inequality of such laws (Free the Nipple movement). Public nude beaches are extremely rare (a little over a dozen, out of several thousand beaches, in the entire US). In the case of public beaches, usually, one secluded end of the beach will have a sign stating that clothing is optional beyond that point, and warning that "you may encounter nude sunbathers". There are also a number of private clubs, campgrounds, and beaches that are designated clothing optional. The stereotypical impression that many Americans have of the nude beaches is that they are frequented by the elderly (with jokes along the lines of "needs ironing"), or where the more adventurous younger sunbathers risk being 'perved on', and/or photographed by creepy locals.

[@Hosigie]

I'm Croatian and a bit shocked at how short the maternity leave is in other EU countries. :/ Here it's a year and a half to two years long if it gets extended. It's also obligatory for at least 3 months, you're required to take the maternity leave by law, but I don't know a single person who didn't just take a year and a half off. Dads also get a paternity leave. And you can't get fired during it.

[@KxNOxUTA]

It is the same in Germany. It's just different terms and the payment and who pays is different. It shifts from the company to the government. And it'll also be connected with e.g. the health of the mother and what her doctors deem safe etc. etc. . There's a really detailed comment in the comment section so it's worth reading a bit into detail. These things are not common knowledge to this detail to such young ppl unless they had a child already or siblings with kids who also discussed the law side of things LOL.

[@Hosigie]

@@KxNOxUTA oh okay yeah, that makes more sense to me. To be fair, I wouldn't know either if I didn't have coworkers who got pregnant a couple of years ago.

[@susanneS371]

Iwas surprised that the German girl knew so little about paid pazernal leave.

[@bendu49100]

@@susanneS371 Why would she have to know ? She doesn't need to if she doesn't have any child ...

[@sandygee3845]

​@@susanneS371I am older than the ladies in the video and wouldn't be able to tell the facts about the current laws on paternal leave. I learn along the way when colleagues go on their respective leaves. Love the approach a lot, though. No judgement, just sharing information on a personal level.

[@LaureBejianiMashk]

6 kisses ? Never seen than in France ! It is between 2 and 4

[@616Regis]

More like between 1 and 5. In the tip of Britanny, a single kiss on the right cheek is enough, while in some places of the centre of France and in Corsica it can go up to 5. But yeah, I've never seen or heard of places where 6 kisses are the norm.

[@jacouilledefripouille9076]

In Belgium it’s 3 kisses

[@nmc1544]

​@@616Regis nulle part non plus il y a 5. Max c'est 4

[@616Regis]

@@nmc1544 Une partie des Corses font bien 5 bises.

[@Nightblood28]

@@nmc1544ça m’a stressé je suis allée voir.

[@St0sch]

Very few people in the US know how to drive a manual car. It actually costs more to buy a car with a manual since at least the late 90's early 2000's. In the state of WI, you can not take your driver's test with a manual car anymore. The joke around here is that if you drive manual, you've got built-in theft protection.

[@luciaiacono2419]

I dig this kind of video! But I also think they could keep going with some more intriguing topics, like the difference between the concept of boundaries, tradition/folklore, the perception of self, how people react to strangers' interactions, etc. Based on my personal experience these are the things I found most different between the two.

[@shreyasshreyu1598]

Can I get your snap I'd

[@LoveYouFiance]

In Lithuania paid maternity leave is from 18 to 24 months, parents can choose. Also, fathers can go on paternity leave. For me is crazy when in other countries the maternity leave is counted not in months, but in weeks 😭 In my personal opinion mothers need time to take care of little soul ❤

[@PSimonsen]

In Denmark it's 9 months after. I can't remember how long before. And it's still a no brainer, nobody ask, it's just how it is.

[@DanDanDoe]

In the Netherlands it’s just 1 week when the baby’s born for the father. He can get extra paternity leave for up to five weeks and he’ll get 70% of his normal salary in that time. Until 2019 it was just 2 days, but we’re still lagging behind the rest of Europe with paternity leave. For mothers it’s 6 weeks pregnancy leave before the due date, and 10 weeks after the birth. 16 weeks total leave for the mother, so about 4 months? Again, we’re lagging behind.

[@n_other_1604]

In Germany there is a difference between maternity & parental leave & what the german girl talked about was maternity leave. But you can take up to 3 years (so from between the birth & 3rd birthday).

[@aldaron1021]

Same in Bulgaria, up to 2 years, for the first year you get paid 100% of your salary and on the second year you get paid minimal wage and also man can get paternity leave.

[@KxNOxUTA]

They need time to take care of their bodies. They can have a freaking surgery, damn it. And in America not only is that a mess but also they get a medical bill for birthing the "maybe future staff" of the hospital. The employers who do not protect parenting then also will be heard complaining about their next generation of useless workers with all their trauma and whatnot. Yeah guess why that is???!!! 🤦‍♀

[@royblack2395]

I have traveled to the United States several times. Every time I came back from there, I had the impression that all Europeans, no matter what nation they belong to, are closer in mentality than a citizen of the United States and a citizen of any European nation. And that even applies to the British.

[@lamename6913]

Does that apply to the Russians as well?

[@royblack2395]

@@lamename6913No. Russians are not like us. They just look like us.

[@Oki3e]

​@@lamename6913Russians are crazy people (in a good way... I think) same as Serbs😂

[@Barfield-cg7iq]

I'm glad you said that. I'm British and it was when I spent time in the USA that I fully realised how culturally European we really are. Sure we might be different to other Europeans but ALL Europeans are different to all other Europeans. Being special doesn't make you special, if you know what I mean.

[@Love26262]

​@@lamename6913Yes. Sometimes i don't even know that some person is russian :)

[@AblissMusic]

As an American, this was such an educational and fascinating video. I learned so much about European customs

[@zvonimirk.2233]

And let me explain that helicopter transfer - all of, entire Europe (not only EU) contribute to health and pension insurance in percentage based on your gross income, but only freelancers do by ourselves (for rhe employee, the company does). So, non of it is free, but when you have entire working force contributing, you have money for these expenses...so, goverment is not paying, it's just allocating.

[@virginiahoffman2547]

Allowing the US government to "allocate" anything means it gets "allocated" into their own pockets or pet projects Not for what the money was originally intended. There was originally a special "allocation" also called a "lock box"for Social Security. A tax taken from every working American's paycheck and supposed to be set aside for their retired years - However our greedy politicians saw that money and went - "Mine!" Now we have an underfunded Social Security system that Still takes our hard earned money, but less is available AND the government tries to deny it to us. EVERY person who applies for Social Security is TURNED DOWN the First time that they apply. It is SOP for the Social Security Administration. You either have to Keep applying or pay a lawyer to go after them. It is a stupid, evil system and needs changing. - Oh and that "lock box?" It use to have one for highway transportation/maintenance too - the gas tax was supposed to help maintain the road systems - Guess where THAT money ended up. Not used to maintain the highways. NOW, Rant over. Sorry people, I get rather steamed at our thieving tyrants.

[@tobeytransport2802]

In the UK we also have the rule that if you take your test in an automatic you can’t drive manual but if you take your test in a manual you can drive both... but we also allow you to drive in any roadworthy vehicle for your test, so it can be your private vehicle rather than the instructors but it isn’t common, most people take their test in the car of the driving school.

[@flitsertheo]

Here in Belgium a private car has to be 100 % ok (papers, condition, insurance, etc...) or they won't allow it to be used for the test. Which means a failure with no other car available. They are way more lenient with driving school cars.

[@tobeytransport2802]

@@flitsertheo ah that is interesting, here they generally won’t check as far as I know but you do of course need it to be roadworthy on the day as well as have insurance, and the MOT (our roadworthiness test) etc. I took my test in the driving instructors car though.

[@nehalilisays]

The car of the driving instructor is built differently though. It has additional pedals on the passenger side. So if you dangerously mess up in the driving test, you fail but probably won't cause a crash because the driving instructor stops or speeds up the car if he/she has to. I never heard about people using their own cars for the driving test in Germany.

[@tobeytransport2802]

@@nehalilisays true, but you can also drive in general in the UK in any car with a provisional license. The extra pedals aren’t required, though licensed driving instructors (who can legally charge you for lessons) do always have them. I guess the person teaching you just has to trust that when they say stop, you’ll stop… and by the time you get to the test you should have had enough lessons anyway to not be likely to crash.

