The German Trait I'm Proud To Have Now 

German bakeries are way better than Starbucks, in my opinion

It's an old antique paneuropean idea, called Stoicism. My father in law (2 times wounded as young WW2 soldier, his wife, my mother in law 40 years in wheel-chair from multiple sclerosis...) always quoted Karl Valentin: " ich freue mich wenn es regnet ,denn wenn ich mich nicht freue, regnet es auch" (I'm happy when it rains because if I'm not happy, it rains too)

"No one likes being uncomfortable." Except German grandmas. You know they're happy when they have something to complain about.

Das erinnert mich an Obelix, als er an einem verregneten Tag am Strand steht und anmerkt, dass es "auffrischt". Später schüttet es in Strömen und er merkt an: "Heut frischt es mehr und mehr auf". Immer wenn ich im Regen gehe oder stehe, denk ich dran, und schon ist es nur mehr halb so schlimm.

Meine Freundin sagt in unangenehmen Situationen: „Wer weiß wofür es gut ist.“ Vielleicht brauchst du diese Lebensphase für den Übergang in einen neuen Lebensabschnitt. 👍

❤ sooo, from one American to another, I left military service in 1984 and have lived here since. I married a German, got to know Germans, lived ate worked studied and then took nursing school. Now after 2 marriages, 2 divorces and 6 children and 6 grandchildren later... All I can say is, things never, never ever, go according to plan. You take your steps, they look good, and for a while it works, good. There's no "but" here, it's all Okay. You learn, how life here in Germany works. Just ask, if you are'nt sure. Hell, if I went to live in the States after 45 years I'd be totally lost. Absolutely lost. I would be asking thousands of people, how to do what where how. Language proficiency is key. Reading writing speaking. School and Study gave me a good leap forward. But so does living together and or working with Germans. Life, just takes it's time. And as long as you're healthy in body, and mind, put one foot forward. The other will follow. I've learned, Gelassenheit. Calmness composure serenity. You can Not Force TIME. Regulating your lifestyle, integrating also with the cultural calender, times of the year, vacation work freetime...have a hobby or two. Ride bicycle. Every town village city has beautiful bike paths even between cities and towns. Here we have a wide open Horizon. Take weekend city trips. Take in the culture here, its so much you can't see it all...just plan it out and do it. Security is important. A job that you like and pays reasonably. You have health insurance coverage and retirement benifits. Deutsche Rentenversicherung Additionally extra company retirement benifits Betriebsrente. One day, you will be older all of a sudden. And zip you have to adapt to less money. Half to be exact. And youll be to tired to work and play as you did when young or middle age. Youll want to rest up more often. By then youll be as old as me. I was athletic. And that was Great. So just keep moving, don't stop. Go camping. Drive to Spain. Great camping. France. Germany. Switzerland Austria Croatia Greece. Shall I say more!? Buy a camera and take great Pictures. Hike in the Mountains. Paddle down the Yukon on a trip to Alaska. Theres no time to worry. Worry only makes you old. Viel Glück

As an American I lived in Germany for almost 5 years. Day 1 I knew this was a great country and I loved it! The people are so real and were very welcoming to me. The food/beer and countryside were amazing. I honestly did don't want to come back to America when I did. My wife and I go back as often as we can to see my friends and in my head, I'm home. Trust me on this, the longer you live there the harder it will be to leave. Thanks for posting this and all the best

"There is a German characteristic that I am very proud to have adopted over the years." Eating a daily butter pretzel. TSGO

Nalf, ask your German girl friend to show you a Conditerei. This will open your eyes to something much better than a chain store STARBUCKS. At a Conditerei, you can get your coffee fix too, but the Conditerei bakes many different kinds of delicious cakes and pastries. So go in; drool at the selection on offer; make a choice, - mit Schlagsahne or Ohne - sit at one of their tables; order your coffee and then as you eat your Torte, slowly enter the Gates of Heaven

Your exceptional self-awareness traits will serve you well as you grow older. I'll be in Germany soon and your channel has been a great help for me to begin understanding the culture and differences from the US. Thank you

To German Parking, you have to take into account that most of the Parking lots were created far before cars became as big as they are now. Old cars in everything not the US are so much smaller than modern cars. And add to that that you live in Schwäbisch Hall which is a city known for having a lot of small corners and tight spaces.

