ANSWERS: 12
  • Why Germany, why not France, Italy, China?
  • I spent 12 years of military life over there and lived on the German economy and I loved it very much. They respect you if you respect them. Just like living any where else. They are not loud people and they are strick about keeping the house clean. they are wonderful people.
  • Right now the unemployment rate there is also sky high.
  • Look, man, it's a trade off. I moved to Poland three years ago (from the U.S.). While some things are better, some are worse. It will take you time to LEARN how to live in Germany. And what I mean by that is that you're not gonna be a tourist, but someone who lives there. You will have to learn the language, the culture, history, traditions, and just how society works over there. It took me some time to learn how to live in Poland in a similar way that I lived in America. Now I have no problem talking to Polish women (for example) in bars and clubs, etc., whereas three years ago I wouldn't even imagine myself doing that with the shape my Polish language skills where in....
  • It is hard to say if it is better. Some things for sure are quite better. About 5 Millions of foreigners who live in Germany do think that it is better in Germany. Living here it is hard to say how an American feels in Germany. I know quite a lot of former GIs who served in Germany and who stayed here after their service and who tell me of course that it is better in Germany. But I think everyone of them has his own reasons why he stayed. The esasiest thing I would suggest that you make a trip to Germany and look by yourself if you could imagine to live there. But the very most important thing that is the language. Without speaking German yo will be lost. So to enforce integration of foreigners most of them are officially obliged to learn German.
  • I spent a month in Berlin and a few days travelling through the rest of Germany. I liked the people very much, the houses are nice and everything is well maintained. Germany is the only country I have visited that I would consider living in rather than the UK.
  • I'm a German who has lived in the US (Idaho) for two years, and Australia now for 7 years. I love my country, language and can proudly admit to being German. However, I don't want to move back for long-term employment. I left Germany when I was 15 and have gotten used to other life-styles, but I do recommend you at least visiting Germany to have a taste. For someone of a different culture, I think Germany will be an eye-opener. Germany is about respecting each other, hard work, and being fair. Our culture is open, but not shallow. People need to warm up to you, and Germans are perceived to be a bit more strict and perhaps initially a bit "cold". But you will soon find that their politeness is quite sincere, not as put on as in the US for example. Germany can't really be generalized either. Like the US, it consists of many states and the difference between the local cultures is massive. Dialects can vary enormously to the point where Germans cannot communicate with each other, except if the standard high-german is used. I grew up in Bavaria, but my parents are Saxons and people notice how my German differs from that of my parents... Anyway - I think you will like Germany and also find things you'll miss from back in the US. Nothings ever 100%, but trying is the right step forward! Viel Glück!
  • The best you come over here for vacation look around around and then decide. High educated people are urgently wanted. Hearing what some Americans say who live since a long time here, they all are rather content and happy.
  • I am an American who has lived here in Germany for 6 years total. My husband is German and we will be living here for several more years before moving to the U.S. The German culture is one to get used to, as are all different cultures. It as absolutely beautiful here, great food and you are close enough to visit other countries close to germany over a period of only 1-2 days. The only thing Im trying to get used to is that they are blunt. they dont mean to be rude but most of the they seem to be, in an Americans eyes. but dont let that stop you from coming. life here is great as long as you make enough money, since the Euro is here.
  • You can not compare the life in Ameria with the life in Germany. Living in Germany means that you would have to live on an extremely low level like some hundred years ago and together with people who are nothing but extremely weird. So I do not think for a native English speaking person, Germany could ever be an option to live there. And you should not forget that Germans are extremely bad people without any education and rather like the huns as Churchill and British politicians say today. I hardly can imagine that Americans or British who are so much superior to all other people in the world could ever live among the Germans who are living on the level of a tribe in the 3rd world.
  • Thank you all for the answers! I took a trip for 5 day sin Berlin Germany and got back the 22nd of October. All I can say is, I LOVED IT! As an American that grew up always hearing "USA is number 1", "Every other country is a 3rd world country", I can safety say that, that is far from the truth. I simply can't believe the level of freedom they have in their country(and Amsterdam for that matter as that was a stop over :) ). I was up at 5:00am drinking and no one said a thing to me(It is illegal in VA to drink in public[excluding pubs], and after 12:00am alcohol can't be sold)! I saw people naked just standing there in their windows(also illegal in the US), and the food was sooo... good. As far as the people being rude, I grew up in the DC outskirts, so it's the norm for me. Forgive me, I can't sum up how much I enjoyed it in a tiny paragraph or two. Germany is by far BETTER than the USA and I am looking forward to going back again, hopefully on a work visa for an extended say. I'm tired of the US and our down right lack of civil rights and freedoms. After 30 years of living in here(US), I'm done with the gung-ho attitudes and false smiles. Thank you all for your answers! And Fredrick, the dumbest German I met over there was at least 2-3x smarter than the smartest person I have ever met here.
  • No, Germany is not better than the US. However, it is a nice country. It is very beautiful over there. People are pretty nice. The women are beautiful. If you don't speak German, then people are not going to be very nice to you. If you at least try to speak German and are having a hard time with it, they will just start speaking English to you. Most people there do speak English. You will pay 16% tax on almost everything! They use the tax money to pay for health care and to send everyone to college. If you went to school for the full 13 years, then the govt. will pay for you college. If you go to court, you don't get a jury of 12 regular people, they have a jury of judges. You don't have the US Constitution over there and they don't have all the freedoms we do here in the US. You have to pay tax on "Radio Waves", which means, if you own a TV or a radio, you pay tax on the signals they receive. You will also pay tax on the furniture you own. The water is not as good as it is here. You don't have the right to bear arms. You can get a gun permit over there, but most people don't own one. Mostly the police and it is hard to get a gun permit in Germany. It is cold and snows a lot in the Winter, but they get less snow than we do in Michigan. To get a Drivers License, it is very expensive. They pay a couple thousand Euros. The cars over there are designed to go fast. Most people own BMW's and Mercedes'. The speed limit on the Autobahn (Yes there is a suggested speed limit on the Autobahn) is 80 MPH. They use metrics over there though. You don't have to drive the speed limit if you don't want to and you will not get a ticket, the police will not pull you over for speeding on the Autobahn, but if you have an accident and you were driving over the limit, you can get a ticket and you will usually be considered 50% at fault. Fines for tickets are very high. If you speed on city streets, you will get caught by the cameras they have all over the place and they will mail you a ticket. You don't get points on your license. You can NOT say that you like Hitler or say something like: "Heil Hitler" in public. That is illegal over there. Most beer (Bier) is not served warm there, they serve it cold. The drinking age for beer is 16. You must be 18 to drink hard liquor. They pay higher wages over there, but the cost of living is higher to. They are very blunt and straight forward, to the point. If they don't like you, they will not always be nice and indirect about it like we are in the US, they will flat out say what they mean. If they are looking for the bathroom, they don't refer to it as the bathroom or restroom, they will ask, "Where is the 'toilet'?" They have a lot of very good, cheep and easily accessible, public transportation. German is a moderately easy language to learn, especially if you already speak English, Dutch or a similar language. If you refuse to take a Breathalyzer test, they do have the right to take a blood test by force. They will do it to. Even if they have to hit you in the head with a police baton and take blood off your head! There are a lot of Americans over there, mostly in the US Military. I was stationed in Mannheim, Germany for Three years.

Copyright 2023, Wired Ivy, LLC

Answerbag | Terms of Service | Privacy Policy