How Living in Germany Has Changed Me

[@brickonblock5183]

it actually is kind of a compliment to us (at least to me) if visitiors like Germany and even want to stay here. It kinda makes me happy

[@AshleyVering]

I’m glad you feel that way! 😊

[@emiliajojo5703]

true for all germans I know.it's schmeichelhaft

[@Chris.Plunkett]

I'm an American and have been to Germany 5 times. I'm trying to figure out how to move there. Germans are fantastic people. The scenery is amazing. The castles and history are phenomenal.

[@georgiosntanis4353]

It honestly is such an incredibly nice compliment if someone says that they want to stay Here forever to me! makes me feel very appreciative of my country and thankful for my privileges Here :)

[@oliverdecker249]

i never realized that we germans stare that much untill i heard this from other americans here on yt. i think you are right when you say it is not staring,it is looking. this behaviour is more driven by curiousity and not ment offensive in any way. i gave german lessons when i lived in spain and you should take classes as soon as possible.with english you can get along in germany but you can only dive into german culture to a certain point. learning german is no fun but once you got it you will enjoy it

[@kathleengill1273]

I don't know if you'll see this Ashley but I'll post it anyway. I was a military spouse until 2000...Army. I lived in Germany in the 80's and completely fell in love with it. I could have stayed there forever too. We traveled to other countries while my husband was stationed there. We were in Fulda which at the time was said to be the best secret in the Army. It was wonderful and we lived on the economy. Of course there were no Euro's then and things were different because of that. Anyway...it changed me too. I'll forever be appreciative of my time living in Europe and grateful that I was able to do so. Oh...and I loved all of the food and the beer. We made great German friends there and have had two visits from them in past years so that's wonderful too!

[@AshleyVering]

That sounds amazing! I hope you’ve been able to come back since then! 😊

[@cameramanceltic4915]

Great video and advise Greetings from Ireland .. . I lived in Germany ( Frankfurt) in the late 80s and early 90s. five years. I loved it. I was young then in my 20s. happiest and free ist times of my life. I worked in the hotel industry as a waiter in my 20s .. and happy now im 60 . divorced and extremely unhappy. watching your videos and other you tube vloggers has made me realise where I actually belong .... now I have advantages and disadvantages. my advantages are I can speak German .. well enough to get by and I know the culture. and lifestyle and I am in the EU . . my disadvantages are , im 60 haha and I do not have a degree. I work here in a dead end job.. security .. before that I worked in the hotel industry . so yes at 60 with no life.. I am not saying that life will be greener in Germany but I do know that perhaps I can live a better life style in Germany even if its just for my mental health.. anyway I bet you never expected an older person to be sending you messages lol.

[@ENTE-METAL]

I am a German from the Ruhr area who has been to the States 5 times (1x East Coast / 2x West Coast / 2x Florida) and I really love your country and our American friends and allies. Your wish and plan to stay here in Germany is great and I like your attitude. You are a wonderful ambassador of your country. I wish you and your husband all the best for the future and I hope your dream of staying here in Germany forever will come true. Take good care of yourselves, best regards from Bochum.

[@AshleyVering]

Thank you! 😊

[@ggthjwf]

The milk in the shelf is homogenisiert and therefore expires later and hält longer. We also have fresh milk in the fridge section which expires earlier of course... 👍

[@satkaramsingh20]

Hey, it's not because the milk on the shelves is homeginzed, but it is pasteurized with very high temperature. Basically all milk, also fresh, refrigerated milk with shorter shelf-life is homogenized.

[@wizardm]

Sparkling water has the advantage that if you drink it directly from the bottle it stays germ-free longer.

[@maxbarko8717]

I think the most important tip for learning a new language is to not be shy or embarrassed to speak it. Mistakes are there to learn and if someone corrects you don’t take it as an insult. Just talk 😊

[@bigernie9433]

Thanks for the compliments, glad you like it here ! Nowadays, you can learn languages in so many ways, have you tried online classes ? Watching German TV might be helping you in your endeavours, too. Seeing as you are here as a military spouse, what, realistically, do you think are your chances of staying ?