[@TestGearJunkie.]

@@tobeytransport2802 I took my test in my father's car, as before I could afford one of my own, it was the car I would be driving. This was in 1983, though.

[@enricohasselhoff5936]

I like the harmony of this group, these girls really get in a good mood together. Love to see more from them 🙂

[@Timbothruster-fh3cw]

Yes, they seemed really polite🙂

[@jar8184]

i thought the dutch girl wasnt comfortable/anxiety or some sort....but maybe i misread her body language. It feels more like students coming together for the first time and just being polite. Just a stable mood, but the harmony is nice.

[@flitsertheo]

@@jar8184 2 of them, the Italian girl in this video and the German girl in another one already stated that they are "actors". Though I have never seen any movie or tv-series with them.

[@ArumesYT]

@@jar8184 Had the same idea, she seems a bit shy. Does make her cute though. Or maybe I just favor her because I'm Dutch too. 🙂

[@galaxia4709]

@@jar8184 I live in the Netherlands and think the dutch girl was a bit hypocritical trying to pretend being cultural and mimicking soft speech and low key bragging. Culture in Europe starts from Belgium, France, Spain, Portugal, Italy. The Netherlands in the upper north of Europe isn't part of the Old Continent, never being part of the Roman Empire and always stayed isolated for some reason....until recently when they eerily started to copy Belgian culture and civilization frankly. The video gives a wrong impression imo.

[@aleksandrapetrovic774]

Why are they all Western Europeans? Eastern Europeans should also be included

[@fungamesandstories]

Agree

[@Peter-gc6sw]

No. They are included in the E.U. and take all our money. Eastern Europeans come here for the free houses and healtcare.

[@meridesiree7940]

Or north europeans! I agree, the answers are so narrow when they only include people from one region of europe

[@Zugfaehrtdurch]

Someone from Czech Republic (if you could really could call it "Eastern") could add a different view about carrying guns here, I'd guess ;-) But also there people walk a lot while Americans drive with their cars all the time even in absolutely safe areas - apart from the fact that cars don't protect you from bullets. The whole walking thing is a huge difference between Europe and America and it goes much deeper than just to the fear of being shot.

[@WournosFromTwitch]

Had they brought in a Scandinavian/Nordic person they would say 'Hell no' to the kissing. We require at least a meter distance between us. Preferrably 2m.

[@GholaTleilaxu]

In Romania the maternity leave used to be 24 months with 85% of the mother's salary, last time I checked. In my opinion 4 or 5 months of maternity leave is not enough, it should be at least 12 months or until the baby is weaned.

[@Laura_heart]

Exactly, that time is really important for the baby and the mother and I think it's cruel to separate them so soon after the birth😢 I'm romanian too🫶🏻

[@felixvergara5627]

As someone who ACTUALLY lived in America I can tell you that the difference from a 3rd world country is NOT that far...Europeans have BY LAW maternity leave, universal healthcare, paid vacations and other benefits that DO NOT exist in America...Americans have been brainwashed by politicians to think that all of these benefits are COMMUNISM when in fact is a basic right in ALL DEVELOPED COUNTRIES...THE FACT that all of these European women could carry on a conversation in another language other than their own tells you that the education system in their countries actually works...

[@fatherson5907]

As someone who ACtUALLY lived in the EU, I can tell you that it is lower than a third world country. The EU members don’t even have freedom of speech and believe that the government is their babysitter. Their economies are completely failing while the U.S. surges. The people are so uneducated that they believe that things they get from the government are “free” 🤣🤣🤣

[@ElusiveTy]

Most first world countries have all of those things. Canada has those things. Australia does, so does New Zealand. Hell, even India has a lot of it. The US has a lot of good qualities but the rampant hands-off approach is painful. Unfortunately, that exists for a reason and it all comes down to exactly why the US even exists today. Suggesting the government should regulate things more or people shouldn't have guns is like suggesting to someone French that they should have a royal family again. The revolution is the reason the country exists as it does.

[@denalisiomontpellier4064]

Ok, please don't come back and thank you

[@Xenologia_]

​@@denalisiomontpellier4064 why does that comment offend you? its just true

[@JamesTodorovich]

To be fair their practically forced to learn English, with it being the dominant language of the world, so Americans and English language countries don't have to learn another one. Though many Canadians learn French due to Quebec.

[@susi131]

Nudity in Germany is not only an older vs younger generation thing but there is also a big Eastern Germany vs Western Germany difference. In the GDR nudity used to be very normal on beaches but has then been forbidden in the 1950. Which caused a big wave of protest so it was made legal again as a result. Since in the GDR it was generally dangerous to partake in any political protest nudity had then become a form of political protest for a big part of the population because it was something they gained back in opposition to the communist regime. Whereas in West Germany privacy got ever so slightly more important hence the desire for nudity decreased. Which is why even nowadays there are way more beaches where nudity is allowed in the Eastern parts of Germany and not so many in the Western parts.

[@petretepner8027]

Hisotrically, it was more a north/south divide, with nudity being more acceptable in the Protestant north than in the Catholic south.

[@Giorgina88]

In Italy it's not allowed btw, only in some places but there are very few..

[@lucforand8527]

The French girl is correct. In North America, manual transmissions are more expensive than automatic transmissions; however, in Europe, the opposite is true.

[@howard5970]

manual is definitely less expensive than automatic in north america too

[@Shadowguy456234]

If this is true it must be a recent change - it always used to be cheaper. In any case manuals are getting rarer on both continents.

[@Ssaidak]

@@Shadowguy456234 I never been in an automatic car.

[@Shadowguy456234]

I am in Switzerland and I see plenty; actually now you make me curious to take a quick survey in our condo complex's garage... @@Ssaidak

[@christina9238]

Changed recently. I know because I was shopping for a civic and it was near impossible to find manual. I purchased a Camaro back in 2015 and it was approx 3k cheaper for stick- but now- to own a modern manual car is a collectors item- it’s a statement - and they have stopped manufacturing as many so it’s more pricey.

[@Cleo_101]

German mom here^^ it's six weeks before the birth and eight weeks after on full pay, and then after that is 60% of the monthly average you made the year before and that'sup to 14 month. That's called "parent money" and it's paid by the government, not the employer. You can take parental leave for up to three years, but won’t get paid for that long. Also, I'm living in Berlin, we don’t pay for child care, Kindergarten per se, only 50€ a month for the food.

[@maradox1379]

Correction: Western Europeans only!

[@UtamagUta]

For future reference in questions like these (since I see a patter of repetition): clarify what You mean by "maternity leave". In Europe we have 2: maternity for mother protection period and Child care for, well, taking care of the newborn. Also does Your question involve the second parent as both of them have their own rights. These girls clearly took question literally and talked only about the first part, omitting the second.

[@olivierdastein2604]

There's in fact another form : *unpaid* maternity leave, much longer, at the end of which you're guaranteed to get your job back.

[@MTTT1234]

The difference between Europe and North America regarding manual or automatic shift stems from the fact that fuel was always more cheaper in the US. The first automatic shifts were already made in like the 20s or 30s, but they were fully mechanical. So you drive the car above a certain RPM, it would shift, regardless of other conditions, like how fast you were actually going, etc. This made these cars not as efficient, so it could probably add like 15% - 20% of fuel consumption. But if fuel was very cheap, this was not something that would hurt your wallet. Also, when the first highways were built in the US, they were very long and straight, so not much shifting was required. So the added fuel consumption from these systems would come if you would drive around in a city. Now if you consider that fuel prices in Europe are often twice the amount of money for the same amount of fuel, you understand why automatic shifting took so long to take hold here. Also, during the time when cars became more commonplace, many European countries developed this coolness / sportiness culture around shifting, which held back the demand for automatics too. Only now with computer controlled automatic shifting, which brings down the disadvantage of added fuel consumption do more people get automatics, as 'only' the cultural difference is holding people back. Of course, all that is negated if you buy an electric vehicle of course.

[@Crodino11]

In the 50s / 60s petrol in Italy cost 130 Lire (old currency) per litre, if we now consider that 1 euro is equivalent to around 1900 Lire, petrol cost very little, perhaps less than in America. In US You have used and continue to use automatic transmission simply because you are not capable and it is more convenient for you that way. Ps: With the Lira Italy has lost a lot of purchasing power, with 90,000 Lire we could buy a video game and go out to dinner, now those 90,000 Lire are worth €40 with which I can barely fill up my Yaris

[@PlanetofmyDreams]

​@@Crodino11 but due to inflation etc. The amount of Lire you paid in the 50s/60s is not comparable to the worth of Lire in the 90s or 2000s. People also got less salary at the time.

