I was listening to Czech radio and then
when I drove back across the German
border and I finally heard German radio
again it was like just and heard the
German language it was just soothing to
me
hello samples and welcome back to my
youtube channel my name is Felicia
I'm originally from Munich Germany but I
have been living in Cincinnati Ohio off
and on since 2016 and as you know I love
talking about cultural differences
between Germany and the US and there's
another youtuber who loves talking about
those things as well but he's in the
exact opposite position maybe some of
you know him his YouTube channel is
called mouth his name is Nick and he's
an American from Portland Oregon who
moved to Germany in 2016 so the same
year I first came to the US he lives in
choix Bosch Hyatt which is close to
Stuttgart and place American football
for the Chevy high unit coins and him
and I had a little zoom conversation and
talked about our experiences him being
an American living in Germany and me
being a German living in the United
States and we thought it would be cool
to share that conversation with you guys
so we prepared questions for each other
which is why you'll see me look down
sometimes and I also had some notes on
my own thoughts but we actually only
made it through half our questions
because we had to hang up before we got
to finish it
so we were thinking that if you guys
enjoy this to just like watch us talk
we'll link up again and finish our
conversation and go through those other
topics that we didn't get to cover so if
you'd like that make sure to let us know
by giving this video a thumbs up or
leaving a comment below in the first
part of the conversation that you can
find on Nick's channel so just click up
here or the link in the info box we
talked about a lot of really interesting
things including differences in social
interaction that threw us off in the
beginning we talked about small talk
superficiality how Germans tell other
people what to do and more and so for
this part we'll just jump right into the
conversation where we started talking
about stereotypes of the two countries
that we either found to be true or false
then we also talked about things that
each country does better in our opinion
so let's watch it so what are some of
the stereotypes about Germany that
you've found true and false okay
stereotypes about Germans that are
absolutely true in my opinion Germans
are very orderly structured and followed
rules very very well that was a
stereotype that I had heard before
coming to Germany and my experience here
has definitely confirmed that now one
thing that is absolutely not true you
have this stereotype growing up in
America that Germans are just like very
serious people with no humor and ever
smile never laugh and I don't know where
that comes from because that's the most
false stereotype I think that I discover
just like I think that German people
have a fantastic sense here it's a
little bit more dry sometimes a little
bit of an acquired taste but I think the
the stereotype the German people aren't
funny and don't have a sense of humor is
complete nonsense
Yeah, I'm wondering if that maybe comes from all the Nazi movies or something like that?
probably does our experience of Germans
growing up aside from I mean it's all
just like World War two stuff and and
World War two movies and how they're
portrayed and I think also that's why
German has a reputation in the states as
being kind of like a harsher language is
because like we're hearing German
growing up it's like from Nazi speeches
like and that's it then if you hear
German being spoken in a normal way it's
you know like I really like it it's like
a calming language to me oh that's nice
to hear because I wouldn't say that
German actually sounds nice it doesn't
sound as harsh as in the Nazi movies I
still wouldn't say it sounds like a
beautiful language like French or
Spanish but I'm glad you you think that
way I I can remember one time I was in
the Czech Republic and sorry to people
in Czech proverb I was listening to
Czech radio and then when I drove back
across the German border and I finally
heard German radio again it was like
just and heard the German language it
was just soothing to me so I don't know
if that was just because it's something
that I got in used to or because I
actually liked it but definitely don't
hate it
okay um wait what did you say about what
was oh yeah the whole rules thing so I
was wondering what's like a good example
for that when did you first see that
Germans really do love to follow rules
and be orderly my favorite one is
driving on the Autobahn and I'm curious
to hear what you think about driving in
the States or do you drive in the States
yeah I do and actually I'm going to
publish a video on that soon or maybe
when this was out it's already published
and I also talked about the whole
Autobahn thing in my last Q&A so that's
like a topic that I just recently talked
about so I would say the best example
that I can just think of right now is
people driving in the left lane in
Germany people follow the left lane is
used to pass you don't just park in the
left lane and drive you know right at
the speed limit you're always using it
to pass and you get back in the right
lane I feel like people in Germany
follow that rule very well and for the
