The Unexpected Realities of Living in Germany - Americans in Germany

[@PassportTwo]

Starting the new year, do you have any topics or themes you want to see us discuss in a future video?? Let us know! 😃

[@Yanaexplore]

i would like to know how tinder is working in germany and how fast they are relationships and how they give the value of relationship specially i have a crush on a german girl i want to visit and try but still i dont know weather a srilankan can get a visa to see his girl friend in germany normally its a dream :/

[@RustyITNerd]

There is a chance I missed it, but it would be interesting to have a look on the differences in the day to day working life as far as your experiences go. Additionally, when we are allowed to travel again, you could visit places of "historical importance" for the US in Germany (and how Germans think about it today) - I wouldn't recommend Checkpoint Charlie in Berlin, though. Feel free to gt in touch for ideas. When travelling is allowed and safe again, go and visit cities in Germany and neighboring countries again (Have you ever been to Poland). Aachen (region I grew up) is worth a trip, as well as Karlsruhe (e.g. Why is it called "Fächerstadt", plus an additional point of view regarding public transport you mentioned in this video). As you were living in Oklahoma before, go and visit the different coastlines in Europe. Yes, I am stopping now and going back to breakfast... Thanks for the great content! Edit: Found some typos.

[@dutchgamer842]

Do a video quick peanut butter, the difference between American and German and/or rest of Europe peanut butter. Be aware we in Holland we got more variety of peanut butter than Germany in general

[@dutchgamer842]

Do a video an on how Europe tell time and dates, like US uses AM/PM and EU uses 24h. The Callander is different as well. How was it for you? When you had to adjust to it

[@pklausspk]

Similar to "Dutch Gamer": Do you still measure in such strange units as inches, gallons, miles, stones, libs, etc., or have you grown accustomed to the metric system and perhaps even enjoy not having to deal with crooked conversions?

[@michaela114]

🤔 die enge Fahrbahnstelle in der Stadt: habt Ihr das Straßenschild gesehen, das vor der Verengung steht? Roter Kreis mit schwarzem und rotem Pfeil besagt, dass die andere Seite erst fahren darf (das Hindernis ist auf deiner Seite). Auf der Gegenseite ist ein ähnliches Schild: blaues Quadrat mit weißem und rotem Pfeil, das besagt das die Seite Vorfahrt hat. 😉 also: auf KEINEN Fall beide gleichzeitig fahren!

[@peterg.8941]

@h r r r r was meinst du? Sie will doch nur helfen.

[@FM-tr5bz]

Das war jetzt eine typisch deutsche Reaktion 😄👆...aber ich mags.

[@vhran243]

Deutsche sind anders geil 😂

[@zoe.v.m]

To the topic about German friends. Even Germans have problems to find good friends. I guess it is always a personal matter to deal with. My parents had to work a lot when I was little but after they joined a "Verein" or political party they found really good friends. You can also find friends through your children and their activities. Or you do parties with your neighbors and get to know each other, we have done the same and some are now good friends. I hope I could give you some helpful advices. I hope you have a great day:)

[@johnnyk3950]

i have around 15 good german friends. if you go to a bar you meet a ton of people. just talk with them and you find someone with similar interests.

[@andreaseufinger4422]

Joining a club is a good idea. That's what germans do when they arrive in a new town. Other possibility: If you had kids, you would meet many other parents, on the playgrounds, kids groups, kindergarten, etc. ;)

[@PassportTwo]

Don't have kids yet, so I don' think we should be showing up to kindergartens and playgrounds to find friends 😅 Thanks for ideas though! 😊

[@connyapfelbaum4498]

Sportverein ist super...wenn man mal ein paar Wochen zusammen Sport gemacht hat, kommt man schnell ins Gespräch.

[@Alexander-dt2eq]

@@PassportTwo since you know Volkshochschule already, why not take up more non-language classes over there?

[@andreaseufinger4422]

@@PassportTwo There is one important word in your answer. The word "yet" :)

[@Koxi73]

@@PassportTwo I used to go dancing (Salsa to be specific) when I moved to a new town. Met a lot of people from different circles quite fast.

[@petereggers7603]

Side note: Nice new setting... cozy, spacy, more depth, not like "nailed-on-the-wall"... slight developement though 😉

[@PassportTwo]

Thanks! We are trying to improve and change things up and we are glad to know you like it 😊

[@petereggers7603]

@@PassportTwo Keep up your good job and never stop improving. 👋😋

[@eisikater1584]

Lucky critic you.

[@abalada]

The not that good ranking of Germany in this environmental statistic is in first place due to two things - Germany is still using soft coal (lignite) to produce electricity (albeit this is phasing out in the next 10-15 years) - Germany is a major industrial country with energy-intensive productions like steel, chemicals etc. If a country just consumes those products but does not produce them this looks per inhabitant better than it is in reality. Here one would have to compare those productions separately between the countries having those at all (which is however with the lack of available data on this difficult).

[@kraftandre5538]

I think to enter a Verein is a good way to make friends in germany, cause all members have the same interests. keep it up and stay safe.

[@Kosty19]

Agree. And often, depending on the topic and character of a "Verein", there are social activities linked to it like having a barbecue together or going to the pub to have a beer afterwards.

