Unfortunately most Americans can’t afford to travel. Unlike Europe where there’s many countries all connected or very close, Americans (I’m including all of America continentally), have to cross oceans to get to the rest of the world and it’s not cheap. Even flying within our country isn’t necessarily cheap.
Stop thinking America is superior, however they have saved Europe a few time including right now and that is not necessarily a bad thing. But their food is very bland.
Oscar Wilde famously took a trip on HG Wells time machine to the early twentieth century and heard French Premier George Clemenceau say this and then he claimed he said it first.
Wasn’t it that “America is the only country that has gone from youth to senility without ever achieving maturity”. It now even has a very senile President!
I'm an American living in Sweden for the past 48 years. Everytime I visit the US I discover a new level of degradation. It is so sad that the oppotunity to better the general publics quality of life is NEVER on the political agenda only look after yourself and give a damn about anyone else. I don't know where I'd be if I'd stayed in the States, having a chronic disease and also re-educated to change careers mid-life. So glad I ended up here in Sweden.
Bro I'm 33yrs old born and raised here in Sweden, quality of life has only gotten worse over time. You may find it pretty good here now but considering how we've had an abundance of most things to now be indebted for decades ahead, is pretty bad. Our socialist governments have merely been pretty successful in portraying green fields, acceptance and tolerance, etc. It's all illusory, within a decade we'll be a third world country too.
I would tell that the only reason protecting 1st-world countries from becoming 3rd-world countries was the existence of 2nd-world countries (whose almost don't exist anymore)
As a Swede this was a good way to remind myself to be grateful for the things I complain about on a daily basis - such as our public transportation systems - as they could be so much worse.
In order not to have public services degrade, I can recommend to keep complaining. It may actually improve things if you complain enough and nag your local politicians about it with a group of likeminded people.
Yes, but we have to guard our good social system. The swing to the right in the last election and joining NATO, could be just as bad for us as George W Bush was for the US. Let's hope little Ulfie is more like Senior Bush.
I just came back from a three week trip to Western Europe. Unfortunately I had to experience emergency rooms in two different countries during the trip. It was a truly shocking experience. America, at least as regards emergency medicine, is a third world country- and I am probably insulting third world countries. Medicine centered on patients and doctors rather than insurance companies is a completely different universe. I had an Algerian taxi driver tell me that healthcare is even better (and more comprehensive and cheaper) in Algeria than in Ireland. It’s not just fast food and stress that explains our short lifespans and overall poor health. Our healthcare system is purpose-built to fail us while also bankrupting us. How in hell did we let this happen?!
Because they were bombarded with false advertising. Because fear was instilled and they accepted everything as if it were the best, the safest, the most democratic, the freest. When a lie is repeated daily everyone believes it to be the truth.
It's not just the medicine. If you go out for a meal the staff will be begging you for cash 'so they don't starve, because their boss barely pays them'. Education is so laughable that exams are actually multiple choice, you have the answer in front on you for all questions, and could (theoretically) pass by chance. With no proper employment rights, no real healthcare, and poor education - of course it's a third world country. It is the richest 3rd world country, though.
In the United states people were led to believe in a narrative that universal health Care and free college education is a communist Idea. But in fact many western countries that are Just as capitalist have those. They are interrelated issues because one thing that drives up the cost of healthcare is the cost of educating professionals.
"How in hell did we let this happen?" - well, because you feel universal health care is "socialist"? You people only allow "socialism" in things that you really care for, like the military... I guess you don't care so much about your own population.
I have worked in the service industry in Europe and I feel a lot of empathy for service workers in the U.S. especially in fast food chains. The amount of verbal abuse I have received even with a zero tolerance policy in place has been traumatising. I cannot imagine what workers go through when "the customer is always right" is the rule. Also tipping as wages system is absurd. If a business cannot afford to pay its staff wages then it should not be a business. Tips should be a show of appreciation, not something to live on. I really appreciated your perspective and cultural observations 😊
In Scandinavia your wages are regulated by law. The Worker's Unions are protecting worker's rights, and each year they demand that wages are regulated to match inflation. Roughly 5 to 8%, in Norway. Tipping is common in restaurants, but it's not mandatory. Curtesy is king. "May I have..." , or "I'd like (so and so), please", will win you a friend. L😘ve from Norway 🇧🇻
• I’m originally from Canada. I moved here 25 years ago and I never met a rude or mean American. I’m actually surprised that first person is lying like that. You have clearly never been to America if you actually believe we are rude. Every foreigner that actually comes here actually says that Americans are nice and easy to talk to.
@@ninaelsbethgustavsen2131 You're mostly right, but wages are not regulated by law in the Nordic countries. The minimum wage is literally nothing, but at least in Sweden we have traditionally had strong unions which makes up the so-called "Swedish model" and makes wages relatively high compared to many other countries. It's a problem though that too few are members of the unions nowadays (which makes the threat of strike and other methods weaker), combined with politics that makes the rich richer and removes bits of the employment safeties we have had. This has lowered the overall raising of wages and now more people have to work more than one job.
I had the same experience. Pretty much zero culture shock when I went to Europe, but coming back was like, wtf this country actually sucks pretty bad. Moved to Europe permanently ten years ago and never even came close to regretting it.
I was in the US for three months. Got to see quite a bit considering I traveled for a month on a bicycle. The US is a dumpster fire. There are obviously good things there but in general it's a third world country with huge military spending. I met a lot of nice people but I was also left with quite a bit of distaste. Distaste in a sense that China is also a hell hole and Russia as well. But for simplification I limited my examples to three superpowers or, well, two superpowers and their retarded alcoholic cousin, Russia. The final verdict? We're not in good hands as it currently stands.
it got worse in the US since 9/11....was there 1999 for work and 2013 in the same region. everything degraded and i can only imagen that this trend goes on and on and on
It's funny how most ppl when they're kids want to go to US but when we grow up we realize it's really not that great, it's actually far worse for a lot of reasons.
@@nenadpopov3601 The United States used to be better place to live than basically all European countries. That is why people wanted to migrate there. But the thing is Europe learned from the United States whereas the USA stopped learning from others and stagnated in terms of social development.
My American friend, a teacher, was SHOCKED to see what we serve as free lunch for school kids here in Finland. Fresh food with proper nutritional balance. She took plenty pictures.
Americans are extremely ignorant and stubborn and when it comes to food. Even when pilot program for “healthy” food were being implemented, we all rioted and protested about how inhumane it is. Many of us complained about being left with hunger. Why? Because most of the students wouldn’t even eat most of the offerings, only picking through the parts they liked. Eating the vegetables was seen as part of a Marxist grand agenda to some parents. I’m telling you.. Americans are so dumb in that regard! However I will say, gen z seems to finally be faring better when it comes to openness to trying new foods. Social media has been good at exposing and desensitizing them in that regard. Too bad we’re still dumb and cheap
@@JaharNarishma needless socialist ideas. This is because of the perpetrated idea that kids are "going hungry" in sweden has been recently making headlines in media. It's all socialist brainwashing
I am English and have lived in Florida for a year and a half . I couldn’t wait to get home . I met some wonderful people but mostly I was faced with ridiculous questions about where I was from and then straight into how I must want to stay on in the US now I have seen it close up . As kind as I was when I explained that I wouldn’t want to permanently live in the US I found myself feeling extremely uncomfortable when faced with statements, such as “America is the best country in the world, why wouldn’t you wanna live in it?” . It was painful to be constantly surrounded by people that never left the country, and had no concept of the world. Outside of the state they lived in. The television gave me headaches, because of all of the constant advertising, and the high-speed sales pitch of everything news, advertising, or just general entertainment. I witnessed several murders and listen to the sound of gunfire every week. I tried never to offer my opinion anything to do with American culture as what would seem a friendly conversation would instantly turned sour at any hint of criticism. The food was horrific and I was constantly feeling, as if I needed something that didn’t agree with me but could not explain what it was. On my return to England, I realised that our food has not been saturated with preservatives and chemicals. That was the cause of my constant nausea. I really missed subtlety of humour. As I said, I really didn’t meet some wonderful Americans. And it’s not all bad, just the food and the lack of healthcare and the lack of social care, and the lack of education, and the lack of any understanding of anything outside of the United States.
To be honest ... Amen, I had the complete same experience (not from the UK). My feeling was the constant insecurity. I'm a Boomer (as people like to call it these days). The only place I ever saw a gun, rifle, assault weapon ... was in 1983 when I was in the army until I got to the US. After all these years, I still cannot get my head around that one.
You should have come to Miami. We have a nice bubble of sanity safe from the rest of Florida. The only issue is how expensive the city is. But if you have middle class income it is definitely worth not being surrounded by people that don't even have a passport.
I"m an American who's lived in France for 20 years and I definitely experience reverse culture shock when I go home and I go to a restaurant. The servers checking in on you every 5 to 10 minutes definitely makes you feel like you are being rushed. It's the opposite in France where the wait staff pretty much leave you alone after your food has been served.
@@therealwan Oh yeah! I have experienced much of the reverse culture shock you talked about in this video, from the USA restaurant staff rushing you to the food in America being trash. All true ! Plus, the train system in France is very similar to what you described about Sweden. Good video. Subscribed !