most part like you know if you're if
you're popping in the left lane you're
checking your your rear-view mirror
often and you're getting back over the
right lane as soon as possible in
America you will just they'll just be a
minivan in the left lane going 55 miles
per hour and just be like I'm going the
speed limit and like just not following
this
flow of traffic rule and I that's like
it just a drastic one for me that really
bothers me when I get back to the states
and I think that's my favorite yeah I
get i freak out when I have to drive on
the highway in the states now yeah but I
feel like it's not as big of a deal here
just because everyone's more-or-less
driving the same speed whereas in
Germany there's just especially when
there's no speed limit it's just huge
differences like some people will drive
a hundred like the trucks will drive
like a hundred kilometers per hour and
then like there's gonna be some like
Oddie or BMW driving like 250 so you
kinda have to have it separated over the
lanes that is a great point that's a
great point but I think that even if if
they were that those large speed
differences in the states people still
wouldn't follow on there just be a
minivan just bothering me
should I go into stereotypes about the
US yep let's do it let's hear which ones
we're true and which ones were false
okay
um honestly I feel like most of them are
true but it's just because there's like
a lot of positive stereotypes that I had
on my mind about the US so like I think
it's true that Americans are very
positive I think it's true that they're
very optimistic enthusiastic it's also
true that they're kind of obsessed with
guns not everyone of course but honestly
like before I came here I expected it to
be not nearly as bad as like you would
see in media or like as you would hear
from people and then I came here and
it's actually just as bad like there
have been several shootings on campus I
had to seek shelter I was never trained
to do that in Germany because we don't
that's not a thing like we don't know
how to behave when there is a shooter
like those were all like mostly like
false alarms or like just someone with a
gun who shot in the air but still like
that counts as an active shooter so
that's something that is actually true
in my opinion and then that Americans
drive everywhere yeah okay but to to
defend that America like you can't walk
how you can walk in Europe for the most
part you have to drive but the thing is
I live in a neighborhood where you can
walk and people still decide to drive
okay I'm also like that just Americans
don't see walking as something that you
do for fun whereas like I really enjoy
walking I miss walking so I sometimes
purposely you walk to the store even
though I could drive but I want to watch
yeah and then what's false that
Americans are all fat
that sounds so rude to say but honestly
I mean yes I know that like that is an
actual issue in the States and most
people who are really obese are not even
out there so you wouldn't even see them
but at the same time it's really not
even though I'm in Ohio I'm in the
Midwest it's really not as bad as I
assumed before I came here there's just
as many really built and really skinny
people here as in Germany so I'm glad to
hear those things yeah and also the
whole like what we said earlier the
whole everything superficial thing and
there's no realness here I find that to
be false like I do still think that
there are certain superficial situations
here but like I do have real
conversations with people so that's
definitely not true shall we go and uh
what do you think Germany bet does
better than the u.s. I tried to like
think of something that I that I I don't
see very often so it's like a little bit
of a weird one but I think Germany does
a better job like in the States if
you're not going to college university
you're looked you're looked out upon in
Germany to me it seems like there is a
higher value placed on going to like the
middle track of school which is not is
that really yeah not go to university
but you'll like get like a trade
education and like these kind of jobs
are valued and nots looked at with a you
know certain negative light that I think
happens in the states like if you're
gonna go to a community college in the
States oftentimes it's yeah it's just
kind of looked down upon I think Germany
and those are like super important jobs
you can make a very good living doing
and in the States is everywhere you have
to go to college or university or you're
a loser and I think Germany does a good
job at emphasizing that that is not true
there are a couple different paths that
people can follow and be successful and
happy yeah I never thought about that
that's a good point
well a lot of people who do
spital so like go to it's not even trade
school it's like this three-year thing
right a lot of those people make a whole
lot of more money than people who went
to college so yeah like depends on which
field you're in but and also depending
off of course like what you go to
college for but if you go to college for
like humanities or you know Social
Sciences you're probably not gonna make
as much money as those people who
started working in like a big company at
1617 and work their way up so what do
you think well I can only think about
