MY FIRST FEW MONTHS LIVING IN GERMANY HAVE BEEN A WILD RIDE (EXPLAINED)
2024 ж. 9 Мам.
76 898 Рет қаралды
In this video, I discuss my first few months living in Germany as an American citizen!
I MADE A HUGE MISTAKE IN THIS VIDEO!!! I said that Munich was the second largest city in Germany! In reality, HAMBURG is the second largest city followed by Munich! My apologies! Please do not crucify me!
Just discovered you and I’m subscribing right now. I am a 73 year old American woman who moved to Europe 35 years ago. I spent my first ten years living in Northern Germany on the North Sea in Husum, which is north of Hamburg and a 30 minute drive to Denmark. I moved to Sweden in 1998 when I married my Swedish husband and have lived here ever since. Early on my husband asked me if I didn’t want to move back to California and I told him “Not a chance!” As far as I’m concerned, I live in paradise!
Wundervoll!
Very nice to meet you Jerri! Thanks for sharing your story and I’m glad to hear you’ve had an amazing time here in Europe!
Same with me. I'm in my mid 60's and African American and the 13 years that I've been here i feel FINALLY like a full Respected total Human. I will NEVER Move back home..
@Jerri Did you know that casper made a rap song video there in Husum??? I think this is Husum and St. Peter Ording. And casper is from the south of usa and came here ... I was a frind of his sister when we was children . Thay lived very close to me in a little village named extertal . kzhead.info/sun/mM-zqJWMcF-dg4E/bejne.html
@@ghana1823 Maybe you are home.
My dude. No wonder you feel at home here, your mentality IS German. I've seen a bunch of your videos and all I can say is, that you fit right in. (Most) Germans value education, the outdoors and beer. And the fact that you came prepared to the Einwohnermeldeamt/Ortsverwaltung with all the papers you needed... could you be any more German?
Thanks a lot brother! I appreciate your kind words!
I second that, although you don't realize it: your mindset and values fit germany more than you might think, maybe that's one of the reasons why you feel so well over here. However, i hope you and your family stay here for a long time! Thinking ahead for your kids this is a good step - it's safe, much to do and experience and also university is (almost) free. Cheers ;)
Hahahahahahah omg so wahr 😂
@@TreyDaze Now you are germanized!
@@TreyDaze thats not a compliment. just a stating of facts ;)
The German bureaucracy certainly depends on where you come from. If as you, you're coming from the US it's like "what is this efficient marvel?", but if you come from Denmark it's more like "what is this, the dark ages?"
Hahahaha!!! We just moved from Hawaii so the difference is like arriving 50 years from the past.
It got a lot better in the last years, ever since they discovered computer and internet. 20 years ago it was normal to have to wait for 6 weeks, nowadays most stuff is done in a week and less. Sometimes even in 1 or 2 days.
Los países con servicios públicos para la ciudadanía precisan un mayor nivel de control que los que no ofrecen ninguno, como los Estados Unidos....de ahí el mayor nivel de procedimientos burocráticos. Deben velar por el uso adecuado del dinero de todos ( nuestros impuestos)
@@tero8858 The enlightenment era has arrived, soon to come, the industrial age....
haha yes. German here, also from Stuttgart =) You know what german officials do as well? *Printing out* your digital filled out forms, THEN in a folder, THEN *hand it out* to where it is needed to *stamp* it for different reasons... Paper form is the only true form anything can exist for them hehe Digital? *EVIL!!* xD But well i can live with it, since i collect all as well in folders save stored, no energy or electric form of platform needed to reach the data. ...hmmm >> Maybe this could be a valid reason WHY our officials do it, to reach needed data more independed from outside influencing reasons. May seem old school, but yes in case of hacks, server or electricy loses, you still can reach the datas by hand.
You can't say "the world's largest Oktoberfest" as there is only one, the Oktoberfest. In Munich. Period. For the traffic: We never started to repair the infrastructure, we just never stopped! Infrastructure needs constant maintenance and there is always something to repair. Of course we improve it, too, like the railway network. But however, I'm glad to hear that you like it here and that you feel welcome.
Thanks a lot!
Munich resident here. It‘s always funny to me when people say stuff like „oh I’m from xyz, we have an Oktoberfest too“. I’m like no you don‘t.
Even if it's only one, it is still "world's largest Oktoberfest" :)
Maybe we didn't stop completely to repair the infrastructure, but as it gets more public attention to build a new bypass road than maintaining e.g. some heavily used bridge, many politicians tend to channel more money to building new roads than to keep existing ones in good shape. And if you do that over two decades or in some cases even longer, you'll get a lot of roads, bridges and railroads which need badly to be fixed - and that is the point at which we are now.
"Oktoberfest" is a Gattungsbegriff and there are many all around the Globe. BTW: Stuttgart's "IOktoberfest" is called "Volksfest" and it's about the same Time in the Year, it has far more Attractions like Rollercoasters or Carousels, the "Bierzelt" are a little smaller, but overall it's the so much better Fest, there is no Reason to go to Munich. Oh and regarding to Beer: Try "Tannenzäpfle" which is also from "Baden-Würrtemberg", altough its from the Gelbfüssler, its the best german Beer for so many Germans, not that Bavarian Kinderbeers.
I am a German who moved to South Florida. My daughters were born in the States. My oldest is graduating high school and is applying to colleges in Germany. College in Germany is free! I was shocked to find out how much college costs in the US (having enjoyed free college in Germany myself). There are colleges we looked at in the States that were 52K a year!! That's crazy! People graduate with tens of thousands in college loan debt. One tip for people living in the US who want to study in Germany but are worried about not knowing German. There are many University programs exclusively taught in English. Studying abroad is a great experience for anyone, and even better when it's free!
it's not free for the Germans though , they pay it over their tax , so I wouldn't invite the world
A warning for anyone reading the above: Many of the English only programs are targeted to Americans specifically and are seen as scams in Germany. Make sure your program is really in a public university and not a private one.
Kinda bonkers that with renting and tranferring/exchanging money, you still and up with more money
Actually it isn't free anymore, hasn't been since about 2000. There may be a few left, but barely any student can study full-time with nothing more than rent and food to worry about. Most work, get Bafög and rely on their parents .
@@lilalaune4202 ? There is the semester fee and what else?