My Grandfather would say something similar (in Finnish). It is good to have some "pain" in life so you can enjoy the times you do not have the "pain". Good job Nalf!

Nick, what you're discribing is frustration tolerance. Yes, it's not nice to stand a uncomftable situation. But a human should be able to come through it. You'll do it. You're grown in th e time here 😉

If you go sleding and DON'T crash you didn't do it right! It's part of the fun, so you did just right.

„Mache die Dinge so einfach wie möglich - aber nicht einfacher.“ (Albert Einstein).

Hi from Portland, Oregon! Great video that everyone in the U.S. should be required to watch! We'd have a lot less angst with each other if we'd simply get comfortable with being uncomfortable!

To be fair, Fahrenheit (although born in Poland) was of German blood.

German speaking, i seriously though that this video will be a "open beer bottles with everything i can find" compilation because of the lighter in the thumbnail xD But you are right i never even realized myself that I have that kind of mentality it's just so normal that there is discomfort from time to time that you just start to ignore it. Life can't have ups if there is no down

I think you shouldn't go completely cold turkey on competitive sport. There is so much opportunity to be part of a team, of a proper German Verein, out there. Take up a new sport, join a tennis team, a basketball team, a volleyball team. I got back into tennis at 35 and now play in an over-40s team in the lowest level league there is. Amazing fun! I bet you have an aptitude for loads of different sports, think about it!

Nick, we have a nice saying about this: "Have the serenity to accept things you cannot change, the courage to change things that can be changed, and the wisdom to distinguish one from the other." You have mastered the first part - perhaps you have already mastered the second and third?😉

Er bekommt es immer wieder hin. Den gewissen Nalf Flavour 💕👌😅 Respekt Nick!

Feeling comfortable when you are uncomfortable is actually a great advantage in life, because one obstacle to human happiness has been overcome…

Just watching this while I'm laying on my sofa, being ill, and I really love this. I wasn't terribly aware that having this mindset of discomfort being a natural part of life is part of my German upbringing and I was just barely aware that Americans rarely share this mindset. So hearing you describe this as a strength to be proud of makes me happy and brightens up my day a bit. So, thank you for that! 😊

You can either use a lot of energy to make you always feel perfectly comfortable or you can use a little bit of energy to accept to feel uncomfortable. And once you start getting used to not always be 100% comfortable, this actually gets easy.

Similar to parking, it irritates me when I go into a restroom and there are say five stalls. I use one on the end and someone comes in and takes the one right next to me when there were others open farther down.

I'm posting from England and whatever hardships life throws at you it's worth it just to be in Germany, it's my favourite place, if I was younger I'd make a determined effort to build a life over there, I've travelled extensively but I can never get Germany our of my system.

Damn… that was deeply reflected. Puhhh…. I’m really happy for you that you have this observatory sense to look at things and to break it down so precise. I’m confident that this ability will guide you during this new and challenging time of changes.😊

so, after watching this video I am waiting for you, Nalf, answer the question: "Na, wie geht's?" with "Muss!"

Adaptability takes one a long way

Accepting that you cannot get immediately what you desire, making you feel uncomfortable, but shows that you have grown up .

Beautiful sentiment.

It all takes time, be patient!

WOW man... That never occurred to me before but you are spot on. I just felt like it was normal growing up in Germany. You just dealt with things. Laws, habits, other people, grumpiness, conflict, weather (heat or cold),... so much more. When I moved to the US it felt like paradise where people made you feel good and the little annoying things were gone. I have softened up a little in my last 25 years in the US in certain ways but still can take more in other ways. One example, the dentist, unpleasant in any country. When the dentist needed to fix my cavity (cavities to be honest) he did not even ask if I wanted any anesthetics. He just started to drill and I had to ask for it. In the US, they gave me a shot right away without asking and on top of it numbed the place where they injected the shot. I remember sitting there thinking WTF? If you feel uncomfortable anywhere in the US and you tell people or people notice, they will try hard to make you less uncomfortable. I am still on the fence if I like that or not. If that is a good thing or not. (I like it but it's not necessarily good) The most uncomfortable situation is to join a group of people. As a background actor I have to do that weekly. I watch people staring into their phone to just create their own bubble to not feel lonely or uncomfortable. I have no problem with this... So far every time I was able to approach someone or a group or a table and inject myself. And always we have the best conversation for the 8 or 10 or more hours we need to sit around.

