6 Things You Will Battle With In Germany

Living in Germany as an expat is not always easy. In this video, we talk about six things you might struggle with when you move to Germany.
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⏰ Timestamps:
00:00 - Introduction
00:23 - #1 The Real Unfriendliness
04:59 - #2 The Perceived Unfriendliness
06:59 - #3 The Weather
09:35 - #4 The Language Barrier
12:08 - #5 No Support System for Your Home
14:36 - #6 Bureaucracy
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We know how frustrating and painful it might be to move to a new country, especially if you don't fully speak the language. That's why we created Simple Germany.
Simple Germany provides tips & information in English about living in Germany as an expat. We talk about services that are friendly and easy to use to beat German bureaucracy. We also cover the cultural aspects of living in Germany. All of this brought to you from the eyes of an expat and a German duo. We want to help you settle in Germany more smoothly.🍻
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[@deeptizaremba3699]

After twenty years of marriage to a German who was always yelling (for no reason I could discern) we visited his home town - and it was a whole city of yelling Germans! What a relief. Turns out I wasn’t setting him off, he was born that way.

[@Tukn]

I come from Chile now living in Berlin, even though I love the city I'm still surprised by how bureaucratic and slow everything is here and how a place that I consider eco-friendly relies so much on paper, also digitalization still feels like a foreign concept here. Don't get me wrong, still love the quality of life and the culture here.

[@si_rajo]

The exhaustion from using a foreign language over a longer period of time is a real thing. The length of this period fluctuates for me but in general it’s Not only you Jen 😂

[@darrylleo9562]

So true! Its really a wall!

[@simplegermany]

Glad to read it’s not just me 😅. -J

[@carlitoxb110]

Sometimes my English is really fluent and sometimes I can’t convey two basic ideas in one sentence

[@LockieScott]

Coming from New Zealand, who are tied with Norway for the least Bureaucratic countries in the world, it takes a lot of getting used to. To register the birth of our child in NZ, took 5 minutes online, wedding registration and application, 15 minutes online. Doing your taxes... 1 minute online PER YEAR! NZ streamlined their processes so well that they suddenly had a much bigger surplus than expected as everyone´s taxes were accurate and done automatically. Watching the Beamtin in the local Standesamt realise that her entire job doesn't exist in New Zealand and that she could be replaced by an online form was priceless. So yes, it has taken a lot of adjusting to German ways coming from a modern digitalised economy!

[@simplegermany]

Thanks for sharing! That sounds amazing ☺️

[@RRbobreed]

Thank you for addressing how long it takes to learn German and how discouraging it is. It’s helpful to know I’m not the only one.

[@mina_en_suiza]

I just wanted to say how much I appreciate your production style: Straight to the point, no endless rambling and if you're talking to each other, it's always something that adds value (or sometimes it's cute, and that's also nice).

[@rajlakshmijoshi]

Yes, I agree with Jan. I speak Deutsch in my office and it feels like an interpreter is running in my brain the whole day 🧠 😂😅. At the end of the day i feel so exhausted and have to take a break from talking anything or anyone 🙂

[@ianjehle]

It’s so difficult to explain to people how frustrating (and at times scary) it can be to live in Germany as a foreigner without sounding like you dislike Germany or all German people. You both do a really fantastic job of articulating those difficulties without bashing the country. It’s good to know I’m not the only one who has those experiences. Thank you. I really love the channel.

[@turjo119]

Running away from the sun... Definitely can relate 🤣 I still run away from the sun tho...

[@TexasHighwayMan]

Jen, I totally agree with your experience with the language! I've been speaking German for 30 years, minored in it in college, and even have a Zertifikat Deutsch als Fremdsprache, and on some days, my German flows "smoothly" (see what I did there? And yes, beer helps!), and on other days, I have total a geistiger Aussetzer.