I’m from Sweden and its comforting to hear your opinion about food, because on my visits to the us food was a big issue for me. It was so hard to find anything I wanted to eat.
that's because most American farms are industrial companies... they also use pesticides that are banned in most EU countries (Glyphosate from Monsanto... which was once owned by the US, now owned by Bayer in Germany. Guess what is banned in Germany? Glyphosphate.)
I have a USAmerican friend who has lived here in Ireland for several decades now. Every time she went back to the US to visit family she was always ill despite trying to always eat organic vegetables and breads. When she came home she would take a couple of weeks to recover and then she was back to her normal health despite eating ORDINARY fruit and vegetables and only organic meat here. So not even the ORGANIC food is safe to eat which is a very worrying issue.
@@TheSorrowedMan I had a burger a few years ago in McDs here in Ireland and the meat was actually ok. They use 100% pure Irish beef which is high quality so at least that's good.
My boyfriend and I stayed in Germany for a few weeks last year. We went to see a German friend I met while she stayed here in the US for a few months. It was our 1st time abroad and we loved it. We prefer the slow paced dining environment in Europe. I couldn't believe how efficient public transportation was. It was so easy to get around, we took a train from Munich to Salzburg, Austria for a day trip! We are planing to travel abroad more. Great video!
I was lucky to live in Germany in the 80’s. Those were great times and they were sad times, sad because those eleven years were going to end and Britain would beckon? And it did in 1984. Today I relive those wonderful years, where everything worked and everyone behaved with respect for their neighbourhood: no litter; no noise during the night or early morning and no avoidable excess noise in between! A part of me wishes I had never been privy to that civilisation,but on the other hand quite likely I would not know any better and this would be unfortunate.
Public transport in Germany is in a crisis, especially the long-distance trains. Go ask the Germans. They envy some of their neighbours for having a better service. ICE trains are ALWAYS late.
@@therealwan Same issue with many (not all) people native to Russia, especially the sovitized people. They just don't care about things nor nature - they just drop things (like trash, sunflower seed kernels, cigs etc) where they fall when they're outside own 4 walls. As if they had cleaners following them ...
Oh please, try to get on a bus in big city (small ones don't have PT anyways :-D), like in LA I was looking for needles before I sat down (don't need to catch a jaundice or sth worse...) The bus was so dirty and trashed, unbelievable! When I asked the driver about a wifi he looked at me like I had two heads and went on driving. It was the most humiliating experience really. American PT is horrible and very dangerous.
As a European I like to think that the biggest difference in 'hustle culture' is the attitude towards bills. In the US people commonly say 'I got bills to pay (so I go work every day)'. In Europe we don't say it that way. We say: 'First work, then see what you can spend.' We work certain hours and make a certain amount of money, so there's only so much we can spend. If you can't afford your bills make sure you reduce your bills, not work more. I think it's also due to the payment system. We don't pay with a creditcard, we use a debet card. We can only spend the money we actually have. It seems like in America it's more like: I spend money, I get into debt with my credit card company and now I have to work to pay the bills or (credit card) debt. That way everyone tends to spend more than they really can afford, and so they constantly need to look for side hustles. In general I think things in the US are not much more expensive, so that doesn't make much of a difference in hustle culture. Possibly the low minimum wage and tipping culture does, but I believe it's more due to the general attitude towards work, money and bills, and the particular order they come in. Of course debts happen in Europe too, but things like 'credit score' are not really a thing here. If you are in debt, you must have made some kind of financial mistake. Basically the only things you get loans for are student loans and a mortage. Not your daily costs of living. (By the way, healthcare and education are not free. They are financed in a different way and therefore much cheaper, but they're not free. For example in my country you pay monthly health insurance based on your income, and as a result you don't have to pay when you need healthcare, but that doesn't mean that you never payed for it. That also means that when you get sick, you don't have to find side hustles to pay your hospital bills. Unexpected high costs contribute to hustle culture. I guess in Europe costs are more predictable, but definitely not zero. )
I never knew other countries don’t use credit scores. Here In the US people spend what they don’t have. Which is why we just reached a new all time high of consumer debt In US history… 17 TRILLION DOLLARS🤯
Many European countries, like Sweden, does not have any minimum wage. Minimum wages has the effect of allowing employers to just set the salary at the minimum level and thus disregard the actual market conditions.
@@therealwan Actually Sweden does use credit scores but they are based on more your ability to pay as in that you are not overextended ( you are not rewarded in your credit score for more debt rather the opposite) and yes majority of people have a credit card but most people don’t have more than 2000-10 000 dollars in credit card debt
I’m sorry if this is weird, but as a Swede I feel really proud that you lived in Sweden out of all countries you could have picked. I hope you enjoyed your stay here. I’m surprised you think the trains are good, most Swedes complain about them because they’re bad in comparison to other EU countries, I guess we don’t know how good they are in comparison to the US trains.
I live in the UK and the trains are adequate but getting more and more expensive with less and less trains running. They are so overpriced you are cheaper to get a flight which is just horrendous for C02 emissions. The UK government have been useless in upgrading the rail infrastructure and with no incentives to use them. They are only interested in overpriced vanity projects like HS2 that is basically just lining wealthy peoples pockets with tax payers money and it is only going to benefit a part of the country.
@gibroon4418 We're living under, over a decade of, tory austerity with a political class so encaptured by an aversion to public works that labour sabotaged their only candidate in living memory to want to make the life of the average brit better. Also we've left Europe. I need to get my Irish passport and get off this rock.
The most surprising thing is that average Americans BELIEVE they live in the best, greatest, most free country in the world. That’s only possible when you never travel or look with a open mind to other countries. This mentally makes it harder to learn or get better as a society
I would like to know why everybody comes to America and stays. I see other countries and I am amazed at the beauty. I don't travel but If America sucks, why do people give up everything to come here to live. The answer is important because what lacks in all of these beautiful, clean, friendly counties is most important.
@@Lee-fb4oj From these comments it does not seem like "everybody comes to America and stays." In 1960 84% of all immigrants to USA were born in Europe or Canada. However, today, there are less than 13% of immigrants who originated from Europe or Canada. My daughter has MS and she could never live in the USA. Her twice yearly medication costs $US40,000 per dose. What insurance company would cover that for her? Of course, it is free here, as are all her other routine medications, her physical therapies are subsidised and she lives independently because of her preventative treatments! I wouldn't give up my paid rights of employment or superior health care system, or the delicious food to go to the USA and risk being shot at in a church or at a folk festival, or to get too fat to sit in a seat on a plane to go back home! The USA is the business head of the world's economy with a huge focus on profits. Foreign companies sometimes find it lucrative to set up branches in the USA where they can pay their workers the same pittances as USA workers compared to what they are forced to pay in their own countries. Governments in most European countries ensure that paying employees a decent wage and receiving basic conditions like paid holidays and sick leave, maternity AND paternity leave and public holiday pay is guaranteed.
@@jayjones7891 chetnicks are tricky, they have no shame or moral. Once hell breaks loose, ull be happy that you are in the US in your warm bed. Bloodshed thats happening in ukraine will look like a joke for how bad it can escalate here. Im croatian, lived thru war in 90s, so if i dont know, noone does. If you do not believe me, there was a video on youtube of chetnicks shoothing with snipers even on the UN peace personel and killing two of them. Now, you can claim and moralize that 'not every person is the same' and you would be right. But im just giving you the statistics, you dont have to accept it, but you will remember my words when they send you to pick up dead kosovar civilians and few chetnick mines blows your convoy up. Also, when there was truce and while our city was under siege, chetnicks bombed with aviation the main hospital in city, where all the pregnant women and newborn babies were stationated, hoping they will have atleast 0.1% of soul and wont bomb it. I know that, seen it with my own eyes, cuz i was in that hospital with mom and a newborn brother. If those are chetnicks, kosovars are the same or a bit worse, they even have a term "blood grudge". And this is not only for movies, its real, very much so
When I visited the US in Lakeland FL, I felt unsafe walking down to the grocery stores from my hotel. I wanted the opportunity to do a walk exercise. I also saw people carrying guns😮 in a mall in Tampa, that terrified me coming from England. I think that's why everyone prefers to drive. The food in restaurants was hugely intimidating and unhealthy, extra large portions, with lots of fizzy sugary drinks and coloured sauces! I felt sorry for the Americans, who seemed nice, embellished by the culture matrix of the American Dream, and stressed out due to the pressures of living out the dream!
@@therealwan Americans ought to travel more to other countries to learn as for example British have from around the world. It will be good for them culturally and politically
I spent time in Sarasota a few years back and my impressions were very similar. I was expecting all of Florida to be like Miami, but that part of Florida was something else!
Hej! As a Swede, I really appreciated this video. Sometimes I don't think I can fully understand how everyday life is in America, so it's always interesting to listen to that perspective.
The public transport thing was always bizarre to me. From the UK stayed all over Europe and Japan,Korea and all of them have a working public transport system that can get you anywhere in the country while US does not. I worked in Colorado for a year and without a car you'd never be able to go anywhere at all. Even in cities that have good public transport like Chicago or New York it's bare bones and only gets you around one city with multiple trains needed. If you want to go to other cities or states you have to drive or fly there which is crazy to me, the train system barely exists. All these other places I worked I can go anywhere without too much trouble and even across Europe as you say by train if I want to.