[@AshleyVering]

I have watched a few German Netflix shows! I liked Dark a lot! I have no say in where we go and when but I can always hope 🤞🏼

[@BlissLovePeace]

Great! Thank You! Much appreciated. I got married in the USA and lived there for 16y. We are now living back in Germany again since a few years and we are very glad about that! It doesn't get much better than that ... anywhere ... unless people think about vacation all day long.

[@sascharambeaud]

If there is a Volkshochschule around where you live, their classes are usually quite inexpensive and they often have German for foreigners.

[@fface4]

We're PCSing soon, in a little over a month- we already live abroad, but we've never been to Europe! We're both super excited and your channel makes me even more excited, it's so great to see you guys exploring together and the quality of life you guys have^^ I'm a new military spouse, young, and a little nervous about making friends in a military community, but your videos are super reassuring and I really hope to meet lots of fun and down-to-earth people like you! Any advice on where to connect and meet new people besides spouse FB groups??

[@elemef2801]

As probably in every country, the mindset in cities are completely different in terms of english skills, how to behave with people you dont know, accents and so on. But in general I would say germans are really glad to hear, that a foreigner is interested in their stuff. Its probably one of the best compliments you can give them. Especially talking about beer, food and landscape. :)

[@dhtran681]

5:53 not true, who is going to "hate" that? There is no room for racism and hate here. Neither in Germany nor in the comment section. Thank you for sharing your video.

[@bigN-422]

The way you said Milch was the cutest thing I heard today. So fantastic ❤

[@emiliajojo5703]

Don't worry that much about comments!even if blunt or rude,always good for the algorithm.you can't please everybody anyway!❤️

[@bulletsix]

first i think it is commendable, that you want to learn german although you will move back to usa. And second hearin along the lines "i like it so much, i want to make it my home" is one of the biggest compliments you can give, imo. So enjoy your time here :)

[@AshleyVering]

I really appreciate your kindness! It means a lot to me!

[@chkoha6462]

Team Sparkling for the win!

[@apfelbaum6331]

Its awesome that you love to live in Germany, me too! :D so why would I hate that? I think most germans would be proud and feel nice about you talking about Germany so positively. I would always go into a library near me when I am new in a town. Maybe you'll find some books for german learning. And staring at people there is nice haha

[@apfelbaum6331]

library = Bibliothek

[@CavHDeu]

I'm so non typical german. I don't like sparkling water and have an A/C in my appartement. We don't use sweetened creamer for coffee but we have Kondensmilch instead. But the best coffee is a double espresso with a bit sugar 😋

[@robinraadhi2541]

The counting thing is taking me for a surprise 😂 why would you start with the index finger 😭😭😭 love it

[@thomasbarchen]

I am an American that moved to Germany as a 20 year old back in the 80s, I have lived in three states, in a small town pop. 10,000, in a city of about half a million. I have been living in Berlin for 25 years now. Germany is no utopia but in my opinion it's much better than the US. I have traveled to many countries and in a few very poor ones. Nothing scares me as much as when I go back for a visit to the US. Which I don't do often. Learn German you will enjoy your stay here more if you do so! Good luck to you!

[@AshleyVering]

I completely understand how you feel! I‘m glad to not be the only one. I hope to stay in Germany as long as we are allowed 🤞🏼 Unfortunately, there are no open spots for a German class near me so I might have to take one online. I am committed to continue learning! Thank you!

[@yessirthatsher007]

I'm loving the sparkling water here as well 🤣 And yes the staring got to me at first but only because back home in the US it was usually because people are racist but here I'm like, hmmm is it because I have 4 kids (I realize that's a lot lol) or because they just want to see my babies because they are so cute or some other random innocent reason 🤣 Overall I am enjoying life here in Germany!