[@Winona493]

😂

[@ebbyc1817]

omg, the yelling. 😄 one person "tried it" with me at work, a few months ago. Started talking to me like I was a 12 year old child. I was like, nah...we're not doing this. I don't even know how I found the patience to respond calmly and say nope you can't talk to me this way, because in my mind I was losing it like " who the hell do you think you're talking to !!? " It's a good thing we mostly work online, or I would have probably lost my job by now. and what that woman ac-tually said, is "omg these fu***ng road bikers !" 😄 I've learned to just, let it go. But it took time. My next step is to learn how to stare back when they stare at me☺in close proximity, But I'm so English I don't think I'll ever achieve it. Thanks for the video. 💜

[@ahmichael7908]

I feel you, just made me laugh😂. I am frim the UK, and experienced this in my new Job in Frankfurt. I do no tolerate anything, I just lose it. I don't think I want to retire in Germany. I am 52.

[@baconpancakes8899]

Finally somebody made a video addressing it, everytime I explain this to Germans they say I'm crazy and imagining things.

[@saramichelperdomobrito6805]

Pretty useful video, thank you! Btw, its just me hat smiles every time they say smoothly 😂?

[@user-lb3gz3zq7s]

I thought bureaucracy was bad in France until I arrived in Germany. Required paperwork and processing times are absolutely crazy here.

[@alexanderschwarm7755]

Honestly Jen and Yvonne have such a great style sometimes i copy their outfit

[@linabrooks8069]

I found UK to be very straightforward and “user friendly” …bureaucracy is often made simple in the UK for the the people for the most part.

[@ots5891]

I just found your channel, it's so engaging and i wish i found this channel earlier in my Deutsche journey. Luv u guys 😅

[@nothingspecial123Q]

I will never understand the weather-thing! I like all four seasons and am always happy if a new season is coming up. Every season has its wonderful things. I could never live in a country with the same weather almost all throughout the year.-

[@rewanthr]

Yeah me too, btw how long have you been living in Germany/with the 4 seasons?

[@andreea.andreea]

For me is really tough having a phone call in german with a medical worker or administrativ personnel😅, but from what I saw, there is a lot of pressure on the medical staff and on the doctors due to high number of patients, therefore they prefer speaking quick on the phone rather than writing an email. A thing I appreciate is they always answer and really try to provide the info I m looking for.

[@cobusgreeff3638]

So many of your videos have helped me tremendously with moving and settling in Germany. But then this video, being from South Africa myself, I could sooooooo relate to every of Jen’s points and can only laugh when I involuntarily respond with “genau” in every point 😁

[@andreea.andreea]

oh and thank you for the templates threy are really well built

[@basicshelly4485]

I just received an email from you guys. It was a fun and informative read regarding a Speed limit ticket in Freiburg where I currently live.

[@fannychristozova8158]

So very well explained, as always, you girls! These are all real facts, but also I can't stress enough how important it is to tell the difference, whenever you encounter something which feels like a hurdle. I have seen all three kinds of yelling so far. The person who's had a bad day, the person who makes a correction and the person who clearly doesn't want somebody else around. At a small supermarked once I had to find my way around how to get a bag and the cashier tried to explain as quick as possible but I was still spinning and looking for a few seconds more than it should normally take, so she raised her voice a little annoyed and reached to get one for me. I didn't feel hurt or offended. When I was done doing the shopping in fact in my head I was like, "Oh ok, actually this is very well organised, I'll know next time." And the day went on perfectly fine. In Bulgaria there are frowned cashiers and waiters all over. We absolutely nver take that personally. Instead, we realize that this person just hates their job so much and we quietly hope they get to find something better for themselves. And yes, in Germany too I did encounter a frowned salesperson, but upon my kind approach with a smile and look in the eyes, I made her instantly change, like she appeared with a whole different face, just like Yvonne explained. Well, the weather... don't get me started. 😂😂 I don't mind cloudy days, a little wind and for sure not calm and nice rain. I can only repeat Jen's words about running from the sun, which was about Guate. Here, and especially in my city of Plovdiv the heat and the endless sunshine in the height of summer are Killers. I remember that Drizzledorf name, you mentioned it during the last livestream, and I love it! 😍 I can't wait to say Drizzledorf myself. 😅 You can see why. I'm proud of both of you for the way you bring up such topics, you definitely stand out!! Very consistant and honeat and aiming at nothing but clarity. Never change that! 😊

[@kimberlynnpascion7930]