@@therealwan I have the same wish. However, I think that the US has waited too long to invest in good passenger rail infrastructure. I expect that driverless cars will eventually be what the US uses for transportation since roads are our existing infrastructure. That might take another 20 years.
From what I've heard, the US actually had a pretty decent railroad system but with time and cars becoming more available to the citizens, they starting building highways. Apparently you can still find old railroad tracks underneath some highways.
I always remember vividly my time visiting Memphis in the early 2000s. Trying to explain to the hotel reception that I wanted to get to Graceland using a bus was met with uncomprehending blankness. Particularly, (and I hate to mention it but feel its true), because I am a middle-class white male they kept repeating they would call a taxi. In the end I wandered around (thinking, how the flip do I even cross the road, there's no underpaths!) and found a helpful lady in a tourist info booth who pointed me in the right direction. In the UK you give the driver your money and you get change so I stood by the driver while he tried to ignore me until another helpful lady sorted me out (giving me the 10c I needed as I didnt have any change!) It was all great fun. When I got back the reception staff were aghast when I described the areas I was walking around.
…. After spending only 3 weeks in Italy, I can identify with what you are saying. Food is so very good everywhere you go and so fresh. As a Canadian, we have some elements of what is standard in Europe (health care) but it seems so much easier to be healthy in Europe. Walking and food shopping daily is standard in Europe - Here in North America, we drive to the fridge, lol!
I’m glad you enjoyed your time in Europe. Experiencing the cultural differences must have been a big eye opener. When I was young I moved from north to south Europe. The cultural differences even within Europe were massive. That was one of my best life experiences. I think everyone should travel and experience a foreign country at least once in their life, because the world has so much more to offer than most of us realise until we experience it ourselves. A European.
Thanks for watching!! It’s eye opening that traveling broadens your perspective to things you wouldn’t have imagined before. I can imagine there was a big difference going from north to south Europe since you are moving from country to country.
@@therealwan it's also eye-opening to show strangers, tourists and newcomers your home place, i LOVE walking my couch-surfers around because i see my town with "new eyes" thanks to them
Oh man you are so right on with all of this. I've been living in Barcelona for 6 years and I returned to the States last week just for a couple of days. It was like traveling to a completely different, aggressive and racist reality. It was really hard to take. Yuck. I'm glad to be back in my barrio where we're not afraid to be nice to each other. I hope things improve in the US, those folks deserve to live better than they do.
@@tripleaaakollektiv870 What do you mean Spain and racism? Never heard of, except for the situations in various football games and such. Ahh and the Conguitos, that sure is racist as heck. Come to think of it, I must say you are quite right
Funny. That was my experience living in Spain being Swedish. So racist over there. And the stories I got from this Argentinian woman I dated for a while as well with how she was being treated was insane.
The USA is absolutely the most racist and hateful country I have ever lived in. People get murdered for how they look. Beaten up. Threatened on a scale incomparable to any other country. Doesn't matter what you are. Everyone gets harrassed. I know. I grew up there. I left 20 years ago. Best decision I ever made in my life.
This is something I think about a lot. I grew up in the US and came over here for a research year for college. I ended up staying, getting married and settling here. I don't go back home often so 23 years later and my entire adult life really is steeped in living over here. I don't even remember my social security number anymore! And I think, I wonder if I would be actually able to adult in America if you just plucked me up from here and dropped me down in any random place in America? I'm honestly not sure if I could! These are all such legit observations you've made you were only away for 8 months - spot on with all of them, man. You're a real one 👍👍👍 I'm hitting that subscribe button!
I've lived in 7 different countries including the US for 4 years. Even though I loved my time there you are spot on about people being rude and generally more tense. I passed through New York on my way to Toronto recently and there was a tangible difference in atmosphere. The people in Canada felt a lot more welcoming and relaxed.
A Brit, I lived in te US for 20 years (I also had 5 years in uppsala Sweden before that). I recognise all that you say. Now back in the UK, my top 3 are food, walking (we have sidewalks in every neighbourhood) and healthcare not being profit/insurance driven.
Food? Most UK has horrible food 🤢 I’m like 10 years in uk and can’t get used to it still.well USA has it even worst,GMOS and so on that are forbidden in Europe
@@sock2206 Brits say pavement, right? I agree...good use of the word "sidewalks"! And I truly wish we had more of them in my quaint rural town. I use the school track quite a bit, but you get tired of walking in circles!
@@ligaskirbauska8652 I was in the UK for a few weeks and there was so much sugar in everything, the bread was puffed up in a bad way and milk tasted like it was mostly water. Kellog's mini cereal packages over there are also absolute garbage, how can they feed that to kids.
@@leetleteapot9617 yeah,too much sugar,salt to change taste of tasteless crap in general.Not much healthy options.Fruit and Veg are pathetic flavour sense.But they pretty much are used to it,same Americans are used to their crap and only see different when go abroad,eat proper quality and then can compare and realise what crap they been eating all lives.I work in food industry,constantly fighting for my product quality,tired of it..can’t even get decent tasting potatoes in this country cos they destroy them buy way they storage and transport them(in cold,frost bitten they turn into sweet and then more salt you need to add and never will get decent taste anyways.Veg and fruit go fast bad cos of it too,so we are forced to buy more often,nothing like being able to storage same carrots,cabbage,potatoes for 6 month(as it should be) it all will go bad in less than week cos they messed up process and it’s done on purpose..And I don’t even wanna talk about crap food like Kellogg’s ,that ain’t food,giving that 💩 to kids is in my eyes giving them diabetes,cancer,obesity and premature death
Been living in Europe since 2017, agree completely with everything he says. Now we're settled in Northern Ireland (bought a house), which is kinda crazy as of course I always imagined going back to the US sooner rather than later. But, everyone in the US always seems like they're on the edge of a nervous breakdown. It's really sad, if life weren't so stressful in the US I'd want to move back. Family and friends and just my home state in general are things I'll always miss (though I visit frequently). Though yeah, the food really is terrible in the US. I understand now why people don't eat fruit because it's so tasteless in the US. However, you can get big bags of kale, spinach and frozen blueberries for cheap, so there's that at least in the US!
European here, and I've lived and worked all over Europe, plus the USA and several other American countries. The first one is not that "small talk is not a big thing in the USA". It's a bloody big thing: if you don't engage in it you're being a total weirdo. I've had European, Indian and Latin American coworkers who were so confused by US "small talk" that they just didn't partake and who got called on it by their managers as "not being team players" or other such drivel (apparently "you're not engaging in small talk and this makes you seem impolite" is not in corporate bingo). But the expression means different things in the USA and in Europe. In the USA "how are you" means "hello". In Europe, Latin America, India... people may make more small talk (in Southern Europe you're likely to know the ages and important medical history of all your coworkers' close relatives within days of arriving to the new job) or less talk (in Northern Europe you can work with someone for months before finding out they're married) but we always expect it to be real talk; as you say, if we ask "how you doing" we actually _mean_ "how are you, are you having any problems, is there any joys or sorrows you want to share?"
On a related note, I find it annoying, bordering to impolite when people mindlessly ask "How are you?", when they don't actually care. Not being from a culture where it's used as a greeting, "How are you?" is a fairly big question that I have to think about before answering. It's so disheartening to then just be blown off because they didn't mean to actually ask a question
@@edtazrael That's the thing: the USA's small talk is not really a conversation. A conversation conveys information beyond "I was taught manners". "Hello" "hello" is not considered a conversation by most people. It's greeting, not conversing. "Hey, how are you?" "I'm great man! My kid just got his last grade for the year and he's done so. Well. How about you?" "I'm good, finally found some allergy medicine that works!" "All right!" is a conversation. "Oh hi! Man, it's so hot today! Do you know when will the pools be opened?" "June 15th." "So late???" "It's June 15th every year." "Oh. My. God. But it's so hot!" is a conversation, even if it happens every year with every neighbor for about a month. "How are you?" "Fine, how are you?" is a salutation, but one which to many non-Usanians feels like a conversation that got guillotined at birth.
Really? As a European myself, whenever someone asks me "how are you doing?" i will say "good, how about you?" My actual state has no part in the answer and i expect the same from the one i ask "how are you doing?". It is a courtesy. I don't want to hear any drama and anyone sharing drama will go straight into the "attentionseeking whiner" category. That is the Dutch way.
Having lived in Europe for 6 years, totally agree with you. Another thing you didn't mention (maybe didn't experience) is the driving. Overall, I think European drivers are far more courteous than in the U.S. one reason might be because a driver's license is more difficult to acquire.
What really baffles me about drivers in the US is that it appears to be common that people drive off the road and, say, crash into houses. WTF? Can someone explain that to me?
I live in Norway but took the trains to Sweden and Denmark a couple times and I'd like to add that in addition to being efficient and clean, the drivers and public transport employees are incredibly kind, helpful and patient in these countries.
Agree. I live in Norway after having lived in Canada many years. Visited U.S. this year. Shocking to see the difference in culture. No Trains, no buses. Cars. Cars. Cars. Stressed out people, whom I felt sorry for. Corporate greed is apparent!!! Why tip? Because people are not paid enough to live comfortably. I'm very happy to live in Norway and thankful I am a Norwegian. Feel blessed.
