Everytime I watch one of these channels where people from the US or Canada talk about Germany I'm amazed how positive they are about my country. When they start comparing Germany to their own country it's always: " I love the German directness and the green environment, the work ethic and the Healthcare. The Sundays are sooo quiet, and the recycling thing is awesome." It makes me appreciate my country even more. I think every German should take a look at those channels. We are really lucky to live here, and should do our best to maintain our country like this. Thank you Diana, for letting us know how much you like living in Germany.
Do T, I really learned to appreciate my country much more than (even) before through all those videos. I´ve seen a lot of bad things in other nations over the years but I generally was very critical over some things here too. I´m still very critical but I do appreciate the things we´ve got here. In fact one thing I´m proud by now is our view of history and being very critical of it. I always thoiught that may be a weakness - it´s the contrary, it´s one of our greatest strangths to question the past. Yes, I know not all view that the same way. But it saved our asses several times over the last decades.
@@fuxcsf1426 Oh yes! There´s still very much to do. This is far from perfect or even "very good". But see how far we´ve come so far. Anyway, there´s one thing I learned yesterday: let the perfect don´t be the enemy of the good (Beau of the Fifth Column).
I'm also from Canada, I lived in Germany for 15 years and I agree with you. I found that the german culture is focus on quality of life and the respect of others. The living norms might seem hard to swallow at the beginning but they are great. It is amazing how they shift from work mode to relax mode. There is hardly any shop talk after work. Also most cities grew from villages over hundreds of years. They are much more organic in their shapes and lifestyles. Each area of a big city is like a small town with its own main street, market and parks. Actually Montreal is a bit like this. As for friendship I like to take the example of doors (or level). In North America, we will talk about the weather on the bus stop that would be the first door. But we have a lot of different level or many doors. In Germany the first door is harder to open but the next one is farther away and if you open the second doors you just made a friend for life. Where in in North America you only get to the true personality of a person after you open the tenth or fifteens door. I really like they try really hard to live in line with their values. If they believe in something they will act respecting their belief. Example: You will never see a "green" eating at McDonalds or not doing is recycling. I respect that a lot they walk the talk.
I assume you mean by „ a green” a member or at least a voter of the Green Party. I’ve been voting green since I‘m allowed to vote and of course I eat at McDonald's ( maybe a veggie burger 😉) I‘m not being dogmatic...
As an Eritrean who's born and raised in Germany I really appreciate your comment. I've been a couple of times in North America and noticed that most ppl there don't get how Germans actually are. Funny some how that my sister who married an American and emigrated 20 years ago to the US became one of them, as if she never walked the talk in Germany, "Ooh, das ist ja so typisch Deutsch Bruderherz"🎻. Edit: I love your doors analogy, spread the message🙏🏿🇩🇪
Hmm, that two doors analogy sounds alot like northern germans. Habe you been in the north? Not every "german tribe" is like that, i don t judge that as good or bad, just want to say the cultures in germany are very diverse. I grow up in the mid-west (rhineland region) and studied 10 years in the north. Their coldness drove me crazy. It was a bigger culture shock than italy or spain, where i now live.
As a British person, I have to say, for any criticism, you have to respect the German people and state of Germany. They have a way of life that suits what they want and it is very effective economically. I dare say we can learn from Germany. Given the societal issues in the Anglosphere right now, adopting some German ways maybe very wise indeed. We need more rail transport solutions and better attitudes toward one another, as well as focus on skills and training. I'd settle for those three things.
I used to work with a man from Germany, J Mueller, a very fine form carpenter. A swell person to work with. He self taught himself the English language. It was he who inspired me to try to learn the German language.
