What's the hardest part of life in Germany?

We decided to head to one of the most international cities in Germany to ask Is life in Germany really better than where you come from!. We had so many people all over the world ask this question.

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[lennard]

With the Deutsche Bahn is a 10/10 in comparision to americas trains - americas trains must be fucked up badly ngl.
Was never in america but as i german i know Deutsche Bahn pretty well - atleast enough to know it well enough to avoid it at any cost.

[holger_p]

As a German, I would say the hardest part is the mood to complain about everything - sometimes with the intention to improve things, that's the core of german engeneering quality. But the permanent unsatisfaction can appear depressive by time. So I'm glad about some cultural "imports" who inspire how to enjoy life little more. ...starting with Connor beeing aware of the qualities of Deutsche Bahn, not with the odds.

[johnraggett]

I'm English. I moved from Switzerland to Leipzig ten years ago when I was 70. I have my pensions and a mini job at the International School. It's good to live in a city where people are friendly, a second language keeps my brain active and eight year old children can safely use the super public transport to go to school on their own.

[questionmark]

I think it makes a big difference whether people only study in Germany and then go back to their home country or whether they want to stay in Germany permanently. I think as a student you stay more in your bubble and look at the Germans from the outside, while as an immigrant who works there permanently you get more contact with German culture and look for your place in society. This will also affect the question of what the hardest part of life in Germany is.

[lenakohl]

"People don't think that I'm a german"
Guy with a youtube Channel: picks her for questions about living as a foreigner in Germany.

[gldom]

My biggest problem with Germany as a German is the darkness in the winter and the fact that our pension system is going to fall apart before i can make use of it. It`s really frustrating to give so much money as a 21 year old each month, well knowing i will get nothing in return and have to additionally safe way more while other generations where able to buy a house, have 3-4 kids and providing for the whole family alone sometimes. Today you can only dream of a good pension yet alone to buy a house with multiple kids (It is possible but only with very good payed jobs, while a few decades ago it was the norm). The trust in politics among young people is very low in Germany, and it`s for a reason.

[claud_b]

Pro tip for grocery shopping: Don´t bag your stuff at the checkout. Put them back in the shoppingcart and go to your car and THEN put your stuff in bags. Safes you a lot of stress!

[theFee]

I am foreigner living in Germany but originally from EU as well (Czechia). I don't think one can generalise living in Germany, because it's massive and every federal state is a bit different.
There are things that apply for whole Germany, but those usually apply for half of the Europe. That leaves us with few specifics.

Therefore biggest problem I have with Germany would be the resistance against digitalisation and automatization. Even my "eastern European" country has a working e-government. Just very few german banks offer good e-banking app. And it's not only about the system but as well the people (even so, obviously not all), who directly and intentionally hinder the progress in this area.

[brentlowert]

I like the guy who talked about student loans, listening to his gratitude puts the whole situation in a different light. thats Germany too and most Germans want to See only Bad Things...

[lwedel]

As an Aussie living in rural Germany I think the hardest part about living in Germany is the fact the supermarkets and shops are all closed on a Sunday haha. Seriously, there is this Saturday afternoon anxiety that sets in... "Oh SHIT I need to go shopping for food (or we will die)" feeling. When you have babies in nappies you are always hyper aware that the shops will be closed soon and you need to have everything sorted for baby needs and Monday morning sandwiches. It is stressful haha.

[Miss.Darina]

As a Ukrainian 🇺🇦 who came to Germany a couple months ago, I cannot put into words, how tearfully grateful I am. The country pays for my Integrationskurs, gives me some money, the volunteer provides me with a room. I'm going to study Deutsch first, then find a job and, maybe, have a baby here someday.
After you come from a country at war, all these "hardest parts" don't look so scary and annoying in real life. Just don't forget to appreciate things that really matter: your life, safety, developed economics and open-minded society.
Thank you Germany and Germans!

[chrisg]

I’m German🇩🇪 and I would say that, unless you’re at uni or at school or have small children, it’s really hard to form friendships. I went to a new city for a new job and it’s taken years to build a circle of good friends. And even now some of them move away and you have to kind of start over again. I wish people got a bit inspired by other nations who open up more quickly, even if it’s a bit shallow. But that’s just my personal experience. And my city is much smaller than Munich.

[reesofraft]

always fun to see the foreigners mentioning the fast cashiers at certain supermarkets.

[premrutaiphuksatawan]

As Thai who's living in Germany for 5 years, the hardest part is..
1. the language, it makes me feel less capable of many things like learning or making a conversation with german people when we gather in a group and i'm the only one foreigner, I kinda afraid if I understand something wrong or kept asking "wie bitte?".
2.Mindset, German are really straightfoward when they want to criticise something about you or someone else and they will say what they think without thinking about one another's feeling because in Thailand we always try to say something indirectly and hurt less.
3. Winter, it always dark here and I always get blue out of nowhere.
4. Appointment, you have to make an appointment for everything from seeing a doctor, cleaning, cooking even meeting someone because german likes to plan ahead for around 2 days to 2 weeks.
5.As an asain-looking person, i sometimes being discriminated at work from older generation colleages.

[JamieOGman]

Hardest part for me, living in Berlin, is that it's considered cool and trendy to be unfriendly and rude. Especially true for people who work in the service industry.

[StefanC]

If you are going to make a big (and loud) party, tell the neighbours about it. They are more understandable if they know about it. But usually not good to make it on a sunday, rather do it on friday/saturday.

[anmafr]

Im half german and venezuelan with curly hair and toned skin. People often asked where I come from but it is ok for me and I like it because I love to speak about Venezuela. Maybe just to explain that Venezuela is more than drugs, politics and the other bad news.

I live in a small village not so far away from France and nobody has ever asked me about my origin. Sometimes Im offended by this 😂

[gemjamjones]

Coming from Scotland, the winter here isn't that bad and the weather is pretty dry overall, where I am there's also almost no wind, its so strange to me! Worst part: Taxes, forms, any kind of beurocracy here is a nightmare, literally cried trying to understand the systems here.

[vetal]

Ich bin seit 22 Jahren in Deutschland und ich liebe das Land. Danke Germany!

[nisvetaninalang]

I live in Germany for more than 20 years now. The language was easy for me, but something else always made me feel like I could never really let go. It was hard meeting new people and making real friends. This is partly due to the culture and to a certain extent to the mentality of the Germans. That was something I had to understand first.