A lot of the problems in the US are down to people not trusting the government and not wanting to pay taxes. And these same people go on and on about how patriotic they are...
and yet the US government is actually one that is fairly trustworthy (say compared to Italy, Portugal, Greece, and all of Eastern Europe...) All of Scandinavia is very ethical with the most trustworthy governments in the world. (according to the UN) Well, it was your president Ronald Reagan who constantly said "The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the Government, and I'm here to help. " ... I would agree with him that the republican party is NOT there to help the people unless you were wealthy.
If people see that the tax money is going to good things, they are more willing to pay. Maybe all too much of Americans' tax money goes to things people don't support.
I’m currently serving as active duty but I don’t see how my taxes are being spent wisely in Cali. They tax almost everything but offer almost nothing in return. Even people more senior (higher tenure) than me can’t afford to buy a house over there.
As a Swede, the part about tip makes me blush so hard. Eight, nine years ago now I started to travel to (and play in) a week-long golf tournament in Myrtle Beach, SC. (I did this once per year.) It was fun and I had a great time everywhere. (Especially at the huge 19th hole with all the free food and drinks every evening.) On the last day of the second year, a person that started to become a really good friend of mine (one of the waitresses at the event) finally told me that she was so surprised that a generous person like me never gave anybody any tip. (Explaining the reality over there, also telling me that I was getting a bit of a bad reputation among the staff as a "cheap Charlie") I have never been so ashamed in all my life. I literally had no idea. (I tried to explain our way of doing it with little initial success.) 😳 It took until she visited me in Sweden. Then she finally understood the Swedish way (and believed my story for real.) Have been tipping since her explanation but still feel that I can't make up for my initial mistake. (Still embarrassed, I'm afraid.) 🤣 Great video mate. Keep up the good work!
Thanks for watching!! You chose the wrong sport to play without leaving a tip lol since golf is on the expensive side. Im glad the waitress gained an understanding after her visit to Sweden!
@@eleveneleven572 I agree. Tipping is a terrible system, and it is based on notion of being able to get free labor out of people. It's time it was abolished in the United States. Servers are, if anything, more professional in countries where tipping is not expected. Being a server is a real profession with a salary and benefits.
@shortshortshortcom ~ The USA hasn't even abolished slavery yet, I hardly think they're going to start paying their workers a wage they can even survive on. Unfortunately.
So I’m Dutch, living in the US now for over 20 years. The biggest culture shock to me was coming to grips with the levels of racism in the US, and how it is a topic of the daily narrative. I expect that your experiences in Sweden were positive in this regard. I’m glad that you got to experience life in Western Europe. Sweden is a special place. Great content and observations.
@@stepzend132 have you noticed the NBA MVP conversation had a racial element to it? How could we give 3 straight MVPs to the white boy? Is he better than Bird or Magic? Is he the best white player ever? When Bides wife wanted to invite losing team to white house some argued its because they were white. White girl tauting was cute, black girl tauting was classless and ghetto. How come there are only 3 black head coaches and only x black majority owners etc. ? And that's just basketball... It's always present. At least as a narrative.
It's really not bad at all. It's just the elite want to paint a certain narrative. There are some people who casually have prejudices, but it's not a big thing and there is no systemic racism
@@stepzend132 You will find racism anywhere, also in Europe. But while you can be as racist as you want in the USA, in Western and Northern Europe that is an criminal offence.
thanks for sharing this. I think it's super important for us Americans to learn about differences like this. I think sometimes we think our way of life is the only way. I especially hope we start to ask more questions of our society in regards to our for-profit healthcare our lack of fast affordable accessibility with public transportation.
Thank you for watching and for the comment! I encourage people to travel if they can do that so their perspective on the world changes. There are so many beautiful countries and cultures In the world
I have spend half my adult life in the US and the other half in Danmark where I am from. A kidneystone operation in the US cost 44K usd. A heartsugery in Denmark cost me nothing and received full sick pay during and after.
Stop lying! The heart surgery costed you a lifetime of huge taxes. You can’t even afford to purchase a decent car in Danmark due to overtaxation of cars. I owned a Honda S2000 20 years ago and my friend from Danmark told me they don’t even import them to Denmark as no regular citizen would be able to afford such ‘luxury’ car…
@@ipodman1910 Your friend is the one lying. The car did get importet to Denmark, although not in great numbers. Regular citizens has a vast array of cars to purchase new or used. The Danish tax system enjoys great support of about 90% due to the benefits it provides.
I just got back from Greece - my first time abroad - and have noticed pretty much all the things you mentioned. Not so much the rudeness because I live in a small town with a slower-paced lifestyle. But I immediately noticed that the grocery store here was FULL of sweets in the bakery area, and plain good country-stlye loaves of bread were incredibly expensive ($5 for a single loaf!?). It's quantity at the expense of quality. In Greece a loaf of good rough bread is about $2 and you can get two mini-croissants for a dollar (euro). Not to mention how cheap and plentiful and FRESH the fruits and vegetables are. It is so easy to eat healthily in Greece and to look at sweets as an occasional treat rather than a "must have all the time." That said, Greece has a serious street cat problem, which I guess they don't have in Sweden. That was the big negative for me, but everything else was a plus.
Greece has an appalling record for cats, dogs AND working donkeys. I don't want to tell you about what happens to them. I am an animal rescuer, with contacts all over the world. To be honest, I can only think of one theoretically catholic country that does not have an appalling record for animal abuse and neglect. The one theoretically catholic country is France, which is a very cynical, nothing too inconvenient catholic... And I don't have a contact for dogs and cats in Italy, but they are appalling to their native birds. Even the little song birds. Spain is horrendous to dogs and donkeys - and of course, bullfighting, etc etc The Pope could stop probably half the cruelty and neglect with a strong statement, but instead, has said that people should stop worrying about animals and concentrate on people - and women in particular, should be marrying, having children and concentrating on them, NOT ANIMALS! And he takes the name of Francis of Assissi!!! If there were a St Francis, he'll be waiting for this pope with his bovver boys kicking boots. Speaking of which, if anyone could subscribe or donate, plushbears4824 dog rescue and channel on yt, is trying to save 14 particular dogs from the dog meat trade, now. 2 at least, are golden retrievers. They have dogs in the UK and America, to adopt. There is an American malinois rescue that takes malinois saved from Chinese slaughter. I think 2nd Chance dog rescue runs in UK and US, with saved meat dogs. There are SO MANY golden retrievers, labradors, german shepherds, greyhounds, even poodles, shih tzus... You name it, really. Might be a dozen rescues of different types, saving different dogs, hours from slaughter and now in America, needing adopters. Dogs are $2.75 a pound, live on the scales. But each dog needs a minimum of $500 spentnon desexing, food, vet treatment, etc., on top of that. There is a Scottish rescue for Spanish galgos and podencos. But the big Spanish rescue for them, is Galgos Del Sol, who ship dogs internationally. Not always galgos and podencos. Run by an English woman and mostly ex pat volunteers. A lovely little Greek rescue is Jutta, on the outskirts of Iereptera, on Crete. If you can book a time, you can stay in the volunteers room, for a fortnight, volunteer, meet the dogs or cats, and the money saved for Greek holiday, you can adopt a dog or cat and fly or drive it home with you. The cats are so friendly, they mob you like rockstars! In China, Plushbears try to only show dogs close up, that they save, and don't show you the horrifying things that happen, but they really need support. Even if you play the videos and don't watch. But many are videos of dogs they have rescued, now happy and healthy. Makes you cry with happiness, remembering how they were when saved. AND of course, the Ukraine desperately needs adopters - ESPECIALLY for big dogs, abandoned or orphaned. Almost nobody wants a big dog. Many are kept alive by rescues feeding them regularly, same time, same place, weekly, doing different days. Many rescues only take in very young puppies or really cute little dogs, or fairly badly injured dogs, and only they have a hope for adoption.
As a Greek I'm very happy you had a good time here. Greece is struggling with its financial problems during the last 15 years but generally spirits are high..
America has a few things that are better than in Europe, but I definitely prefer Europe overall. You've listed some good reasons as to why. The most major thing for me is that you are likely to be financially ruined if you get sick in America. I can't really take that risk. And since the food is worse and you never get time off from work, the risk of getting sick is probably greater than in Europe. It's like if anything goes wrong for you in America (illness, unemployment etc), you're on the streets.
@@chinablueliberty2822 The weather, freedom of speech, how it punishes its criminals etc. In Sweden, insults are a crime, and if you're under 18 the punishment for murder is youth care for like 1-4 years. This means that gangs often use minors as hitmen, as they are barely punished if caught. Rapists (when over 18) often get off with like six years in prison, of which they will only have to serve four.
