TOP 10 Things to NEVER do in GERMANY | American & British Culture Shocks
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- čas přidán 22. 05. 2024
- 10 Things NOT to do in Germany! Moving abroad entails some culture shocks, and BOY have we learned some big DON'Ts in Germany. Some of them are serious while others are pretty funny. Let us know your thoughts on these things you should not do in Germany!
Check out Lauren's Channel Here: / laureningermany
Episode 77 | #american #germany #americaningermany #traveleurope #usa #british #wales #welsh #americanabroad #cultureshocks| Filmed September 10th, 2022
👉Quick Jump to Your Favorite Topic:
00:00 Intro
03:47 Don't #1
05:12 Don't #2
06:02 Don't #3
07:32 Don't #4
09:41 Don't #5
12:40 Don't #6
14:10 Don't #7
15:30 Don't #8
16:42 Don't #9
17:24 Don't #10
20:36 What else should you not do?
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Originally from the Midwest of the USA, we moved to the #blackforest in 2013 and quickly embraced #expatlife. As American expats living in #Germany, things weren't always easy, but we've grown to love our life in Germany. We started this #travelvlog to share our experiences with friends and family, and to help those who are interested in moving overseas! Whether you are interested in moving abroad, working abroad, studying abroad, raising a family abroad, or just want to #traveleurope, we're here to give you a first person look at what lies ahead. 😊🎥🌎
Hm, I often hear about this "Do not jaywalk in Germany!" on Yutube. But, being from the Rhineland, living in Westfalia and also often staying in Berlin, I can asure you, that I do "on a regular base", as long as
- no cars
- no children
- no police
are around.
I'm 50 years old and I think the last time, that someone else complained or even yelled at me, must have been 15 to 20 years ago.
Agreed. I also find that so weird. People in Germany jaywalk all the time. That's why you learn left-right-left in kindergarden.
There is a difference between crossing the road and jaywalking. Jaywalking is "bei Rot über die Ampel gehen", crossing with a red light. By law, you have to use the intersection with traffic lights if you are inside a certain distance from it when crossing the street (50m or so IIRC). A Red Light in this regard is not a suggestion, but a Verbot (a hard prohibition), and when caught, you will be fined - with potential consequences for your car driver's license even (if you're unreliable as a pedestrian, that shows you're unreliable as a driver as well). Crossing the street where there are no traffic lights is possible, and you see people do that all the time.
So, don't ignore red lights, that's potentially dangerous and will get you fined (and in the worst case you might lose your driver's license for something stupid like that). Simple thing - if there's and intersection with traffic lights, use it to cross. And don't go on red. Simple.
@@lucemiserlohn Yes. You are right. Jaywalking is going hile taffic lights are red. But usually the fine is 5-10 €. Further consequences for your driver's license might only arise, when you are cought more often OR as long as you have your license under probation.
Since I'm over 50 and have never been caught, and my driver's license is about 30 years old, I do not really feel scared, when I jaywalk.
Still... the responsibility for the children should be taken seriously, in my view.
@@MartinAmbrosiusHackl Not anymore. That fine has gone up significantly in the last STVO reform.
@@lucemiserlohn i do not find any confirmation of your info. On the contrary.
czcams.com/video/Ug_8Mm22KFQ/video.html
American living in Freiburg here: I actually had the privilege of participating in the formal ceremony of changing from "Sie" to "Du". Our friend's mother, being from the older, more formal generation, asked my husband if he would "Du" with her, he said yes and thank you, she rose and offered her hand and told him her first name. And he told her his. Then they sat down, and she repeated the whole interaction with me. It was quite touching, since we'd known her for years and spent every Christmas with them.
Yep, old fashioned but nice, somehow! These days it's more like "shouldn't we drop the stupid "Sie"?" and that's it.
Did they forget about the best part of this ceremony, linking arms and drinking?