Herzlichen Glückwunsch zum Geburtstag, liebe Diana, und danke für das wunderbare Video. Schön, dass du mehr Tiefgang, Selbstreflexion, Achtsamkeit und Umweltbewusstsein gewonnen hast und schon so sehr gewachsen bist! Durch Videos wie deines weiß ich mein eigenes Land mehr und mehr zu schätzen. Wir Deutschen tun uns ja recht schwer mit Patriotismus. Ich selber fühle mich mal als Deutsche mal als Westfälin, mal als Europäerin, mal als Weltbürgerin, ich zoome da hin und her. Ich bin auf jeden Fall dankbar, dass ich mein bisheriges Leben in Deutschland verbringen durfte, auch wenn es natürlich viele andere tolle Länder gibt. Ich bin sehr zufrieden hier.
I think the biggest things I learned from being in Germany for 2 and a half years is that I never truly was meant to live in Canada. of course it took months of adjusting to things here but once that was over everything about life here just made "more sense" than back home.
There is a lot to be thankful🤗 for in Germany! This land offers so much in terms of education, job opportunities and life quality. It has solid middle class and thriving economy, low criminality and unemployment. Not to forget its beautyfull landscapes in the North and in the 🌄Alps. So one can really enjoy life hear!
"beautyfull landscapes in the North and in the Alps". That's right. And in the middle, in the west and in the east. Mosel and Schwarzwald for instance. We can't compare with the big ones of the world, like Himalaya, Grand Canyon and so on, but it's still lovely. Sorry, I had to add that.
@@stephanteuscher6583 Hey Stephan, sure! You are absolutely right! Mosel vineyards as well! What a nice retreat and my personal place of power recharge🧘♀️
This was a very beautiful video Diana. I think very well said and probably your best one yet. I was looking for and expecting to hear explanations similar to this. It sounds like a bit more my type of society and virtues, despite whatever its positives and negatives are. I still would like to get there. I was born in the US and I’ve also been obsessed with language for quite some time. Also, happy birthday!
As a german teacher in the field of adult education I can tell about 3L, which means "lebenslanges Lernen" or lifetime learning. We are constrained to teach that things like candor, curiosity, self-confidence, positive error culture and so on are essential to live an independent life. With this in mind, I like that very nuanced and appreciative top 10 list!
In Germany Berliners are characterised as „Schnauze mit Herz“ (muzzle with a [golden] heart). Although, what you say about Germany is basically right, as far as directness and harshness is concerned, Berlin people take it to an extreme! You find a pretty much different, culture in Bavaria and again a different culture in the Ruhr area.
Ich liebe Berlin. Ich war fast überall auf der Welt aber für mich ist Berlin der Ort an dem ich mich immer wohlfühle und immer eine tolle Zeit habe. Lebe leider nicht dort aber verbringen viel Freizeit in Berlin . Urlaub und lange Wochenenden werden vorzugsweise dort verbracht.
I love how you approach the the topic! Living abroad comes with so many ways of getting to know yourself better! We might steal the idea for our channel ;)
this video was super special for you and CONGRATULATIONS ABOUT IT!!!! also, the fact that you have turned 30 years old and to have absorbed more experience along your 20's teach us and yeah, I'm feeling absolutely happy for you
In the past, to finish the apprenticeship and be accepted to work as a craftsman, you had to "wander" around and work in different towns and countries for a whole year without coming nearer than 50 km to home. In a time when there were no telephones...
Something to remember that in USA and Canada , there are larger areas and I think houses are farther away from eachother in North America , so neighbors have more space especially far from city centers...
Regarding 3) I think those Repair Shops are part of a trend to be a little less wasteful with our worlds recources again. Spending quite much effort for recycling trash, it somehow makes even more sence to repair things and keep them instead of throwing them away for recycling. Maybe in parts its also because we today get flooded with cheap new stuff, so people value those older "vintage" things more again that still can be repaired. It's nice oif your neighbours to bring you cookies, but in Germany it's als very normal, that people inform their neighbours before having a party. Same as we have those regular times when everyone is supposed to be silent, we also have our recommended procedures when making exceptions. Informing or even better inviting the neighbours when making a party is one of them. At point 7) I think you are wrong. Germans also like jokes, having fun, smiling and we do quite a lot of it. It just has to be real and authentic. So you are right when recommending to be oneself. If you make jokes and smile because thats's how you are its very fine. It just doesnt work if we sense its shallow like smalltalk or feels like you try to sell us something. Thinking about it, point 8) also is a bit "strange". What's being "firm on your opionion? My opinion is my opinion, if I change it, its still my opinion. So I guess what you really mean is "be honest about your opinion". At that point I think no german who tries to convice you of something minds to have success when you change your opinion. What we dont appreciate is, if people lie about their true opinion and always adapt to the people they talk too. The german expression for that is "anderen nach dem Mund reden". So I guess you can summarize some of your lessons to: "Be honest, authentic and be yourself and you'll be fine".