@@dundergud9341 LOL wdym, there is no freedom of speech in Europe? Regarding weather, how about Southern Europe? All Mediterranean countries such as Portugal, Spain, Italy, Greece, Croatia, Malta, (South of France) etc. have the most AMAZING weather. In what concerns severity of punishments, that depends on the country, but I agree that in my country (Portugal) sentences should be much tougher. Nevertheless, more than half of the US states still apply the death penalty; whereas it has been completely abolished in all European countries (not counting Russia, of course). I am proud to say that my country was THE VERY FIRST to abolish it, in 1976 :) We have decriminalized drug consumption (only selling is a crime) and prostitution (only pimping is a crime). Here, your are FREE to get married and adopt children, regardless of your sexuality. You are also free to get an abortion and euthanasia if that is unfortunately necessary. The government doesn't rule anyone's bodies. Out of 50 US states, I am not sure if any of them has conquered all of these freedoms, tbh... Hopefully, one day. xxx
@@catarinaf3261 I didn't say there is no free speech in Europe. But there is less of it than in America, since there are more laws restricting it in nearly every European country. If you're actually going to act oblivious to this, then that merely betrays your bias. In everyday normal conversation, we usually have to make generalisations. I am well aware that Spain has better weather than Alaska. But America is generally nicer in terms of weather than Europe, and places like Florida and Hawaii are far better than anywhere in Europe.
And check this out.... those European countries that have Social Healthcare and School paid for through college... they're in less debt than the USA on a per capita basis. We pay for everything through the nose in the USA and the Govt. is massively in debt. Greed and Corporate coziness with Politicians is killing the USA.
You are massively in debt because you are the major donor to numerous world organisations, such as the World Health Organisation, not because you have empathy but because you want to have a major say. Also, financing the wars all over the world is costly, but you want to be the wirld's hegemon. Imagine that you just invest that money into your own people. But that would require staying within your borders, no invesions, occupations, wars and proxy wars, you name it.
Great video, and so spot on. I live in Germany and have absolutely no desire to return to the US. The US has become such a toxic place for all the reasons you mention. The healthy lifestyle comments are so true. The quality of food in the grocery stores is so much higher, and costs less. No rows and rows of mass processed garbage.
@@therealwan Companies provide what people want. Definitely people should be choosing better. Buying whole fresh foods is cheaper than buying those processed convenience foods.
Love your video! I visited my daughter who goes to school in the Netherlands recently and everywhere I went people seemed more relaxed than in the states. I think it must make a big difference knowing that things like healthcare and affordable university are treated as necessities for the whole population.
I am from the Netherlands and not all of us even consider university and health care affordable! We find the Netherlands incredibly expensive. I moved to Belgium for this reason. Your comment makes me realize just how good we have it, compared to countries like the US. I hope you and your daughter enjoy the Netherlands :)!
As a dutch person, I would consider the Netherlands one of the unfriendliest and stressed out nations in Europe. Scandinavian countries are much better. It might not be as obvious or as bad as the states, but especially now a lot of people are struggling financially as well..
@@frederik0014so much nonsense. The netherlands consistantly ranks in the top 5 global happiness indexes. The average dutch person gives their own life an 8+ only Denmark scores higher in this.
The rudeness in the US is a very recent phenomenon. I remember visiting in the 90s and early 00s and I remember thinking, wow, everyone is so friendly. I then visited in 2018 and remember thinking “everyone is so d… unfriendly, what the h.. happened to this country”.
I'm a European and I've been to US as a tourist. I found Americans friendly and fun (i've been to California, Nevada, New York, Washington DC), BUT... I don't like the restaurant culture. Dinners are being rushed, servers are high energy borderline harassing customers, the food is bad to mediocre and the bill is excessive. Instead of dinner you get a panic attack and high cholesterol.
Thank you for this great video. As a Swede I can only say that you are right, living in Sweden is actually really really good even though you don't have much money.
Sweden is a great place to live! The only negative thing In my eyes is the taxes. But I’d rather have high taxes and have everything else taken care of for you.
@@therealwan "High taxes" is just propaganda. Just tell people what you need to pay for insurance in the US ... and you still end up paying for doctor visits. Add the high cost of public transportation, how people can't afford homes, how Americans can't change course of life (because studying cost money), how they need to be in dept in order to get credit rating ... and you will realize that America got higher "tax" overall with worse service.
@@therealwan Well, high taxes is what funds the welfare system so you can't have one without the other. You will just have to consider what is most important: low taxes or a good welfare system.
Thank you for noticing the things many Europeans are proud of and cherish. And yes we can come across as rude but many times it is just directness and honesty.
@@markhepworth Yes but the Dutch are also very direct in their conversations and are being experienced as “rude” by some other Europeans. I’m Flemish (Belgian) and we use to communicate differently, in a more indirect way (which has its inconvenients too).
This reminds me of melania trump. She was considered miserable, but then I discovered that in Slovenia they just don't smile unless its genuine. They find it weird when others do or disingenuous. So she wasnt miserable, she was just being true to the way she was raised. I'm using that as a point because we all have such different ways of interacting. Most europeans prefer genuine interactions not flattery or fake politeness as Americans seem to like.
I had the hardest time during my visits to the US to get a "decent" breakfast. At hotels I usually end up eating a bagel with cream cheese and a bowl of yoghurt with fruit. Unless they put pineapple or kiwi in the fruit (allergic). In stores I tried to buy cereal without sugar and had to find the "diabetic's food isle"... Also the tap water isn't drinkable over there. So I definitely agree on the food. But, at the same time I will admit, that the BBQ was amazing! 😊
@@oceejekwam6829 Nah,America poisons everything,it’s such a toxic society in multiple respects. I’ve been double figures times on business and a few times on holiday,I have zero desire to go back now.
Swede here, I haven't lived in Köping but in Eslöv, which has also been considered Swedens' most boring city. They even started closing down the police station at one point because nothing happened. I also think small talk is very different here because Swedes are very private people. A lot of us tend to avoid our neighbors if possible, especially in an apartment complex staircase etc. That being said, we are friendly when we do talk. But like in stores when you're paying the cashier just says "hi", instead of asking how you are because why would they? They don't care and none of us are gonna waste energy on that. I lived in the US for a couple of months and I got so tired of cashiers asking how I am today or how my day is going. Neither of us care so why not just be quiet. And the Swedish students where I studied said the same thing. Or we were all just very introvert. Another thing, like you mentioned, is the food. I lived in LA and I walked almost everywhere, like 20 000 steps per day, and I still gained weight. It's so easy to find unhealthy food and usually it's cheaper as well. We bought white bread and it tasted so sugary it was like dessert for breakfast. Healthcare was another thing I unfortunately had to experience, I had a small accident and hurt my back which my travel insurance thankfully covered. But the service I got where I went was great. I hurt my spine and the doctors were like "I'm so very sorry we don't have any free times to get a CT scan so you're gonna have to wait and we apologize". I had to wait two days. At my local hospital here I'd have to wait a month if it wasn't very threatening to my health. I don't mean to bash the US, I had a great experience all in all. And also I went to Wingstop and L&L Hawaiian BBQ, both of which I love with all my heart.
I worked in a large hospital in the US. CT scans are quick and efficient. If a in-patient has to wait as much as 6 hours, I get on the phone to get it done, but that is seldom necessary. If you go to the emergency room, CT scans are done immediately when needed. Stop buying junk food. Even at fast food restaurants there are still healthy or healthier options, and at sit-down restaurants, there are always good, healthy options. Don't blame us because you make bad choices when ordering food. People in the US are no better at eating well, which is why there are so many junk choices.
Juwan, this is an amazing video! Thank you for sharing this with us. I am a Canadian living in Toronto and there are so many similarities between Canada and the United States. We are very quickly becoming a fast food society as it is becoming more readily available. And the obesity rate is rising rapidly. If you live in a city life here can be pretty fast paced depending on your lifestyle. I truly believe that because due to the influx of everything in pricing people feel like they need to catch up because they are falling behind economically. Due to the recession here I have noticed that certain things that were taken care of by the city of Toronto are suffering such as transportation. Are subway cars and busses smell like pee and they break down all the time. Canadians are known for politeness, or so they say. And that is still true if you are in a rural environment. However, people in larger cities such as Toronto are starting to become surly. The values that Europeans have in general are different. People first, money second. This changes the way we treat each other and take care of ourselves. Maybe we need to take a step back and slow things. I think we need to take time and smell the roses. We don’t need to give up the idea of capitalism altogether. But I do think we as North Americans can take a page out if Europeans books and balance a prioritize our lifestyles a little better.
First i want to say I hope you and your family are safe due to the wildfires in Canada 🙏🏽. I agree with your take as well stating how we should adopt the values of the people first, money second. I’ve never been to Canada but I would love to visit.
@@therealwan Oh thank you for thinking us of across the pond!! Yes we are all safe and sound. You should absolutely visit. Canada is an amazingly diverse geographical place. And depending where you go, people can be very friendly and welcoming as well.
Spot on! I live in Portugal. My parents and all my family are from here, so I am fortunate to have citizenship here. I was born and raised in the US. The transportation in Europe at large is amazing! I am don’t depend on a car for most of bigger cities like the US. We have fantastic food in Europe, particularly in the EU, because certain chemical and ingredients, which are readily used in the U.S., aren’t allowed here. Life in Europe, especially in Southern Europe, is about the outdoors….esplanadas, outdoor cafes etc. we aren’t rushed to leave right after we eat. Tips aren’t customary here, although they can be given. People don’t ask here …”what do you do for work” right when you meet them. That is used in the U.S. as.l a means to assess status. Often, work doesn’t even come up. Although we have a capitalist system here too, we have a balance of it with the social safety net…social programs, which actually support the people. Yes, public healthcare, low to no cost university tuition, full paid parental leave/maternity leave from several months to over a year in some countries like in Scandinavia. Also, in the EU, employees get a minimum of 22 pays days off of a work a year as vacation, plus paid holidays, which is usually at least a dozen or more holidays a year or more, depending on what country you live in. I bet you miss Europe 😁.
