Recent searches
Search options
Administered by:
I came to Germany for three months to evaluate it for permanently moving here from the US.
In follow-up toots I'll write about my observations on the difference (to the US). But not as methodologically as I initially wanted. Previously, I wanted to write about my experiment in a diary style. But the moment has passed and I'll only write some pieces that come to mind as time goes.
The most obvious difference of lifestyle is the normal daily activity. Not because you wanted to stay active, but because of your lifestyle, living a normal life.
A typical week in the Bay area vs a typical day in Munich from the perspective of Google fit (counting my steps). In both cases, I went to the office everyday.
The infrastructure in the US is scarce, but inclusive. One of the first things I noticed about the US is accessibility of the infrastructure. For disabled people, much of the infrastructure is accessible. Maybe that's why we see more of them in the public.
That wasn't my observation for Germany. Many of the metro and train stations didn't look accessible for the disabled.
In terms of cultural blend, the effect of Arab and Turkish cultural influence on Germany resembles that of the south America to the US. Here you see middle Eastern food, shops, books while in the US you'd mostly encounter Mexican food, shops, signs, etc.
One interesting contrast though is that in the US, most low paying jobs are also taken by immigrants from south America while in Germany that wasn't my observation: you'd see many Germans also as cleaners, construction workers, etc.
You see a lot more patience in the US. People wait for one another to pass (in many situations) without doing something which indicates rushing others.
That's not the case in Germany.
I also love Americans' smile to the strangers when they cross pass. I know it's known as their fake smile, but I still like it.
Germans are more friendly to one another at work.
In the US work gets too serious. People prefer to make friends outside of work for various reasons. At work, they keep distance. They don't blend in. You even see they prefer to have lunch at their desk.
In Germany people even get together for post lunch coffee. This was the most strange to me. But very sweet too. I felt more welcome in our Germany office.
There are more local businesses in Germany. Not everything is a chain. There are still business owners running their business locally.
Also businesses are blended in the residential areas in a lot of cases. In the US houses and apartments are very separated from the businesses. Well, maybe not in the heart of the cities, but yes everywhere I've ever lived which also includes San Francisco.
The city plan in Germany focuses on having parks. That was also the case in Tehran. There is a park in walking distance of where you live. Parks are very active and are visited by diverse parts of the society (age, race, education, occupation).
The park concept is not the same in the US. Most of the time parks become somewhere you take your dog or your children. They are not as common and people leave there as soon as sun down.