You’d make it everywhere Diana! It needs the right attitude what you are gifted with! For sure you are a greater enrichment for Berlin than vice versa!
It is actually allowed to do the laundry on a Sunday or to vacuum clean your appartement and nobody, at least in Berlin, should have a problem with it if you're doing it. Don't do drilling or hammering etc. on a Sunday...
thank you. no one over complained on me, my wash day is sunday, but i got this plastics thingies to put on the washing machine feeds to reduce the noise. and during the same time the machine works i do vacuum. no one did ever complain. but there is a rule, not at morning, or in the middle of the day when someone might take a little nap (it really depends on the building you are living in, i dont even hear my washing machine when im in the room next to it. and of cours your neighbors).
i think the sunday rule is a bit more relaxed now. It used to be very strikt but now, it’s okay if you vacuum or mow the lawn on sundays. If it bothers people they will usually say something
Don't get high of your supply...lol Nah, just kidding. Also the thing with the relaxed attitude I think and taking things slow, especially since I'm not in my 20s or even 30s anymore now
Sometimes, simplicity is better and less is more ...A German girl made me aware of this after meeting her in Malaysia in the national forest park ( called Taman Negara ...)
also as for changing yourself. I agree that you should not change who you are, but it always helps to know about that culture before hand and have a look around how everyone else is behaving. I find that especially northern americans or american especially to be very our culture is the right one, and completely disregard the customs of the country they visit or live in.
@@susa3672 According to the German law vacuum cleaning "noise" doesn't belong to noise, so it's actually a matter of agreement with neighbors whether to do it or not, howerver they cannot complain about it. In fact, you are even allowed to vacuum clean at night...
I moved to Berlin in 1995 after leaving the British army and I can tell you, Berlin was an absolute melting pot back then. Having lived in West Germany for a few years before moving to Berlin, I can confirm that a lot of the things you're describing are very specific to Berlin. Although I now live in the suburbs I've never lost that Berlin feeling, it's all about tolerance and acceptance, that's Berlin.
As a German (living in Lower Franconia), I'm a little confused about the 7th lesson. I mean ... we do laugh and have fun ... occasionally :D Would be a pretty sad place to live otherwise. Maybe the "problem" is, that we don't often do so with people we don't know ... or maybe it is just different in Berlin.
I've never heard about not doing laundry on sundays. Yes, you should be not very noiseful on sundays. But my contempary mashing machine just makes normal noises which are not incredibly loud.
It's a thing. But really only if you rent a flat in a multi-party house. If your a homeowner, you can do pretty much all you want...at least in your own four walls.