@@j.a.1721 Not necessary. And not common either. 😀
@@j.a.1721 That's the trashy way, not the old fashioned proper one.
French has something similar with the more formal "you" or vous & the more familiar "tu".
In fact there are verbs for it, vousvoyer & tutoyer.
So if someone says "tu peux me tutoyer", or "address me familiarly" it *can* often mean, "treat me as a friend"
Very interesting as always, but a small note as a German lawyer. The naming in Germany is restricted with very few rules. These restrictions are all about the best interests of the child and also to prevent crazy parents from giving their children impossible or historically charged names. Accordingly, in Germany it is not allowed to name your children something like this:
Störenfried, Hitler, Lenin, McDonald, Sputnik, Grammophon, Atomkrieg, Judas or Satan.
I think these limitations make perfect sense. Note to the Welsh lady: Which Welsh parents would name their child Medrawd, for example. This Welsh leprechaun comes to King Arthur's court, devours all food and drink, and even drags Gwenhwyfar (Guinevere) off her throne and mistreats her.
Makes sense to have some restrictions. I think most countries in Europe have some limits on names for children (enforcement varies). However .... what's wrong with Sputnik?
@@AndreiDinTheHouse Perhaps the German answer to the first Russian satellite during the the Cold War. Unfortunately, today there is a similarly undifferentiated attitude towards Russia, which is equated with Putin.
And on top of that a name should be gender specific (I have no clue how that will work out in the future with gender fluidity, but... that's for another time)
>So, if you have a name that's not specific the kid have to have a second name which is specific.
>So, if you want to name your kid Kim - do it. but since this name - at least in germany - is a name for both females and males you have to put something like a Maria in the mix if it's a girl and a Lucas if it's a boy. You can call the kid Kim, but on it's birth certificate and all passports etc. you have the second name.
With this everyone knows, which gender Ashton and Lauren are.
@@thorstenbrandt6256 That’s no longer valid. The name can be gender neutral.
I just discovered that my name "kevin" isn't a good name to have in Germany. Apparently my name is a code for low class and stupid?
Birthday parties in garages are not common across Germany. This may be the case in rural areas where the need for space may be greater because you are inviting a large part of the neighborhood and, most importantly, have a garage or barn at your disposal. In more urban areas there are smaller birthday parties in the apartments or in the house, maybe in the adjoining garden. This is mainly dependent on the time of year, for example for a barbecue party. If there are larger celebrations with more people, then the celebrations either rent appropriate premises, e.g. with a catering service, or you reserve a large table or a corresponding closed room in a restaurant or pub. There used to be a lot of bowling alleys in these, for example, but even this is not so common anymore. There are often more party rooms with seating and music systems.
Yes, this is widespread in rural areas. Maybe not garages per se, but also possible in the garden, under a car port, in a tent, barn or other maintenance buildings or unused buildings. This way you can deal with "larger" numbers of guests and you don't have to prepare and clean up your entire house.
Pro tip: always ask where the birthday party will take place, when being invited.
For anniversaries people will use a tent or the garage. Because of the number of people invited who would just not fit in thevr home.
Rosa is a Common ancient Name.
I've been to some, but it's not very common among my circles even for people who have big homes and garages. Think about it, at the very least you'll be allowed to use the indoor bathroom.
Our big family parties in Switzerland are in my cousins barn (you can see Germany from the barn). I thought that was just our family though, I didn't know everyone did it.
I studied German 50 years ago and I spent a summer as a Gästarbeiter at Die Firma Leicht in the village of Waldstetten in Schwabenland. I went back to Germany with my wife in 2015 and we spent one night in a small hotel, in the Black Forest. We were having a quiet dinner in the rather empty dining room. It was November and there was only another group of 10 people there. At one point we heard them starting to sing very soft songs the German of witch I could hardly understand. It was very nice and we appreciated the moment. As we were leaving I had to satisfy my curiosity and I asked the person at the end of the table the reason for their singing. I was deeply touched in learning that it was the local church choir meeting in honor of one of their companion who had recently passed away. Their friend's portrait was there on the table and they had been singing songs he had liked, in his memory. They were charming people and were surprized in seeing a Canadian trying very hard to put words together in his very rusty German. Fond memories of that beautiful country and it's people.