[@EgoundderRest]

Das gefühlte Anstarren ist meist nur wohlwollendes Interesse. Oftmals würden diese Leute gern kurz mit Ihnen kommunizieren, trauen sich aber nicht zu, diesen Schritt zu machen, aus Furcht vor einer negativen Reaktion Ihrerseits. Wenn ich jemandem Geringschätzung entgegen bringen will, ignoriere ich ihn so weit wie möglich.

[@nordwestbeiwest1899]

Do you know what the beautiful thing about Germany is? Learning German costs almost nothing if you go to the local school and take a VHS German course. In most cases the hours are in the evening after work and for very little money. The municipalities and districts and even the federal government even promotes learning German. If you would like more information then go to the citizens' office at the town hall in the east where you live. They will help you.

[@AshleyVering]

Thank you!

[@KR-qg3om]

I moved to Cologne a couple months ago and I love it here also I immediately started learning German but sometimes I get judgemental looks for not knowing the language, which bothers me the most.

[@AshleyVering]

That’s so exciting! I feel the same way.

[@wora1111]

Do not mind the idiots that give you the bad eye. Just learn some simple phrases for everyday use (greetings, numbers, days of the week etc) and start your communication with these. Usually that will be appreciated. And it will tell us Germans that you are willing to take the step towards learning the language but simply did not make it all the way.

[@KR-qg3om]

@@wora1111 Thank you for your kind message ❤️

[@Habakuk_]

In any case you try to learn the language is a big plus point :)

[@KR-qg3om]

@@Habakuk_ Yeah I took an intensive course to learn as fast as possible. So far so good 😊

[@schattensand]

If people look at you they are somehow interested in you. That is a compliment, no need to make a stare fight out of it.

[@shalom_don5674]

Hello Take a look at VHS german course, this should be the cheapest / free ones VHS (Folk high school) is a civil version of schooling by normal persons

[@davidholiday4494]

to find a German course which does bot cost a lot go to a "Volks Hoch Schule! that is a state owned school for adults and other further education students.

[@AshleyVering]

I will look into it!

[@davidholiday4494]

@@AshleyVering Hope you are successful - that is what I did when learning in Hamburg. Remember that English is a good 60% German based. Good luck!!!

[@peter_meyer]

@@AshleyVering Here's an american, who did it. Either watch 'til the end or skip to the end ... kzbin.info/www/bejne/r5nZe2R9bqatn7c She also has a video about how to move to Germany.

[@AshleyVering]

Great video! Thank you for sharing!

[@Why-D]

I think the local Volkshochschule should offer quite cheap German classes. Thank you that you love me.

[@Nithrade]

Hey, why would we be offended that you like it here? You are welcome here. I think we might be more surprised than offended to be honest, because we certainly complain about our country enough. So it's nice to hear that someone appreciates some stuff here. (And yes, all milk goes in the fridge after opening.)

[@AshleyVering]

@@Nithrade I think it might be an American idea that people in other countries don’t want me to stay. I love hearing from Germans that it makes them happy or surprised that I love their country!

[@NadiaGonzalez-jy8jn]

No lool I feel the same. We are in Belgium and I am already demanding he extends or request to go to Germany. 😂 I never want to leave. I'm struggling to learn French, but we've only been here a few months. So I'm not too stressed haha I try though. One thing I'm obsessed with is the fries and fresh baked bread 🤤🤌🏾💋

[@AshleyVering]

Yes! I totally understand!! The food is so good!!!

[@andreasbrey6277]

well, you have a decent special character. Best of luck for your future in Deutschland :)

[@toniderdon]

Your German is very good, especially the "Spargel" and "Erdbeere" was good

[@AshleyVering]

Thank you very much! I‘m working on it 😊

[@saltydagger6635]

Are you kidding? Your pronunciation is spot on 👍

[@guinessdraught2758]

I think the biggest differences between the USA and Europe are the former political structures, almost all European countries come from kings or empires in which one or a few people had the say. In contrast to the states, people are therefore more willing to stick to the rules that determine coexistence. The first settlers were mainly concerned with staying alive and had to get by on their own, which is still reflected in the mentality today. The staring is a first feeling of the person whether they pose a threat or not and sometimes just interest. I've never thought about counting by hand...probably because the thumb sticks out and is usually the first to be moved. The current events will probably require a longer and larger presence of our NATO alliance and it is likely that you will stay longer in Germany. Many greetings.