Thank you for your uploads and for sharing your experiences in Germany as I am always interested in learning more about other cultures and countries. As someone living in Ontario Canada in Toronto I can say there are various parts of the city that have beautiful large parks even more so in the eastern part of Toronto in Scarborough there is a park every mile or less as well as in the GTA (General Toronto area ) like in Mississauga where I am from so many parks bike paths etc. depending on the area. So you can only imagine what it is like in other cities such as Ottawa and London Ontario where there are less people more SPACE. We are truly blessed here as well, though I will admit sadly it is not a huge a part of the culture to enjoy and appreciate the outdoors as it is in a lot of European countries, this is partly because our winters are so long and often so cold. Also not to mention people living in Canada tend to work far more demanding jobs with long hours compared to Germany which makes it more challenging to "Relax". Further more I agree Canada is more of individualistic society. All though that sounds unrelated to enjoying nature it affects us as for example wanting to recycle, repair things or taking care of our community & belonging's is affected by the society's mindset. So even embracing nature can be altered by this point of view. This is the down side to being more self focused as we tend to be more wasteful with advertising buying and consuming more , also it influences how we interact with one another. However this greatly depends on the person or people as for example the people living my in my building speak to their neighbor's and help each other out. I personally strongly believe in taking care of the environment and getting the most use out of everything I buy, exploring nature as often as I can and helping others questioning things and keeping an open mind. So with that being said you can create a your own version of how you want to live or your own lifestyle regardless of whether it is big part of your culture or not and you can step outside of your comfort zone without needing to move any where else it depends on your perception. That being said I truly believe we can learn from these European countries and they can also learn from us as there isn't a single country that is perfect including Germany.
German here, your old-ass essay shall not go unacknowledged! Idk much abt Canada life, im just assuming its like USAs, only more polite, with less guns, colder and maple syrup. That said, i appreciate the input, but squinted bc wym 'people living in Canada tend to work far more demanding jobs with long hours compared to Germany '? I'd assume we both have similar waging issues going on (social jobs and craftsmen stuff being very rough and demanding but unfair) so im wondering now how bad is it rly?
Hey my friend hope you are well and having a great day so far. Nearly the weekend yeah. Great to see you again. We really appreciate your knowledge and expertise with us really useful indeed. Happy birthday hun hope it went well. Stay safe and take care my friend catch up again soon God bless you 🙏❤️👍
Germany may not have a pleasant and easy money economy but I rather work there because of civil life and the services there are unique, easily available and values science and welfare and everything to do with a person life... If It’s easy money? Where do I live and work to start there? Happy passed birthday Diana verry 🎂 🎈 It’s because of you, I’m planning to move there even if I don’t know the language & the people there can be lenient to beginners and working migrants like me....
The thing with the loudness is that there are many many loud moments you can avoid with small simple tricks. One example out of my house where I live. We have an underground car park. My appartment is straight above these area. The door to the garage is a heavy fire door WITHOUT a pneumatic door closer(its not allowed on a fire door). The one thing that drives me crazy is the fact that we all have two healthy arms and hands but some people are not able to take the doorknob into their hands to shut the door quiet. No, they walk through the door and let the door slim very loudly into the lock. After me the deluge. And we have Germans and Spanish people in the house. Same with the roll tops. Some people shut them normal, some people let them fall down loudly. But I will never understand why on earth. They must be VIP´s. Maybe they think about themself: When you can´t see me you must hear me.😤
#10 is really the biggest. In a nutshell it also means: do leave your nest, do not stay with your parents after you're grown up. ... Sometimes i met people who never left the place they were born in, and it was always easy to see they lack a way of understanding people that are different, come from other countries or cultures. I found that alsways so sad.
Berlin came into existence by the merge of Villages around Berlin, which used to be what is now the district of Mitte and that's why it has the small city vibe as you put it, for example Schoeneberg was farmland a 100 years ago.
Hi Diana, just stumbled across your channel. Interesting. Just a few thoughts as a German having lived in different countries - presently in Portugal - and about double your age🤪 Some of your changes in personality may have to do more with growing up 😉😉 than living in Germany, eg shopping or love of nature I moved from Germany to Portugal for exactly the same reasons: I would compare here with Germany as you compare Germany to Toronto. So even more relaxed and friendly here... Finally a remark also for your audience: you will always stay a foreigner in another country and while respecting local culture it is no use to pretend otherwise. But that also gives you a lot of freedom because nobody expects you to be exactly like your neighbours. People accept and expect differences and my Portuguese friends would rather laugh at me trying to be more Portuguese than they themselves
Alles alles Gute zum Geburtstag und weiterhin alles alles Gute. Ich wünsche Ihnen, daß Sie und Ihr Freund auch dauerhaft in Deutschland eine neue Heimat finden werden. Gruß aus Freising / München. Michael
Servus and big happy birthday Diana!! Your wonderful channel gaves us a lot of wonderful lesson as well. I appreciate your meanings and opinions a lot and i always learned something. Berlin is original founded as a city of two and fine combination of a lot more that let that city grow so much. The names of the district shows that and gives you the opportunity of an city centre of it's own.