like the typical points that every
person usually mentions so like health
care system for sure
public transportation some things about
houses so just the walls are thicker
they're insulated better oh okay yeah
the front doors are way more secure even
though we don't really need that in
Germany as much windows if you think we
do better I love German windows I do
love Jerrold windows I agree with you
and I wrote down one more thing but I
can't read it now so I'm not sure that
was supposed to be oh why you can't read
the handwriting no all right that's good
those are good ones did you say the
walls are thicker yeah yeah which is the
argument everybody makes I have a couple
couple of my most popular videos are me
complaining about the lack of air
conditioning in Germany and that is the
the major argument that people leave in
the comments is you don't need air
condition in Germany or not you know
these flimsy built houses that you have
in the States these are thick walls and
traps the cool air in so I believe you I
believe you that that is true but I
still get really hot in my apartment
yeah it really depends on where you live
too but if you lived in a house so like
I grew up in a house in Germany and I
live in a house in the States and like
this house I live in right now is
definitely like a good example for like
an average American house it's just
poorly insulated like one time in the
winter our heat broke and it got really
cold within like two hours and in
Germany we do have heat waves in Germany
and like in my house in Germany where I
grew up in it does get really hot
upstairs like in the Attic and
everything but when you're downstairs it
really takes a few days for the heat to
come inside
Wow okay yeah fair point it's really
something that I do not experience with
houses here also there's like this
cliche that in the US you can't first of
all you can hear a lot of things through
the walls too and second of all you can
actually punch the wall and punch a hole
into the wall and you can have to that
in Germany what were you gonna say about
the the cliche hey are you gonna say oh
it that's like that's like a cliche for
me or like some kind of movie topic that
you see Americans punch the wall and it
there's a hole there and that you can't
do that under my brother actually did
that in his room we have a big hole in
our family house so I can confirm that
is a true cliche appreciate punch the
wall and whoops see yeah there's no way
I could punch a hole in this wall no
shot
yeah I like those is good wait what does
what does the US that was what Jeremy
does but what does the US do better than
Germany in your opinion in my opinion
the things we've covered like definitely
friendliness but also customer service
for sure convenience just that you can
really get anything you want any time of
the day any day like stores aren't
closed on Sundays and I'm from Bavaria
where like stores closed the earliest
with in all Germany so like they closed
at 8:00 p.m. so if you have a normal job
and you just want to get groceries after
work you really have to hurry or you
have to do it on the weekend it's really
annoying I missed that I missed
yeah that convenience that's a big thing
in one more this is like what American
people do better is be relaxed I feel
like Americans are way more relaxed with
a lot of things and Germans are more
uptight okay elaborate elaborate really
it's with a lot of different things like
I personally see it on the on the road
but I'm also in the Midwest so you
wouldn't see this in New York City
driving but like driving in the Midwest
people are so relaxed like I come back
from unic and I'm like adapted to the
Munich driving again and I see myself I
notice myself driving up super close to
the person in front of me at the at the
stoplight I like speed up aggressively I
slow down aggressively but people here
they're just like going relaxed and then
they slow down when they go around the
car
they're all like no hurry okay yeah I
actually I'll definitely agree with you
on that I think people take driving
seriously here and where I'm from organ
is a super chill stay like I never will
I will never honk my horn ever no matter
what basically it's not just that though
like Germans take a lot of things
seriously and I feel like Americans are
relaxed but like there's things that
just aren't as important in life like
just small things in your free time that
aren't a big deal like it's not always a
big deal when someone breaks a rule but
Germans seem to always think that
everything's important everything's
serious and that's something that really
would you agree with this statement okay
because I agree with that I think that
yeah mericans are a bit more relaxed and
laid-back when it comes to stuff like
that I think however that German people
are better at relaxing than Americans
like just leisure and kind of enjoying
life okay huh I'm not sure if I would
agree with that like I okay so there's
one thing that I would say what we are
better so a lot of Americans like to say
we're always in a hurry we don't have
time for taking time to eat we don't
have time to do this we don't have time
to do that which like I feel like
there's just a shift in priorities
between Germans and Americans because
Germans I are like that when it comes to
a lot of things too just they're like