[@philipkudrna5643]

Seems you have been assimilated! 😂 Resistance is futile! Didn‘t get the Milk thing, though. European milk should be taken from the cooling-shelf and put into the fridge. The „ordinary“ milk will be ok for 5 days, there are „longer lasting“ milks that will be ok for approx 2 weeks in the fridge. And there is „Haltbarmilch“ that has been processed so much that it can be sold from the shelf outside the cooling area. I personally try to avoid such products. This is not milk anymore, but I probably suffices for putting a shot of it into your coffee.

[@Zentralrat-der-Schwaben]

Hello, please do not always apologize for everything. Danke!

[@AshleyVering]

I’ll try 😊

[@Zentralrat-der-Schwaben]

@@AshleyVering ☺

[@lordofnumbers9317]

You are very, very welcome in Germany. ❤ Don't worry.

[@AshleyVering]

Thank you!

[@_Yannex]

If you adopt the vocal language and understand pretty fluent, I wanna see an reaction video about that timeframe. It's gonna be mind blowing to your

[@martinaklee-webster1276]

Hallo, you can join Deutschkurse for foreigners at the Volkshochschule, the Peoples Highschool. You can find them in evety City. You can Tage all kind of Courses there, and it is not expensive at all. Greetings from the Black Forrest.

[@martinaklee-webster1276]

I ment take of course

[@OkkulterO]

1. Clarification: The phenomenon of observing others, or more generally the "other" in the environment, which is incorrectly referred to as "staring", is a behavior of "participation in what is perceived". It is an expression of one's emotional position, belonging and integration in the outside world. It is an integrating behavior. Whereas the opposite "looking away" signals a "non-interest" in my surroundings. The consequence of this is the isolation of the individual. You can also say: "I only care about myself and not about the other - out there in the world". I stay in my world - isolated in my "cheese bell". In this respect, it is also a cultural behavior. 2. Clarification: The "stare" is a (not only human) reaction to sudden astonishment or startle. To the point of seeing cruelty, which in turn can lead to "not being able to look at it" - to "having to look away" (because it is unbearable).

[@samjohnson2801]

I got some sparkling water on accident last week. I tried couldn't do it

[@AshleyVering]

I really started to like it when I added fruit to it! Now I like it as is!

[@AnitaVargas]

Does your base have german classes? I’m stationed in Italy and I’m doing Italian classes on post :)

[@AshleyVering]

They do, but it is while I‘m at work unfortunately 😔

[@falcotol9299]

Ganz große Punkte sind es nicht, nur die Sicherheit, die ist natürlich sehr wichtig.

[@saramathilde76]

I love how you're at least trying to learn German. I think you don't get the true experience of living in another country until you speak the language 😃

[@deadNightwatchman]

It's so funny and odd! So many Americans mention the "German stare". In my hometown, most people shy away from eye contact.

[@hidden5920]

The best thing is, that you see the beauty in germany, that we germans already have forgotten. Take your time learning german. Step by step. As i said to my american friends and customers: Try it with denglish first. Mix "deutsch/german and english" . Absolutly fine. Germans are pretty tolerant and you dont have to speak perfect german.

[@Rainerjgs]

Die deutsche Finger-Zählweise ist ja auch viel natürlicher, weil die Finger genau der Reihe nach benützt werden!

[@AshleyVering]

Ich stimme zu!

[@gowest19]

A simple way learnig an foreigen language,is learning by doing.try to listen and then copy the words.

