American CULTURE SHOCKS in Germany! | Feli from Germany

👉 Over the last 9 days, this amazing group of Americans has explored Munich, Neuschwanstein, Nuremberg, Rothenburg ob der Tauber, and Heidelberg with me! Before we head to our final stop in Berlin, I want to know if they've had any culture shock in Germany so far or which cultural differences have stood out to them. Here are the answers!

▸Mailing address:
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Cincinnati, OH 45219
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ABOUT ME: Hallo, Servus, and welcome to my channel! My name is Felicia (Feli), I'm 30 years old, and I'm a German living in the USA! I was born and raised in Munich, Germany but have been living in Cincinnati, Ohio off and on since 2016. I first came here for an exchange semester during my undergrad at LMU Munich, then I returned for an internship, and then I got my master's degree in Cincinnati. I was lucky enough to win the Green Card lottery and have been a permanent resident since 2019! In my videos, I talk about cultural differences between America and Germany, things I like and dislike about living here, and other topics I come across in my everyday life in the States. Let me know what YOU would like to hear about in the comments below. DANKE :)

[FelifromGermany]

THANK YOU so much to everyone on the trip for sharing their experiences on camera! 😊🙏

[bonnsavant]

Wenn man hört, wie unsere Gäste aus dem Ausland über Deutschland reden, wird man sich erst wieder bewusst, wie gut es uns geht und wie schön es hier ist. Das vergessen wir leider viel zu oft. Thank you for opening our eyes, dear american friends ❤

[gregbromberg]

I had a great time traveling with this group of folks. We had a great time in Germany and it was terrific to experience The food, beer, architecture, the people. A waitress in Cologne was confused on how I wanted to tip her paper cash, and a German who was at the table next to me jumped in and explained to the German waitress that I wanted to compensate her for good service. Only then did she understand. I later learned that you can round off the price of the meal with a price you want to pay, but I wasn’t clear on tipping culture in Germany. I appreciate how Germans who speak English will help out non-English speaking Germans. Really friendly people. I wound up speaking with and connecting with this gentleman. Great experience!

[hartl]

Meine erste Reise nach Deutschland war mit dem MS Europa im Hebst 1969. (Ich nahm am Aussenstudiumprogramm von Kalamazoo College teil.) Wir stiegen ins Bremerhaven aus. Unser Programmführer sagte uns wir sollten unser Abendessen unabhängig versorgen. Ich bin um die Innenstadt herum gegangen und habe mir einen Imbißwagen gefunden. Dort kriegte ich meine erste echte Bratwurst. Ich war aber zu schüchtern als Pommes frites auch zu bestellen. Nachdem ich die Wurst erledigte, hatte ich noch Hunger. Ich bin um die Ecke gegangen und dann wiederum zur "Mobile Wurst Unit" und habe mir die Kartoffeln bestellt.

[Klo]

I love it how everybody is so positive about everything. In Germany we often tend to see things in a too negative way.

[desperadox]

The world would be a better place if everybody had been to at least 1 or 2 other countries and learned that there are good people everywhere and your own country isn't always better in everything.

[AoibheannNova]

I visited West Germany in 1986 when I was 15. We were staying at a B&B kinda place and as we were getting breakfast, I asked for some milk and they asked back if I wanted it fresh or cold. I told them I wanted fresh, even though I was confused by the question. When it finally arrived, it was warm. And I was confused again. And then I realized that fresh milk meant THEY JUST MILKED THE COW! 😂

Best tasting milk I've ever had

[stephenwilling]

Being from England, (now living in the US), and serving in the British Army I was stationed in Germany twice. Both time for two years and in the same place, Fallingbostle, I loved it. this was obviously when Germeny was still split. One of the first things I notice was how people would come up to our table, we were with local girls, but they would shake hands and say hi like they knew us for years. After being there for a few months we also noticed if you were to ask or at lest try to use Germen you would be helped more. Noticed this when those new recruits who didn't even attempt it got the "EH?" from the waiter, that we knew could maybe speak better English than some of those recruits.
LOve the food, and so much of it on a large plate for a reasonable price. And people were so helpful, if you looked lost they would ask if they could help.
The second time I went, having been gone for 2-3 years. Poeple in the resteraunts and bars remembered me, like I was a member of their family. Like I said I loved it there, wish I could go back and see what it is like now.