As a German I feel that many Germans are just the same when it comes to discomfort. Anything negative, be it physical or emotional, has to be fought, suppressed or "switched off" right away. Learning to accept discomfort, sometimes insecurity/fear, or the fact that we don't have control over many things in our life, is an important part of emotional maturity imho. Being able to say "It's not perfect right now, but that's okay" is an achievement to be proud of.

The only thing I could think of in this video is the phrase "wir sind doch net aus Zucker“ (translated: "we aren't made if sugar", meaning that it just isn't that great at the moment, but we are strong enough to deal with that, often used when someone complains about the rain)

IMO your best vid so far, reflective, wholesome, down to earth. Thanks! 🇸🇪🇫🇮

Schwäbisch Hall, right in the heart of Hohenlohe. Supposedly the natives there are the most harsh and unfriendly German specimen you can find and also they are said to be even worse penny pinchers than those from the "Ländle" Schwabenland. I worked and lived there for over a decade, actually built an entire aeroplane there, and left for Palatinate for good. Let's just say, not all of the superstitions are true, but developing a healthy amount of stoicism will help to cope... The best thing I brought from there was the aeroplane which I still enjoy flying.

Very nice adaption of being comfortable being a little bit uncomfortable

as a physics student i watched your video all the way through and in the end i was still absolutely disturbed that you stick with the fahrenheit system

It is a good mindset to have when I visit Germany in August for a 3 week vacation. Enjoy the updates in your new journey.

i love to see videos like this one from you. Editing is also very good, and a nice message to think about. Thanks for sharing!

What a great video. Never thought of it, but this is actually the reason why things are so crazy in USA. The comfort level needs to be 200%....ALL THE TIME FOR EVERYTHING🤣

Congratulations young man. You made the best of your athletic abilities, and now you are wisely moving on to other challenges, hopefully without a lingering burden of excess cumulative cerebral injury which is quite unfortunately often a malady suffered by players of American-style football. I believe there are many exciting horizons open to an obviously intelligent, articulate and talented person such as yourself -and did I mention your wonderful sense of humor? -Kudos!

I think everyone can understand that for the time being such a change in life is unpleasant, but maybe it is a good opportunity as well. And being an athlete is something that cannot be done forever anyways, so at least it is not something that comes too unexpected or could have been avoided. I wish you good luck for the future and hope you find a great new task, you seem like a genuinely nice person

During very uncomfortable moments never forget that community of Nalficorns who would never let you down 🥰

discomfort is part of life, i never thought different about it but this might be a german thing I never noticed before, and thought al arround the world people would think that way thank you for sharing your perspective ^-^

I am so glad you decided to stay here in Germany. This country needs people like you!

Haven't been this glued to a screen for a long time, amazing video

I'm so happy to see you growing-up / maturing, handsome! My "Murican" Ex-hubby and still best friend will probably appreciate seeing another "Murican" fella (than him) having emotionally matured so much thanks to a different social setting. I am happy for you and your friends, future lovers etc., handsome! Keep on exploring, achieving, failing and learning from your mistakes (it's the most human and only way to grow actually, but don't tell the perfectionists we once were, too😅😉 ) - as long as you have friends who're truly there for you, can "see" you in any human possible mood, emotional state and either just keep you company without judgement supporting you with calm presence as a "rock in the stormy sea" or who even actively inspire you to insights and help you understand the Data beyond your emotions a little better: as long as you're not abandoned, you're richer than most of those over-ambitious status-chasers... As long as you can make financial ends meet without too much anxiety and existential dread, you're a lucky handsome "bastard" (not in the derogatory sense, mind you, but in the affectionate-friendly one) - like anyone in that condition is, too. Yet, we all have our very unique stories to tell and share - and I love seeing yours develop so well here. Cheers ma(y)te - and happy to see you again after not having watched too many of your vids for a while (was mostly watching weather forecasts here on RU-vid and Train-Journeys from mostly Japanese folks - but , btw.: you're living in Baden-Württemberg, so relatively close to Switzerland (in comparison to where I live in Germany), which happens to have the best (concerning reliability and punctuality) train-network in all of Europe, despite snow-covered Mountains in Winter-time (or wintery spring-time like we have here in the Northern Half of Germany currently at the least still). - I remember having watched some videos of you traveling somewhere, too, but not sure anymore where it was since it's been a while. But trains here in Germany are in most areas still a pain in the booty/heinie since the whole network has been so much reduced after the privatization of the "Deutsche Bahn" *sigh* So, I understand seeing you mostly in your car - but will you consider using the 49-€ Month-Ticket for using all public transport (only regional connections/trains though - not the High-Speed IC(E) connections though) country-wide some time when it's available or stick to your car because your home-town/-city doesn't have such a good public transport connection (which is usually the case in more rural areas sadly)? Cheers and looking forward to seeing more of you, when you - and the peeps you're meeting - are willing to share it❣🥰