[@typxxilps]

I wonder how someone can move to a country not having learned the language ? If not you must be an alien considering you can not communicate in the language people speak. All the agencies employees do not have to speak english. It is better to go to the Volkshochschule or any other language school to learn cause then you might immerse sooner than later. Volkshochschule is the cheapest way of learning things as an adult and usually after work, not from 9 to 11, but rather 20:00 - 21:30 Courses usually start in autumn so more or less in September. You will not be able to stay here without the skills cause the foreigner offices will not allow it especially in Bavaria. You will need a certificate from the Goethe Institute and an awfull lot more to stay as an american like prooves how you will make money, where you can live and much, much more. I guess you are understimating what it means to get such permission cause years as a wife of military personel usually do here count nothing. You will have to do the same paperwork for an Aufenthatlstitel / permission to stay a limited amount of time as every american.

[@AshleyVering]

Expressing my love for Germany does not mean I think I‘m allowed to live here without meeting the same requirements as others who have done the same. I am not underestimating anything.

[@donaldduck2621]

Question: I have heard that most grocery stores in the US use self-checkout, whereas our Austrian stores and almost all German stores have staffed checkout. To Americans coming here, this is often a cultural shock, standing in line for a few minutes to pay. Another example is that American windows are different too, they are opened by pushing them up. We have completely different windows that can be tilted and opened up into the interior of the room. 😉

[@AshleyVering]

We have staffed checkouts in the US! Actually most times you cannot buy more than 10-15 items so when we grocery shop we have to use the staffed checkout. 😊

[@Habakuk_]

@@AshleyVering That explains a lot why there are such large family packs in the US :)

[@AnoNymInvestor]

Please stay in Germany! 💪

[@feolicity]

Just subbed 😉Me as a German I'm really bothered by my fellow countrymen staring in such a blatant manner. It's really cringy and sometimes I stare back just to make them realize😁 it's both curiosity & hilly Billy-behaviour (I come from a place of 3500 inhabitants).and don't forget the Omas and Opas spying behind knitted curtains! Glad that you like it here 😊 . Greetings from Baden-Württemberg. Just started vlogging from here too.

[@performingartist]

Been here a year. Not planning on leaving.

[@peter_meyer]

The counting: Um, just don't sign up for a Quentin Tarantino movie. Staring: Just proving your strength in personality. You're more confident. Um, lock your doors. Nothing wrong about it. For staying in Germany: Viel Erfolg! Many have done it. It's a struggle, though. For 10k: Also Viel Erfolg!

[@AshleyVering]

We lock our doors! Just feel safer here to not stress about it as much. We don’t turn around on our way to work to triple check anymore 😆

[@GTA.Sven.Andreas]

willkommen 🙂

[@klauskruger6187]

I am german and I have never seen anybody staring. Must be a very little village.

[@yessirthatsher007]

Another note...I love it here and don't want to go back home to the states 🤣🤣🤣

[@AshleyVering]

Me either 🤣

[@beageler]

For a cheap German class look into the Volkshochschule (VHS). Pretty much every town has one and in towns with an US base they certainly have German classes, otherwise I'd thinks it's only 90% :-D Why would we hate people from other countries loving ours? You're welcome.

[@AshleyVering]

I think the one in our town is full 🙁 they are not accepting new applicants! Thank you! ☺️

[@beageler]

@@AshleyVering No problem. They could have new openings every semester, but of course the waiting list could be long enough that the next semester is always full. I don't know of other, always cheap, courses. Good luck in finding stuff. Might want to ask friends that work in schools or in governmental offices, they might know local stuff. Or, of course, the office at your base for help with integration. Not sure if something like that exists, but I'm sure a German base would have it.

[@wora1111]

Mentioning bad German and using words like Spargel, Erdbeeren or Milch seems like a contradiction to me. You obviously already know enough to get a good idea about what you are still missing. But that in itself tells a lot about you (good things to be precise). Most of us Germans living here needed until adulthood to speak the language the way we do now. No reason you should be faster! After I came back from the USA I did not use English for five years. Than I noticed how much I forgot and decided to polish up my English by joining an American Square Dance Club. Had a great time there, except the only American there was the caller. Joining any kind of club actually helps a lot to integrate and learn the local language. Actually having fun should be the main subject, integration and language are side effects that you will hardly notice until (American) friends or colleagues tell you about it.