I've been completely hooked on your videos lately! As someone who will be moving to Germany in August, your content has been an absolute lifesaver for me. Not only are your videos straight forward and detailed, but you two also make such a cute team! I have a little request, hoping you'll notice it. Could you please consider making a video about skincare? I think it would be a huge help for someone like me to know which products are best suited for the weather and climate in Germany. Danke! 😊

[@simplegermany]

Great to know that our content is helping you out! 😊 To be honest, skincare is highly individual as everyone has different skin. It's best for you to scout a dm or Rossmann shop once you are here and try some different products to see which one works for you 😊

[@claragomezb.7849]

@@simplegermany Going off of Kimerly's comment, would you consider making a video on Waterhardness in Germany and how to deal with it (hair, skin, appliances in the sinks and showers, etc)? On the topic of languages, I'm stating to learn german now and was wondering...do you guys any sites to download books or watch movies german? It always helps when I find a book I've already read in a language I'm learning so that my brain focuses less on the plot and more on everything else!

[@Winona493]

Are you in Germany now? If yes, how do you do? And where (which Bundesland)? Sorry, I am curious.🙈

[@monalisahota]

Thanks to your videos, i knew not to take the grumpiness in Germany personally. But my experience has been mostly very positive with super feindky and smiling people across the counter or helping me with directions etc. Twice i encountered ladies who were kinda rude. Once in a Rewe where we didnt weigh our fresh produce before check out. She thought we were dumb and made an angry face, left her chair to show us how it's done but came back a changed person.... guess she figured we weren't trying to annoy her and were just new in the store. So she said with a smile " now you know what to do next time. " Another time was in Galaria Mall but that was insignificant. Usually i find that behavior accompany language barrier, which probably makes some people anxious. But great to know about the yelling. Yet to experience that. When my super caring Airbnb hostess asked, I told her about the lady in rewe and she was like "I will look into it"....so sweet!! That more than made up for any harm done. Germans are awesome people,❤

[@mak8972]

I love your channel and how you normalise and help with the difficulties we face in a new country. I gotta say, getting used to German's aggressivity will probably never get easy for me. It is the only culture that I know where this kind of behaviour is somehow acceptable. Basically puking your emotional state on others without any consideration or taking responsibility for it, apologizing etc. It's like an emotional maturity of a toddler. Luckily it is not the case for most people but it happens often. I remember knocking to my neighbour when the lock on my door broke and I could not enter the flat. I went out to the corner shop, the battery on my phone was low and I had to get back to my work meetings, so it was rather stressful. I thought she could perhaps help me out with advice, or charging my phone so I could sort it etc. But she shouted at me as if I commited the highest offence by knocking to her door, shouting that I could have knocked to anybody else and I am bothering her. She did not help me at all and was extremely rude. Then meeting me on the street she would for example complement my dress and smile like nothing happened! This is mind-boggling!

[@Winona493]

As a friendly German I decided to beat them (the aggressive and unfriendly ones) with kindness!!! Sometimes with totally overdone kindness (like I feel the Americans sometimes behave😂) And it works!!! Not so many people are able to stand it for a long time. At some point they give in.😊

[@adilO.o]

Thank you for all these great videos and content. What you share really speaks to me and always makes me feel so much better and happier here :) I am absolutely grateful to live in Germany, my partner is German and my children have only the German citizenship. However it is not always a peaceful journey... I sometimes got yelled at for really unsignificant things and feel like s*** about it :( What I really don't like above all, is when I am respecting the speed limit and I got overtaken in a savage way by another car. The person put me in danger and put itself in danger and sometimes give you a sign or shout some nasty words... It's like how dare you be in my way. It's not like in France we don't have road rage and aggressive people, but here it's really easily triggered.

[@simplegermany]

Oh yeah I’ve also experienced the overtaking. Strangely enough, we were recently in France, and although the speed limit was 130 km/h there were still cars going way faster and overtaking a bit aggressively. One car even just slowed down for a speed camera and then zoomed away.

[@adilO.o]

@@simplegermany oh that's a big thing there 🤣 !! There are always big panels announcing the speed radar, so people slow down just for the radar and then accelerate 🙈🙈 !!