Vereine are the key to unlock german society when you live here. And the Volkshochschulsystem. You get to meet people, do something fun, and it doesn't cost a lot. So happy you are setting in well!
Thank you!
@@TreyDaze That's true & to get in contact with other parents: Babyschwimmen :)
@@Lachen2011 my parents met some friends in babyschwimmen that they still talk to almost every day
Hi and a late welcome to Germany! About your shopping experiences, I actually learned from my parents to write a shopping list by comparing prices on special offers. That makes for efficient shopping. Then to load the conveyor belt strategically, hard and heavy things first, delicate items last, refrigerated stuff in one space. That way you avoid your tomatoes being squashed by cans, and it's also much easier to load up your car. I've been around, and I admit it's a German thing... But I wouldn't have it any other way... 😉
You learn that too in Switzerland. And if there is two of you, one stands in front of the cashier ready with cards and gutscheine, the other stands at the bottom of the Belt with three open bags, heavy stuff on the bottom, equally distributed weight, etc. Load up fast and leave room for the next.
That is a great idea! I’m going to use this strategy moving forward!
^Sleeping Insomniac over here proving a few German stereotypes lmao But as a German, hes pretty spot on
My husband is British, I am not and we live in the UK and based on your description of his behaviour at the supermarket he too is very very German ;)
Lol is there anyone in Europe who doesn’t do that😀😀😀
As a German married to an American, it's so interesting to see how much you like it here. If you and your family decide to stay here, it will be a big win for Germany. 🇺🇸🇩🇪
My wife and I have a one year old and we would like to see him grow up and thrive here! We’ll be here forever if life allows it! Appreciate your kind words!
@@TreyDaze❤️
@@TreyDaze You're very welcome.
@@TreyDaze Perfect grew up with two languages! Good!
@@chriscb8353 Yes he is welcome and a big win for sure👍
18:30 *#10 Receiving Home Internet takes weeks (and why is the available bandwidth often such a disappointment?)* 1. We have a largely outdated line infrastructure and large gaps in coverage, especially in rural regions. The governments of the last 20 years (predominantly CDU) have generally retreated to the position that "the private sector will sort it out". Although the then SPD government under Chancellor Helmut Schmidt presented a project for the construction of a fiber optic network as early as the end of the 1970s, this was immediately buried again in the 1980s by the new CDU government under Helmut Kohl. Instead, the new CDU led government preferred to invest generously in expanding the cable network for pay TV. The main beneficiary was Leo Kirch, a media entrepreneur, CDU party member and longtime friend of Helmut Kohl. This buddy service set Germany back at least 20 years in the expansion of modern communications infrastructure. 2. In Germany, both the postal service and telecommunications were in state hands until 1998 (!). From letters to telephone connections, everything was handled by Deutsche Bundespost. With the privatization of postal and communications services in 1998, Deutsche Bundespost was split into Post AG (letters and postcards, but also the Postbank) DHL AG (parcel services) and Telekom AG (mainly mobile telephony and Internet and fixed-network connections). The German state continues to be a shareholder in all three former state-owned companies with a stake of around 30%. As a result of this regulation, Telekom inherited the line infrastructure of the old Deutsche Bundespost fixed-network lines at the time. In 2021, around 70% of a total of 35 million Internet connections in Germany still ran over this so-called "Teilnehmeranschlussleitung" (TAL), better known as the "final mile". The Federal Network Agency, as the regulatory authority, watches over the fact that competitors (Vodafone, 1&1, O2 etc) get fair access to the "final mile". However, this subsequently leads to a cumbersome and unnecessarily bureaucratic effort every time an Internet connection is ordered that uses the "final mile": You order your Internet connection from the provider of your choice. In the next step, your provider has to coordinate the switching date not only with you, but also with Deutsche Telekom, since it has control over the "final mile". Since the network infrastructure is outdated and largely consists of old copper lines, automatic remote switching is usually not possible. Therefore, in most cases, a technician must perform the switching on site at the connection point of the building or even up to the telephone socket in the customer's home. Since 70% of all line switching in Germany is carried out by Telekom, the coordination of switching dates is extremely time-consuming and leads to lead times from order to switching of approx. 2-3 weeks. Even in the event of disruptions, these bureaucratic structures result in a backlog of appointments when planning technician deployments. Wasn't it the American comedian Lenny Bruce who once said "Communism is like one big phone company"? There you have it!
This video means a lot to me because I am a black teen who has studied German for 3 years in high school who wants to continue the language at college, study abroad, and maybe even live in Germany myself. I am new to the channel tho. Do you have any explanation of what your job is/what your journey to Germany was like? Keep up the good work homie 👏🏾
Good luck with your plans! Check out the pages of the EU and /or the german goverment for possible Förderprogramme, scholarships, and the like. If I remember correctly Germany has programms for people who want to do a Ausbildung (apprenticeship) in Germany. The german system of Duale Ausbildung is truly great and a good option if you do not want to go to Uni.
That Lady bumping your ankles is actually very mean, it's totally not a thing here doing that. Maybe she is so old that she didn't noticed and she didn't do it on purpose or she is very mean. Maybe even racist.
#1 is the same in Switzerland. I am so over it that foreigners are always saying that we are rude. We are not! But like you said, you can't expect to find the exact same culture from your homeland. It's very simple. As soon as people sense that you actually want to interact and adapt, you will be met with a lot of good vibes. #2 yup, especially at Aldi :D I always take a shopping cart and just toss everything back in and then go to the tables and pack in peace with less stress. #3 Europeans in general don't drink just to get drunk. It's a social thing. You eat, you drink, have a conversation. Just chill and hang out. I think that is the biggest difference.
I love Switzerland and the Swiss are excellent! Love your explanation of drinking as well! Thank you for your amazing feedback and explanations!
Ich bin aus Deutschland/Bayern. Wir sind in den 70er und 80er Jahren jedes Jahr nach Korsika in den Urlaub gefahren (Auto + Schiff). Mein Vater sagte damals immer zu uns, dass die Schweizer uns Touristen hassen würden und immer so unfreundlich wären. Deshalb sind wir meistens über Österreich gefahren oder haben uns wirklich nur so kurz wie möglich in der Schweiz aufgehalten. Ich gebe nur weiter, wie mein Vater die damalige Situation empfand. 😘
how would people know, in dk we are rude on purpose.. i can understand if people can´t tell, to me germans seems much more rude then danes (and i have lived both places) 😃
I worked for Novartis and went to Basel frequently. I found the Swiss to be kind and if you are able to meet the Swiss on their terms then you can have very good friends. I was stunned to be invited to dinner at a Swiss collegues house and he could not have been more kind. The two things that were hard for me were having to wait until Thursday to shop outside of work hours and not making noise on Sundays, to the point of not running your clothes washer. I don't know how the Swiss stand that.