[@annachristinanotyet4678]

Don't worry MOST people (maybe the last 1,5 Generations who also share Twatter as a supplment parent would be like that idek) here don't get offended by others ALSO breathing. =) Especially not if you say POSITIVE stuff...Germans DO love to COMPLAIN about their STATE of the COUNTRY and especially POLITICS. So for us it is always a NCIE REMINDER "You#re still yammering on a high level."

[@reesofraft4166]

aside from Milch this sounded very good but even that one is understandable. don't worry and keep on practising!

[@The_ViciousOne]

Honestly, I don't think you should be afraid or concerned that any Germans would be angry, just because you express your wish to stay here. At least I wouldn't... 🤔

[@martinstubs6203]

Judging from the few words you said your German accent doesn't seem to be so bad. Native English speakers tend to have an issue with the German "ch" but you said "Milch" perfectly.

[@AshleyVering]

I really appreciate it! A lot of people have commented saying I said Milch wrong 😆 so I don’t know 🤷🏼‍♀️

[@martinstubs6203]

@@AshleyVering It sounded perfectly right to me.

[@stefanb2416]

your german sounds good :) greetings from the medieval city erfurt

[@AshleyVering]

Thank you very much! 😄

[@Rainerjgs]

It is not Staring - it is only looking coruious at!

[@ervvmuller6020]

Why would we hate that you want to live here forever? Isn't this the nicest thing you could possibly say? Do US citizens hate it when foreigners say they would like to stay forever?

[@AshleyVering]

By living in a military town at the time, there were always small reminders “Army go home”. I always wanted Germans to know how much I love their country and I appreciate that you think it is a positive thing for me to say that! I never want anyone to think I‘m trying to over stay my welcome or anything by saying I want to stay.

[@andreasbrandt1082]

Why should we not like an American to tell us she loves the place she is in? You`re welcome

[@AshleyVering]

Thank you! That means a lot to me 😁

[@ch.k.3377]

if you start dreaming in "German" then you are Germanized 😄

[@AshleyVering]

I have had one dream in German! 🥳😂 it was probably a very simple dream but that’s okay!

[@berndheghmanns1437]

Ok, why do you think Germans will hate you,when you say that you love to live here and that you wanne staiy here for ever? I'am German and I don't hate you for this. It's Ok for me, your wellcome!!

[@AshleyVering]

Thank you!! That is very kind 😊

[@IIIOOOUS]

Your TV size looks American. I think most Germans prefer a rather medium size TV.

[@AshleyVering]

We live on an American military base where we have access to “American sized” TVs.

[@peter_meyer]

Mine is 63 inch. Would buy a bigger one next time. I'm german.

[@HermannderCherusker1970]

"Milk"

[@dasmaurerle4347]

Germans don't stare. They're watching. When a German stares at you, you most probably done something wrong...feel ok if he/she's only watching😂😂👍🍻

[@AshleyVering]

I have become a people watcher too now 😊👍🏼

[@ggthjwf]

@@AshleyVering that is so funny 😄

[@Kivas_Fajo]

Ehm, as far as I know it is free of charge.

[@pacjam65]

You have that loud concerning Milch in English. Chiii :-) Chute :-) Chese 🙂 Milch is ending with "...ch..." like chute 🙂

[@axelk4921]

what kind of "German" do you want to speak???? I'm thinking of this "Japanese yodeller Takeo Ischi" who can't speak German but speaks perfect Bavarian.....! According to his own statement in a TV interview... we have four officially recognized languages in Germany and 3 "unofficial" ones, which are "BEAMTEN aka bureaucrats' German, politicians' German and Bundeswehr aka Army German" then there are over 200 dialects , you will never speak "perfect German"! learn the local dialect to have a "perfect" conversation with the locals, that's enough ;)))

[@Patrick-on2ty]

Volkshochschule zum deutsch Lernen

[@beboy462]

Hello You wany 250M views on your 1 video

[@dawe-et9xc]

🇺🇸🇩🇪 friendship forever!