[@rishiraj2548]

Guten Tag

[@mariap.2822]

I really like Germany, but one of my absolute pet peeves is the whole "bitte anrufen" culture and weird resistance to email communication. Every time I wanted to find a doctor and hypothetically I would send 10 emails to addresses given on their websites the results would be following: 5 of 10 emails get totally ignored (I propably could as well tag them on tiktok). Out of the 5 remaining3 will contain an answer along the lines of " bitte anrufen" and then maybe 2 will actually write back a proper email... It is less of a problem for me now as my German is a bit better but at the beginning this was a huge problem...

[@Kordanor]

Isn't he "missing support" actually somewhat of a good sign? I am thinking of the person doing the job as >private< servant/nanny. Because if thats so affordable, that basically means that they don't earn much, and while the private nanny cares about your kids, she/he will obviously not pay a nanny himself for her/his kids, because the money is missing for that. Ofc taxes, insurances and all that thake their toll, but generally, the bigger the possible gap in income between Employer and servant, the more likely it is, that this is a thing, isn't it?

[@ahsvlogs33602]

Please make a video on the semester defer system as the visa appointment date is getting longer?

[@freckled_nomad]

As for me I really suffer living in Germany because almost all German people are smokers. They smoke everywhere and it smells disgusting everywhere too. Bus stops, parks, streets etc. My neighbors, who live below me, smoke hard and all their smoke goes up and fills my apartment through open windows all day and night long (even at 2, 3, 4 am). I do sports in the gym that is located on the 3rd floor and there are a lot of smokers who stand under open gym windows and smoke hard and the smoke goes inside the gym. The same situation at school where I study. My neighbors gather in large groups, smoke together, talk and etc. on the porch of our house just in front of the entrance door and I have to stand about 100 meters far from them and wait for them to finish smoking because I can not enter the building. Sometimes it rains and I have to stand under rain and wait. Even if smokers do not smoke in the bus, cafe or shopping center, I can feel the smell from smokers and it stinks so bad. I have to go out of the bus, cafe and shopping center without doing what I wanted. I traveled a lot but I have never seen such stinky tobacco and cigarettes as in Germany.

[@simplegermany]

Thanks for sharing! Super interesting, as we would say that smoking decreased already a lot in Germany over the past decades. But as always it depends on what you were used to before.

[@noellewest4347]

I also cannot stand this. The smoking in this country is completely revolting. And these people stink. They are uncivilised and disgusting. I've had a number of unapologetic confrontations with them.

[@jessali_]

I completely agree. I'm so glad I live in a small (German) village where it's extremely rare to see or smell cigarettes! I'm glad I work from home and don't have to commute to the city anymore. Train stations and bus stations are the WORST because of this.

[@LythaWausW]

@@noellewest4347 If I were German I'd yell at the revolting stinky people. Yesterday I was enjoying a bike ride until I rode through a cloud of smoke from one of the disgusting people. I'm too American to yell YOU STINK! but I'm really tempted.

[@LythaWausW]

I feel your pain. I have to suffer at the grocery stores. In my town there is an Edeka and an Aldi and in *both* of them, the employees smoke IN THE STORE. Sure, in the employee area, but there is no door so the stench gets everywhere and it's so ironic to me there is a Rauchen Verboten sign by the front door. I've contacted Edeka and Aldi twice and both times they said they'd do something about it. The thing is, I believe it's management that smokes. Complaining to smokers about their employees smoking doesn't seem to work. I recently took some Americans to visit our local castle and there was a bathroom attendant smoking IN the bathroom, cuz it was drizzling out. I walked to the office and complained and they called her right then and she lied, saying she was not in the bathroom. Liar; if she'd been outside, I'd have used the bathroom and would have tipped her.

[@pedrozamarchena]

Si algo me ha enseñado ese país, a no tomarme nada personal!! En Latinoamérica estamos acostumbradas y acostumbrados que una mala cara, mal gesto o comentario ya significa que te están haciendo algo a tu persona. Pero aquí no es así. A mí me pasa muy seguido lo que contaron de la cajera en la tienda. Parece que algo no les parece y que están enojados o enojadas conmigo y me tratan mal, pero al segundo cambian de tema y son súper amables jajaja.