[@roush243]

You have it backwards. The reason for the preponderance of vehicles being automatic transmissions is due to them being MORE fuel efficient. Since the transmission would shift at optimized times always, the fuel economy improved. How much it has improved has increased over time.

[@reezlaw]

​@@roush243 no, old auto transmissions were not efficient at all. There's no fixed RPM that is optimised for every possible condition. They also had fewer gears, immense drivetrain loss, they were super slow to shift etc.

[@GholaTleilaxu]

@@reezlaw Then why have them, if they were so mechanically bad?

[@martasuarez7727]

In Spain is 16 weeks for each parent. The 6 first weeks of the baby are compulsory for both. The other 10 weeks for each parent can be spread during the first year

[@boboboy8189]

In my country Malaysia, its 100 days. It used to be 90 days until goverment decide to do 100 days because its much easier to calculate. But for private sector is quite bad, some company has zero maternity leave or some only give 1 month. Although government already announced about 100 days but private sector keep making a lot of excuses

[@eluness]

The situation with maternity leave is very different in the Czech Republic, where I live. We can be at home with the baby until he is 3 years old. Health and social insurance are paid for by the state at that time, and we have a certain amount of money from the state (each person has the same amount), and that money is divided according to the number of months we want to receive it. At the moment, the allowance for one born baby is 14000 eur. It is absolutely unimaginable for me that I would have to go back to work immediately a few weeks after giving birth.

[@Assailya6522]

I'm from a beach state in America. If you are naked on a beach you will be arrested for public nudity. If people skinny dip it is in a private pool in their yard.

[@RiveroTube]

In Spain, nudism has been allowed on all beaches since 1989. Generally there are specific beaches for it, but nobody can force you to dress up if you are on a Spanish beach.

[@mardelsur4969]

To the Italian and Spanish girls I would say: "Don't feed the myth that Mediterranean people are lazy just because they have siesta, BTW a very healthy custom. People work very hard in Spain and Italy, actually more hours a day than other European workers."

[@julsssssss4520]

I was thinking the same thing. In the south, stores, restaurants etc normally close much much later. Siesta is like a recharge for long hours.

[@nicoladc89]

Italian and Spanish are not lazy but I think we take it more easy than other people. For example, "come to dinner at my house at 8", in Italy means, "come to dinner at my house at a time varying between 8:10 and 8:30". Someone who arrives half an hour late is still perfectly on time.

[@adaplay13]

As Spanish I know we are not lazy, but it's true that we make things sometimes more relaxed. Like, in really Warm Places, we cannot make a lot of effort under the sun, that's also why we close between 15:00-17:00 in Spain. Not for the Siesta. And our Lunch Time is later, and we like to enjoy the time we are having lunch (Sobremesa), where we also have a coffe, we socialize and talk with our friends and family... And also, we are not really strict about being on time (if we are in an informal situation).

[@Ssaidak]

@@julsssssss4520 well, siesta is more a myth. Im from the south of Spain and 41 years old and I never seen nobody , except babies, have a siesta. And that its impossible for people working in services like restaurants o stored, they close for 1 or 2 hours where you have to ate. They even dont have time to eat at home usually, so I dont know anybody believes they are going to have a siesta.

[@Ssaidak]

@@adaplay13 bueno, en Sevilla en verano a ls tres y con 45 grado puedes ver a mucha gente haciendo un gran esfuerzo trabajando. Todas las obras de construcción por ejemplo están trabajando toda l tarde lo que nno es poco esfuerzo y cada año hay trabajadores que mueren. Ahora vivo en UK y de lejos se lo toman todo con mucha mas calma, especialmente el trabajo.

[@Alby_Torino]

As for many other topics the Italian girl wasn't accurate about maternity leave. In Italy the maternity leave is MANDATORY, and is 2 months before the birth and 3 months after. Or 1 month before and 4 after: You get the full salary and you cant' get fired. You can ask to add 2 months to this leave in some cases. Then there's an extra leave of 6 months and you get only the 30% of your salary. This is risen to 11 months if you're a single parent. The other topic about laziness was so wrong...

[@UtamagUta]

Look at their faces, they look at early to mid 20's. Let's be real none of them thought about having children too a point they'd research leave or payment conditions. Give them a leeway to talk giberish :) Also question about maternity leave always sounds misleading to me, because while true,- trauma healing period is short (maternity leave), mothers (or fathers) can take up to 2 years of child care leave in most of EU countries and a month for other parent. *in my country it's 4 weeks, but the mandatory term is 2 weeks EU wide, i think? Idea was for fathers to get involved into parenting early on.

[@frared2704]

Per non parlare del congedo di paternità..... in Italia praticamente non pervenuta, non ne avrei manco accennato.........

[@Alby_Torino]

@@frared2704 mah, quasi 200.000 richieste nel 2023, proprio non pervenuta non direi

[@yonidevi1216]

Davvero? No perché io conosco diverse donne che sono state licenziate perché erano incinte

[@Alby_Torino]

@@yonidevi1216 Che se andassero in tribunale riceverebbero l'immediata reintegrazione

[@melinda6921]

Years ago in France there was an interesting tv show about the European Union, Union Libre, and I remember that one thing that struck me a lot was that all the Europeans knew who Princess Sissi (or Sisi) was while an American guest had no idea who she was. It would be more interesting to test the popular culture of Europeans, you would find out how many historical events, actors, singers, traditions, etc. they share but are virtually unknown in USA.

[@serfin01]

Really don’t know Americans who was Sisí Empress? Ouch!!!

[@emotionalIntelligence2078]

US is a republic state where all the servants and soldiers migrated to, away from the residues of the Austro Hungary empire based colonial Wars. - Why would US citizens or any other country's person know or learn about EU kings & queens?!

[@lucone2937]

Romy Schneider was Empress Sissi, and Michèle Mercier was the star of Angélique movies. Besides there are many songs that have been huge hits all over Europe, but never been big hits in the US charts, for instance a Belgian-Dutch dance music act 2 Unlimited in the 1990s.

[@serfin01]

@@lucone2937 I used to love 2 unlimited, doctor Alban, Corona or Capella. They’re top eurodance groups here in Spain.

[@lucone2937]

@@emotionalIntelligence2078 "Sissi" movie trilogy (1955-1957) was very popular at the time, and many Europeans may have seen it sometimes on television over the years especially in German-speaking countries. Movies and tv-series can affect a lot how well-known some actual historical figures are.

[@HappyGnoux]

in france most of the bathrooms on the highways are free though. I travel a lot and that's more common to have them free than the other way around. And in the highway stations, the bathroom are generally quite clean even without paying. Then you have some stops on the highway where it's just a parking and no shop, and you have bathroom and they're a little less clean, but generaly ok, cause they're probably cleaned a few times per week and they're also free. it's more difficult to find clean bathrooms in the big cities though (in villages or really small town, it's often okay and clean) but in big cities, the best bet is to go to a coffee shop or a mcdonalds/kfc...etc (where it's free, but some mcdonalds have a barre code scanning device at the door, so you have to order before you can go to the bathroom and then you scan your receipt. it's not often the case though. maybe it's more common in bigger cities as well)

[@EjTnT]

In Germany the parental leave is up to two years with receiving state support. The breakdown is actually quite complicated and it does not surprise me that the German girl did not know about this. If I remember correctly, it can be even longer without financial support. This time can be shared between the two parents as they wish. The amount of money you receive during this time is approx. 75% of your salary but there is a limit of 2500€. On top of this, the mother must stop working 4-6 weeks before her due date (where she will receive her full pay), but depending on the profession, it could be that the mother must stop as early as the second month of the pregnancy (she will still receive the full salary).