As a Romanian I can confirm that you are 💯% correct! For us Europeans people are coming first, money second! In less than a month I will go to your beautiful country. Can’t wait! I salute you! 🇵🇹🇷🇴 🤝
I visited the US from Australia with my son when he was about 12. Almost everything you just said was instantly recognisable. Half of the issues can be solved by universal healthcare and proper social security benifits. the other half may be solved by a decent minimum wage. I detested having to leave tips everywhere, much preferring to pay more for the meal (my son could hardly eat what was on offer by the way). I didnt experiance the "rudeness" as much. I recall saying to someone that everyone seems very friendly in the US, that same person said "thats because you are at Disneyland". So i cant really comment on that one. Everyone in the US should travel and experience other countires and cultures, this may assist. Thanks for the content.
Cool to see you in my old hometown Köping. It is a pretty small town so I can understand some impressions don't reflect on Sweden as a whole but I think you got many things right. I've been in the US several times and I have had a great time there, but it is interesting to realize the differences sometimes.
I firsst ran into this back in August 1963 when I was returning home after having served two years of Army service in Europe. Got off the troop ship in New York and took a bus to the Port Authority to catch a Greyhound to D.C. I stopped at an Information kiosk to get some directions and immediately got an angry outburst from the person behind the counter because I didn't address the person within her 1.5 seconds limit and then was put in my place when she angrily scolded me with "Well? What do you want? I don't have all day!" Clearly my internal clock was still operating at European speed and I hadn't had enough time to get adjusted to New York speed. That was a truly unexpected rude shock right off the bat. So I just walked away and found someone else to ask.
The lack of hustle culture was interesting observation! It is actually historically seen as a "success" factor for Swedish business. Since businessmen where able to trust their business partners they could focus on the actual work instead of legal issues or risk of not getting paid. Goes a long way back and been something good if you are a man of your word!
I am an American who is currently living in Poland. I agree with almost everything you have said. However, I want to point out one significant difference regarding tipping at restaurants specifically. In Europe, wait staff are paid a living wage for the work that they do. They do not have to rely on tips to survive. In the US, we pay wait staff almost nothing and the money they live off is their tips. Their salary is basically the tips because their "hourly" rate essentially covers taxes and nothing else.
Yep, European countries have a minimum wage. Paying staff less is illegal. The amount varies country to country, but it’s always much better than the US.
fully agreed, you're pointing out the reason for tipping in the US. That doesn't make it right. Why don't the restaurant owners take care of their staff? Now you just create the feeling of being rushed, as more tables is more tips, which even is needed to make rent.
@@ewoutbuhler5217 I agree it isn't right. But my point was he was making it sound like the two countries are comparable in this regard and they are not.
@@ldavies3280 In Denmark, we don't have a required minimum wage decided by law, just like @benghazi4216 said. However, if you're in a union, there will be an agreed upon minimum wage in place. It's important to distinguish between the two as the government is not the driver in deciding what we're paid - the unions are.
one of my favorite thing about Europe, and the European Union more specifically, that I hope you can experience one day is how easy it is to travel between countries. And with such diversity between countries and cultures it's such a great combination. I'm french but I can work in any EU country I want without needing a work visa, same for travel. I really want to visit Poland as soon as I can
@@i1bike i do like Croatia a lot too but i have a specific attachment to Poland since my grandfather is Polish and i don't mind the cold in winter lol, tho i didn't expect Croatia to be cheaper i thought they were around the same
@@deneguil-1618 I will try to explain in examples, maybe it will be a longer comment. North east of croatia (east slavonia region), is extremely cheap. My neighbours renovated their house 6 years ago spending 30 000 euros and sold it last summer for 13 000 euros. It was 11×9m groundfloor house with garden behind the house of 1300m2. Not far from that house, my friend bough big newly built house with modern design, having 2 flats in sense that ground floor is leisure/storage and upper is bedrooms/bathrooms. House is 14×12m with garden behind the house of 450m2. He bought it for 52 000 euros, comedy. In south croatia my cousin sold his 12×10m old parents house built in the 80s, for 600 000 euros. That is the difference gap. He also sold the land next to his old house for 400 euros per m2. The buyer built apartment building with 6 apartments, each apartment is 65m2, and price for one apartment + garage is 250 000 euros. That is the difference gap. Germans and rich polish people are buying apartments before they were even built and they ask for more and more, so it will go only higher. If you ask me, if laptop was my working tool i would rather go northeast and grow my own food
@@i1bike oh wow the difference between the prices in the north east and south is massive, 15000€ for a big house on 1300m2 of land is incredibly cheap and quite attractive. It's also funny that you'd mention that you'd go there if you worked on a laptop cause I'm currently studying to be an AI engineer, possibly researcher and I'm interested in developing games so i might be able to work fully remotely
I completely agree with this man, America is so bad. I am going to move. Furthermore, I can't put up with it. Everyone is out to get everyone else because of greed or envy. Ive been trying to see doctors for health issues but get pushed to the side and ignored because Im on medi-cal and poor. My job doesnt want to give me full time hours because they will have to provided me insurance. Then, taking public transportation is so dangerous in Oakland. Ive had people blow fentanly smoke in my face. The Amerika i live in is a 3rd world country. And guess what, I pay premium to live here. The USA failed.
Glad to hear that you stay in Europe made a good impression. I've encountered many Americans who seem unable to see the flaws in their own country or to acknowledge the good in others. Here in the UK we have been raised on extremely pro-USA media to the point where many British people have an unrealistically positive image of the States too!
Same here in Australia. We get bombarded with US culture every day. I little bit is good but it seems like the conservative governments, aka liberals, want to see us become a mini US.....
My sister is a,naturalised Yank from British. In UK her Doctorate in research medicine got her& Dr spouse a 3bed rented flat. In US, 6 bed,4acre+pool owned house. It's Drugs,medicine where US money lies.
@@robertfarrow5853 Housing in the UK varies in price to an almost unbelievable degree. A million dollar/pound property in London could cost less than 50k in other parts of the country. By the same token a million pounds could buy you a small country estate with a pool and plenty of land to go with it if you are looking in the cheaper areas. I've no doubt that choosing to live in the US would be the best option for some people it is how it treats those who already live there and have no option that makes it stand out for the wrong reasons.
The difference in tipping culture is that their wait staff are considered regular employees and they earn more than a living wage - it's considered a trade. In the US, employers can pay as little as $2.13/hr for strictly tipped workers and $7.25/hr for minimum wage workers. Either way, they're usually busting their butts for those tips because that's where most of their expendable income comes from. Yes, they are kinda trying to provide good service with the constant attention, but also putting a little bit of pressure to enjoy your meal and then get tf out. More customers served in a day is more potential tips in a day... 😉
No fault to the servers because they be working hard! I understand why they want to provide the best quality service to maximize their chances of receiving a good tip.
In Ireland, it's not mandatory to leave a tip.. there is a minimum wage, but most people do it anyway unless the service or food was particularly bad.. but there's no specified amount of tip expected and tips are shared among staff.
I’m Scottish and have visited Sweden & Denmark & you’re right, they are so clean & friendly. The more I see of American RU-vidrs the more I see that they’re coming round to our way of thinking, that the USA is not all that. Americans are so self absorbed & don’t know much about the rest of the world. They need to broaden their horizons either by visiting other countries or by educating themselves. Their eyes will be opened. I would like to visit the USA but never live there.
Hi, great video! One small correction: you can not only get anywhere by train that's over land. There's actually a train (Eurostar) that goes from Paris to London using a tunnel. So you can even reach the UK by train if you wish :D
I'm an American in Germany and in early May, I was back in the States (Texas Panhandle) for the first time in 15 years. I'm from Minnesota but my mom relocated there. I saw how convenient things are and IMO how that contributes to obesity. You literally don't need to get out of your car to eat. I did a strange thing there... I walked.
Haha it’s crazy how walking here is “strange”. We are just getting more lazy as the days pass with the help of technology. I love tech, It helps us In so many ways. But It you don’t want to, you literally don’t have to leave your house. It’s crazy!
@@therealwan One thing that I have learned to do since living here is cook. I first of all cook for taste and it's far healthier than eating processed foods. I told someone that either we control tech or tech controls us.
Been living in Sweden for the past 3 years. I come from Ecuador and have visited the US (also, Ecuador being a South American country tends more towards US culture). Most things apply for me too, especially the rudeness and the food. To the point that I'm scared of going back and having to put up with how selfish and rude we can be, especially in situations that require cooperation and not competition (roads, queues, etc.)
I think one of the differences with public transport is that in Europe it's not looked down on like it seems to be in the US (ie. only "poor people take the bus" etc) which means more people use it (and most people try not to trash it and keep it nice).
@@mojojojo1529 Bull. Only goes for major cities like Paris, London and shit and even then it's less than US major cities exactly because people use public transport and bikes (ie. fewer car pr. population).
@@mojojojo1529 London is one of the most densely populated cities in Europe so that's like using Putin as proof all humans are evil (ie. just because there's a lot of traffic in London doesn't mean it's "impossible to go to work by car in most cities", lol.