[@creativedesignation7880]

If you don't want to make the commitment of joining a Verein, you can also (well not currently, but in general) look for a Stammtisch in your town. There are Stammtische for many topics like political affiliations, enviromental issues, sexual orientations, board games or other games, aswell as languages or certain fields of expertise and probably many more topics. Usually you need to make no commitment to join a Stammtisch, allthough some may require you to introduce yourself to the other members. Often all you need to do is find out when and where the Stammtisch happens (usually a bar, sometimes a restaurant of café) and then show up.

[@florianbusse8383]

Apart from joining a club you might consider becoming a member of your local voluntary fire brigade. Helping other people gives you a satisfaction few other hobbies can provide. Either way your German will improve quickly by communicating with your fellow club members or firefighters.

[@amarkreid8227]

Hey, I wanted to share some of MY experiences with public transport: so I've been living in Berlin my whole life and since I've been round about 7 Years old (=7 Years ago - I'm 14) we don't have a car anymore. I have to add: we NEVER went on vacation by this car and rarely used it AT ALL because we shared it with our neighbor. That means my whole life we've only been traveling by train and only very few times by plane. Traveling as well as our every day life was always pretty easy for us without a car. Where we live we have 4 different "Straßenbahn"-Lines that mostly come every 10 minutes each, 2 bus lines that come every 10 minutes and 1 "S-Bahn"-Line that comes every 10 minutes usually but every 5 minutes at Rushhour with which you can get to Alexander Platz and the central station without having to change at all. All these are at maximum 10 minutes away by foot!! So I can say I've never felt the need to use a car or missed a car.

[@999andi]

I really like your videos. It's obvious how much effort you put into the videos. Hope you soon get a lot more subscribers and views. You really deserve it. BR

[@darolhitman3154]

Die wollen ja auch $ damit machen

[@PassportTwo]

Wow, thanks so much for that! Really appreciate the kind words 😊

[@moiragores1226]

I love your videos! Your energy is great! Always brightens my day! Hope you had a good start to this new year! Love from Austria :)

[@PassportTwo]

Wow, thanks so much for that! 😊 So glad you enjoy them 😃

[@christianebersold829]

Ihr seid so ziemlich die süßesten zwei Amerikaner überhaupt

[@PassportTwo]

Awwww vielen Dank 😊

[@tommay6590]

Hm, not quite. In meiner Bäckerei bekomme richtig süße! 😇😅😅😅

[@miraculous-mira]

@@tommay6590 HAHAHA der war mega gut

[@Upuauta]

What I as a german would like to know from you is - what do you think about Germany handling the covid pandemic and how do our rules here affect you. Perhaps worth a video? ;)

[@connyapfelbaum4498]

Gute Idee, würde mich auch interessieren....

[@OnwardMJ]

Thanks for the video and info! We’re planning on moving to Germany (from Pennsylvania) in June if all goes well! I feel like we’ve watched so many videos (including yours) on life in Germany that we’re already aware of most of these things. But it’s still great to see what it’s like adapting to living in a new culture!

[@PassportTwo]

Really hoping it all works out and goes smoothly for you guys! It will be a fun adventure for sure 😊

[@OnwardMJ]

@@PassportTwo Thanks! Tickets are booked! As long as they'll let us in we'll be there.

[@arnodobler1096]

Wellcome! I hope for all of us👍

[@connyapfelbaum4498]

Welcome to Germany! ♡

[@charlesbukowski1894]

Hope you can come here, I see a mayor Crisis evolving in the US.

[@kizunii4422]

Have you made a video yet about how you got to germany and what bureaucracy you had to get through to receive your permissions of stay? what you brought with you and what you left behind? and how frequently you needed to be at the foreigners office (Ausländeramt) until everything was settled? Did you need to have a place to work before you could apply for your staying permission? that are all topics that would interest me.

[@PassportTwo]

This was actually the third video we made when we moved here, although I know we could make one better quality and add more information to it now. 😊 Here it is: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eGW0apWCbdCkaK8

[@lucieherrick6934]

I would love more information on this.

[@kizunii4422]

@@PassportTwo Thank you. I haven't watched that video yet. It's a really great help

[@SmartAndy]

I'd love to help you getting in contact with Germans. I'm living in Rheinland-Pfalz too and majored in Kulturanthropologie (which doesn't translate to cultural anthropoloy but rather european ethnology) that means I studied German culture and I'd love to help you understand German daily live and other phenomenons.

[@YTUSER583]

Very good and "real" information. A happy new year 2021!

[@PassportTwo]

Happy new year to you as well! 😊

[@petereggers7603]

Happy New Year! 🍀🐞🐖 Very interesting topping once again. Even if the width of lanes is quite the same between Germany and the US, the fact that there is far more space beside and between the direction lanes (or the distance to sidewalks and buildings in cities) lead to the impression, that nearly everything in Europe (or Germany in special) is so narrow. Just compare german Autobahn to highways in the Netherlands... the roads at our dear neighbors can give you shivers of agoraphobia... 😁😊

[@PassportTwo]

You’re definitely right! In our part of the US, beside the road you usually have a little stretch of grass, then the sidewalk, then a yard, THEN a building giving the impression of A LOT more space but it really isn’t any wider. Happy New Year to you as well! 😃

[@picobello99]

Roads in the Netherlands aren't that much narrower. Lanes on highways have a width of 3,5 meters.