Warum sagt ihr Schweizer dann immer, dass wir Deutschen unfreundlich sind?
Regarding language: it's a requirement to learn at least 2 foreign language at "Gymnasium" (the top tier schools that you need to graduate from to be admitted to University). That's why many are trilingual, even if I doubt many can be called fluent in foreign languages.
Thanks for your explanation! I wish we had similar requirements in the US!
@@TreyDaze And if you visit "Realschule", (one down step from Gymnasium), still English will be mandatory and you have the choice to take lessons in another language, most times French but bepending where you live maybe also Dutch and so on. If you chose not to learn another language you will be taken to maybe craftsman lessons or such as cooking, sewing, needle works etc....
My spouse is A German National and I am from Africa. being in the military my husband get transferred to different countries every 2-3 years. I love all the countries We have lived in but I always miss Germany. That is the best country I got really welcomed and made to feel at home.
Hey Laizah! Germany is definitely an amazing country! Hope you guys make it back one day!
pushing at your ankles - if this ever happens again - just turn back and tell her friendly: You know you are hurting me? - then all people around you will be on your side and the lady won't be able to do that again, because all are watching her. I'm glad this kind of people is quite rare. Yet some weeks ago, someone did so to me and I declared: Well, that they gave up the corona rules does not mean that there is no normal social distance! The person flushed and kept distance. Yes, there are rude germans, but it does not mean all germans are rude.
To Americans watching this: Trey is how we see you as tourists visiting or working. You are cool. You are curious. You are thinking. You are polite. You are adaptive. You have a passport (FFS). I have interrailed with you Americans since 1985. I have climbed mountains and white water kayaked down rivers with you in the Himalayas since the early 1990s. I have worked with you as a colleague of science since the late 1990s and I have trained your military on the inns and outs of the Arctic since something between that. I have worked in America (where I have met some people without a passport, nuff said). The point is - do not be afraid of how you are received. We watch "Karens" on youtube doing their duty not far from home. You who wish to explore - you are welcomed. You are excellent explorers.
As a born Stuttgarter I recommend to have the following must-have culinary specialties: - Maultaschen (roasted with onions and eggs preferably; it's a kind of over-sized Ravioli, but better) - Leberkäse (it's a kind of corned beef, but made fresh and you should get it from an old school butcher served on a bun with mustard) - Brezel (yes, it's a pretzel, but totally different from the American bastardized version; the original Swabian Brezel has a soft half that should be served with butter, and a krispy top; get it from any bakery fresh in the morning) - Döner Kebab (yes, that's a Turkish specialty, however it's a staple food for most youth; the version in Stuttgart has been modified by Turkish immigrants to be served on home made buns, and comes with a variety of sauces; much juicier and bigger than the "original" from Berlin)
"Leberkäse" - For Americans this can be dangerous... It's usually made from beef and pork. But sometimes you see "Pferdeleberkäse" which has horse meat instead of beef. It tastes pretty good, maybe a bit more saltier than regular Leberkäse. But I understand that Americans (and British) usually don't like the idea of eating horse meat.
True. Best Döner I ever had was in Stuttgart.
Thanks for sharing, I live just across the border (Switzerland)as an African who`s been living here for a long time,I appreciate,love and value my life here.I`m sure you`ll grow to love german more and more. Be open to learn and experiencing new things, be open and polite to the locals and just enjoy every day, keeping an open mind.
Nice to meet you Rika! Glad to hear you enjoying life in Switzerland!
Regarding bureaucracy there are two items. First there is a saying "von der Wiege bis zur Bahre, Formulare, Formulare". That means if you want to file an application you have to fill in lots of sheets of paper. Second if you live in a village the people in the townhall are very kind and helpful in all the things you need help for.
The YT algorithm just had me stumble upon your channel, and I immediately hit the sub button. I love your positivity!!!!
Hey Trey, welcome to Germany to you and your family! I just found your channel and I love seeing you getting to know my home country. I don't know if anyone mentioned or if you already did in another video but I kept reading about something that seems to be kinda unusual to Americans: the amount of paid vacation days in Germany. I definitely recommend you enjoying all of your probably at least 5 weeks per year and besides that to never feel bad if you're calling in sick, even if you'll be sick for a week or so and even if that happens multiple times a year. It is absolutely fine and you won't ever have to worry about getting fired for it or something (I've read some horror storys).
If you are getting overwhelmed by the speed at the checkout, place anything that needs weighing at the very end. That'll buy you some time to sort things out
Appreciate the long video format. 🙏
Check out the town of Tubingen , only 40 km south of Stuttgart ! One of the most nicest towns near you ! Love your video !
Best of luck to you Young me, I was stationed in Wuzberg for four years loved it. Back in the late 90's my friend retired in the northern part also. # Really missed the true October fest
And no pledging to a flag or brainwashing that you live in the greatest country in the world or how free you are here. Being free is just a given and no country is the best or greatest. Any country has there plusses and minuses. I am living in the Netherlands borne and raised but like in Germany we learn about the world and history even the worse things the Dutch did in history and what other country's did or do. We don't have to be ashamed on what our forefathers did as long as we realize it was wrong. But we are responsible for what we do or don't now. I love seeing and hearing you talking about all you experience in this great country of germany and learning that things can be totally different from what you have been thought and used to. 👍
Great video as always. I live in Las Vegas and running red lights is kind of a sport here. So many people are killed here every year due to that, it's a shame. I lived in many countries before and bureaucracy is pretty much the same everywhere. The main issue is not the person from the office but usually the customer coming unprepared and yelling at the office worker. Remember, always be polite to them and they will always help you. I never had an issue in any country, DE, US, ES, UK or BE if you are courteous, prepared and even if you miss a document and apologize, they will help you to get the right stuff. The German saying is "Wie man in den Wald hineinruft, so schallt es raus". Keep that in mind and you will be fine at any government office in the world. When it comes to education, try yo stay as long as possible in Germany. Your child will have the best there is. I have 4 grand kids here in US between 10-16 years old and 2 nieces in Germany between 10-14 years. The difference in education and independence is night and day and the options are so much bigger in Germany then they are here in the US. Have fun and enjoy the ride;-)
I love Las Vegas! Almost bought property there right before the boom happened! Thanks for sharing that saying with me! And thank you for your advice!