[@carsmusicfan]

We just got back from a long trip to Bavaria and experienced some of the worst customer service on the DB lines and museums. When I asked for assistance to find our reserved seats, a woman DB worker yelled "get on the train"! Just downright nasty. We met some nice, friendly folks, but more so in Austria.

[@karinland8533]

Customer service with DB is often rude. If you had reserved seats in an ICE you have to get on really quick because otherwise it will cause a delay (there are only 3 minutes to get on the train). I don’t understand why those people are so unfriendly with customers who don’t know the drill. The ICE have a own board were travelers can look up in wich order the wagon is lined up, so it it easyer to estimate were it will stop at the platform. I’m sorry, but I hope you had a nice trip anyways

[@carsmusicfan]

@@karinland8533 Thank you. We loved the scenery and historical architecture. Unfortunately, traveling through eight cities the DB was often the only option. We had much better experiences on Westbahn and Flix Bus when available. Thanks again. Cheers!

[@souravsuresh2766]

When will we be able to apply for die Chancenkarte? What level of German would it require? Different websites are giving contradicting information. Could you please help?

[@fri7z_]

Great video! 🙂 UK doesn't have that much birocracy but they have other isues. In Germany the sistem is so well organised and everything goes smoothly. Can you make a video about minijobs in Germany? Thanks 🙏

[@simplegermany]

Yes, we noted down the mini job one. ☺️

[@fri7z_]

@@simplegermany thank you 🤗

[@razvantirca9957]

Ai fost înainte in Uk !?

[@fri7z_]

@@razvantirca9957 da, trei ani jumatate...

[@razvantirca9957]

@@fri7z_ și cum ți se pare fata de UK deoarece as vrea și eu sa fac acest pas dar eu am ceva ani in Anglia dar as vrea mai mult pentru copii :) Ms

[@AndreaBorgia]

And here I am, im Spreewald, asking the boatsman if the route is mostly in the shade because I bought mosquito spray but NOT sunscreen! :)

[@simplegermany]

😅

[@estebanamon]

Denmark is less bureaucratic and super easy to do paperwork

[@LegendaryStudiosCanada]

I have lived in Canada and America and I find that America has less.

[@Julia-ui5lw]

I felt like there is a lot of sun in NRW, can't understand why everyone is complaining, for me it's even too much of sun :D

[@jasonsubhan8479]

Hi Jen, sorry to hear about your experience with the cyclist. I'm British and I think in the UK we are not always as polite or kind as we should be. Our customer service can be terrible. In the workplace colleagues can be rude and unhelpful. It's not just in Germany.

[@BG-wm2tw]

And personal hygiene in Uk is rather questionable too 😢

[@N_K12695]

Hey, how well and quickly you learn a language is more a question of motivation than talent: as long as you can still escape into English, your motivation is lower. Even if it is more strenuous, couples who have a linguistic constellation like you two (German/English/X) should only speak German among themselves, because language can only be learned by speaking and listening. - Translated by 'deepl'

[@laureneastwood5936]

It is not random that Max Weber (who is known for his theories about bureaucracy) was German!!

[@Hellfire8899]

I've been stared at twice right after crossing the streets. Maybe they were also mouthing some "you-ignorant-tourist" kinda thing as I walk past them. In that kind of situation I just couldn't do anything as I don't know enough German other than moin and danke. So I just walked it off. I guess that's the only thing I can do. Are there any scenarios that walking away would create more trouble for myself?

[@piccadelly9360]

A video in German would be interesting and a video in both languages. One person only in English the other only in German. We only have one life let's have some fun. Don't worry about the stumbling blocks. It's just for fun

[@4n0n4m0u5]

Hi mam, The newsletter link is not showing any form

[@simplegermany]

We just checked again and the form after 2 secs. Please try again 😊

[@4n0n4m0u5]

@@simplegermany Yup, now working perfectly Thanks 🥰

[@LehAn4a]

Yeap. In the UAE almost everything is in your phone. Very easy.

[@debbiejean4731]

My family came from the Austrian-Hungarian Empire, know I know why I got yelled at so much!