@@mojojojo1529 You said "it's impossible to drive to work in MOST European cities" which is false. If people didn't drive to work why is there congestion. And US major cities have congestion too, so doesn't explain the difference. Also keep in mind that public transport and bikes is also popular in non-congested cities/towns/villages (where it exists of course - coverage differs between European countries but is generally good). In my country even tiny villages usually have 1 or more bus routes.
I moved from the US to the Netherlands a year and a half ago. The public transportation is amazing! And the food here has such less sugar and salt. What a difference.
I really liked your video. I'm Italian living in Tuscany, and I'm always shocked at seeing how much entitled and arrogant some Americans are, and the small talk, it's totally true, if we are asking "how are you doing?" we want really to know are you doing, Americans talk in a sort of contrived and set way, like automatic.. I've also worked in restaurants in my 20', and it was so funny hearing Americans "oh my god this is amazing" over a simple bruschetta, which is bread and tomatoes and olive oil... But I have to say that also many Americans are also very nice, very appreciative and enthusiastic, but I think the USA has gotten worse in the recent years, I think Trump has ruined it, much like Berlusconi ruined italy ❤
Yes, the growth of ultra-right politics, beginning approximately with Nixon and culminating in the horrors of Trumpism, have destroyed my society. If there is another Trump presidency, we are doomed as a desirable place to live except for his gun-carrying army. It will be the final destruction of the "American Empire." America will be so aggressive - yet also isolationist - that the rest of the world will then develop in interesting ways.
Hello...sorry for the question...I'm from Uruguay and I have Italian citizenship (my grandmother was Italian) and I've been thinking about going to Italy for a while...since I was a girl I feel like it's a part of me since my My mother and grandmother always spoke to me about Italy...besides, here in Uruguay we have a lot of Italian culture because of its immigrants...I wanted to ask you how Italy is at the moment? Thank you
Tips arent common or expected in Europe because wait/table staff, bartenders etc are paid a working wage. As you said healthcare is free (or at least paid for by taxes), education is free and you can get a loan for tertiary education that is paid back based on your earnings. All public transport is good and reasonably priced, so you are not reliant on a vehicle. I am glad you enjoyed living in Sweden. Hopefully, next time you can spend some time exploring the rest of Europe. You can even get to the UK by train from France on the Eurotunnel. So you were right, you can catch a train to anywhere in Europe.
Man, Scandinavia is a best part of the world! All other countries, including europeans, should learn on Sweden, Finland, Norway and Denmark. My favourite is Finland btw. Highly recommend to visit.
I've lived in the UK for 30+ years now and when American relatives visit they always comment on how much better the bread and milk taste. They also loved the fact that the milkman would deliver not only milk but also butter, eggs, etc. They also loved our local bakery. 🍰🍩😋
Food in UK is probably the worst and most bland in the whole of Europe, especially British bread. UK produced dairy products, fresh fruit and vegetables are also meh but I agree that food in UK is far better tasting than food in USA.
Odala, in some respects you're correct, ordinary British restaurants need to up their game. Although, I have found a few very good ones. However, the best meals I've had tend to be in homes. There I have tasted food I doubt could be bettered in a 5-star restaurant. In my own family my mum's Sunday roasts were legendary, an aunt made terrific triffles, and my sister was a great baker.
@@odala8245 British bread is absolutely fine except for cheap white sliced bread. Most of the fruit and veg comes from abroad, because people want out of season products. We have the best apples and soft fruit as well. I don’t know where you get your food.
As many said before, Europe cultures varies a lot. Hope you keep doing well and maybe get a chance to play in any of the major leagues in Europe and visit more of it. Though probably Nordic countries are the best ones for living would love to see you having a chance in Spain, for example (Im from there :P)
@@therealwan I am curios how you would feel traveling to Eastern Europe. The ex commie part. Although even there.... huge variations. I am romanian and i visited Albania. Lots of similarities but just enough differences that it a geniunely different experience. No supermarkets in Albania. I shoped only at local shops. Strong turkish culture. It was cool. In contrast Czechia feels like Germany or Austria. Estonia probably feels like Sweden.
As an American who's lived in Japan for quite a while, I think more Americans need to experience life outside the U.S. Far too many Americans never leave their state, never mind the country, all the while being fed the bs that there's no reason to go anywhere because America has the best of everything. As for the rudeness, I think that is at least partially cultural. Here in Japan people have been traditionally raised with the attitude that we're all in this together and need to cooperate. Whereas in America I think there's always been a traditional attitude of "Get off my land or I'll shoot you"...
Once, I was invited to visit Northern Ireland. I went for a walk around the town and was shocked that people, I met were talking to me about the day, the weather as if they knew me for years! When I shared my experience with my Irish friend, who invited me, he told me it was absolutely normal in their culture! He then told me about a culture shock, he experienced when he was in Australia. He started talking like that to people on the streets. Soon a policeman stopped him and told him that a woman complained that she was harassed by him! When my friend opened his mouth, the policeman immediately recognised that he was Irish! And he said: I now know what has happened, because I am Irish myself. So please, listen to my good advice: never, never try to talk to strangers on the streets like that, if you don’t want to offend or frighten them.
Going to see about moving abroad before I turn 60, my mom was born in England but honestly that wouldn't do me much good so I'd have the go through the process of migrating. I'd need assistance looking for housing, work, etc. Have a bad feeling the US is going to only get worse. I've been watching things get more expensive and our QoL declining. Felt like we've had at least three recessions in the span of 30 years now. Where I'm at now I'm surrounded by right wing cardboard cutouts that would never hear about rest of the world due to their superiority complex. Feels like I'm alone.
When I went to Europe and backpacked for a year within a day I was habing an existential crisis. So many things you never thought you could question, that were just fact of life, are different, even slight differences can throw a whole institution into question
Juwan, thanks for your observations! I'm from the US, but I have been living in Stockholm for 25 years, so I recognize the points that you have made. We have family living close to Köping, so I know the town well. Hope that you enjoyed your time over here.
DUDE! You were in my extremely small town Köping? Represent, is all i can say!:P I've literally never seen anything from this town on RU-vid and my jaw dropped when i saw commercials from a local diner and that you were in our team. I wish you the best, man. I hope you had a great experience in our humble community!
Interesting! You pretty much mention all the stuff I observed going the other way from Norway to the US. For me it helped a lot in understanding why there is an obesity problem in the US and why everybody drives. In many ways I think it helped being more sympathetic to the problems Americans face. Like today I don't think of Americans as being bad in their food choices or too lazy to walk. Rather I see it more as the system having been made that way. I notice it myself living there. You cannot really walk anywhere. The zoning rules prevent placing businesses close to where you live and the cities are planned for car use primarily with little regard for pedestrians or bikers. Hence Americans don't have a choice but use a car. Also it is simply hard to eat healthy in the US. I developed a very bad diet living in the US. Everything, like just EVERYTHING has corn syrup or sugar added to it. Everything in American basically taste like cake. Even whole wheat bread. And one reason I ate a lot of junk food and sweets in the US was exactly what Juwan is talking about here: Regular healthy food just wasn't any good in a lot of places in the US. Take vegtables in the US. US vegtables look really big and nice. Like they are aesthetically pleasing but they have like zero taste. Everything seems to be optimized to last as long as possible, cost as little as possible and look as nice as possible. Hence the way I see it obesity in America is not really about personal failure, but societal failure. In America it is taboo for government to actively promote a health lifestyle. Here they deliberately build cities to promote health lifestyles. They regulate food to promote it. They push healthy habits early on. In pre-school children learn about basic cooking, vegtables etc. As parents you get a course with a nutritionist when you have a child that will explain what are health foods. In the store they mark what foods are deemed healthy. Like they don't just list ingredients. They will but a sticker on the food items deemed healthy to simplify your shopping. First day at school we all got cook book designed to help cook healthy food for young kids. Often stuff they could participate in making. In school kids also learn cooking. I am just pointing this to add to what Juwan is saying here. It is merely down to individual making healthier choices in Europe. It isn't about Americans being stupid or bad. It is about living in a system which tries to facilitate healthier living vs living in a system where..... I don't know... where capitalism and profits go before anything else.
Thank you for this breakdown. I agree that It is on the individual to build positive habits so they don’t have to rely on anybody else. Especially In todays time with unlimited information, if somebody wants to make a change you can do it
I agree with you that US society has been designed in a way that is not in the best interest of the mass of its people. And yet the same parties - politicians and business leaders and others - who created this insanely competitive and individualistic environment have somehow brainwashed perhaps the majority of ordinary citizens into believing that they live in the best place on earth. Witness the number of Americans who seem to equate good public health care with the worst excesses of Stalinism! As we say in the UK, the American people have been 'sold a pup.'
Health care isn´t free. In most European countries it´s just paid by the taxes (which are much higher). But if you add up the American taxes plus what the average American pays for healthcare, than I have a gut-feeling that we in Europe are better off. Especially when you need healthcare.
Watched a reaction video the other day where healthcare and taxes were brought up. The guy who was an American, said something along the lines the fees they pay for a health insurance, medication and other healthcare related costs are more expensive added up than paying taxes. Even in countries with high tax rates. They're basically lining hospital owners and medical company owners pockets with money. Americans also have to pay for going to College/University unless they get a scholarship and have to pay for kindergarten. Healthcare, education (including they in high school have to pay for lunch) and childcare are covered by paying taxes. It's free or heavily subsidized costs. The latter is usually for healthcare costs. When your treatment and medical bills reach a certain limit you don't have to pay anymore bills for a year. And also, for prescribed medicine the costs decrease drastically the more you have to pay.