"Keep that in mind and you will be fine at any government office in the world." I don't know about all the world, but in Germany: no. Some people in the offices are actually trying to be helpful, a lot don't much care either way, and some few treat you like dirt no matter how well-prepared or polite you are. Sorry, but stuff like barking at somebody before that person even opened their mouth or interrupting somebody constantly does not have anything to to with "wie man in den Wald ruft" and everything with "hey, you can't fire me and I don't get my pay-check from you, so eff you". Let's not give our new neighbors false hopes. Somebody in some government office is going to be a complete b*tch to you.
The second post from you that I have seen today, both were very positive, I'm pleased that you are settling in so well and enjoying what Germany has to offer, Europe is an incredible place and so many different things are so close too, it's always good to hear good things from a newcomer regardless of where they come from and where they are now living in Europe, you really are so positive and that can only be a good thing for everyone, take care and I'll be watching out for more of your videos :)
Thanks Chris! Germany is awesome!
Nice to hear that you like it here! If you ever come to Duisburg please let me know - I could show you around!
Duisburg! I’d love to check it out! I’ll be in touch!
Yeah, thanks for your video :-) I noticed Rothaus in your beer section - my favorite brand... from the one and only government-owned brewery... I painted some pictures based on their logo (and the company purchased some of them :-))
In the 80s and 90s of the last century, when the whole world started to build a fiber optic network, this was prevented here by the CDU Kohl government at the time. Until shortly before his appointment, the post minister at the time, Schwarz-Schilling, was still on the supervisory board of a company that manufactures copper cables, which happened to belong to his wife. Until the expansion of the UMTS network in 2007-2010, fiber optics was only used on long-distance routes between the exchanges, otherwise only copper cables. Due to this politically desired wrong decision…..you can also call it corruption, Germany could no longer technically catch up with other nations. The second reason is the bureaucracy that slows down or prevents everything. If our administration worked the way we do at the supermarket checkout, we would already be on Star Trek level. Many greetings!
Okay that definitely makes a whole lot more since now!
Yeah, but in that case it is mostly not the public bureaucracy, but the bureaucracy within the big "players" in the private sector.
It's easy to blame "the administration", but something that blocks a lot of technological advancement in Germany is NIMBYs. We have extensive laws on participation of those affected, which in principle is a good thing, but also keeps derailing projects that would be highly useful, just because one or two people keep insisting that they'll have to wear tinfoil hats all day if the project is implemented.
@@ohauss In the case of internet infrastructure however I don't know about any NIMBYs. It is only in the case of cellular infrastructure you have that problem - but that is a completely "other pair of shoes". In the case of internet cables the problem is mostly a badly implemented politics of competive measures at the one hand and too weak political leadership at the other hand.
Dummes Gebabbel. Auswendig gelernte FDP Phrasen.
Interesting video, being an ex us army brat living in Germany I can relate to your points. Your awareness, thoughtfulness and open-mindness makes this a delight to watch. Regarding the internet hook-up in Germany, it takes so long because by German law you have a 14 day period where you can withdraw. So they have to wait 2 weeks and do nothing with your hook-up, just in case you might change your mind. I’m looking forward to more of your “ how Germany compares to US” videos in the future.
Hi Trey, I do really appreciate your basically positive feelings for the country I was born and raised and lived in for the last 58 years, thanks a lot !!!
Thank you! Germany is truly amazing!
Welcome my new Swabian bro! You‘re doing great in front of the cam and i asked myself if this is your first channel because you seem very natural while talking about your experience in Stuttgart. Also important: fine video production quality and thanks for adding timestamps. (>Öö)> yeah!
Oh i just remembered the kinda hype / many reactions these days regarding a german cabaret artist. If you wan‘t to check it out please expect to get some heavy stuff served. Truly dark humor. -> here on KZhead: Volker Pispers_ German Cabaret Artist about the History of USA and Terrorism )
Hey Trey! I just discovered your channel! I am happy to see that you and your family had a good start here in Germany :) I am living in Freiburg im Breisgau in the South of the Black Forest. I just saw that you also posted a video about a trip to the Black Forest, but I haven't watched it yet, so I don't know if you already visited Freiburg or not. If you did not, you definetely have to come here! It is a very beautiful town, at least in my opinion :) Another place that I want to recommend you to visit is the Obere Donautal on the Swabian Albs. I was born there in a small village next to the Donautal and there's a lot of nature and hiking possibilities. Apart of that, one can also canoeing on the Danube up to the city of Sigmaringen and visit the Hohenzollern Castle there or one can just take a beer in a small Café next to the monastery in Beuron :) Just contact me if you would like to have more information about that region and places one can visit here:)
Hey Julian! Nice to meet you! I really loved our time in the Black Forest and love that it is so close to us here in Stuttgart! We didn’t get a chance to visit Freiburg, but I would love to! Thank you for all of your recommendations!
Very good observations, especially on the drinking habits in Germany! The main difference to the US, but also to Canada, is that in both countries alcohol is often drunk to get drunk. In Germany, in Europe, the aspect of "enjoyment" is in the foreground. That said, the motivation for drinking alcohol is completely different.
True!
Hey Trey, your are really a resource for every German to become in love with his country again. I just found your channel and love to here about your experiences and also learn about your life as it was in the US. What I was thinking while you were speaking about the amazing outdoors here in Germany -> this may be one of the reasons of your experiences at the grocery store - we do not have to go for a walk in the supermarket! 😆 Three languages are not usual all over Germany, but English is now even thought in elementary school. And for it's useful also all around in Europe it much more usual to be able to speak English even a little bit. The issue with the internet is not caused by the pandemic, it is as it is here in Germany! We are really behind with several communication technoligies. That's a reason why we like our cash - to respond to another of your videos! 🤣
Thank you for this video. My partner is German and has been traveling back and forth for the last 3 years. This winter we are going to try to get me over there to see how it is. I've never even been out of the country before so I am watching as many videos as I can here lately to learn more about being in Germany and especially from an American point of view.