[@Piechu19]

In Poland, during pregnancy mothers can have a sick leave for the whole 9 months. Normally, during sick leave you receive 80% of your salary but pregnant women receive 100%. After the birth, maternity leave usually lasts 20 weeks (if she's given birth to twins, etc. the leave is longer) and mother HAS TO take at least 14 weeks. If she wants to, she can give the remaining 6 weeks to a father or another family member. During maternity/paternity leave you receive 100% of your salary. Apart from that, fathers can take something called 'leave for fathers' which is 14-days-long (also 100% of the salary). Also, after the maternity leave, you can take 'parental leave' which lasts 41 weeks (the mother can give 9 weeks to the father). Then, you receive 80% of your salary if you apply within 21 days after the birth. If you're late, you receive 60%. Summarising, mothers can take care of their children for more than a year. 33% of that time - 100% of salary 67% of that time - 80% of salary After that, you can have a leave for growing up your child which is 3-years-long (35 months for one parent and 1 month for another). This leave, however, isn't paid 😂.

[@icslush]

So the companies just don’t hire women? Why would I pay for a woman to leave for 5 years

[@Piechu19]

@@icslush Employers don't pay pregnant women, state does, but only for more than 2 years. Then, as I've written, the last leave isn't paid. And, I think there's no problem with employing women in Poland 'cause almost all women I know have a job. People who don't have a job simply don't want to work because unemployment here is really low 😀. I work as a teacher, my wife works as a nurse, so most of our colleagues are women and nobody has problems with getting pregnant. I think, every employer around the world should be aware that young women can get pregnant 😁 If everyone thought there's no point employing young women, they wouldn't work at all 😅

[@abey4003]

In Spain as well

[@MaraMara89]

@@icslush We do pay taxes that can pay for most important things in live, as school system, maternity leave, medical care etc. Employers can't refuse to hire a women (just because she is a women) - they can by sued for that. If women have experience and qualifications to get job she probably will get it, it still is worth the "risk" of her getting pregnant at some point (it is not like she will be on maternity leave for 20 or 30 years of expected employment). Our unemployment rate is really low, so finding good employee isn't easy.

[@unmaskingavee]

Hello. I am from Czech republic and here you can extend your leave up to 4 years. I find, coppied and google-translated this article about it: "The length of maternity leave is 28 or 37 weeks in case of multiple births. It is continuously followed by parental leave, the duration of which is up to 4 years, while the employee's protection is only 3 years (during this time, the employer must keep you in the position specified in the contract). In addition, parental leave can be used by both parents immediately. "

[@unmaskingavee]

But you have to work before. If you didn't work long enough before, you skip the maternity leave and go straight to parental leave. (Which is paid by state.)

[@unmaskingavee]

*but if you gave birth to another child, you can't take the rest of money you were "obligated" to. You will only draw maternal/parental leave for the youngest child (or children if it was more child born at the time, off course). This happened to friend of mine, she have her second baby really early and was mad about "the money loss".

[@cecile436]

the weirdest thing with america is the amount of states who ban abortion and all but there's zero help for pregnant woman, maternity leave, free or affordable health care, affordable day care for when the mother has to go back to work immediately after giving birth,... As a Belgian, when I moved to Germany, I "scared" a few people by trying to kiss them hello, like they took a step back XD Now I'm good with just hugging. Tipping, I have a feeling it's more usual to tip in Germany than in Belgium, but it's not much anyway. Maybe because waiters,... are paid a living wage...

[@kolomaznik333]

As an European I have to ask you. Why should I as taxpayed fund outcome of somebody else sexual behaviour? Adult people should take of themselves. I do not took part of that and I forced no one to do that. Why I am one to be forced to pay anything? When I see adult that believes in free stuff then I have to laugh. And then cry because there are so many of them...

[@cecile436]

@@kolomaznik333 I am a 38 yo child free woman and happy about it. Having a social democracy means you try to make society better for everyone. I much prefer seeing my tax money going to pay for maternity leave than going towards funding whatever war. The tax money is also there to help me when I am in time of need (right now, after my second burnout, I am in need of a reorientation and tax money funds me learning new skillset so I can again come back to work and through that I'll pay taxes again.) We live I a society, why not trying to make it better for everyone rather than only thinking about the oneself? I don't understand greed, I don't understand people who think a full time job doesn't has to offer living wages, ... I just don't want others to be miserable. Also, it's basically their kids who will pay for my retirement, so yeah I'd prefer if they're doing great.

[@cecile436]

@@kolomaznik333 but frankly, in this case, it's not even about paying for stuff. States want to force women to go through the pregnancies of unwanted babies (rxpe, contraception malfunctioning,...) / heavily disabled babies / posing a threat to their own life (extra uterine pregnancies) ... Because the life of the unborn clump of cells is oh so important, but once the baby is born, whatever, who cares. Who cares the trauma it was for the woman/ couple, who cares the costs of maintening the baby alive with all their malformations means the parents will be in debts for possibly ever. Who cares if the child ends in Foster care, being regularly mistreated, ... If the life of a foetus is that important for the bigots, they should fight for the coming child to have a bright future. But no, it seems it ends when it's born. That's ridiculous. And if the child turns out to be gay or trans, then they'll fight against them. Religion shouldn't mix with law. It makes for really backwards decisions.

[@ellianaellrow]

​​​​​@@kolomaznik333 Maybe because we as human society are crucially reliant on new babies being born? Way more so than on e.g. the concepts of modern economy, for there are societies where economy barely plays any role whereas every culture is reliant on parenthood. And you as a European quite surely have profited from public support systems over the course of your life as well (be it by e.g. going to school, seeking medical help, having access to (clean) tap water, having your waste from e.g. packaging being taken care of, using public transport or publicly maintained streets, or by being protected by law/lawyers, police, army etc. - directly or indirectly due their stabilizing the society). If you want to purely take care of yourself, good luck on finding a place where you can live all by yourself in a self-build hut, far away from civilization, hunting deer, cooking water to make it safe for drinking, and treating health issues all by yourself). Plus, hadn't your parents gone through pregnancy, you wouldn't exist, and them most probably having some form of societal support has increased your chances of reaching adulthood immensely. Hence, you being where you are right now surely isn't your doing alone. Why not reciprocating and supporting others, too? It has reasons why we humans live in groups and not alone.

[@geemo4284]

Because not all of us judge anyone who has an unwanted pregnancy as irresponsible or careless. Contraception fails - many women cannot use the contraceptive pill, and other systems can be unreliable. I have known several people take precautions, one with a man who’d had a vasectomy, only to find themselves pregnant. I would much rather pay something towards helping people who are pregnant make the choices they want and need to thrive than have an unwanted child brought into the world. That way, I know my country will be a better place to live in for everyone.

[@tinabento-filipe191]

😊 In the UK maternity leave is for 40 weeks(9 months) you take up to 11 weeks before and 29 after or less before znd more after. Maternity pay is paid for 39 weeks. The first 6 weeks are paid at 90% of your weekly wage then the further 33 weeks you are paid £184.03 if 90% of your weekly wage is more than this amount otherwise you will continue to be paid as the first 6 weeks. Mothers to be also recieve gifts bags/boxes at different stages called Bounty pack these have items in the to prepare for your baby and later foŕ weaning your baby. In Scotland's mothers to be are given a huge box which doubles as a newborn cradle with a mattress & bedding, it is also filled with clothes and other necssary items for the baby. Tips in the UK are discretionary but if you do tip its usually no more than 10%. Usually only in restaurants that are not fast food places, not in cafes or hotels etc as people are paid enough. In Portugal tips are also discretionary but no more than 5%. The Portuguese kiss both cheeks but all hug close friends/family. In the UK if you take a manuel driving test you can drive both automatic znd manuel but if you take the automatic test you can only drive automatic. You have to have a person over 21 who has had a driving licence for more than 2 years with you when learning unless to take lessons with a qualified driving instructor. The test condists of 3 parts: a practical test in the car, and a theory test in two parts. Part one is a test of your knowledge of the higway code and part two is a Hazard Perception test. You have to take the Theory test before you can book a practical test. The British driving test is one of the hardest to pass. You have to be 17years old to apply for your provisional (learners) licence which is green (full) licence is swapped for a pink one when you pass your driving tests.

[@LennonJess]

The Family and Medical Leave Act does offer job protection for maternity and paternity leave. But in many instances it’s an unpaid leave and is only required of companies with over 50 employees. Also, the person has to have been working at the company for at least 12 months and with a certain amount of collective hours. Many other countries outshine us in this arena.

[@jean-loupdesbordes4833]

In France kissing is the legacy of revolution, it has been a way to show "égalité" between "citoyens" and that's why you see easely men doing it it doesn't any sexist meaning..