The difference is that unless you are rich, paying healthcare bills is gonna be much more expensive and especially if you are unlucky. The point is that the european or scandinavian welfare system is a lot better for low and middle class overall, but the american system is obviously better for the rich that don't have to pay much taxes and can afford high healthcare bills, since it's still a lot cheaper then paying european standard taxes.
Interesting Juwan, and thanks for sharing. I'm a Pakistani born in Chicago. My parents got another opportunity in Sweden thanks to my mothers sister moving here. My father couldn't leave the US because of his work. And my mother got a nice job here in Sweden. My parents thought, why not conquer another country, in Europe. At that time it wasn't hard for immigrants to apply for citizenship here in Sweden compare to now. I went to school both here in Sweden and in Chicago. But the more time went on, i chose to stay longer and longer in Sweden. Now at age 41 i don't think i even wish to go back to the US again unless i have to for some relative reason like cousins getting married or funerals. I'm done with that country for good. (Last time I was in the US was in Seattle 2022). Like you said, time does not move the same here as it does in the US, the food is healthier, people are nicer here except for the elderly that's stuck in the past with the racism. It's much more clean here, the nature and water is much more clean. Overall a better life and healthy place to spend you short time in. I'm grateful we came here to visited my aunt. And I'm glad you liked it and had a nice experience. Do give a heads up if ever decide to visit again. I live in a small city called Mariestad. Sending eternal love, peace and blessings. 🙏
I did cycle camping in Sweden and Norway for seven weeks. Really like the people in Sweden and Norway. Friendly, kind, decent, trustworthy, Mature, sensible.
I'm from Sweden, so it's fun to hear about your experience! About the tip, it is usually seen as part of the salary but in Sweden the salary is fixed, so any tip is taxed. In places where you pay be the counter like coffee shops and fast food places they usually don't accept tips. If you leave tip it will go into a tip jar and go to charity. Tip is usually more common in restaurants as a sign of satisfaction (about 10 %), usually not lunch (unless alcohol is involved).
All countries in Europe are also capitalist. Its just regulated here and our taxes actually go back into the system which allows us to have the social protection network that we have. Make no mistake tho, our "Socialist" policies are 100% dependant on our capitalist core. America is what we usually call "Hyper-capitalism". Anyway, nice video 🙂 Glad you enjoyed your stay.
Thank you for sharing this because more of our people need to hear that the USA is NOT the greatest country in the world. BUT we could at least try to be on the top ten, and we’re not even close to that. The USA usually falls around 33rd on the list in various areas like education, health and transportation.
I'm an American who has lived in Europe (UK and now Portugal) since the Presidential election in 2016. I will never willingly return to America to live, for all the reasons you've outlined - and more. Thanks for sharing this. Especially about the food and healthier lifestyle here. So very true!
This is why its so important to live a while overseas as it broadens your mind, you soak in so much, and you realise what could be improved back home, no matter what country you live in. I couldn’t believe I couldn’t walk across the (rather wide) road to get a restaurant in the US from my motel, instead I had to drive. Mental. Every country has its way of doing things, good and bad, you just don’t realise what improvements need doing until you live elsewhere.
Thanks for this video. I'm a brit who spent several months in South Carolina for a relationship and also lived in Ireland and France. The differences are staggering! Fresh produce in the USA was awful, like plastic covered in wax. It looked nice but there was no flavour. Even the uk is better for food. Of course France wins the food title. They have these ugly ass vegetables that taste better than junk food ever could.
The Tip culture is almost inexistent all over Europe: is given directly to the waiter or in a piggy bank near the till, but there is no moral pressure to tip and very few do.
This video is spot on! All the things you mentioned are 100% good observations. I feel like here in usa people are warmer, but it’s sooo superficial. In Europe the life feels more real, like whatever is going on and is said people really mean it, it’s not just some weird pretense.
One of the weirdest and most unexpected thing about moving to a different country, is how you forget things about your home country and culture. I've been in America six years, and already people will sometimes ask me something about Australia and I'll have to respond with "You know, I don't remember."
I was surprised by what you said about the small talk, because Swedes are known for not talking to strangers haha. The reason we don't tip like you guys do in America is because the people who work in restaurants get proper salaries. In America the tip is pretty much their salary. Which is also why they have to be overy friendly and check up on you all the time. I consider that rude lol
I was told that Swedes were more reserved but people spoke with me a lot😃. Thanks for the explanation! That makes sense why American serves do overly cater to their customers.
@@therealwan I would say you got that experience because you were speaking English and they knew you were not from there, between swedes it's a whole nother story 😅
Same here! On the other hand, I made friends with one of my neighbours while waiting for the elevator the other day. Ok, we'd both had had a drink, but we weren't intoxicated. Consensus: offer a Swede a drink, and you're in for a surprise!
@@therealwan to be fair - there is an exception to that rule. We are usually reserved and conservative in our communications, however we're also open and more curious about people from other places, so as a foreigner you get more attention than usual :D We don't really do small talk and only communicate when necessary, I'd rather call what Swedes do (and alot of other european countries) genuine but short conversations basically. People usually only communicate if they actually need help or are genuinely curious about you. This basically means that - when we actually talk to each other talk is never cheap and we know that there is something important the one who engaged us really needs.
😂 OMG the thing abt the food! Made me remember my first trip to the US and being like "wtf?! am i just randomly selecting the worst places to eat or is the food here dreadful everywhere?!" I remember i went for pizza thinking that can't be messed up... And when i got it i was thinking "t.h.i.s. is pizza?!?" 😅 I probably had some bad luck but even so... Even cooking for myself the ingredients weren't great, they didn't seem to have much taste. And seemed very expensive! I was thinking how my friends over there were always saying how Europe is so expensive, but honestly i thought the US was way more expensive... Rent, food and transportation were imo much more expensive for less quality. Loved the nature and enjoyed my trip overall, but OMG the food!
Please keep up the great work in sharing your experience. It’s truly valued and as someone that has been traveling from American to Italy for the last 15+ years, I can honestly say that what you’ve shared is 100% factual.
I agree with ALL of this, especially the food problem we have here. It's embarrassing! Even the coffee tastes horrible compared with European coffee (especially Italy. I was in Italy for two weeks and lost 12 pounds without trying, just from walking more and eating real food.
I had a great experience getting a really top notch coffee in San Jose in Cali. best coffee I had for years....but what lets American coffee down is Starbucks...their idea of coffee is just a bitter black liquid..no taste to speak of...no character...no crema. For a place that specialises in coffee it's kind of bizarre. Here in Oz we have a great coffee culture basically brought here by Italian and Greek migrants, we're blessed.
@@jocularpaddy Yes! Here's what's funny: years ago, the CEO of Starbuck's was interviewed and he crowed about having gotten his inspiration from Italian coffee! I never liked that burnt Starbuck's, but when I went to Italy I was shocked by what a fraud that guy is (Schultz, I thin his name is).
Hello, This was interesting but Sweden is well known for its generous government benefits system, child care creches and generally looking after its citizens. Also Sweden's prisons are almost delightful. France is also pretty good despite all the riots in this regard. but tipping is absolutely required, in fact i think most European countries add a compulsory 15% to a restaurant bill, England does and an extra tip is expected. However, what we think in Britain about America's Health care system is outraged shock. It costs a fortune to have a baby and no paid maternity pay, as I understand it. I hope you can travel to some other European countries, not just to see ancient culture but to compare how you enjoy them. Thank you, best wishes. Xxx
Thank you so much for your comment! You are right about the American healthcare system as well. Next year I will be living In Romania to play basketball and I’m looking forward to experiencing the lifestyle of another country In Europe.
Well done for recognizing these things in only 8 months! I've lived in Europe for nearly 50 years and it takes about twenty minutes to get cheesed off when I land back in the US. In Europe, they don't give you the bill in a restaurant until you ask for it. In the US, they put the bill on the table when they give you your food.
I’ve had a lot of time to analyze things haha. Right! The workers place the bill on your table so we can hurry up and leave so that the next party gets served
@@therealwan When I eat in the US I tell the server that if he wants a good tip, 1) don't clear ANY plates until everyone has finished; 2) don't bring the bill until I ask for it, and 3) don't say "No problem."
As a former server here in the US, I have to tell you that we tip servers here because they are not paid minimum wage and are supposed to live off the tips. So, it's not really just a cultural difference, but a financial necessity for the people bringing you your food. They also hover more because the more tables they turn, the more tips they can make.
In most countries, wages are part of the restaurant bill. You get paid to do a job and you have to live on those wages. A tip is only to show appreciation for the service if it was good, not because your stingy boss doesn't want to increase prices enough to enable you to have a decent wage. It's an absolute disgrace. In many countries, tipping is actually considered an insult. So always ask if it is okay to tip.
This is crazy. Do I have to tip my plumber, my doctor, my child's teacher, etc.? Tipping in the US now feels like extortion. Just raise the menu prices and pay the workers a real salary, like in Sweden!