[@petereggers7603]

@@picobello99 But enormous space on highways... 😊

[@timb8564]

I think a mention about the vast abundance of car sharing service is available more and more in larger cities, at least in Berlin! My wife and I (from the US) moved to Berlin 2 years ago and have been able to use the public transportation and bikes as you mentioned, but of course there are times where a car is needed. ShareNow, WeShare and Miles woke great for short trips around the city when needed... And cheaper than car maintenance!

[@LythaWausW]

Wow, lucky you. I've heard there is even grocery delivery/curbside pickup in big cities. Where I live I can get a pizza delivered, nothing else.

[@afhdfh]

Even if you have to maneuver tiny medieval roads in Germany, since the cars are usually a little smaller compared to the US, they don't feel as narrow. :)

[@robwilliams2410]

I’ve never needed a car in over 20 years in Germany, but I’ve always lived centrally in a mid sized or large city. Having said that, I’m convinced that the public transportation situation has deteriorated over the past two decades. There was a huge push to privatize the German rail system which has lead to reductions in maintenance, upkeep and development of the network. I think that it is more challenging to live in an outlying village than it used to be. Village culture is also different than living in cities. In some cases, it takes generations to be considered a full fledged member of the community, regardless if German born or not. Corona has also had a huge impact on all of us, both with mobility and also maintaining social contacts. Let’s hope that we’ll turn the page on that in the coming months.

[@evilbaron]

Ohja, der ÖPNV. Kleines Dorf, je 3 Busse über den Tag verteilt in beide Richtungen (Schulbusse ausgenommen). Auto ist schon was feines. Übrigens: noch n schönen Start ins Jahr 2021.

[@SiqueScarface]

When I came first to the U.S., it was... Oklahoma! And what I first thought when getting there, that the U.S. is just like I've seen it in the movies. And I was there on a family reunion on the occasion of the 4th of July, so I was there on the most American day of the whole year. My relatives there are farmers. They had their own fishing pond directly behind the house. Everyone took out their fishing rods and sat around the pond for fishing. And of course we had a large barbecue on a grill built onto a trailer, and large loads of ice were bought a the Walmart nearby to cool the drinks in the plastic cooling boxes. It was so quintessential American, including the shed with all the trucks and farming machinery the family owned in the last 60 or so years.

[@PassportTwo]

hahaha, you just described our family reunions 😂😂 Definitely an authentic experience!

[@pklausspk]

Because of narrow streets: It is not uncommon for roads to be intentionally equipped with obstacles to slow traffic for the benefit of pedestrians.

[@PassportTwo]

True, we have seen that in some places! We have also seen this in the US where they want cars to slow down for kids playing or where people cross streets.

[@LythaWausW]

Witzhelden, NRW. I hate driving there with the fire of a thousand suns.

[@darkredvan]

Regarding ÖPNV in Germany: It mostly depends on the area / town you are living in. If you live even in a medium size town (say around 100.000 inhabitants) you for sure could get around without a car. However if you live in a rural area you just have to have a car if you want to get somewhere moderately fast. Where I live it would be quite difficult to rely on public transport only. It could be done, but it would be quite annoying and time consuming. So in my opinion it just depends on where you live.

[@OnePackWanderers]

Wow guys. Insanely high production quality! Interesting topic as well. We’ve noticed in just about every country we’ve visited, that we carried false ideas about a place.

[@MagnificentGermanywithDarion]

Hello Friends, I as usual enjoyed your video just like each and every one of them. I really enjoyed the topic and it is great being flexible and being able to adjust to any situation. I like the new format, I just need to get used to seeing Aubrey and the left and you (Donnie) on the right lol. The setting is quite comfortable and homey feeling. I am looking forward to your future content. :)

[@PassportTwo]

Haha, you are the first to point out we switched seats. My dark hair disappeared on the dark curtains and aubrey’s light hair disappeared on the white wall in our original seats, thus the change 😊

[@MsFloweroffire]

As soon as Corona is "over" you have to visit the vine festival in Wiesbaden (in Hesse). It's beautiful and the vine in the "Rhein-Main-Gebiet" is delicious. Also, for a really traditional Christmas Market you could visit Saxony, especially the "Erzgebirge". There you get to see (and buy) beautifully handcrafted Christmas decorations, like "Erzgebirgische Weihnachtspyramiden", really anything out of wood, but so beautiful and delicate.

[@deanyaschempp]

I was told that most Germans speak English. Most understand SOME English, but unless you're in a large city, it's just not true. They learn it in early school, and most people have forgotten it by their 30s. Thanks for the vids!

[@gulliverthegullible6667]

well, this idea that English is the universal language that everybody knows how to speak so that native English speakers don't have to learn languages is just a myth. There are many people who don't need to speak English and thus don't.

