NORMAL, EVERYDAY GERMAN THINGS THAT MAKE SO MUCH SENSE 🇩🇪 Observed by a New Zealander 

Hey guys, I am so sorry for getting this video up super late. My family and I have been hit by (yet another) illness which has put me behind with my youtube schedule. There are SO many sick people in Germany right now, so if you're also unwell I hope you feel better really soon. Also, I'm trying really hard to reach 60k subscribers on my channel and it's not easy. I would be so grateful if you would consider subscribing, and to everyone who has already subscribed, THANK YOU I appreciate you so much ❤

Blackout blinds help a lot in saving energy. They form another barrier against the loss of energy through the windows - especially in winter at night. And in summer they help against the incoming heat.

Growing food in Schrebergärten is one of the rules. At least 1/3 of the garden has to be used for growing vegetables, fruit, herbs and so on.

As far as I am concerned, antibiotics are effective against bacteria and not against viruses. So if you have e.g. a rhino-virus, it makes absolutely no sense to take an antibiotic. Some doctors tend to prescribe antibiotics far too easily just to make the patient feel better and to ensure, he or she will come back next time. An ear or sinus infection or scarlet fever for example are caused by bacteria. In those cases, antibiotics can be a lifesaver.

The antibiotic thing doesn't have anything to do with "strengthening the immune system" and "natural treatments" (in that case I'd honestly look for a different doctor). The main point is that the more often antibiotics are being used, the more likely it is than germs become immune and that the treatment won't work anymore next time. That is also why there are debates regarding antibiotic usage with cattle. It is just an unnecessary risk to waste working medicine on cheaper meat, accelerating the development of resistant bacteria.

Hello: House insualtion: many people from other countries don´t understand why we don´t have air condition for summer. The high grade of insulation is one reason for it. It keeps the cold outside in winter, but it also keeps the heat outside in summer. And the blackout blinds assist in this.

Wer hätte gedacht dass der gute alte Rollo mal die Welt begeistern würde 😁

The blinds are a nice thing. If you want to get really fancy you can get them with a timer, to atomatically go up and down at specific times, and light sensing, to go down when it gets to bright (hot summerdays) and up when it gets to dark during the day.

As for antibiotics, keep in mind that over 90% of typical illnesses you commonly catch are caused by viruses and antibiotics do not help at all with a virus infection as they only help to kill bacteria. Ear infections are caused by bacteria, that's why it makes sense to give antibiotics but when you have a cold, that's caused by a virus. A blocked nose or coughing are typical virus symptoms. There are exceptions, e.g. whooping cough are caused by bacteria and pneumonia very often is as well (though it can also be be caused by a virus or by a fungus) but if you have one of those, you have other typical symptoms that will reveal it quickly to any doctor.

Sometimes a Schrebergarten can be much more than a nice add-on to your appartement in the city. My dad basically grew up in a garden hut because when he was a child his home got destroyed in an air raid - it was during WW2. So the Schrebergarten became the new home for my grandparents, my dad and his brother.

It is so fascinating for me to see my home from the outside like this! I never would have thought that basic insulation is such a special thing, mostly because the standards have become stricter and stricter over the years and our house doesn't really hold up to modern ideas of a well-insulated home.

Originally, the Schrebergarten was meant to enable poor people living in the cities (mostly factory workers or miners) to grow their own food. They'd rent it for a small fee from the city or a club or something similar and could then grow food or even keep small animals like rabbits or chicken on it. By now, most Schrebergartens still have the rule that you need to devote a certain amount of space to fruits and vegetable, but can use the rest as you wish.

Thank you for explanation, now I understand what my daughter means when she says that she drinks tea when feels sick. She lives in Germany for nine months already and takes many local things as normal. For example, when she talks about something ordinal, she may say "It's so usual like a postman riding bike" It sounds funny for me, that such things become usual for her, because here in Ukraine postmen or rather postwomen don't ride, they walk.

Here in Italy we have the same blackout blinds as in Germany, and I frankly love them because no curtain really keeps the light out, and I'm not crazy about waking up at 5 AM 😁

We have what we call “allotments” in the uk, it’s an older concept here, a lot of the older generation have allotments to grow veg or have a little shed on… there are mainly used for growing veg from what I have seen. We don’t have a lot of them left now and the wait list is huge, apparently you can be on the list for years before you get one. I love the blackout blinds in Germany, it’s something I had never seen coming from the UK but they are so useful x

Thank you for reminding me of my thoughts on New Zealand houses and their insulation when I visited years ago. At the time when I visited Queenstown (December), I thought „this is a place to go on a skiing vacation as well, isn’t it? How do people not freeze to death in these houses?“. I love my parent’s house, it’s about 100 years old, has double paned windows and it takes weeks of very hot or freezing weather to actually change the temperature inside enough to actually feel it.