Wow, that was an amazing video with a great message :) Thank you for sharing your life with us and entertaining us again and again

Great video! Love it! And yes, I totally feel you. "Loosing" (or leaving) a family/friendgroup sucks.. 2 Things to find friends in Germany: Speak the language! Don't be afraid. Just do it. (Tell your gf to talk some days of the week only in german. You will learn fast!) And 2nd go to school/job and sports (actively, I mean; not watching). "Making" friends in Germany isn't easy. But once you have them, they (tend to) stay with you. ☺️💗

Arranging yourself with discomfort has to do with something I'd like to call "long-term selfishness". Yes, at the moment it sucks, but in the long run it helps. In Germany we say, "Was uns nicht umbringt, macht uns nur härter." -- Things that don't kill us only make us more resilient. And training ourselves to be resilient and strong is a HUGE gain if you ask me. Moreover, not accepting a little discomfort makes life a lot more expensive and burdens many of us with the great burden of debt.

I havent noticed this trait of ours until you made this video - a little eye-opening :)

interesting vid! thanks… reminds me of one of my catch phrases or maybe even some kind of motto I try to follow in life and my regard to it, as I find it does ease things out: „Kein Nachteil ohne Vorteil!“

Never thought about it. It's absolutely true. Germans hardly ever complained when things went wrong. It just changed recently, I guess. Nowadays everybody is moaning all the time.

I watched some of your videos a few years ago and damn your editing skills have improved tremendously. Keep it up!

The little bit over the edge of where life is comfortable is where you grow the most as a person 🌟

0:35 Well in Celsius it's much easier judging temperatures since water freezes at 0°C and boils at 100°C.

This trait is expressed in many situations. When you go for a walk/hike/bike ride/ sledding/ whatever and the weather changes, we Swabians just say "There is no wrong weather, just wrong clothing" [Es gibt kein falsches Wetter, nur falsche Kleidung]. Also, my mum, born right after WWII, tends to always say "You can't have everything" [Ma kaa edd elles hao!]. Moreover, when you go out and it is raining, we usually say "We are not made of sugar", meaning that the rain won't melt us, we'll just have to endure it. This has always been especially fitting in the Swabian Mountains, about 40-50km south of Schwäbisch Hall. The living conditions and the climate and therefore the people have always been a little "rough", so to speak. Albeit that is true, I totally agree: This one character trait is very useful and helps you to be more happy and get along in life. Also, I must agree with mhale: Beware of German [Swabian] grandmas. When you're visiting, you'll be assigned little jobs faster than you can say "I suddenly need to use the bathroom". Cutting the branches on that apple tree? Check. Mowing the grass? check. Getting "Sprudel" from the cellar? check. Setting the table? Yes! Coming along to the cemetery to water the plants? Ooooh yeah. ...

2:03 you actually filmed the Autobahn exit to my home town, Großbottwar :) how nice to have spotted it in your video!

Oh hey it's you again! I haven't watched your stuff in a while and I think it's super cool that you move to germany!

I think it depends a lot on what you're uncomfortable wit. If it's something physical you know that it will go away soon and/or you can change yourself, that's alright. Like some cold that usually lasts a few days or when you have to wait outside in bad weather. But being scared of something or some pain you don't know why you have it is different.

I am always looking forward to your videos. Thank you very much for your open mind. Your Thoughts. Your conclusions. Your deep thoughts. And your humour.

Man, I just subscribed to your channel because I realized, you make me appreciate the things I take for granted being a german. My brother in law moved to california and will be visiting soon and stay for a year with his wife and friends, and I couldn´t get my head around why someone from california would want to spend so much time here, but now I get it ;)

Same, still got my weather app on F even after 7 years

Hope you stay happy in Germany...wish you both all the best.