[@Lola_Duclin]

La bise existait bien avant donc je ne pense pas.

[@petretepner8027]

@@Lola_Duclin Oui, longtemps avant. Et si ça datait de la Révolution, alors pourquoi ces grandes différences régionales ?

[@Lola_Duclin]

@@petretepner8027 Apres je sais qu'a cause de la peste noir, la bise avait disparue de la tradition francaise, peut etre que ça a réaparu vers la revolution.

[@nmc1544]

Une très vieille tradition. Ou je ne suis pas d'accord avec la française qui témoigne c'est qu'il n'y a pas une seule région où il y a 6 bises. Elle a du se faire pranker

[@petretepner8027]

@@nmc1544 Six bises ? Jamais vu ça. J'ai entendu qu'en Corse ils vont jusque cinq. D'ailleurs, je ne crois pas que les cartes et autres informations publiées là-dessus soient très fiables : en générale, elles montrent une seule pour la Belgique (comme une des filles a témoigné), mais j'y ai vécu pendant 23 ans, et nous échangions toujours trois, comme je fais à ce jour avec mon ex et mon beau-fils belges. Sans doute y a-t-il des différences régionales même dans ce petit pays aussi.

[@onceuponamelody]

Americans: you have to PAY to use a PUBLIC restroom?? Also Americans: No, you can't have PUBLIC healthcare... That'd be crazy! ... I hate it here...

[@hoathanatos6179]

Oh, your newborn needed to be admitted to the NICU and you don't have insurance? Get ready to be charged $672K after your baby dies in our care!

[@jujutrini8412]

😂😂😂

[@bobalooloo02]

@@hoathanatos6179 When they came to take your baby did you tell them "no thank you, I don't have insurance?"

[@bobalooloo02]

America was founded on the principle that it is not the government's job to provide everything for you. And if you're so desirous of the government to do so who do expect to pay for it?

[@hoathanatos6179]

@@bobalooloo02 You pay for it. The tax payers do so... And it's so much cheaper than the government needing to massively subsidize an insurance industry so that the majority of people can access it. Americans pay 3x the amount in taxes than they would if they just had a public system because of the insurance industry built to make private care accessible, when it still sees massive increases in costs year after year and even more and more of your tax dollars needing to subsidize it as a result, because profits come before care.

[@nicoladc89]

There is a reason why in Europe the automatic cars only recently begun to spread, the old automatic gearbox was shitty and heavy, so cars would become much heavier and much less efficient. Guess who has always driven big, heavy cars with a lot of power but a lot inefficient? Yes, the Americans. I don't think an American has ever seen a 80 hp 1.0L engine in his life. Today the automatic gearbox sold in Europe is a robotic manual gearbox.

[@AutoReport1]

Sometimes. Planetary gearbox automatics are now much more efficient with more gears. With CO2 taxes and low emission sales requirements, the manual is now less efficient and is not always offered anymore.

[@Hirotoro4692]

Those are semi automatics

[@NoName-pd7uf]

You mean recent as in 60 years ago? My parents drove automatic and semi-automatic, in the 60s, and it was already quite common.

[@nicoladc89]

@@NoName-pd7uf the robotic automatic gearbox, used today on the European cars, was invented in the second half of 90s.

[@NoName-pd7uf]

@@nicoladc89 That is not the point. When you state that automatic cars were only recently used in large numbers, it is simply a wrong statement. If you said gearbox XY was used only recently, no objections.

[@GaienaSims]

Hi !! From France here. First, this video is so great, loving this kindness between each country. Just want to say, the kisses in France, I've never seen 6, it's probably rare, 4 it's just so long already !!!! Also, that depends on where you are in France, but you can kiss cheek to cheek and not necessarily mouth with saliva on cheek. I really hate that personally, and Covid-19 kicked out a lot that kisses tradition ( thanks god !). I prefer to give a hug when it's someone I really care about.

[@ellixtt_]

I’m from Slovakia and I’ve only ever seen paid public restrooms in gas stations or big tourist cities when the restroom is on the street

[@Ms.P.Sharma]

Norway: 1. We dont pay for restrooms, in malls, gas stations along the way. I have only seen it in an underground public restroom, in metro or underground transportaitons. 2. Topless is considered NORMAL, you dont like it, stay off the beach. A boob isnt going to traumatize your kids, the guns will With that said, I see it less and less these days, maybe due to social media, where people arent scared to show boobs, but they just dont want to be posted that on internet 2. Maternity leave is one of the best. You get ten months in total (shared by mom and dad) at 100% of the salary or one year at 80% of the salary. Three of those weeks are before due date, so you can get some rest last weeks of your pregnancy. If your pregnancy has been hard, and you just cant work, you get paid sick leave, for as long as you need, the entire pregnancy if need be. You dont get to decide that for yourself, but its your doctors decision, that you cant/shouldnt work. 4. We hug if we meet someone we know after a long time, like its so nice to see you again... Other that we just say hi, or shake hands, if we someone for the first time. 5. We drive stick, but its possible to get drivers license for only automatic cars. Saying that, its getting increasingly normal that we have more and more automatic cars, since we have one of the biggest automatic car ownership. 6. Unluckily tip has come to Norway too, but we dont HAVE TO give it. They are given living wages, and any tip is just a bonus. Tipping in US is just getting out of control 7. We drink tap water, and in Norway its ice cold, if you let it run for few seconds. Norway has delicious water.

[@ericbrasseur1581]

NO.... U are just killing whales there !

[@Ms.P.Sharma]

@@ericbrasseur1581 Yes I personally killed one the other day 🙄🙄🙄 What is your No about? Everything I said was false, because we kill whale???

[@Fragmented_Mask]

Brit who lived in Oslo for a year, the quality of the tap water there is something I still remember! It was like bottled water over here, so nice 😂

[@barawen_who]

It is exactly the same in Spain about restrooms, paid ones are only in some transport stations, and I think they are only in the biggest cities

[@kolomaznik333]

"A boob isnt going to traumatize your kids, the guns will". Please be specific and tell me how?

[@takahashiueda3332]

i aint tipping anyone for doing the the bare minimum in their job. its the companys/countrys responsibility to make sure people can live from the salary.

[@cammac8538]

When in Rome do as the Romans do

[@takahashiueda3332]

@@footballfanboy9680 so quit the job and force the owner to go bankrupt then

[@surlespasdondine]

If I eat in a place where I know waiters are underpaid (i.e. everywhere in rhe States) and I don't tip, I am exploitative as well.

[@takahashiueda3332]

@@surlespasdondine not my problem. free choice of employment

[@lucforand8527]

Most American can't drive a stick! I once worked on the Island of Crete and amongst about 15 American men, only a couple could. They faced a steep learning curve as no automatic cars were available on the Island.

[@GeorgiaKouri]

Lol they were lucky that there were ever cars there cause some islands r so small that they only have bicycles and small motorbikes/cycles. 😂

[@lucforand8527]

@@GeorgiaKouriCrete is not a small Island! It is one of the largest in the Mediterranean.

[@GeorgiaKouri]

@lucforand8527 Yes Ik this is why I said some islands r that small, not Crete. Plz read what I wrote more carefully 😊

[@thebookdoc.writing.and.editing]

I've said elsewhere in the comments, I have no idea what America this chick lives in. I don't know any Americans who drive a stick. Me and my ex wife maybe. People who drive trucks. I have three siblings and I'm pretty sure none of them can. To me a stick was something race car drivers drove. I didn't know how until AFTER I bought a car with a stick. I learned in a crash course by DRIVING IT TO NYC the next day. I actually dislike automatic cars now ... intensely.

[@christina9238]

lol what? Plenty of Americans drive stick. It’s sadly more rare these days- and I hope parents are teaching their children - but my dad had me set up in the parking lot when I was 14 years old stalling the engine until I finally got the hang.

[@chrisbingham3289]

It was great to see a debate with an all females, no shouting and one person being allowed to speak without being interrupted by someone else. Lovely civilised debate. Please do more on different subjects. Now subscribed.

[@M1tZk1]

8:16 So in Germany ypu actually have Mutterschutz (mother protection) that's before you give Barth and the Elternzeit (parenting time) that is after the birth. So you can have up to 12 months of paid leave and your Partner can get an additional 2 months of paid leave so in total 14 months of paid parenting leave. And you get it per child. So if you get a second child, you get new 14 months off.