Our Schrebergarten costs 350 a year in rent, plus about another 100 for electricity and water. It serves as a hangout for BBQs and so on, but also as alternative overnight accommodation for occasional visits in 3 season out of 4, amd of course we grow food, so it totally pays for itself.

Schrebergarten here (Bayern) is about 100 to 150€ a year, so, much work, but less money 🤗

Hallo liebe Antoinette, ich hoffe sehr, es geht Euch allen bald wieder richtig gut! 😘🌼 Ich finde es prima, dass Du das mit den Antibiotika für Kinder ansprichst! Vor dreißig Jahren hat unser damaliger Kinderarzt unser Kind bei jeder Kleinigkeit mit Antibiotika zugeballert, obwohl es jedesmal von Kopf bis Fuß heftigen Ausschlag bekommen hat und sich ständig übergeben musste! Da wurde auch viel mit Angstmacherei gearbeitet:"Wenn Sie das nicht machen, dann passiert etwas Schreckliches! " Irgendwann hatten wir die Nase voll davon und haben zu einer Naturheilkundeärztin gewechselt, danach war Schluss mit der Tortur, es konnte alles mit natürlichen Mitteln behandelt werden! Wadenwickel bei Fieber, Ingwerwickel bei Bronchitis, Stärkung des Immunsystems durch Gaben von Vitamin D3, Zink und Vitamin C, Zwiebelsäckchen mit Wärme bei Ohrenentzündung - sie hat uns immer genau gezeigt, was wir zu tun haben! Nichts gegen AB, sie können Leben retten! Aber bei einer Viruserkrankung schaden sie eher, als das die Nutzen bringen, da sie die Darmbakterien abtöten, die wir so nötig für unser Immunsystem brauchen! Und was Paracetamol und Ibuprofen angeht, damit muss man sehr vorsichtig sein! Diese Mittel setzen die Durchblutung herab und können dadurch bei häufigem Gebrauch Schwerhörigkeit verursachen, gerade Frauen sind dadurch sehr gefährdet itgendwann schlechter zu hören, man sollte diese Mittel nur im Notfall einsetzen!

Thank you, dear Emily, for your very interesting and uplifting contributions, which make me increasingly proud and grateful for the great gift of being safe in this wonderful country!

I completely agree with you on all points, even though I never used the blackout blinds when I lived at home. But they were very handy when we stayed over, and my babies needed a nap. Four other things I want to add, and maybe you agree. 1) Windows opening inward, which makes cleaning so much easier. Here in Australia, I always have to get some external workers to clean my windows because they either open outward or slide up and are too high to reach with a ladder. 2) You can tip windows rather than fully open them. As a fresh air-obsessed person, I love that option as you can always leave the window open 3) Keys always turn in the logical direction. No jiggling; you just turn it in the direction it slides into the door. Here it is just random, and I think it would be the same in NZ. 4) Showers are not integrated into the wall but are on a hose. How easy is it to clean your shower then or if you do not want to wash your hair? Luckily this option is available here, but so many houses have the shower in the wall in a fixed position ... and hot and cold taps on opposite sides of the sink. Unthinkable in Germany 🙂

Hello from Switzerland, I would like to go into more detail about the blinds. Of course you can regulate the incidence of light on the one hand, but especially in summer, the cool air at night too, together with the turn/tilt windows, that makes perfect sense, you get fresh air and are sure that nobody can climb in or look in through the window.

Besides the Schrebergarten concept, many Germans also use Dauercamping, which are fixed installations with water, sewage and electricity on a camping ground, rented for pronged periods of time. Schrebergärten often have quite rigid rules, enforced by a Verein or a local Blockwart, while camping is more relaxed.

Didn't need to heat so far,but south Germany, anyway I'm not afraid of winter, snow would be nice,though

Danke, liebe Emily für Deine so interessanten und aufbauenden Beiträge, die mich zunehmend stolz und dankbar für das großartige Geschenk machen, in diesem wunderbaren Lande geborgen zu sein!

The Schrebergarten are build after WW1 to give the poorer people to plant food for them self! In Schrebergarten you must plant 1/3 of the surface of the garden with edible plants!It´s great to see the plants of vegetables and fruits grown!