[@Tormonir]

Also even some german english teachers speak terrible english

[@Nickelig74]

Joining a Verein is absolutely the way to make German friends. It is not easy to break onto an existing friendship circle in Germany as they are usually based on common memories of school, university or work. However Germany has a long tradition of Vereine, which actually are an important part of German history. When Germany was divided into those dozens of sometimes tiny micro states but a common German identity was on the rise (early/mid 19th century) but unification wasn’t popular with the authorities, Vereine were the place you could could join for open discussions and activities. In other words, Vereine were the first step towards the democratic and unified Germany as of today, though today the focus clearly is on sporting activities. People are still very fond of their Vereine and put a tremendous amount of work and dedication towards it. Needless to say, anyone joining, participating and contributing will make many friends sooner or later.

[@PassportTwo]

Thanks for the history and information! As soon as we are able to do so, we will look into one 😊

[@torstenw4072]

Interesting to see your vids. Me - as a German - used to live in Reston, VA during the 80ties and 90ties. Back then no youtube was available...but watching you guys reminds me of great years during my live! I still drive my 78 Chevy Coupé in Summer here 😎!

[@myvillagelifeintheupperhar607]

Your comments are spot on. Mike and live in a small village with no train service, only bus service. Mike and I both have cars. Most of our neighbors have cars as well. We have a grocery store in the village, but there is no bakery or butcher. We do not have Bio in our village, just plastic, paper, and trash. I am married to a German and have been for a decade, so I had some idea of German culture. This was helpful when we moved to Germany, but there were still experiences which were new to me. I miss the travel and festivals as well. I am looking forward to getting out again. Thanks for sharing.

[@balidobbster9010]

Thanks for the video. I feel sorry for you because of the pandemie! Bad times to meet new friends. 😥😥

[@PassportTwo]

We did have 7 months of living here before the pandemic but still holds true! We wish it never happened also so we could be out and about more. But we're holding out for a bright future past the current situation 😊

[@zaranea7920]

Love the new background :D! How you got good through the new years celebrations and all that was going on

[@PassportTwo]

Hey, thanks! Trying new things out this year and we are glad to know you like it! 😊

[@peterkesseler9898]

Hallo Ihr beiden. Wieder ein schönes Video von Euch! It is always a plessure to see how you both like living here in Germany. Donny, what about playing Volleyball in a german Verein? I have played Volleyball a couple of years ago. Grüße aus dem Westerwald

[@PassportTwo]

That's a great idea! I actually do love playing volleyball and haven't played in years 🤔

[@peterkesseler9898]

@@PassportTwo Ich komme mit! :-)

[@user-sm3xq5ob5d]

Have you thought of joining a Square Dance group? There are always Americans and Germans in there. And with the Jamborees there's even more opportunity to make aquaintances and friends. In your area there should be many clubs and meetings. When I was in Darmstadt for a two month training I joined the local club and that got me much closer than just staying with my colleagues of the course. Or courses of the community college (Volkshochschule)? As you have already observed not attending German courses but fitness or cultural subjects. And perhaps contacting the English teachers there and offering to be conversation partners of the classes.

[@PassportTwo]

These are all really really good ideas! Thanks so much for the suggestions 😃

[@irisb5923]

Yäääy! Darmstadt

[@nitabe6723]

Opportunities to get to know Germans - especially, when you live in a smaller town: "Schützenverein", and "Freiwillige Feuerwehr" often organise quite nice things (depends on how the Verein is structured). Or singing in a (church) choir may give oportunities as well. And there is an App called nebenan.de. It's a kind of Facebook, but just with the neighbours in your street. You can ask for help or advice, lend or rent tools, organise walks, flee markets and so on. It works quite well in my neighbourhood. Kind regards from Düsseldorf

[@swanpride]

Honestly, just join some sort of club or Verein. Doesn't have to be sport related. You could also join the Karneval Verein, or the lokal Bürgertreff (if there is something like that where you life), in fact, you have actually better chances to meet friends if you do something which encourages people to work together towards a common goal.

[@PassportTwo]

Didn't think of the Karneval Verein! Great ideas, thanks! 😃

[@andistuttgart9067]

Ja, die zentrale Lage von Deutschland ist ein großer Vorteil und auch ich vermisse das Reisen sehr, mal schnell rüber nach Frankreich ins Elsass oder runter zum Bodensee und in die Alpen oder weiter zum Gardasee.

[@PassportTwo]

Ja, wir vermissen sehr Reisen...hoffentlich bald wieder!!

[@Attirbful]

Fun fact: train and general public transportation punctuality was a LOT better (and hence the cliché came into existence) when public transportation was state-run. After the systems were privatized, everything went down South... I went to highschool in a neighboring town in the 80s and I had to take busses and trains to get there. Back then, trains were punctual about 98% of the time....