that with other things so Germans are in
a hurry on the street they're in a hurry
when they walk they're in a hurry when
they're on public transportation they're
in a hurry when they're at the store
they do not like to take a long time at
the store they want to get there things
go to the checkout they want it to be
just as fast as that Aldi it's the
German efficiency yes
yeah efficient be efficient Germans hate
it when you to waste time on things that
are necessary whereas I feel like
Americans are not annoyed with us like
Americans don't have a problem with
driving slower don't have a problem with
just walking somewhere slower don't have
a problem - taking an hour at the store
but then on the other side when Germans
go to eat at a restaurant we love to
take our time because we like to enjoy
that experience we like to take our time
when we when we meet our
friends like when we meet up with a
friend we usually plan to spend the
whole evening with them and not just an
hour or two and that's something where I
see the difference like Americans then
like go to eat and only plan in 20
minutes 30 minutes to spend at the
restaurant because they feel like oh no
we're in a hurry or like they get the
coffee to go and also sometimes when
hanging out with friends it's like
possible that the friend is gonna leave
after an hour yeah and do a quick
goodbye so um what was your initial
question it was like I said Germans or I
said Americans are more relaxed but
Germans are better at relaxing I guess
I'm thinking like say for example the
Sunday culture in Germany where
everything's closed and like you know
that's reserved for you know relaxing
hanging out with family like eating and
and stuff like that just a leisure day
and I think there's more of an emphasis
on that in Germany than there is in the
States yeah that's true so the thing is
with Germans we are in a hurry but
whenever we decide to do something
social and we decide to relax then we
follow through with it
like there is no go into the restaurant
and only spending 20 minutes like if we
go to the restaurant because like
usually we go we don't go because we
need food we usually go because we want
to go there for the experience so then
like we'll do it all the way and we'll
spend three hours there for sure whereas
the Americans will just like I'm going
to the restaurant to eat food and thumbs
down and you know 20 minutes with my
burger I'll see you later what do you
think is something that the u.s. does
better than Germany I think that high
school sports is one of the coolest
things ever having your high school
experience intertwined with athletics is
is one of the coolest things about going
to school in the States you know having
your classmates come to your games and
stuff like that wearing your Jersey to
school and having like school spirit I
think that's an awesome thing and just
the fact that that sports are not
connected with school here it's all like
Club I believe for the most part and
that's just something that does not
exist here that's something that Germany
is missing out on and the u.s. does a
good job we totally agree also like
something that the u.s. does better that
just
to mind that you mentioned this is
patriotism even though like obviously
there's different history backgrounds
here but I do sometimes find it sad that
Germans really feel like they can't be
proud of anything we do have a lot of
things to be proud of but we're just
like we don't feel like we can be proud
of that and the u.s. is very proud yeah
okay I agree 100% with that I love
Germany I'm like one of my recent videos
was called I'm proud of Germany or
something like that and and the comments
on that were just like oh my gosh it's
amazing to hear that like I'm German I
feel like I can't say that I'm proud of
my country I'm like I know there's some
level of American patriotism that is is
a bit obnoxious but there's room in
Germany to be proud this is this is a
country there's a lot of stuff well and
I feel like people maybe feel like they
can't feel proud of that or or shy to do
it so that's a bit unfortunate to me and
so I will I will speak up and I'll say
that I'm proud of Germany so that I
don't have any shame oh thank you for
being proud of Germany so we had to hang
up after this but we still had questions
about what we miss about the other
country differences that we still find
strange to this day and just can't get
used to which country we raise our kids
in and how our personalities have
changed since living in the other
country so if you'd like to see us talk
about those things let us know by giving
this video a thumbs up or leaving a
comment by the way as you can see I'm in
a different setting today I'm in my
sunroom which is where we also recorded
the conversation and I don't usually
record videos here because the glass
doesn't really provide any good
insulation so you can hear pretty much
everything that's going on outside but
anyway make sure to watch the first part
of the conversation on Nick's channel
now and also just check out his channel
in general he has awesome content on
there very creative funny and
informative subscribe to him and of
course subscribe to my channel too if
you're not a subscriber yet and activate
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next time Cheers