[@lena421]

Oh I guess then what my partner does when he's driving and someone cuts him off or does something stupid would be the german yell. It drives me crazy. You can't do that where I come from, if you yell at someone, it will start à fight and things could get very ugly, very quickly. In my home country, I was once in a bus where the driver yelled at a car for cutting him off. The dude stopped the car, blocking the road so the bus couldn't move, got out of the car with something like a big wrench and broke all the bus windows. My mom and I were inside and terrified he would attack us too. The bus had to push the car to make way so we could leave and go to the police station. It was terrifying, so anytime I hear someone here "innocently" yelling anything, I get terrified.

[@simplegermany]

Holy, the violence is definitely worse than the yell in this case 🙈

[@jameskuo3357]

I used to like Germany, but after two and a half years living here, I'm starting to feel like I'm having enough of this country. I can totally get the unfriendliness and aggressiveness of the people here which you mentioned in the video. I have run into several such occasions already, and every time I ran into it, I found it hurtful and took it personally every single time since all I was doing was just living my life and minding my own business. I just can't understand why a lot of people in this country have to treat people like this and hurt others. A German friend of mine told me that you have to be tough to live in this country. Now I finally understand what he meant. And I'm just not a tough person, which is why I've been thinking about leaving this country a lot these days.

[@simplegermany]

It’s not for everyone, that is true. But knowing that not everything is intended to hurt you personally helps to give perspective.

[@krugerfuchs]

There doesn't have to be a barrier to language learn it before hand it's common sense

[@amiresfahani9358]

I have a personal experience that landlords or responsible ‚Immobilien‘s are mostly paying the tenant‘s deposit back as long as possible, as little as possible

[@karinland8533]

They are actually allowed to keep the deposit pretty long. Quite annoying

[@AsterFoz]

Am I the only one who thinks Germans explain everything couple of times even when the person they're talking to did understand it the first time? I mean like 'you should wear a hat to protect your head from the sun' 'ok' it's sunny today and it can hurt you' 'ok' 'you should wear a hat because it's sunny' etc.

[@ivegotnothingbetter]

how about having an au-pair?

[@simplegermany]

Yes, that’s possible. You just need to figure out some logistics like living and salary. Out of all of our friends with kids, only one has an au-pair.

[@angelzhelyazkov]

Well, if a German yells at a person who's from the Balkans, the German fella would receive a few curse words in reply. Hahah.

[@pedrocintra]

"I don't have a M1 Apple chip there" 🤣 I love how your brain works!

[@simplegermany]

😂😅

[@Gepser]

Are you seriously comparing Guatemalan (#1) bureaucracy with German (#2) bureaucracy? I'm from #1 living in #2 and I can tell you that there is no close comparison. Yes, some things s*cks but for me the most part, the lack of processes is actually the problem while in Germany is the rigidity of the processes.

[@simplegermany]

I remember as a young person living in Guatemala spending a whole day in Finanzas jumping from one office to another. Getting a timbre here, a sello there, a signature in another place. Also quite frustrating. So yea, in my opinion some processes in Guatemala are also quite bureaucratic.

[@worldhello1234]

@3:40 You mean the deranged Almanns or loud idiots throwing a hissy fit for no reason, right? You don't need to yell on a bike path. Just ring the bell folks.

[@mariakupper1029]

Omg, we Germans do yell a lot, don’t we?! 🙈

[@arnodobler1096]

NEIN!!! 😂

[@hansmeiser32]

@@arnodobler1096 DOCH!!!

[@ladida5707]

Drüsseldorf was a good joke!!!

[@MrBenedictus25]

If u dont like jelling never come to austria

[@titalx7169]

Jen please stop saying « I am going to be honest”, does this mean you are not honest the rest of the time? (Please don’t take this the wrong way). Food for thought: why people don’t say instead “now what I am going to say is a lie”….😮

[@BG-wm2tw]

She’s from Guatemala. No one is honest there. So when she says she’s going to be honest she’s actually being honest.

[@ashleys9798]

Germans don’t suffer fools! Lol. Love them. We’ll cuss you out in the USA too but don’t tell anyone!