Interesting observations - grocery shopping at a faster pace - drinking beer in public - parks everywhere/lots to do outside (I love trails) - youth opportunities - trilingual - not running read lights (how refreshing since I now live in South Florida) - bad traffic ugh! - slow getting internet (that surprises me) - very informative!
There are beautiful forests around Stuttgart... Schurwald (starting in Fellbach up to Göppingen), Welzheimer Wald, the woods near to the Stuttgart airport in Echterdingen... For Oktoberfest feeling you can go to the Cannstatter Wasen on the Frühlingsfest or the Volksfest in September/Oktober... There also are great local beers in Ba-Wü... As someone mentioned Rothaus, Malteser, Heubacher...But you also get most of the bavarian brands in a Kaufland, Edeka or Rewe or a local beverage market...
If You stay arround Stuttgart in the autum, You MUST visit a "Besen" (broom). It´s a kind of restaurant which is only temporarly open for a short period and where You may only get food which they produce by themselves and also just wine, water amd juices for drink. But it´s very cheap and an interessting experience! If You contact me, we I may show You some interesting "Besen". But they would open in late summer (August maybe or September sure).
Very nice view on Germany! :) Love the musical posters in the background. Stuttgart is a good town to live in if you love musicals
Interesting how many topics you found to talk about after only 3 months here in Germany. ♥ (Nice family!)
The pace in grocery stores really depends on different factors. I guess the bigger the grocery store and the bigger the city, the faster is the pace - and the other way around. My sister lives in a big city and everytime she visits our parents in our small hometome, she complains how slow everything is. Because a lot of the cashiers there are some old ladies who know everyone and want to have some quick or sometimes less quick talk with them. I live in a bigger city as well, but in a less populated district. But still a place where people are less connected. So it usually goes fast. There is also a difference between cashiers and supermarkets and also between regional mentalities of course. I feel like the Edeka in my area is a lot more chill, while the cashiers in the Aldi are always quite on edge and want everything to go as quickly as possible. Which is one reason why I prefer the Edeka most of the time. And the "people know where everything is and know what they want" is mostly true, except for people like me who just walk 5 times through the whole supermarket. And don't let the old ladies bully you. ;) And I agree with the home internet thing. I was like 4 months without Internet after I moved out of my parents' house, because I failed to take care of it before I moved out and then there were some problems, so it just took forever. Wasn't that bad, though. I actually did a lot more nice stuff and watched the three Lord of the Rings movies like 5 times and appreciated them more and more. I also had still internet at my university, so I was able to download stuff or listen to Podcasts there. Was actually a great time.
Good and funny stuff :D Really hope more People like you will come to our County, we really need and appreciate those open minds :)
I just subscribed to you and you upload a new video right away, nice :D
Welcome to the party Anton!
Great to hear that you feel welcome and at home! I
Hey Trey! Welcome to Germany! Nice to hear that you are glad to be here! I hope you spend a lot of nice days here in germany! if you want more informations for good spots and places outside stuttgart let ne know it! You‘re welcome! Best greatings and have a nice day!
Thanks a lot Luke!
wow watching this video makes me so excited to visit Germany this year! I just stumbled across your channel while finding peoples experiences living in Germany (coming from english speaking countries), i'm not sure if you've mentioned it in another video already but are you and your partner learning german? or did you guys already know some before living in Germany?
Hey nice to meet you! We are both currently learning! We were pretty well acquainted with Germany through travel and our families living here in the past (Military). My wife’s sister was actually born here in Germany!
Love the way u explain the lil thinks, u should come 2 Hamburg for a Weekend or so. Or Go with the If u find the Time to Ostsee the poeple Here in the north are both different but Here is a Lot to See and its a Bit different from the Architektur also the food and the poeple. Wish u and Ur Family good Health.
You should try Bitburger or dark beer from Koeln!!! I also recommend any bakery (pastry, cake is not going to put you in a sugar coma) or butcher!! I've lived in the US for 25+ years, but STILL miss my bread and broetchen!!!
Thanks for sharing your insides in this interesting video. My girlfriend is a U.S. and now also a German citizen born in Hawaii. Watching your videos made me want to visit those beautiful islands again. Maybe next year works out for us. Are there some vegan places you can recommend? Her relatives live in Oahu but we would hop to different Islands too. So far we’ve also been to Maui and Big Island. Kauai is pretty high on our list of places to visit.
Type in “Hawaii Vegan Food Tour” on KZhead and you’ll see our video! We have been to every Vegan Restaurant in the State of Hawaii! We definitely recommend island hopping! Oahu is our favorite followed closely by Big Island, then Kauai, and Maui!
@@TreyDaze Thanks for the answer. Stupid me should‘ve just checked your other videos! If you need any help in Germany, just text me.
Such a nice Video, hope You and Your Family still feel good in Germany!
Regarding the fast checkout in grocery stores: there is a reason behind it. the stores are not open 24hrs nor all week. in former years it used to be extremely restricted (7-12 am and 15 to 18 am, mo to fr, and only mornings on sat). that was raised to be much more freely, but its is common that those shops are open 7am to 9pm mo-sat. on sundays and legal hoilidays they are closed. ;)
Hey, this video just popped up and i watch it and am now subscribed! I see some great musical posters in your background and have questions! I currently live in Ohio, and I just want to live in Germany soooooo bad! I’ve been to Germany and Austria, and both are just the most amazing places! Are you a musical fan or do you perform as well? I went to school for Vocal Performance, so I do opera and musical theatre! The german musical scene is epic and I have some favs! It would be amazing to be a performer in Germany! I would love to connect and ask even more questions and get tips!
Hey Tray if you like a good beer you should try out the bar Maulwurf. They have one of the best beer collection that you can find in Stuttgart. if you need any other tips feel free to ask. Greetings from Vaihingen
How efficient German bureaucracy is depends strongly on how prepared you are. If you spent the time / effort to get all the things required done, you get done extremely fast. If you are unprepared it can take months before you have your answer, as every missing detail will be requested on mail service way. Some parts get digitalized now to boost efficiency and many already digitalized systems (for taxes for example) already have checksum. And welcome to Germany (sorry for the delay, just got your channel suggested)
Welcome to Germany. Glad you enjoy it. I think Baden Wurtenberg has one of the highest standards of living in Germany/Europe. Germany has quite a few issues, but it seems like many of the things that we have become accustomed to are luxury for foreigners. Your videos help me realize that. Nonetheless, do not be fooled, Germany has problems, and there are parts of Germany where the system does not run as smoothly as it might in Stuttgart. Having lived in the States, I can see that the difference is in the spectrum of society. In the United States, you have incredibly wealthy people, but at the cost of having incredible poverty. In Germany, you narrow that spectrum, at the cost of alienating the most ambitious in society, but ensuring that there isn't the extreme poverty you can see in the States. Make sure to visit Nuremberg, Munich, and the Bavarian Alps.