[@maximesabatier5044]

I’m french and the must popular is 2 not 6, I never see 6

[@Tae-kyu]

She never said that 6 is popular, only that it exist.

[@dapoun7228]

@@Tae-kyu 6 doesn't exist, total bs

[@MissTwoSetEncyclopedia]

I'm French and was very surprised when she said that. I've traveled a lot and the most I've encountered is four. And even the locals usually think that's too much (especially young people)...

[@angela2726]

Yes. Usually it is 2 and very rarely 4. Also in Brittany where I live going to the toilet is free in the big supermarkets and other places liké the town hall. Not in the south of France though 😢

[@Hugrognon98]

Elle a dit nimp ! Personne ne fait 4 en Normandie et j’ai jamais vu non plus 6. Le max c’est 4 justement

[@jkuhn6179]

I lived in Germany near Bremen and Berlin Prior and Post the Wall Fall. Nobody except the Tourists had bathing suits at the beaches. Back home, most families were multiple generations. In Cities, there was 4-5 Level Brownstones. With usually differing generation's sharing floor's. And this includes Aunt's/Uncle's and Cousins, Nephew's, etc. Huge Meals were made, but not all eat together. Lazy Susan's or Serving Dollies are built-in Walls. Very convenient for lot's of stuff. Also, my GF's family had Owned their Home since the 1500's

[@AquaKeyBlade98]

I was born and raised in the US, but my mom and her family are from Colombia, and my father and his family are from El Salvador. With my Colombian relatives, you give a small hug to each member, and kiss EVERYONE on the cheek. With my El Salvadorian family members, it's a BIG hug to everyone who arrives, BUT you only give kisses to the older relatives. A few times I've visited Colombia, but when I return and greet my other family sometimes I forget and I'll give an El Salvadorian cousin a kiss on the cheek 😂 (I once gave my older cousin "Junior" a kiss on the cheek, but he laughed and gave me another hug since he understood, he's a good sport haha). It's seen as a little too loving (there's a big emphasis on being very loving towards your elders), so it's seen as embarrassing to do that with family members your age, but everyone is very understanding when I make silly mistakes like that haha! At least in both cases the kiss itself is just one on the person's right cheek, so that helps haha!

[@Kipperlab]

Spanish here. My colleage with the maternity leave meant to say that was 4 months of maternity leave plus additional hours for breastfeeding. What most people do is get the "pregnancy risk leave" so they add the last months of pregnancy plus 4 months of leave plus all hours of breastfeeding together (and if there are not enjoyed holydays, they can add it) so at the end you can hace 6 months of maternity leave after the baby is born with full wage. Dads can get 20 weeks after kid is born, half of them can be added to mom´s so the baby stays with at least one parent by 8-9 months.

[@ErikBricks]

I'm German 🇩🇪, I would agree with most things. Except for the greeting. It always depends on who it is. If you don't know someone, you shake their hand. Or with young people. Friends/people you like are hugged. And when with family you hug and kiss left and right. So that's how it is with us.

[@glacyneyla-tradingcardgames]

Nope 😂 I HATE to be touched by strangers, even for a hand shake! 😱 And I never hug my family members because we are not close to each other 😅

[@Ayanna_2495]

Maybe it also depends on the region or how you grew up. In my family, we never kiss but hug. Same goes for my friends. When it comes to strangers, especially since Covid, I feel like it's fine to give a polite nod, if you don't shake hands. And generally, friends and family are quite accepting, if you don't want to hug.

[@solus8685]

I've never kissed family lol nor friends.. That's a you-thing, not a German thing

[@ErikBricks]

@@solus8685 ist unterschiedlich, aber 12 leute stimmen mir zu.

[@solus8685]

@@ErikBricks joa, sind wahrscheinlich Leute die selbst nicht aus Deutschland sind lol

[@Zeetana1]

(4) Greeting with kisses - I am so glad to be Scandinavian on this point, lol. Keep your distance, please! 😁

[@mitchelsmolders7700]

I'm Dutch but for me a hug is much more intimate than a kiss (3 for formalities or strangers / 1 for people you are close with) on the cheek; much more skin or body surface is touching. Although hugging has gotten more common here too the past 10-15 years, esp between guys. Also it is always cheek-to-cheek, never lip-to-cheek

[@Trip4man]

You don't know what you're missing 😆 Ohhh but you maybe be a woman... In that case... Yeah, maybe is a good thing for you 😂

[@esaedvik]

or just covid - pls, stay clear.

[@jal051]

TBH, the greeting with kisses isn't as frequent as people believe (in Spain). We only do it when we are introduced to someone for the first time or when we haven't seen the other person in a long time. Most of the times we don't greet at all. We simply start chatting.

[@trixi321]

As a German I have to say it’s pretty common that every small Village has their own traditional rifle club. When I was a kid I did this as a sport, cause my parents and grandparents did this too. “Short” guns are not as common as the “long” gun (those to hunt with). Every year in the summer time most villages has a “Schützenfest”. So all in all it’s very very different from the American gun culture.

[@EddieReischl]

We have rifle clubs in Wisconsin, and rifle ranges to practice and to adjust the scopes on the rifles. Most rural households have deer rifles and shotguns. People take hunter safety courses all the time here. Unfortunately for Europeans, they only meet Americans from big cities that have heavy gun restrictions, and these people don't know anything about firearms, and so criminals hang out in these cities with massive amounts of wealth and no way to protect their wealth or their family, because criminals aren't stupid, and are people looking for an easy mark and a way to make quick money.

[@hoathanatos6179]

@@EddieReischl Even though we can look at places like Georgia and Texas and see the high rates of child gun injuries and fatalities caused by people lacking gun safety and keeping fire arms out around the house because they are idiots. These people aren't urban gang members but conservative gun owners who just believe that it is their freedom to keep guns all over the place so they have easy access if an intruder breaks in. A major study done between 2011 and 2020 showed that rural gun deaths were 37% higher than urban gun deaths, so it doesn't seem like reality reflects urban gun owners killing more people than small town and country gun owners. We can also take into consideration that about half of all gun deaths in the US are suicides as well. It isn't other people killing them, whether intentionally or by accident, but mentally unstable and depressed people using their firearms to end their own lives rather than seeking help that leads to many rural deaths.

[@frogmouth]

In Australia before the crackdown on gun ownership it was acceptable to own a 22 rifle . Farmers and hunters could own 303s but short guns were associated with criminality

[@MrGrucha]

Wow, you are probably the first German in the internet that is aware that Germans have a lot of guns. Whenever I bring up gun stats that say that there is over 30 guns per person in Germany what makes it one of most armed nations in the world, most of Germans are acussing me of lying. And I agree that US does not have problem with guns, but with gun culture, which is not like German or Finnish "hunting" culture but rather an "gunslinger / outlow" culture.

[@EddieReischl]

@@hoathanatos6179 That's all well and good, but people also eat themselves into morbid obesity and an early grave because of depression or other reasons. Should food be banned?

[@AmelliaKyusei]

i wonder why the german girl never mentioned this on point 5 the manual car stick. Back when i did my license they explained to me in the driving-school that its better to learn manual gear shifting than automatic, because after finishing the manual license you're allowed to drive both. but if you only did Automatic you are "Not" allowed to drive manual.

[@ramonaschwalmberger8126]

In restaurants I actually don't know where the water comes from ; if bottles are kept in a fridge right before it is served or on room temp. Sometimes I see them fill the drinks in the glass from a special mascine , also the beer or the sparkling Juice sometimes comes out of that thing . Normally the drinks are served a bit fresher than room temp , in summer it's often served colder than in winter but you can also tell them how you want it . Usually it's just fine; if it's a little too cold for me I just wait till I drink it. In bakeries and stores often they offer bottles of water from the fridge and from a shelf outside the fridge so you can take what you prefer

[@MIGBMWLOVER]

I really like the Spainish and Italian girl the Mediterranean temperament shines through! All the girls where super polite !

[@valentina_melethiel]

Straightforwardness is in our blood, we can’t change it ahahah

[@thebookdoc.writing.and.editing]

@@valentina_melethiel I'll buy some of that. But ever met a Romanian? Spanish people are about 30% as direct. Where I live in Spain there is also a dense cultural mix so maybe my reading is a little off. But there are so many subcultures here ... I am not sure almost anything you say about Spain would hold true except that "this is not America!"

