4 Random Things Germans Do That Just Make Sense! 🇩🇪

After moving to Germany and living in Germany for over 2 years, there were quite a few things we learned about life in Germany that surprised us at first...then we realized just makes sense! 😊

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#AmericansInGermany #GermanyVlog #MovingToGermany
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❤️Aubrey was a Speech-Language Pathologist and Donnie was a graphic designer, but we both had a dream to #travel the world and experience cultures. After three years of being married and dreaming about if something like this great adventure would be possible, we decided to quit the rat race and take on the world. We sold everything we had, quit our jobs, and took off! After 9 months of aimless and nonstop travel, we now get to fulfill our dreams of #LivingAbroad as #expats as we move to #Germany!

00:00 - Intro
1:10 - Thing 1
3:57 - Thing 2
7:45 - Thing 3
9:56 - Thing 4
12:17 - Bloopers

[gandalf_thegrey]

9:25
I think that's the difference: We don't perceive the silence as "painful" and "awkward". We perceive meaningless conversation as "painful" and "awkward".

Ps: We Germans would make great conversation partners for the Finnish. When it comes to small talk they are like us, but dialed up to 11. Absolutely beautiful lol

[helloweener]

The old fashioned German word for life hack is: Trick Siebzehn.

[gilde]

The greeting and saying good bye is not small talk...it is a sign of respect for everybody in the room

[morgenwoanders-]

Für mich als Deutschen ist es immer wieder spannend, wie Ihr als Amerikaner unser Land und uns Deutsche seht. Vielen Dank und herzliche Grüße an Euch beide aus dem Norden von Rheinland-Pfalz!

[protpirat]

Christmas Eve is an official working day, but in reality it's like a semi-holiday, because everybody wants to be at home in the eving (besides necessary public services like police, hospitals, public transport etc.). Essentially only shops, supermarkets and other grocery stores are open. In principle, it is only half a working day. All shops are closed from 2 p.m. at latest. All other employers give half or a full day off. Therefore Christmas Days are 2, 5 days long.
The same applies to New Year's Eve.

[martinschulz]

Technisch endet die Weihnachtszeit erst an Mariä Lichtmess im Februar.

[Orkimtor]

The best part about greeting is actually on hikes. I always find it funny, but also heartwarming, when you are on a hike (especially in the mountains) and greet every passing group. And on sunny days that can be multiple times each minute.

[franhunne]

Niedersachsen - it has mountains (Harz), coast (North Sea), planes and marshes (Norddeutsche Tiefebene und Sumpfgebiete), Forrests (Harz again, but also in cities like Hannover, which has a huge green heart), huge lakes and artificial lakes (Steinhuder Meer - artificial), huge farmed landscape, heather landscape (Lüneburger Heide) etc. etc.

[indiramichaelahealey]

The greeting is also special in offices. Every employee who comes in in the morning greets everybody who is already there. The first one apparently greets no one but is greeted by everybody who comes in later than him even if it means to go into every single office on the particular hallway. When you leave it's the other way around: the one who came in first is usually also the first one to leave and so says good buy to everybody who is still there.

[mirauperenko]

24th is also kind of a holiday in Germany, since everyone finishes work earlier than usual (even grocery stores close at 2 pm) So it's like 2, 5 days of holidays in total:)

[leezah]

I really like our culture about little ones eating of our plates. Even if it is not on the menu, you often still can do it. In our go to amusement park is a restaurant with a buffet. As I asked for noodles for my child the cook put a finger on her lips, looked to both sides and said "you do not need to buy the noodles extra if I can place them on your plate without falling." Then proceeded in doing so and smuggled a second plate under mine :D

[Groffili]

Greeting and leaving. Note that it is always the person entering or leaving who starts to greet. You can enter or leave a shared space without saying anything, and no one will be bothered with that. It's just a polite habit, and habit also dictates that, IF you greet, you should be recognized and be greeted in return.

[petrabauer]

I first met the term "Räuberteller" in Our holidays on Rügen. Never read this before on a menu in Bavaria. But you can get the extra plate wherever you ask. Love this tradition!
I am from Bavaria and really love this region. But Baden-Württemberg is also very beautiful.

[cailwi]

I think Germans greet more because it is - in a German cultural context - seen as the 'polite thing to do' It's about 'demonstrating manners' in public and so you teach children that greeting people this way is 'having manners', when evaluated by German standards and expectations.

In the US, entering an office is just not the moment where certain specific manners have to be demonstrated, there are plenty of other places where that would be culturally relevant, but not here. 

When it comes to small talk, the aspect is more on recognizing the other person and/or establishing social contact, and so you do need a few words more to get something like that going. When entering an office though, you would not engage in a small talk fashion with a room full of people sitting in a waiting room. The small talk only starts when there is a one-on-one interaction (or at least a very small group). I have to say though, if there is a line, people in the US will very easily get into a conversation while waiting, small-talk - here we go, and in the end it helps pass the time. For Germans, that is just not a situation where they seek interaction, they rather want to have their undisturbed space.

These are just cultural differences, no right or wrong here. It just is what it is.
And I love both Bavaria and BW. Right now, BW interests me a bit more, but that is probably because I know it a bit less. Most of Germany has beautiful corners though, and landscapes change so quickly, it is hard to pick favorites.

[marcusch]

Great Video and it’s a real pleasure to listen to, because your english is so easy to understand for someone from Germany who’s not a native english speaker 😊

[brianpowers]

I've been obsessed with your videos recently! Lol. We'll be hosting a German exchange student next fall and your videos have helped me learn a ton about German culture to prepare my family for our student. Thanks for all the amazing info!

[uli]

To your question of the week: I live in NRW and I feel glad that I'm here and not in Bavaria and not in Baden-Württemberg. I know places in both of them, but I would not prefer one in favor of the other. If I must decide where to go for a one-week trip within Germany, I'd always prefer Niedersachsen, Schleswig-Holstein or Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

[LetumFalcis]

Even if the "Räuberteller" or "Piratenteller" isn't mentioned on the menu, you always can ask for it. Or just ask for a small extra plate. Sometimes you will also receive some kind of crayons and a picture for coloring for your child. And it's common for restaurants to have some kind of highchairs for smaller children. In some restaurants there are even small playgrounds outside the beergarden. :)
And I love the forests in Berlin, they are mostly well maintained and great for a biking tour or even a small hike =D

[boelwerkr]

About greetings in shared spaces. It's about "destination" and "size". You greet in Offices and such if you all "work" together, this includes guests and co. At the doctors office everyone wants to get better, they all wait for the same thing. In a bank every one want to handle money. In the post office every want to send something, and so on. They are all temporally in your "group". But this goes way if the group get too big. You don't greet everyone in a club, supermarket or park.

[hypatian]

Another way of "communal greeting": when you join people already sitting around a table in a pub etc. you knock three times on the table and say hello instead of greeting every person individually. I think it's rarely used today because we tend not to greet people individually anymore.

Bavaria - due to the Alps. Coming from Northern Germany, I just love mountains :)