Kevin, this is by far one of the best explanations explaining the dichotomy between life in the US and life in the States. I have a lot to unlearn after 30 years of living in the US. Fortunately, my Son will get to experience life here in Germany as well as visiting family back in the States! Thanks for your hopeful outlook!
Cashiers are benchmarked to item Scans per customer, that’s why this is a fast pace experience. 😂 Thanks for your video and welcome. ☺️
Hi TreyDaze, I hope you bought your 27 Euro ticket that gives you "free" access to public transport and regional trains for June July and August :) ! You might be able to explore some more of Germany than only my state capital "Schtugert" (dialect,lol).
We haven’t bought it yet, but we will soon!
I'm German, and i actually think you're kinda right about bureaucracy, it's pretty efficient, and it works quite well, but man do we have a lot of it.
I live in Croatia. We also have a lot of it, and if we doubled our efficiency, it would barely be 20% as efficient as German. My grandma is from Germany, and I had to deal with some paperwork, what would have taken 3-4 days of me walking around several different buildings in different parts of the city, and cost me around 100 euros, in Germany it was done in 4 hours, in a single building, and cost me 30 euro. Ever since I have been proposing that we just keep all your bureaucrats that come here for summer vacation :D
18:30 The reason for the long time for establishing a home internet connection is simple. The physical cable is often owned by a different company than your ISP. Your ISP has to connect your connection physically at node-points. And the owning company of the node points open it up only on certain days. It is a „behind the scene“ problem. If your ISP is the owner of the cable, it only takes the time to deliver the modem and activate it software wise.
Just a little tip if you sometimes have trouble packing your bags fast enough at the supermarket. If you buy fresh vegetables or fruits, you should pack them in the very back, because the sellers still have to weigh them and so you get some time to pack your purchase into the bags.
Pro tip! Also: lay your bottles in the direction of the conveyor belt, not across, so they don't roll as the belt moves.
Oookay, i have to stop at 11:23, so i just found you, first video ever watched of you, you sound so in frkn love with Germany, and im HAppy and im very Glad you are, and an late Welcome for you, but did i just hear you came from Hawaii to Germany?! so im curious.. WHY the fook would anyone ever move from Hawaii to Germany?! i mean i live here for nearly 32 years now but just WHY x) Love your Vid so far, and especially You and how you see Germany, absolutely Cool dude! im gonna spread the word of Trey! x) Feel Hugged Bro!
2:55 We also have "Discounter" and regular grocery stores. Discounter are usually cheaper (Aldi, Lidl, Netto) but they are also not as nice as regular grocery stores (Edeka, Rewe, Tegut).
Aldi is probably our favorite grocery store! I’m gonna do a video soon talking about my favorite grocery stores! They are all great in their own ways!
Ooh, Aldi and Lidl defenitely went huge renovations in the last years (to make them a bit more glam) in most in their stores, so I honestly barely see a difference to other chains.
@@Danisachan It still follows the discounter concept, so it will always look worse than regular grocery stores. For example Aldi saves lots of money because it doesn't put the items on shelves, it just keeps them in the packaging. That will always look bad but this way they need less employees and they can sell their items a lot cheaper than other stores.
@@toniderdon I think that's a matter of opinion. It never bothered me that things in Aldi are in their packages. It still looks neat and tight. I have been to Kauflands that looked far far worse.
@@Danisachan That's true. I prefer "Tegut" but I think that only exists in Hessen. Besides that Rewe is also pretty nice but I know many people that love Aldi and that is totally understandable when the same product (Nutella for example) costs almost half there compared to Tegut
If you are ever back in Munich, try the "Verrückter Eismacher". It's a icecream parlor with a lot of different flavours. Some of them are pretty wild!
Thats the same ALL over Europe when you do grocery shopping. Us Europeans don't usually browse if we're on a budget. We get it over and down with as quickly as possible because often times there is a time limit on parking with a pretty hefty fine if you over stay. Plus as these shop/stores are usually very close to where we live it is easy to make several trips there in a day, or week. You say you've been to Germany many times, but did you try visiting France, Belgum, Spain, or even the UK before hand? If you had what your saying can be applied fairly broadly right across Europe.
Yes, the behaviour around the checkout can be quite rude, even in the times of Corona, I personally find it often very annoying and I really dislike it. The best is to place your shopping cart *behind you* while waiting and loading your things onto the conveyor belt so it's your *cart* being bumped and not your bottom :) and you have always the safety distance of 1,5 m behind you. - And I saw a bottle of Erdinger Weißbier in your hands: a very good choice! Try the Erdinger Weißbier Dunkel (!!!), too, and, if available, Erdinger Weißbier Pikantus, it's a so-called Bockbier, quite strong, with a quite unique taste! LG from Franken!
Yep you’re right! I need to start wearing ankle guards. Especially if I’m grocery shopping in Stuttgart Mitte. I might need to wear some protective padding lol.
The tipp with keeping the shopping cart *behind you* is golden! It is the only way I do it too nowadays. I think this whole stress at the cashier station started when they wanted us to switch to automated check out stations. The majority of people do not like it. They want a person to scan their products for them and want human interaction and most people have the opinion they do not want to do this work at an automated station for the supermarket companies for free for the same costs. I think this argument has some valor AND do we really want to comply helping "them" to erase the job of the supermarket cashier in the future? 🤔😎 Well, the reaction to the masses striking on automated cashier stations is hiring less personel and THAT has caused stressful paying experiences and nervous customers, who hate to wait in line, because they remember in the past that only happened a very few times... 🤷🏻♀️ So, this is my personal theory about the supermarket cashier stress situation. 😅 Maybe 20 years ago one had a real leisurely time at the cashier station and could chat with one's favorite employee, exchange real nice smalltalk about the children, the weather and one's general well being, nowadays people try to stomp through as fast as possible.