[@jennyh4025]

Parental leave in Germany is complicated. When your job endangers the pregnancy, your doctor may put you on medical leave immediately. Everyone gets 6 weeks before the due date of optional maternity leave and eight weeks (usually) after giving birth of mandatory maternal leave. Parental leave is up to 14 months at 65-67% (capped) for both parents combined with a minimum of two months per parent (or certain variations). Parents can take up to three years of parental leave until their child turns ten (without pay after the first year of life, but with full job protection).

[@olgahein4384]

You can actually have 2 years of parental leave paid, but split in half what you would get for the first year, and combined leave for both parents goes up to 28 months together. The 3rd year is without pay, but it counts as 'Anwartschaftszeit' for social insurance - like a qualification period? The time is considered as fullfilled e.g. for health insurance or retirement insurance without a gap, but without a payment. This is actually very important if you have a limited working contract that ends during that time or during pregnancy, so that you can get the full financial unemployment (when looking for work) benefits, for example.

[@jennyh4025]

@@olgahein4384 I didn’t want to go too much into detail, that’s why I wrote about variations.

[@HenryLoenwind]

It's so complicated that you even forgot some details. ;) There also is a blacklist of work activities that may not be done by pregnant women. No doctor's orders are needed for those; the employer has to keep track of them and shift those women to other positions -- or send them home with full pay if there's nothing else to do.

[@jennyh4025]

@@HenryLoenwind I didn’t want to go too much into detail, just give a very high level overview. I know about the shifting and if not possible have stay at home - I heard about it from friends in the medical and scientific field.

[@habana7638]

A girlfriend of mine was born while picking rice in the rice fields in Indonesia, imagine that?..

[@charliekoohler4774]

In Sweden, water has to be free in restaurants by law. The only water you pay for is brand name water and fizzy water. They might ask if you want to buy that (and they usually mention brands by name) or if you want tap water. You can also specifically say: "just water please" and you will always get tap water. Everything that costs are clearly stated in the menus. It differs per restaurant if they have ice in the glass but it's definitely more common in summer. Sometimes they ask and sometimes you have to ask for ice or not ice, it also depends on the restaurant.

[@enjoystraveling]

In Iceland, also they usually have a picture of water on the table for free, their regular water is so good tasting.

[@sararubicubi]

In Spain as well, but you have to specify you want tap water

[@IvanPompa-lr7iy]

A quick tip for those visiting Spain. If you go to a place, you can ask for a glass of water (not a bottle of water, in that case they will charge you for it), and they will give you tap water for free. In some places, you can even have ice with it, and, the tap water is perfectly drinkable in all the country. Maybe in the southern regions it tastes a little bit weird, but it is because it is desalinized mainly. No worries

[@jessicad4364]

I am surprised A/C (air conditioning) and heating weren’t covered

[@vandanade84]

In Portugal, the waiters always ask what temperature drinks we prefer before serving it, (red wine is the only exception, has to be room temperature) The only cars available are stick shift and we pay a lot to get a drivers licence because we can only pracrice on the drivers school cars with the drivers school teatchers always and only after passing the written exam for the driving rules. Maternaty leave is between 3 months and a year after birth which will affect the amount of montly payments but basically, it's the same amount of money, only the time off is different, most people chose either 6 months off for the mom, or 5 months off for the mom and one month off with the dad, and nowadays can can even split 3 month each, but those are rare. Bare in mind, in Portugal, the social security/wellfare/benefits start paying monthly amounts to the woman as soon as she gets preagnant. Most bathrooms are free of charge as well as asking for a glass off tap water in cafés or restaurants, we have a saying "nobody should ever deny water to another human/creature" nobody would ever dare to refuse to provide one or more glasses of tap water free of charge. But some transport stations already have those paid bathrooms as well, they are usually between 10-50 cents and they don't get used as much, because I would much rather go to a nearby bar, have a beer and a tinkle, than have to pay just to take the tinkle, it's just maths... High schoolers and family members still kiss twice on the cheecks, , I personaly prefer to bear hug my friends but in a work enviroment it's rare for the kisses on the cheecks, perhaps on team building dinners and only the first guests to arrive, if I arrive last, I'm not gonna waste half an hour of life kissing 40 people twice on the cheeks while everybody else just sits there and looks at it waiting their turn, it would be insane. Tipping is unthinkable in fast food, in normal restaurants we usually leave the change in our pocket (between less than 1€ and usually up to 5€) or ask to round up when paying with cards. I worked at the hard rock café and a colleague of mine had a 10 person table, the bill was 150€ and they tipped her 50€, she cried that day, she was about to quit and got a 50€ tip, obviously Americans, nobody there had ever seen a tip like that before, EVER. Portugal has nudist beaches but nobody cares anymore, if you wanna wear a swimsuit you can, if ladies want to loose the top it's ok, it's completely unacceptable for duds to go nude in areas with kids playing on the beach, grown ladies will be bothered but keep it to themselves, if kids are arround, mob mentality takes over and the naked dud cannot be naked anymore, or has to leave. Paid beaches have similar built in places to chill but mostly people just bring the shade and chairs and the food and drinks from home, beach days are very exausting, but no matter where we are in the country, we can be at a beach in less than one hour, so that's pretty much our whole summer. Bare in mind, it's January now and the temperature in the afternoons is already 21⁰ Celcius... I bet the beaches are already packed 😅😅😅 And this has been my perception of Portugal in my humble experience.

[@zemiguel8261]

actually there are some driving schools that have the option for automatic cars, I have a friend that chose that but it's not that common and probably only in the big cities

[@callsigndd9ls897]

@@zemiguel8261 Anyone who has passed their driving test in Germany in a car with an automatic transmission is not allowed to drive a car with a manual transmission. The reverse is permitted, however. However, this regulation has only been in effect since April 1, 2021. I don't know whether this is now the case in all EU countries.

[@zemiguel8261]

@@callsigndd9ls897 it's the same in portugal, if you choose to learn how to drive a manual car you can drive both but if you choose to learn how to drive an automatic car you can only drive automatic cars

[@callsigndd9ls897]

@@zemiguel8261 I don't care, I got my driver's license in 1968 and have had 17 cars since then, 2 of which were automatic. Today, I would recommend that everyone in Europe always take their driving test in a manual car, otherwise you will be limiting yourself too much if you want to use a rental car on vacation, for example, as these usually have manual transmissions. I think this rule was introduced because there will be more and more electric cars in the future. Electric cars are considered automatic vehicles.

[@garrytrieu5842]

American here and tipping was a sign of gratitude, but now the "rules" on how much we have to tip are just ridiculous!

[@AT-rr2xw]

It is a way to underpay employees. I hear that it had basis in chattel slavery, but I forget the details.

[@Thunder1976NL]

Tipping is a sign of gratitude here in Europe. It a waiter gives great service, I will tip. But I’m really flabbergasted that in the USA you would still tip 10-20% even with bad or terrible service. Employees should get a liveable wage no matter which job they do. Tips should just be a cherry on top for good service and even then, 20% or more is just ridiculous.

[@juwen7908]

In Germany we call it Trinkgeld -drinking money- cause it was supposed to be just a little extra money for the workers so they can have a drink after work. But not to pay their needs to live.

[@danvernier198]

It's absolutely not about gratitude, for the employer it's an excuse for employers to shift the responsibility of paying their workers directly unto the customers so that they aren't taxed or responsible for a living wage. For the customers it's basically a form of softcore prostitution where they can demand satisfaction from the workers since their livelyhood is directly dependent on the customers whims. It's exploitative and barbaric. Imagine if random people who have no clue about how your job works had control over your income and you had to please them to make a living while they based their satisfaction on things you have almost no contro over.

[@littlemouse7066]

Sorry to say this but is it possible you don't realize how your country works? I find very difficult to understand how you don't know that's the consequence of the absence of laws that protect the workers so the employer can pay them very little and basically the customers have to pay them in his stead. It's plain exploitation and lack of basic rights.