The small garden Plots were actually built on the Ruins after WW2. Whenever an area of Land in the cities wasnt immediately needed, its was rented for very cheap to people to grow food on to help with the food-shortages. Later, these areas where marked for future developments, when it was visible, that maybe in time more space could be needed. Like in the vicinity of trainstations. They might need some extra space in the future, so the garden Plots where Set down to keep that space tidy, give people some space to unwind but also feed themselves. Which is why they are so cheap. You might get evicted at any given point to enable a city-project. The concept in itself is much older than that, even. Look up what a Büdnerei was, if you are interested what people in the 17th-19th century did for vacationing in summer times ;)

You (a person) cannot build up immunity to antibiotics. This is a common mistake. Antibiotics always work in the same way but with different mechanisms of action and prevent bacteria from multiplying. But the bacteria can build up resistance to antibiotics. Especially when antibiotics are taken too short, shorter than recommended because you feel better. Thats why antibiotic-resistant bacteria are on the rise, which is a real problem. Many antibiotics that were effective in the past are now useless against some bacteria. Interestingly, the first antibiotic penicillin (amoxicillin, etc.) is still very effective against many bacteria. So its always better to see if the immune system is winning the fight itself before giving antibiotics. :)

Wow, Luftwärmerückgewinnung hätte ich auch gerne, würde mich sehr interessieren, wie das in der Praxis sich bewährt…. Falls du magst kannst du darüber ja auch einmal berichten? Jedenfalls vielen Dank für deine Videos 😊

Hi Antoinette, we have the same issue with houses here in Canada (and USA). The technology is very bad and poor insulation yet big houses and rooms. The room climate is quite uncomfortable.

I was wondering if you plan to vlog the Christmas markets this year. You have mentioned them so much that I’m curious. Greetings from Arizona.

Ich hoffe ihr werdet bald alle wieder richtig gesund. Liebe Grüße nach Bayern. 🤙🏼

Been living in Berlin since 1980, I love to hear how "newer" people see Germany.

the gardens for rent are called Schrebergarten. they were given away after the war so that the population could grow their own food

In th early 90's I lived in an old "Fachwerkhaus" in a german village as a Child. It had the original windows still and we got the ice on the inside of them (Eisblumen). But even than that was not normal.

We didn´t came up with the Kleingartenvereinb concept due to lag of backyards in the city, they devolped due to outfalls of war and people not having any food. Therefor the Kleingärtnerverine were founded to grow food and supply people withinin the city with food. Not wholesome at all.

Seit froh das so umsichtig umgegangen wird mit den Arzneimitteln/Antibiotika. Schrebergärten sind hier in NRW, speziell im Ruhrpott normal. Das mit den Fenstern finde ich immer wieder erstaunlich - keine Doppelverglasung in UK, US uvm. Danke für das Bewustsein schaffen...

When in Summer time the Sun comes down at 10 PM they really need blackout blinds. Another thing that I'd like to have here in Brazil are the windows. The way they open in many directions...

The lack of antibiotics really took us by surprise too! We were used to just buying Lemsip or something for a slight sniffle in the UK or NZ. Love hearing the Kiwi accent again 😊

All these things are also very common in D, A, and CH, especially the _phytotherapy_ . Owning a garden is also very common in the whole Europe (I guess)

Hi, Antoinette! Everything ist quite the same here in Austria. And concerning antibiotics: I'm 66 now and I think, I got antibiotics five or six times in my total life.

I remember sleeping in icey rooms, with a heated up brick in bed,and only one room with heating.

Energy efficiency: it didn't used to be that way. I still remember large campaigns to improve home insulation. I'm not entirely sure, but I think that was triggered by the (OPEC) energy crisis back then. As for antibiotics, that's because antibiotics are always in danger of breeding resistant strains of bacteria. And if you get infected with those, antibiotics won't be able to help you, and you'll get very, very sick. We try to avoid that.

I would definitely be interested in seeing a counterpart to this video. Like things that dont make sense to you. Would you consider doing that? Maybe there is something we can learn. And if not maybe we can explain the reasons behind things.

Leute, ich weiß daß viele von Euch, die regelmäßig Antoinettes Videos ansehen Deutsche sind und sicher nicht alle diesen Kanal abonniert haben. Gebt Euch doch bitte endlich 'nen Ruck, klickt auf die entsprechende Schaltfläche zum Abonnieren dieses Kanals und tut der lieben Antoinette damit einen großen Gefallen..!! An alle die diesem Wunsch nachkommen: "Vielen lieben Dank!" Ihr seid spitze!!

Not giving antibiotics too often is a good thing. In Poland, doctors prescribe antibiotics for anything and everything. Feel better.