Hey TrayDaze check out your local produced beers! They might be even better than the Munich ones! At least it's something I witnessed. I love Augustiner, but drinking it at home, doesn't taste the same as drinking it in Munich. What I mean is don't drink only the big companies! There are everywhere small long-term companies, who are making Bier, Weizen, Pils and sometimes brued lamonade! At least in Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg.
if u have the chance u should go to a VfB Stuttgart game. much love and for the internet connection we are down bad bc we havent updated our laws to the standards of digitalisation thats also why u dont have a good connection with mobile data in certain areas outside bigger cities
Hi Trey! If you appreciate hiking and beautiful landscapes, there is the Biosphärengebiet Schwäbische Alb just south of Stuttgart, I highly recommend going there, it is gorgeous. The three languages, I think someone may have exaggerated our proficiency a little ;) In Germany if you go to Gymnasium you have to learn two foreign languages, in BW (and I think all over Germany actually, but I'm not sure) that usually is English + French but you can also do English + Latin or even all three -- other third languages are only offered in larger cities where enough kids may want to learn sth other than French/Latin. So lots of ppl learn French in school, but only a handful people in each year (if that) are actually good at it and keep using it beyond school. What may make some pl from BW say that they know 3 languages though is that they speak German, English and their local dialect - which to ppl from northern Germany may as well be another language ;)
Hey!! Thanks for all of the recommendations! Gonna check out Biosphärengebiey Schwäbische Alb this week! And wow…that’s awesome that other languages are widely accepted and spoken by Germans!
@@TreyDaze ckeckout Burg Lichtenstein in the swabian alb.
@@verenak2158 Will do! That has been on my list for a while now. Just need to actually head down there!
They always do road work during the spring and summer in Europe. Partly due to weather. Internet in Sweden (where I now live), is far better than the States (where I am from).
luv the fact, that you want the early education for your kid. God bless. Chris from germany 🙂
your region is also famous for juice. Especially you will find a lot of apples. With the pears, the "Geisshirtle" are best. They only grow near Stuttgart.
I have lived here 18 years on the 18th of June from central west Florida. I can say that you are so right about the people here. They welcomed me with open arms and love to ask me where I am from and I say Florida and they say I am crazy moving here since alot of Germans love to vaca in Florida. When you go back to the states the only beer that I can drink now is Stella Artois. Everything else pales in comparison.
Hi Trey! I am also from South Florida (Miami) and am looking to move to Deutschland soon. Is the weather as bad as advertised?
Feel Invited to visit Barcelona. In terms of food and diversity - this is the place to be. The whole costa brava is just amazing. And the flights are from 20-60€ so quite easy to come over. I would love to show you around here.
I'm in love with your opinion of Germany and us Germans! ❤I only hear bad things about us. Married to a Brit I hear a lot of how rude and blunt we supposedly are. But you really see things in another light. Thank you very much for this beautiful review! To answer your question about home internet: Telekom is the main supplier of the internet cables. So if you're with Telekom, you'll get it fast. But as soon as you are getting your internet from another company, they have to wait for a Telekom technician to switch it on. And since you're not a client of Telekom... it just takes a lot of time until there are some slots open for the clients of other companies.
Have you heard about Waldkindergarten? I think it would fit your son based on how you describe yourselves. It takes place out in the forest, come rain or shine, and is a great experience for the kids.
if you want to shop more leisurely, you can shop at REWE or EDEKA. its less stressful and slower there. but its also a bit more expensive haha
Great video. If you ever get a chance, drink a "Tannenzäpfle" from Rothaus. An awesome beer from BaWü.
I like your positive experiences in Germany and you can take my place because I left 35 years ago and l am not coming back. Enjoy your stay and good luck to you and your family.👍
Come to NRW I know numerous people that are rude cold angry etc. Me included 😁 You should try a Bolten's Ur-Alt from my area, the brewery was founded in 1266. It's an unfiltered copper colored old traditional brewed ale. Internet over Cell can be activated in 15 minutes.
Quick tip: In Sep/Oct they are selling the "Federweißer" which is a young wine, that is still fermenting (try it). The point is - it is sold in bottles that are not completely sealed, since the yeast inside is still producing carbon dioxide and the cork/lid would go flying. Make sure you don't place these bottles flat on the conveyor - you will make a mess!
Until some time ago there was an annual Beer Festival ("Biermeile") in Berlin in August with like over 300 breweries from like 80 countries from all over the world. It was like a over 2 km long beer garden or tasting event. Me and my friends vistited this event until 2019. As of 2022 the festival won't take place anymore (well there was a virtuell Biermeile.. but that's not the same)
Here is a challenge for you. Look up when the weekly market in Stuttgart is (can be multiple days) and shop around.
Keep up the good work young man. You are excellent. Luv yur channel. See ya mext year in Germany.
I still struggle with English - and it's my second language. And I think it's very normal here in saxony. And I can't imagine that's so different to Stuttgart.
Glad you like it here. Hope you already tried Kässpätzle mit gschmelzte Zwiebeln.
I have not yet! I need to try them!
I am reliefed, finally you found a decent barber shop.
when you cross the red lights you might loose your driving license - that's a good motivation to respect the red light...
That makes a ton of sense now!
Just dicovered you and I am subscribing now. I AM FROM HANBURG - I am not angry you said 'Munich is second largest city' :) The Bavarians still think it is - don't tell them you know better :)
By bike/foot we run red lights (definitly not with car/motorbike, thats mostly people daydreaming or misreading their surroundings), just often limit it to empty/narrow streets and mind if kids see it or not, to hold off from running a red light as a bad example... We also still have several areas even in/near cities with bad internet... Literally below 10Mbit and unstable on countryside, even if there is supposedly "fibre connection" there... When I visit my grandma the internet is so terrible and mobile data too...
The funny thing about home internet in Germany is that the companies even have given up on the idea that they could improve their service so that you can get internet running the next day. Instead some offers consider how to work around this gap by giving you an LTE stick for your router that you can use until the line is running.