Me, with my Centigrade brain: 39 Degrees? That’s burning hot.

The past is gone, the future is not here, now I am free of both. Right now, I choose joy. 💖

Hello. Today the metric system is used in almost all countries. Only the United States, Myanmar and Liberia have not yet made it mandatory, although the latter two use it in practice. This includes the temperature designation world more used.Why?

Saw Unicorn Town on my Emirates flight last week. All I can say is it's 10/10. Well done!

Life is what happens on a detour.

You are on a much bigger team now. Your fans love you!!!

Nalf I am following your videos for a while now and I am really amazed, you got rid of your AC addiction

...you and your Butterbrezel ! 😅 I love it! Björn 🖖

You'll pull through and become even Better

Lovely vid, first time watcher. Very interesting to see someone change and have new insights.

"What doesnt kill you, makes you stronger" a term i heard alot growing up in DE

So sweet to put the silver RU-vid thingy always discreetly in the background

I was not expecting this. Nice, it has helped me reconnect with that part of me which I have been losing.

Hi there, watched your videos for quite a while - and enjoyed them very much. I am half Scottish and also lived in the UK for a while so to me it is quite interesting how people form the UK or US look at Germany. Since you may now open a new chapter to your life in Germany … it might be a good idea to leave the Schwäbsich Hall bubble (I live in Baden) and expand on those regional differences within Germany … I mean people from Baden and Württemberg are already different … having said that, people from the north of Baden are completely different than the ones in the south of Baden already … don’t even mention “central Baden” 😊. Maybe it is that, deep down, Germans still think of themselves as in “tribes” - who knows. Loved your video about the “German stare” btw - even though I grew up here … I spent ten years in the UK and I noticed it afterwards … big time.

I'm in a similar state of mind lately. Life throws some things at you that can be genuinely scary at times, and it's okay to admit that. The important part is to eventually pick yourself back up and face your problems head-on

I am also from Portland and live in Stuttgart. The parking part getting in on from other side was super funny

...where the discomfort starts, the adventure begins. ;) Looks to me you'll never choose the boring part of the choice, so better get used to some discomfort. Speaking from a the background of the german part of a german-american couple I wish you all the best for your endevours. Don't loose faith, any version of the future will be worth it. P.S. Most likely you made your decision (to choose some discomfort over a typical american life) many years ago, the question is: did you already admit it to yourself? Hi from not far from Laura's neighborhood.

more power to you. even in bad times one must not allow oneself to give up. keep fighting. enjoy the times you don't have to fight.

What a great and inspiring video! Thank you!

Beautiful Video With a important message - be comfortabel in being uncomfortable - that Makes you free, That will Make you fly

This man’s love for butter bretzeln amazes me every time

FYI the link to the podcast in the description has a specific time stamp in it--not sure if that was intentional or not.

right on man just stumbled across your channel and wow peas in a pod nice to know I am not alone, though I am not in Germany I can relate thanks for posting ( football among many other similarities but yeah great post

0:35 i've been living in the US almost 10 years now, i still use Celsius for weather/temperature (although my thermostat is in F, because it was like that when i moved into this apartment, and i know that this temp in this apartment is comfortable)

I don't know what part of the U.S. you're from, but in the upper midwest we know how to handle discomfort... a lot of it.

You got it! That's the way to be content and happy 😊

Thank you for sharing your fascination, it really moved me :)

thank you for opening my eyes about this, ive never thought about this. 💚

Some discomfort is ok… with a bit of stoicism it seems. Good combo to being more resilient.

I´d say that having bad times/days just makes you appreciate the good things in life even more 😙

when i saw the lighter in the thumbnail i thought you were going to say that you can open beer with everything now

Hope you will find your way soon. 👍

That is a very interesting perspective; ai never really thought about that about living with a slight discomfort. I think looking at public transportation, groceries, bakeries etc in walking distance, Kipp fenster are just a few little things that I think make life more comfortable- not to speak of the safety, where kids can be a little more independent and parents don’t have to constantly hyper vigilant , not to always look over your shoulder for attackers is more comfortable , having regular growers markets near by with very fresh local veg is more comfortable etc. pp

I gotta say your apartments looks really nice