[@kathanpatel1044]

Apart from the last point the other thing universal in Germany is the world-class punctuality of the Deutsche Bahn 🤣

[@PassportTwo]

TRUTH 😂

[@jensschroder8214]

Living in Germany: getting up in the morning, freshening up, having breakfast, going to work or school, quick shopping, coming home, making and eating, homework and cleaning up at home, dinner, evening in front of the TV, going to bed and sleeping . Attending an event or meeting friends on one or the other day in the afternoon, if it is not forbidden because of the crisis. Mow the lawn in summer, shovel snow in winter. Is it so different in the USA? Narrow streets, you should drive extra slowly in the narrow streets and watch out for pedestrians, cyclists and mothers with prams. The big streets lead around the city center and from city to city. We have a narrow road through the forest here. When two cars meet, one has to stop and drive as far to the right as possible so that the other can push through. That's why you can only drive slowly, and also because of the deer juming on the street. Public transport. In the country it is quite normal that the bus only comes every hour or less. In return, they often drive a large bus for a single passenger or less in case someone else wants to get on. Public transport is almost always financially supported by the city. Schoolchildren and students used buses, bicycles or walked. In our town even Kindergarten-cildren uses public busses. Vacation and Holidays. Germany and Europe have many opportunities to travel, but in the past 12 months I haven't come anywhere because of it is not possible. Meet Germans, at work or in clubs and in religious areas in churches. But for months now we've only met over the Internet and mobile.

[@PassportTwo]

There is a whole video we did on exactly how a daily routine compares to one in the US here 😊: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d2OshYWtlLytn80

[@FM-tr5bz]

I think meeting people in a club (Verein) is a very good idea. You dont make friends by talking and going out only. Germans want a deeper relationship. Sharing a hobby is good start. It can be the most weird thing like the nilpferdclub or whatever 🙂✌️ There is no club that doesn't exist...literally

[@Lizzardtong]

freu mich immer wieder zu hören was leute aus anderen ländern von deutschland halten. euch beiden weiterhin alles gute!

[@JS-iy4zb]

Great content

[@tomboswt98]

We’ve been in 🇩🇪 for close to two months!!! Love your videos

[@kruzauarougfabbriw7710]

I'm living in Germany. Small streets are not often to be found. But if you want to have the experience: go to the UK. In the northern part of Scotland or in the Lake District you can find lots of single track roads. And a few years ago I went to Brixham at the Channel coast. There a really small streets and cars parking all over.

[@MyMerryMessyGermanLife]

We are also going to be living in a super small town and are planning on buying by a car since train connections will be fewer than in larger towns and cities. So much of this video I relate to, even though we don’t currently live in Germany yet! We had a lot of preconceived notions, too, but through making friends in German expat groups, we gained more understanding of how things are really like! For instance, we thought for sure we’d be living in a small apartment in Munich with our 4 kids, all crammed in! But our relocation agent suggested we lived in the country in a big house, and that’s where we ended up. It’s as big as American houses!

[@chriscross2473]

I rly like your videos. Always make me chuckle. I am from Cologne. So no car at all. I would be searching for a parking space much longer as i save time driving a car ;)

[@PassportTwo]

Hey! Thanks so much for that and we are glad you enjoy them 😊 We totally could see that being the case in Cologne. We have driven in Cologne a couple of times and know that feeling of searching for parking.

[@jakyjam]

Hi Guys, i find your comparison clips interresting, like your insights and expierinces u shear. Yeah finding native friends ur expierience not meeting natives but fringers, makes sence. It might help to find some "Verein" like Sports, singing, or some engagement in some social organizations could help to befriend the one or other native brother or sister of mine, some of us tend to socialise in "Vereinen" could even be Quilting, or Rc model Verein. Cheers and welcome in der BRD

[@felixgrimm408]

Yes! Donnie needs to start playing soccer in a German Fußballverein 🤣🤣🤣 That would give content for ages! #TedLasso

[@PassportTwo]

I’ve tried playing before and although I played sports my whole life...that is one sport I have no idea how to be even somewhat skilled at 😂😂

[@felixgrimm408]

@@PassportTwo That's exactly why you need to do it. You ought to start with the Bambini - like going back to (elementary) school in one of those Hollywood movies 😂

[@ingevonschneider5100]

@@PassportTwo Being not skilled at soccer is the requirement for joining the Fußballverein. You just need to talk a lot about the Bundesliga and like beer.

[@arnodobler1096]

Seniors' League 🤣

[@marcexner1631]

He already has the right haircut for that. 😁

[@herzschlagerhoht5637]

Frohes neues Jahr, Ihr beiden Hübschen! Ich hoffe, dass weiterhin so viele tolle, interessante und informative Videos von Euch kommen. ;)

[@PassportTwo]

Frohes neues Jahr! Natürlich kommen noch mehr Videos 😊

[@MichaEl-rh1kv]

The place in Europe where you get everywhere by public transport is not Germany but Swiss. Even Austria has a more dense public transport network as Germany. Germany is still a motorist's country.

[@fedupnow61859]

In our area (Aachen mid far western Germany) we have 4 bins in our town. 1 is Bio (scraps, yard waste etc) Gelbe Tonne (Plastic containers, foil etc) Papier (Paper) and Grau Tonne (reg. household garbage) This can include old clothes, PVC Pipes. Paint and other toxins are picked up with a call or online with the waste company as is Bulk pickups. Several times a year they have big yard waste logs etc. Easy Peasy to remember. My brother-in-law has a very different system with his Grau Tonne it is weighed by the truck and calculated and billed to you. It is different over all. Glass is recycled with bins everywhere.