[Hellasta]

German people were much more polite than I was led to believe and were patient with me when I was trying to speak their language. I'm not very good at it but I tried to speak German out of respect for the people/country.

[MisaMlc-lo]

I am from Germany but one culture difference I learned 20 years ago. In my free time, besides school, i did some First aid for the German Red Cross during sports events. Once there had been an icehockey Team from Michigan. IT was a youth team and they played in a small village in Niedersachsen and we had the privilige to be there when they played. One of the American Players get injured and we helped him. After some time his father came into the locker room and wanted us to stop because he wasn't sure how much IT would cost. He was shocked when he saw that we were 15-20 years old and did it for free and that the Team just pay something Like 30-50 German Mark to our local red Cross Office and that we helped as our hobby in our free time.
After the game we had a nice chat and drank some tea.

[erinl]

I was in Germany last year. My culture shock was the joy that people have there and the way they enjoy the outside and each other. America is lied to about how other countries and how there is so much unhappiness anywhere other than the US.

[Anna-xnds]

I have one! Literal strangers will walk up to you and ask you if you will watch their stuff for them, even expensive stuff... like when they go to the bathroom or whatever. And another is people will let strangers borrow their expensive stuff here. There is a level of trust and safety here that is not in the USA.

[scottinphoenix]

The trip was a blast, even getting caught out in the rain just added spice to the experience. 😅😅

[Andrew-jvtc]

This is not just Germany but Europe overall. The prices in the grocery store are so much lower and for much higher quality produce and foodstuffs. Special to Germany (and Austria) is the hot food available in the store, as well as the cheese and cured meat selection at just a regular Rewe or other grocer. It’s just spectacular!

Also, you can get groceries more easily in smaller portions to fit one person. In the US, everything is portioned for a family.

I wish we took the European approach to our food more. We would be so much happier and healthier.

[christianwenzel]

Hallo Feli, ich finde es echt interessant die Reaktionen der Amerikaner über Deutschland zu hören. Gerne mehr von solchen Videos. Grüße aus Baden-Württemberg.

[laser]

The crosswalk shaming is real! I stepped off right as it turned red and a little kid yelled at me., ,Der Ampelmann ist rot!"

[debrafuhrman]

I'm a military brat and spent 4 years in Wiesbaden as a kid and had a great time seeing the country. One of my best friends now is from Unterwössen in Bayern and I went there 7 years ago for her daughter's wedding and fell in love with the area. Spent 3 weeks with her at her mother's in Unterwössen last summer and loved it. Going for Oktoberfest in 2025.

[bobnieland]

My wife and I lived and met in Germany and have been back at least 6 times (most recently 4 weeks ago), so the cultural differences we notice are more about how Germany has changed over the last 40 years. Things like the incorporation of so many English words and expressions into the language, the widespread availability of electronic payment v. cash in recent years, the shift from stick shift to automatic transmission cars when renting, the superiority of kitchen equipment and the wider variety of food (including regional. vegetarian and lactose-free options) available in restaurants.

[colorfulsomething]

Such nice people telling what they've noticed in a very respectful way, pointing out the positives (something a lot of germans on the internet can actually lern from, haha). Very nice that you were here! I hope everyone enjoyed their trip :)

[jimgeiser]

I had to check my passports to see how many times I was in Germany-primarily Berlin. The first trip was in 1968. It was the first trip for me and our two preschool children and the first trip back home for my wife. We flew from Cleveland to New York, to Newfoundland, to Frankfort and finally Templehof in Berlin. The 4 of us lived with my mother-in-law and father-in-law in a one-bedroom apartment. All of our sightseeing was done with public transportation. Mutti only knew "hello" and "goodbye" in English, but Vatti was pretty good at it. In 2022 My son and I made a trip (the 12th one) and this time we flew into the new BER airport and stayed at a hotel. We relied on public transportation and only got lost once.