@@DianaVerry your well and clear spoken videos give me the opportunity to improve my English a lot more at home, on my rides and also on vacation. A big, big thanks to you 👍!!
Late happy birthday, Diana. Interesting topics, interesting opinions. Hehe, you've been quite Germanized. Gummibaum, take time to make friendships, be direct, be strong, etc.
Meine Gross Opa Vatter ist von Berlin. My great grand father id from Berlin, He married a woman from Paris France, I have some native american ancestry in my family tree. His last name was Breuer.!.
I'D really like to see TORONTO. Only saw snippets on KIM's CONVENIENCE. And DEGRASSI HIGH Canada was my lifetime companion, used to listen to RCI on short wave (Radio Canada International), cause I could NOT pick up Armed Forces Radio at night where I lived. One day in 1975, the weather was in METRIC - celsius all of a sudden, I thought I was hard of hearing or something. Did not quite comprehend what was happening. Of course, you grew up, Diana, with metric, but I still remember pre metrification days in CANADA. Imperial measurements. Just a trivial story, but in the pre internet days, short wave radio was like your window to the world, and CANADA definitely opened that window to their country to the world. Now that short wave is kind of extinct now, you have become that ambassador in regards to German-Canadian friendship by sharing your stories. In any event, wish you and your life mate / boyfriend all the best in GERMANY and I am happy you like it here. Particularly in our city. You contribute a lot to many people on YT. Thank you for being you.
Is today your birthday?? (I noticed this in the comments) Happy birthday, Diana!! (You should make a video on the differences on how people celebrate their birthday in Germany, especially their 30th (there are a few that come to my mind..))
All the best for your next "forever 29" year. And you said it right YOU are growing, making decisions and evolut (?) yourself. The german surroundings only pushed you a bit on this side and then hold on the other from time to time. It was all in you just from the beginning. But you are not germanized!! You're "Berlinized"!!!! 'Cause the open secret is : outside that Berlin bubble the people are not that grumpy and sullen (now they hate me😉). They would have invited you to join them, instead of giving you some old and dry "de Beukelars" left overs from last christmas.😂 In the end all that matters is being happy. (and to keep on filming).....
Belated best wishes. Especially some women flip out when they get 30, 40, 50, 60 or whatever, but it is more important to age with dignity. It is a nice video as every time. I am glad that you are now able to cope better with the German characteristics and getting along with your neighbors.
In the defence of women: The biological clock is a thing. If part of your wishes for live is a family with children, and you hit a milestone and you realise that it hasn't happened yet or might never happen (once you hit 40), it can be difficult to deal with this realisation.
Happy birthday!! 30 was a huge one for me as well. I was a first time mom and trying to figure out where our lives were going. Now, three years later I'm working hard on my TEFL certification to try and find work and move to Germany. I want my son to have some really different life experiences than I did and I know I just can't do that as easily here in the US.
Just be prepared for a lot of health issues, after 30 they just pop up out of nowhere!! Especially if you sleep bad : D Today I read about a girl who made a funeral for her youth on 30 birthday : D I had a party, lots of friends, bonfire, music, alcohol and it was super fun (at least the parts I remember hehehhe). Happy being old!!! ; )
Diana, it is always good when you learn new things in a new country. Unfortunately modesty isn´t one one of them. Compared to other vlogs you still are very hectic and loud. And if you really want to go out of your comfort zone, go to India, Liberia, Mongolia or the native Indians in the USA. And learn the language! Until now you are only living in your Diana-bubble in Berlin. And start reading some books - eg about the history of Berlin - so you can tell why there is so much space in Berlin.