[@jannious]

Frohes Neues Jahr für Euch!! Interesting video as always, thank you 🙏☺️ I was actually wondering if you guys had a particular accent from where you’re from, and it seems you do, right!? The very end kind of gave it away (“amazin’ “). Could you do and entire video with your home accent? That would be sooo cool!! 🙌🙌

[@PassportTwo]

haha, our accent is something we talk about a lot because people would expect us to talk differently than we sound based on where we are from. When we are back at home, we definitely do fall back into our accent, but we (somewhat purposefully) lose it when we are away from our family. It is just easier for people to understand us when we soften our accent and drop some of our southern slang/dialect. That would be a fun video to do sometime! Thanks for the suggestion! 😊

[@hgibson3869]

Hello, I lived in Kaiserslautern for about 10 years and loved it. I agree that you need a car to get around locally. When traveling I found that RYAN Air id the best way to travel.

[@dutchgamer842]

Could you do a video about the clock differences between US and Germany (Europe) since we use 24h and US AM/PM, also the calander difference, date notation and first day of the week. How was it for you adjust to it?

[@LythaWausW]

I've been here 13 years and it's still not automatic, the 24h clock. For example when told an appointment time on the phone, I translate the language, then I translate the number. For some reason 20 stumps me. I found it odd that there is a time of day where it's 0:00. Also that Germans never say 1600 as "16 hundred hours/16 hundert". I still buy American wall calendars from Amazon so I have not adapted there. Date notation - for the rest of my life I will always write the date like this, to be clear for all, "8 Nov 20." When I read American news, I get confused about what month and day they *really* mean. I have a joke based on the idiom "Even a broken clock is correct twice a day." I add, "And in Germany, once a day."

[@PassportTwo]

We have actually done two videos on these topics you can see here 😊: kzbin.info/www/bejne/kIPMgYOIe6eXotk kzbin.info/www/bejne/hmrIpYN_hcaLeqM

[@uteziemes5633]

@@LythaWausW Clocks with a round face also only show 12 hours in Germany.

[@kerrineilson597]

Great video! And you two are so darn cute!

[@PassportTwo]

Haha, thanks so much 😊

[@dagmarszemeitzke]

My parents called small narrow streets "Platzangst-Straße" (claustrophobia streets)

[@martinohnenamen6147]

I think in the really big cities it's possible to life without a car. I lived in Munich for several decades and of those several years without a car. Yes you have to adapt to be "robbed" of the luxury to live without a timetable but it is quite manageable. For going to and from work i almost exclusively used public transportation. It was only for comfort of shopping larger stuff or going out away from the city that i used my car (when i had one). The smaller the cities get the harder it is to go without a car but overall there is at least an option to not always use the car for everything (except for really rural areas) Regarding the meeting German friends: If you suddenly live in an area where you haven't lived your whole life (grown up or gone to school for example) you usually end up meeting people either at work, have as neighbors or as you mentioned sharing a hobby with which you might become friends. This isn't that much different if a German moves to a different area.

[@uncinarynin]

If you actually want reliable public transport, look at Switzerland. Not cheap though. I was born in Reutlingen and didn't even know they had the world's narrowest street there! By the way I'm living in an Austrian provincial town (with a railjet station) without a car just fine.

[@Locomaid]

Germany was flattened in WW2, France, Italy and Spain, among many others, still have very narrow streets in very old parts of towns and cities. The narrow streets in German villages are often intentional traffic-calming measures

[@rhbb8796]

In my small village of 3500, there are dozens of such 30cm "roads" between old houses, often used as shortcuts in the past, but many have been sealed now

[@Yanaexplore]

cool thank you for information

[@PassportTwo]

Ya! Glad you enjoyed 😊

[@Yanaexplore]

@@PassportTwo i have the same expectation in my heart so i have plan to move to germany to make new friends and work freelance but still german friends not welcomming they are not friendly than i expected still i am not sure to move i am not telling 100 germans not like that 50% 50% they are busy and its a big deal to to catch them thats the saddest side i have a special story that i never share with social media so one day i will visit germany for what i wanted even though my family relatives lives there they come to see us but they did not like the idea of my mine so its something not easy to imagine

[@Markus-zb5zd]

btw, a good Verein to join would be a volunteer fire service, they usually a verein on top of the fire services they provide, especialyl small cities really rely on the volunteers

[@froggiheart]

You guys rock!

[@PassportTwo]

Wow, thanks so much for that! 😊 So do you!!

[@thomasd5]

Many towns streets, wich had been broad enough originally have been reconstructed the way that there are alternately parts which can only be used in one direction at a time and parts where the oncoming traffic can wait until the next narrow part is free. Thie is done to slow down the traffic. That is called "Entschleunigung" (deceleration). Another way of deceleration, which was especially used in previous decades, is to put bumps on the street, that is like two or three meters where the street is a bit higher and you have slow down to get the car up and down again. That one is called "Krefelder Kissen" (Krefeld pillow) because it was first used in the city of Krefeld.