[@Angela-t3u]

I’m Italian and about the kisses part: just the cheeks touch, sometimes just the motion counts. It’s true that if you only “Kiss” one time (and I’m not talking about close friends here, we usually don’t kiss our friends’ cheeks, we usually one arm hug them or say Hi! with no touching involved) it’s weird because we know that once you kiss one cheek the other person will automatically turn their head for the second one, and unless you know, like, “oh this person only kisses once” you’re left with your head tilted and waiting for that second kiss that will never come. It gets awkward very fast. If we don’t know the person, if it’s the first time meeting them we don’t kiss them and we don’t hug them as a greeting, it would be very weird otherwise because we don’t know each other, why would we want our cheeks to touch? It’s creeeeeeeepy.

[@riccardomosena4162]

With people you just met it depends, if it's someone from work or someone introduced by someone else, you can shake hand while giving the 2 kisses

[@SacredSalmonFish]

as a european, I can say that in the case you are in your home, water is not stored in the fridge, but outside it on the kitchen, and we normally cannot afford the heating so our houses are mainly at around 18 celcius, sometimes even at 16 in my case, so we normally have fresh water, not cold but definatelly not warm or whats considered room temperature, but lower.

[@12OZK12]

Nothing here resonates with me. Just shows that "european" doesn't really mean anything. I like my water ice cold and my house warm.

[@victorsamsung2921]

True what the Dutch lady said about Americans seeing walking across the street as something exhausting and wanting to use the car instead to get to places that are nearby. Can confirm this as a Dutchman myself and having my own experience with Americans here in the Netherlands. Haha

[@NotM3li]

I am from Germany 12:07 I would rather say kissing on the cheek would be a weird greeting considered here in the part where I live, it could differentiate between regions but yeah, we rather just tend to handshake, hug or just straight up say “Hi/Hallo/Guten Tag/Moin/Juten Tah/ Guten Morgen/etc.” and not have any physical contact.

[@galaxia4709]

Just like the Netherlands.

[@TheMAmeph]

I feel they missed to differentiate in which type of relation the people greeting each other are, family, friends, work related, strangers etc. That makes a lot of difference, doesn't it? For example I would never hug or kiss a stranger... I also wouldn't handshake my cousins... Wouldn't kiss my teacher or but always hug and kiss my child.

[@MossyFrogThe1th]

How are they all so stunning?! 😭

[@Hugo_Mendez]

12:05 I’m from Spain I think she referred that we do 1 kiss in both cheeks not 2 on the same one. I wrote this because that’s what I understood and the people that don’t know could also understand it like this so, that’s basically my reason.

[@Loco965]

i'm from spain and i have a friend without the left leg, he cannot drive manual cars, he do the driving test in an automatic car, but in the driver license they got, only can drive automatic cars.

[@almaleallour]

as a european by blood, and american born, all of these countries are part of the EU. I feel like in the future you could try implementing countries that are not in the EU, because most of these are not things I have experienced in my parent's home country (which is not part of the EU) and I go have gone nearly every year since I was 3 (I'm 21). I'm not trying to sound rude in any way, this is a great video showcasing differences in European countries, but most of these types of videos mainly focus on highly well known/well touristed countries in Europe like France, Italy, Germany, Spain, UK, etc. I feel like I just replied to a discussion post, but I love your videos, they often appear on my recommended because I have a 100% direct connection to Europe, and I love that about myself.

[@ibleedchardonnay]

what's your home country

[@Wonyz.]

The belgian girl is so pretty 🩷

[@jmikew417]

I lived in Greece for 2 1/2 years and England for 4 years. Each time we came back to the U.S. I felt like someone had dropped me a fast running treadmill. Europe was much more laid back than America.

[@AlbertoGarcia-wd7sc]

US cities are a nightmare regarding walking. Urban planning in the US is basically "how can we add cars to everything"

[@elynamusy]

I'm French and the kisses thing is a pure nightmare to me, I will never thanks enough the covid for not aving to be forced to do it anymore 🥲 Also I'm autistic and any kind of "touching" is horrible to me 😔

[@glainovais]

I loved this video. Thank you girls! ❤

[@nicoleibundgut534]

Find yourself a girlfriend that looks at you like italy to germany at 1:56 lol

[@thebookdoc.writing.and.editing]

Really? As an American living in Europe, that looks like a slap is coming.

[@nicoleibundgut534]

@@thebookdoc.writing.and.editing to me it looks like a cat that is feeling comfortable.

[@Ardi-sq1qo]

I noticed 2 of belgium contestants I've seen in these channel are really sweet, they so lovely for their looks.

[@mariecherement3834]

The American girl is twice the size of any of the European girls. Even wearing black.

[@Michael-kt6gi]

But are they Flemish or Walloon ? Big difference!!!

[@zalapeter]

@@Michael-kt6gi This one is probably Walloon, judging by her accent

[@fruity_goblin7965]

Off topic, these girls are BEAUTIFUL

[@timothycote236]

I did a walk from northern germany though denmark to Viborg, we did a walk for a week, did not care. Great time .

[@UndertaleFan32]

I'm from Portugal and I've never seen a public restroom that you have to pay for. Like, at most you go to a restaurant or a cafe and you have to buy something to use the bathroom, but haven't even seen that in years.

[@stefumies]

Maternity Leave: Finland, ..hold my beer 😆

[@brezzainvernale]

It is really intersting. It would be cool to have other Americans too, like Canadians, Brasilians and so on, to see the differences. My cousin is from Argentina and he tells other things. In Switzerland we usually have to pay for ambulance and helicopter if something happens, (at least that happended to me) even if we pay health insurance. In Tessin kissing is more commun, in the central part you usually don't do that. We usually get room temprature water, but I made the experience that in sommer they ask if you want cool water. We have to pay fort the water, too. Some restaurants give tap water for free

[@heatherfruin5050]

And add some Australians and new Zealanders too.😊

[@laurielkami1100]

We pay but it's sometimes covered by your insurance .We have rega for helicopter . If you have the basic insurance they pay 50% if it's an illness with a max of 500.- and an accident it's 100% on you

[@Ssaidak]

@@heatherfruin5050 usually the people from USA think they are the only Americans, but in Europe an American could be really what its, from any country of America. And if its north american so I only know that its from Canada, Mexico or USA. But Australians an New Zealanders arent Americans.

[@heatherfruin5050]

when most people and the media refer to Americans they mean those from the USA, certainly not Canadians or mMexicans. I don't know why you mentioned Australians and new Zealanders of course we know we aren't Americans besides both countries have better working conditions

[@galaxia4709]

in the netherlands you also have to pay for health care that you are using with a minimum of 385 euro/year on top of the price per month (forgot the English word). Some people pay more in exchange for a lower price per month. What the dutch girl said wasn't true

[@inactiveluka]

Why is everyone so gahdamn beautiful- :0 I'm shocked

[@MrAelin]

Because they basically picked up some foreign models living in korea

[@Trip4man]

In Europe they have this Aryan thing going on... They only mate with super beautiful people. Like, top model people. Anythinnngggggg below that it's "sorry little monster". Either that... Or you're filthy rich. Soooooooo naturally, genetically, people come like that. It's years and years of "selective breeding" and that's the result. You're shocked in a good way?? Don't be... I would be shocked in a badddddd way. It's a very ugly disheartening process... It's linked to Hitler's concept of the perfect superior white race. For me... I will ALWAYS prefer people with character over beauty. Beauty actually means almost nothing in a relationship! They're usually selfish heartless as*holes and sooooooo... They're a waste of time, energy and feelings. Why would they bother with one person if they can have another just as quickly...... That's their mindset

[@collectioneur]

The western beauty ideal is mostly based on Dutch girls, everyone looks like that here…

[@johnnylight0]

"We don't walk cause we don't wanna get shot" Ok come on now...

[@c-buck]

French here 🙋‍♀I loved this video! They seem sooo nice, omg! I could talk to them for hours! Sorry to debunk this, but I don't think there are any places in France where we do 6 kisses. I googled it and even found a map about "how many kisses do you give?" and it shows the number ranges from 1 to 4, depending on the region. Also, the Belgian girl mentioned which side to start on: that's also a regional thing and can be really confusing when someone starts with the "wrong" cheek and goes for 4 kisses (which feels way too long for me) when you're used to only 1 or 2. I also don’t like 1 or 3 kisses... it just feels like something’s missing 😂

[@DesAnanieva]

Imagine if there was Balkan country 😂

[@michaeldmingo1525]

Who is tipping 10% for bad service?