Happybirthdaytoyouhappybirthdaytoyouhappybirthdaydear DIANA happybirthdaytoyou . YEAHHHHH❤🎇🎇🎈🎈🍧🍨🍰🍸🍻🍺 I told my mother on her 50th birthday that I don't want to get as old as her and she said to me : I am having the best time of my life right here right now. 😊
Don't take sundays too serious,, i do my laundry always on Sundays. But it probably depends on your neighbors. I do appreciate quite Sundays, but common sense is needed. If someone is even drilling for a few minutes nobody cares, but if somebody does it the whole day, someone will most likely ring your bell
About friendship..i know when i befriend people i always gonna be there for them and help them out when i can. I don't like fakery. Good thing most of the people I friend with aren't fake
Berlin is Germany's greenest city, so they say. And having lived there for seven years, I'll sign that. Munich and Regensburg (or Ratisbon, if you like) are also nice, but can't compete. Alright, Ratisbon has the bigger river, the Danube, Munich has the bigger churches, but Berlin has, even in these virus-ridden times, the most lovely social events.
Bravo!! Very well said. Carry on Dierry/Deary... :-)> My lifes lesson: Don't stop learning, don't always agree with what you're told, find out for yourself/your way... Stay true to yourself.
@@waelfaraj6705 It really depends on the situation and the person. Most "get to know each other" opportunities happen in controlled settings...ie parties. But even German "small talk" tends to have some substance..ie you talk about movies, books and similiar, but you also figure out if you have common interests, and once you hit one, you have a deep conversation about it.
As a German I'd say yes, it'll take some time in most cases. But I'm pretty sure that you can become friends with a German more quickly, if there is a strong connection and a lot of similar interests to talk about or at least one specific similar interest, like a very particular hobby. Talking about the weather is probably not going to work.
I'm German and I joke around all the time. That doesn't mean, I wouldn't not take things seriously when I needed to. Maybe it's a bit because you're in Berlin. The people there (at least the "natives") are known to have a bit of a harsher mentality than the rest of Germans do.
Happy belated B-day! Im turning 31 innn 12 days... yeah... It sure is a weird feeling not to be in the 20s anymore. But It is essentially exactly the same. We are just putting some additional pressure on our minds, unnecessarily. 28 and 31 is basically the same shit hah, so youre allowed to feel like you're still in your late 20s.
I've lost myself in German culture. No more smiling in public. It's just seen as weird, so I restrain myself. It's so sad that when I see someone smiling in public, I think, now, "What is wrong with that person, are they demented?" No more complimenting my friends for the things I love about them .Cuz they'll think of me suspiciously. How sad. Often I see a fellow shopper at Aldi and I want to ask where she got her awesome pants but ......there's no way I'd approach someone and compliment them on their pants. *sigh* I never noticed a difference in my body at 30. At 40, yes, it's starting to change.
Why don't you just keep the habits you like and add only those parts of the culture that are better for you? This would be more efficient and Germans understand if you explain.
A) Compliments to friends: "Thank you for being there, I love your way ..." is a reserved way of expressing the joy of friendship and emphasizing a special personal aspect that inspires you. Just don't mention it every time, but get started right away when the situation arises. B) Asking someone you don't know about their purchases or the like: "Excuse me, I'm looking for .., and you have / are wearing .... Would you please tell me where you bought this?" You usually get a polite and respectful answer.
Sorry Diana, so you moved over from Canada to Berlin and you think that Germany is all over the same. Where I live it is quite common to have a chit-chat with other people at the bus-stop or in the grocery store. I as a German would consider you to be superficial if you just learn certain topics in order to be able to held a conversation; I prefer holding coversations with people who are real and truthfully into that subject. Diana, I have to apologize that I have made my comments without having watched all of your video. I wish you good luck and take care of yourself.
where is that happen? im german i can imagine that this is not a city or it is a MARK a MARK is between a Village and a City it depends how much people live in