[@IzayaTijisPrincess]

About the friend thing alot of it depends on where you live. Especially in student cities or just big cities its incredible easy I made that experience in Bremen

[@charlesbukowski1894]

Got a suggestion for you if you want to travel around Europe. It's the interrail ticket! It's preeeeeetty cheap. Really worth to take a look at.

[@PassportTwo]

We used a Eurrail pass before we moved here on one of our trips and did a cost breakdown video of it a few years ago actually! 😃 We LOVED the Eurrail pass and from what I can tell, the Interrail ticket is basically the same thing just for European citizens and residents? Will look into it more. Thanks!

[@charlesbukowski1894]

@@PassportTwo yeah I guess that makes sense, but I think it depends on your "meldeaddresse" and not on your citizenship. Have a nice Sunday 🙏

[@michaelgrabner8977]

Public transportation is simply different between rural areas and cities. In cities you can easily live your daily life without a car..in rural areas cars are fundamentally needed for making daily life conveniant..

[@RocketJo86]

Loved your excitement about being able to travel to so much places and countries in a matter of hours. And here I sit, debating if driving around six hours to Praha would be reasonable or not *lol*

[@LythaWausW]

When we lived in Wuppertal, we could get by with bikes and public transport. Out here in the sticks, we live in a "train hole." I call it that cuz if you look at a map of all the trains in Germany, there's a blank spot where we live. 50 years ago there were trains. They converted the tracks to a street. Taking our (hourly) bus to get to the nearest trained-city takes an hour. The streets around here are like you described, too narrow for 2 cars to pass each other, and often there is no blue red white arrow right-of-way sign so I've gotten into trouble. The street we live on requires cars passing each other to leave the roadway a little, both cars, or you'll lose your mirrors. I love living in the country but a sidewalk would be nice.

[@Astrofrank]

On the other hand, Wuppertal has the Schwebebahn (suspended monorail), and when they fix the problems with the wheels, it will be one of the best public transportation systems in the world again. The adjacent city of Solingen has trolleybusses which come frequently and punctually, but not in they outermost parts.

[@KelbenArunsun]

Ok, Rheinland Pfalz is a Bundesland with not that many big citys and industrial hot spots. So, depending on the part of Rheinland Pfalz you live in, youre quite rural and foxes and rabbits greet each other a good night. I, for example, live half way between Ludwigshafen and Mainz and for me personally, public transport was always ok for things like getting to school and later on work. Usually, yes, the car is faster. Travel time to my old job by train was usually 45 min to 1 hour, by car, 20-30 minutes. For more social connections (when covid is over) try to engage in a sports club, if you have a certain hobby and theres a club for it, join it. If youre into onlinegaming, find a german gaming community. Other social engagementplaces (for me at least) are things like the fav. bar/pub. I personally met a lot of my friends through my biggest hobby, LARP.

[@DarkarThanBlack]

I love your video´s quality

[@PassportTwo]

Thanks so much!

[@christianschweis8335]

what is a narrow street for Americans is enough for every German tank driver to turn around. Talking about "the German culture" would be an exaggeration as it is a country with many different regional cultures, coincidentally they all speak the same language and are in the same country but that's where it ends. I sometimes think that Germany is a land of age-old rivalries, especially in southern Germany, not exactly a climate conducive to friendships with strangers.

[@bern6543]

In small towns where no public transportation is available you rely on you bicycle. Yes, a car is a must, but bicycle is always first choice.

[@Doc_Rainbow]

Tipp to meet German Friends, Go to the Volunteer Fire department or a Civil Protection Unit like The Red Cross, you meet great Friends (2. Familie), you learn helpfull stuff, you do good stuff, it dont cost anything, every orgaisation has a Own Kids/Teen Organisation which is also very very cool (like scouts in the Us there do Drills, learn Skills and do very cool Actions like Camping or going on Holidays) you dont need any Experiance and everyone can work there and you get goodies: for example i am a Red Cross Medic in a Civil Protection Unit (so pretty Safe work if your scared of that aspect) our Unit will Respond to Mass Cassualty insidents and everything else, in case the local Emergency Services need Backup, also we do First Aid at Festivals and Events in the City, we do Evaacuations if a WW2 Bomb was found (that Happens very often here... 2-4 times a Year) and we do Educations... with the Red Cross i got to so many Conserts and Events ill never had the Money for to Visit on my own i was at a Linkin Park Concert for example in the Backstage Area and could allmost view the whole show we just had 2 Emergency calls ^^

[@linajurgensen4698]

If you live in the countryside in Schleswig-Holstein (most northern part of Germany) the buses are so unreliable, buses come late, some don’t come at all. At least that was my experience back when I went to school. It also really depends on the Bundesland (state) you’re living in, Schleswig-Holstein is a very poor German state compared to the „richer“ southern states in Germany, so the network is not as expanded I guess. And NEVER trust the Deutsche Bahn.😅

[@Dark-ts3ox]

Bayern besteht aus 7 Regierungsbezirken von denen nur 1 wirklich reich ist

[@_BloodWork_]

Amazing video I agree with almost everything! Only thing I would have loved is a clarification that, even though there are many festivals, it’s not like everybody is wearing traditional outfits and stuff. (Just to clarify: I am from northern Germany, which differs culturally from the south) Therefore saying that this typical perception of Germany in the US is as accurate as saying all Americans are Cowboys with guns and horses. (Geography Now reference)

[@Gorf2003]

Blue -> Paper Brown -> Bio stuff i. e. that banana peel in the video yellow -> plastic All electronics -> to the appropriate disposal site (no, that's not the woods). That's how I remember it...