In Berlin we call them plots of land a "Laubenpieper kolonie"

Schrebergarten are also a green lung for citys. It helps air quality alot. It is one of the arguments against removing them, which many citys are trying to do since the land is really valubel. Also blackoutblinds are an absolute necessty i live in a small apartment which has no blinds and it is a nightmare.

Hi. Schrebergärten have been brought up for poor at first and later for workers in industrial metropolitain areas. Not without the ulterior motive, that healthier workers are more productive.... Same goes for Bismarck's invention of social laws in the 1880s. Plus healthy workers turn into healthy soldiers after they have been recruited..... Closed blinds after sunset keep a lot of heat in the house, cause they build another air layer over the windows (wind)....

Black out blinds: our house was built in 1912. We don't have them on all windows. But they can save energy. And they said "every kWh we save will annoy Mr. Putin. We're sporting it! (All we can do, as a son of 62 and a bedridden mom of 88. But: we've turned down the heating. 20°C, and'we're fine. We rather (and do) wear jackets than to turn up the heat. And we don't seem to be alone: I've seen statistics, where private households have consumed 30% less gas than last year. O.K.: autumn was mild, this year. Still: 30% shows something. With no relatives anywhat east of Hamburg, Germany: just 2 people doing, what we can do. We still could afford the costs, today. No chance for wind energy on our property. Few chances for solar. Is that german thinking?

I had no blackout blinds in any flat I ever rented, I think they only were at the ground floors? ALways had to buy internal blinds. Now I have a condo, I have them again.

So darn cool u posting watching what post say. Learn, listen just interesting cool

7:25 When I was in school, someone invited me to their birthday party. They had both a plot of land, and a house with a huge backyard, even a pool. I don't think anyone as poor as renting a flat is going to rent such a plot of land as well.

I actually know exactly how it is to sleep and wake up in these kind of cold rooms. I did grow up in Germany, but i did not have a kind of 'just turn the heater up' kind of home until i was about 19. We still had a coal oven in the basement we had to fire up with wood and coal, but with how old the system was, the warm water and therefore the heat didnt even reach the upper story where my room was. At this point we also didnt have these nice, straight windows. It was a single glass that was kinda.. imperfect and wavey after-war DDR built stuff. And while not everyone lived like this, i also dont think it was all too uncommon to at least know this in the east. But then again if i look at todays people and see how many talk about 'freezing' when you cant have 20+ degrees all day i might wanna take that back. And if could exchange these kind of nights i had back then with stupid 35+ summer days i'd make that deal pretty much without thought.

Great content as always just one small info. Black out blinds are not a thing in all of germany. Its a big thing in bavaria but in other states its diffrent. We spend one week in dresden and there were just a few homes with blinds. We blocked the windows with all we had to make the children sleep longer...

Very nice.

Vielleicht ist ja auch das Kippfenster eine gute Erfindung gewesen... | Maybe the windows you can "flip" were a good invention...

A flew without taken medicine takes one week. With medicine 7 days

Very well observed ....

Regarding the prescription of antibiotics, you are showing flu medicin, in almost all cases, such infections are caused by viruses, antibiotics cannot help against them. Only if you develop an inflammation like bronchitis or even pneumonia out of the common cold, then the prescription of antibiotics makes sense.

Still love your Videos. Get well soon.

Thats actually not true houses have blinds but must Appartements do not have those especialy those you rent.

Nice Video! :)

Like that a video of urs popped up

Doctors know that a virus infection just has to go away, nothing you can really do except treat the symptoms, so usually you get something like a mucus solvent and advice to rest and drink a lot. And maybe a placebo to make the patient feel like they do something.

Erster! ;-) Weiter so! Danke.

I just found out that these blinds were invented by the French in the 18th century. Didn't know that before.

Blackout blinds are not standard. Since I moved out of my mothers home twenty years ago, I never had blackout blinds. I totally miss them, but they are not standard. Unfortunately

I pay 32€ for my Schrebergarten

0:40 Seems you still know not much about Germany (typing in a room in Germany with 12° C and condensation and frost on the windows).

Hi Antoinette, it is possible to speak a little bit slower. Thanks!

Sorry ur household is sick darn

Sorry, america homes along time by law are required to be insulted. My energy bill for eight months per month out of the year are under $40.00us. In america we have these things called large yards. Where your kids, pets can play in. Doesn't germany allow cigarettes and alcohol. Which are known to be a two cancer causing agent. Does that sound a good health policy?.

Antoine ..tyni correction.. you have blinds ONLY in "Hochparterre" appartements. Garden 🏡 🍄🥀🌺🦎🐸🪲🪱🍒🍓 if you are alone..without kids ..you have not a chance.. Only family's become a garden..😪