Home internet... we had the "Deutsche Post" (postal service) which was owned and controlled by the government and had the monopol on telecommunication (infrastructure) as well. Workers were officials and so there was a lot of inefficiency over time, because there was no fear about getting fired. Long story shortened and simplified. Then there was the liberation on the postal, telecommunication and human transportation "Deutsche Bahn" market as well, btw. The governmental monopol (we had a post minister back then) was ended, the organisation got split into two separate divisions, the "Deutsche Post" and "Telekom". Both got competitors from startups over bigger players and/or other big european (state owned) companies. It's different in mobile communication. The companies had to built up their own infrastructure. Not so with land line connections... the infrastructure is still mainly owned and controlled by the successor Telekom, and the other companies have to make deals with them to use their infrastructure as well. So simply speaking everytime someone cancels the subscription for a flat, house, appartment the Telekom technician kind of physically cuts the connection at the distribution hub in your neighbourhood and the new subscriber has the choice to go with any company he wants, and this company needs to make an appointment with the Telekom (technician) to reconnect them. Vodafone (big competitor from the UK) went a different way and bought the land line TV (called Kabelfernsehen) infrastructure and began to offer communication services via this connections as well. So this could be the reasons you might have heard VF is the quicker/quickest. This is often why TV connection is part of the rent of your home, which is dealed by the landlord... so appointment/reconnection isnt necessary so often/much and perhaps there is other connection handling than cutting it physically. I hope this clearifies your concerns in some way, even it is heavily simplified (which still needs several lines to describe) 😅
Thanks man, I hope to move to Germany soon and this eased my mind about numerous topics.
Best of luck brother! Glad I could be of help!
@@TreyDaze Berlin is where I’m planning to move, hopefully it’ll go smoothly, work will be nice and an apartment is there to be found 😂
You may find the videos on the "Travelin' Young" channel on digital Denmark and NemID interesting. Danmark has made a lot of things easy to do digitally. Taxes too, which they also have a video on.
I will definitely check them out! Off the top of your head, do you have any recommendations for must see places in Denmark?
I'll refer to Travelin' Young again, as they have already been to a lot more places in Denmark than I have :p The stuff I can think of off the top of my head is mostly stuff in Copenhagen, which is where most people start off by going. Nyhavn during the summer, Tivoli, Christiania (but don't film or take pictures there, cause they'll get mad). If you're into food there are various street food/food hall places. It's a pretty "hipster" place with lots of microbreweries (which Travelin' Young also have checked some of). Tivoli also has an annual beer tasting, I think, which you'll just have missed. If you're into LEGO there's Legoland, the LEGO house and possibly other LEGO stuff. That's in Jutland though.
Man, your video makes me miss Stuttgart a little bit, mostly for the international community though. I've been living there for around 9 years, and have been moving back to northern Germany after that period. If you travel around Germany you'll find that the regional differences are enormous! It's not only beer, but also food, language and mentality. If you want a taste of really good and authentic food from Stuttgart visit the "Stuttgarter Stäffele" next to Feuersee station. Its awesome authentic Swabian food. Also watch out for "Besenwirtschaften". Its basically local wineries serving their own wine for some time of the year. Very local and very interesting! Even though I've spent some time in San Francisco, I deal mostly with Australians these days, and back then I had no kids. So my next point might apply or not: Playgrounds are way more adventurous in Germany, and kids seem to be given more freedom. I think it's mostly due to legal reasons, but at least in AUS the playgrounds are plastered with soft fall and all sorts of rules that keep kids from taking risks. The German approach would be to have them take some risks and learn from them, in order to build confidence and learn from mistakes. That's certainly not true for every parent, but maybe you get a chance to compare the dynamics on playgrounds between GER and the US. Also simple things like having kids walk to primary school themselves seems to be a very foreign concept in AUS, where I am right now visiting family. Shout out if you ever end up in Lübeck (beautiful medieval city, UNESCO world heritage), I might be able to give you a tour!
Love your point about the playgrounds! They are a kid’s dream! And you’re 100% correct about food and beer!
Yes! If you ever get to north germany, go visit Lübeck, it's such a beautiful town which was not hit too hard during ww2 and still has a lot of old buildings.
I can't speak for Germany, I can only talk about how home internet connection works in Austria. Around here it's an average of 10 days to get a new home internet connection. Our internet connection is brought to people's homes via several connection points that spread the cables throughout the area. It is still common practice to give cable points that aren't in use to other users. This means that when you cancel a contract it is very likely that the connection you had gets physically disabled somewhere along the way to provide a different one. Of course, this also means that to re-establish a connection a technician has to "start from scratch" every single time. (Yes, this also means that it can happen that a connection cannot be re-established, because no connection points are available. It is extremely rare, but it happens.) Working like that one technician can establish an average of no more than 5 home connections per day. While the method is not the most efficient one, it means that more people can be serviced without the provider needing a lot more infrastructure. Again speaking for Austria, not Germany, in recent years there has been a shift towards the practice of leaving the physical connection intact even when it's cancelled so it can be enabled again more easily (will always be enabled within 72 hours). Experience shows that this can work pretty well and the goal is to make this available everywhere and for everyone, but building infrastructure is a challenge. I can imagine that things work similarly in Germany, but I can't say for sure. Idk if this makes sense at all and if I'm using appropriate vocabulary. But I tried. 😅
Hi Trey (and family), a very warm welcome to Germany! I'm so happy for you that most of your experiences in Germany have been good so far. There was a lot to unpack in your video and commenting on all what you've said would take up hours and hours - not to prove you wrong but to give you the views of a 56y old German geezer..😉 I just like to comment on two things, though. Having a cart being shoved in your ankle at a supermarket is not that uncommon. It's most likely from the same people who are right behind you in a traffic jam and are honking their horn implying in same way that it is your fault that nothing is going forward. But you know - idiots exist. If it happens to me I ususlly turn around and ask them if it would help them if I knelt down so they could knock me out with their cart to get past me... that shuts most of them up 😉😉. Point #2 would have to be about bureaucracy. I've been exposed to that my whole adult life in one way or the other. I even learned in a communal administration. So please believe my expertise on this when I say you got extremely lucky so far when you did'nt have a reason to complain about it. The rumours about German bureaucracy or no myths by any means. They're unfortunately very true for the most part. If you'd like, check out #lifeingermany and listen to Jenna's experiences with our German bureaucracy. Yours seem to have been the famous exception to the rule 😁😁. You're fun to watch and I'll be subscribing to your channel finishing this "lament". All the best for you and your family. Björn