[@herzschlagerhoht5637]

It is also the same for Germans! When we move to another city it is difficult, sometimes really difficult to meet new friends. It is not a foreigners issue. The best way is to join a club (Verein) to meet people with the same interests. Oh, there it is.... joining a Verein. ;)

[@daKurmler]

Great Video 👍

[@PassportTwo]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it 😃

[@Patty..F]

Great video!

[@johannesheinsohn6956]

10:50 "Not meeting many Germans": You are living in or near "Little America" at Ramstein Air Force Base, which is the largest US Air Force base outside the US afaik. Many things there are prepared and designed "the American way" in order to make you feel more comfortable. For example: Many German landlords rent out appartments with furniture in it, because Americans are used to that. You have your own US military radio stations, your own American PX stores and leisure facilities at the base, your own US Air Force hospital next to the base, your own party locations in K-Town (Kaiserslautern), your own police force (MP), etc, etc. Many Americans don´t even manage to have a glance outside this fish bowl or bubble. Same thing at many other US military facilities e.g. at Graf (-enwöhr)/Bavaria and other places.

[@tuschman168]

Wait, when did you move to Germany? Have you been to a Christmas market yet? There of course haven't been any in 2020 but they're amazing!

[@SusiBlumentopf]

The crazyness of the German autobahn is nowhere else in Europe, and only allowed if there is no speed limit sign. Everywhere else in Europe speed is limited on highways 100-130km/h, depending.

[@schneeroseful]

The road sizes in Germany might even appear bigger as there are fewer big trucks on the road

[@nousernameleftanymore]

i would be your friend. You both are amazing people and i would love to have some american friends. But... Im living in another "Bundesland" (NRW). So, the chances are very low, unfortunately. If you will be in the so called "Ruhrgebiet" (West Germany, middle of NRW), i could show you many things here and help you with everything you want :) Great Job btw, love your videos :)

[@alexander_kopainski]

For americans it must be so nice traveling in Europe. I can't imagine what it would be like living in a ginormous country. Sometimes I think us Europeans don't appreciate it enough how close everything is. Sometimes I get annoyed by a 5 hour car ride. But it gets me to the north sea in Belgium, so ... 😅😁I should definitely appreciate it more.

[@Zinfandel92]

You you have a nice time here. Willkommen.

[@111BAUER111]

Ich würde gerne mal die amerikanische Sicht sehen, wie deutsch ihre Geschichte selbst wahrnehmen. Am besten wie hier einmal mit der US-Vorurteil-Sicht und einmal wie ihr es vor Ort wahrgenommen habt.

[@zakkwyldesdmf13]

I also recommend introducing to and inviting neighbors who are roughly the same age or have the same interests. A casual barbecue in the summer is the perfect opportunity. If only the pandemic was over...

[@neophytealpha]

I have mostly separated out my food scraps for a long time. Then compost them.

[@geogecko137]

I'd say that narrow streets are much more common in Germany than the US but you are right that when usually driving anywhere (even in most countrysides) you will have enough space on your lane. But I have to add that there are in fact a lot of very small country / rural roads around Germany that are really sketchy to drive through! Especially when there's a bus or truck coming towards you xD

[@midimax]

Joining a sports club does help to get in contact. Not possible during Corona. Greetings to the Kaiserslautern area, in which I used to live in the past.

[@brandonjarrell756]

I'm an expat in Japan and these are almost all the same here. Especially the part about not being able to make friends of any locals haha. Next time I move I'm definitely choosing a place where I already have some friends made 😅

[@Tester-zo4eh]

2:24 RB Kusel-Landstuhl-Kaiserslautern in Ramstein

[@sandrakoch5273]

That's Ramstein... right??? Welcome in our neighborhood ☺️

[@PassportTwo]

Genau 😊

[@sandrakoch5273]

I'm just 15 kilometers far from you both...love your videos...let us meet after the pandemic for a really yummy, tasty german cheesecake...😋😊

[@Smurez]

About Germany being a green state: Germany isn't indeed *that* green. But you should take in consideration that germany has the second most inhabitants in europe (after russia) with about 83.000.000 people. If you compare it to sweden (10.000.000) germany has a population density about 10 times as high. Of course it's nearly impossible to rank higher when it comes to air quality etc...

[@omgoldmangolf]

A Reality I find challenging is finding food items that you think would be easy to find. Have you found Italian sausage? If so what is it called and where did you find it? Cheers y'all

[@aphexart]

I am from Belgium and moving to Beerland Germany i was expecting an amazing verity of beer in German beergartens and pubs... Just like i knew from home... But... Maybe even More? I was so very very disappointed, German beer culture is very different than Belgian beer culture. Here in Germany its more about the quantity than verity of beers. And since i don't really like pils style beer... Well... Yeah the disillusion was great.