Gosh 💖
Sehr herzerwärmendes Erlebnis Thank you for your Comment and Danke from Berlin 💕💕🤩
How moving.
No honey you were not a “ gästarbeiter” your comment is an insult to the gastarbeiter people who came to Germany from the more poor countries to do the dirty work in Germany.
@@jenm1638 Whoah, big words, insult. Where are you from to take on the defence of those poor proletariat from the "more poor" countries. I never saw anyone suffering this fate there. Now what about those poor people from black Africa who are fighting as mercenaries for Russia, what about those Bengladeshy working as slaves in Arabia? What about the Ouighurs slaves in China. Seeing your poor English I think you are a Russian troll or a Wumao, prove me wrong. 🙄
As harshly as Germans react to violations, I admire that they actually speak up because it leads compliance. Here in the US, people seldom speak up out of fear that they'll be disrespected and so rules are violated all the time. When the culture is that citizens don't take initiative to correct others, we get things like shopping carts left in parking lots, trash being thrown out of cars and slow drivers who tie up express traffic lanes, creating congestion because because they won't let faster drivers through.
"The only thing necessary for evil to triumph in the world is that good men do nothing"
- Edmund Burke
That and yelling at a stranger can get you shot...
@@Warentester that´s so true!
My guess is, in the US, people seldom speak up because they fear to get shot. If every 2nd person runs/drives around with a gun, you think twice whether you want to yell at them.
I feel like Germany's level of public scrutiny of individual (mis)behavior isn't so much about "the rules" but more about "respecting someone's hard work". Germany has very solid workers' rights, unions, and minimum wages - and this elevates the level of respect people have for each others' work and efforts, and public spaces. Germans' homes don't end at their doorsteps, and they care about and for a collective effort towards a good quality of life - and that quality of life is not only what you have when at home, but also when you walk into your street, your town, a park, a forest etc.
Going in the wrong direction for 2 hours isn't that bad. There was a wife of a British soldier in Germany, she wanted to go to Zeebrügge (Belgium) in her car to take the Ferry to Britain. She noticed that she had taken a wrong turn - when she arrived at the Spanish border... :)
My husband just said that can’t be true, but I believe it! Oh, the poor thing!
The French tollbooths along the way may have been a clue. Or the 1000+ kilometres. Is this some kind of urban legend?
She probaly thought she was still in the french part of Belgium all the time …
@@LaureninGermany It was way back before sat navs, around 1990 perhaps. I read it in some paper, like the Sixth Sense (forces newspaper). Or may be the Sun... :)
@@larsg.2492 It was written in a newspaper - but that is no guarantee for truth, as we know.
What a wonderful afternoon that was, meeting Ashton and sharing our experiences! I can tell you guys, she’s absolutely as lovely in person as in her videos. And now I know, it’s not just me, who was confused by all the cultural differences when I first got here!
Hey Lauren, nice to meet you.
♥
@@HenryAusLuebeck hi Carlos! Have a lovely Sunday in beautiful Lübeck ❤️
@@berndb3141 thank you, Bernd I am very pleased to be here!
@@LaureninGermany Dankeschön. Dir auch einen schönen Sonntag ♥️
Fun story about jaywalking: my wife and I - when visiting Calgary - stood at a 4 lane main road in downtown. We were looking around just to check where we should go. Suddenly the traffic on all 4 lanes stopped. We just crossed the street although we didn’t want to. But we didn’t want to upset the kind Canadians. 😅
Two people are standing at a red light at 2:00 AM in London. The one turns to the other says, “auch Deutsch?”
@@puellanivis 😂
@@puellanivis Somebody said there was no need for the Berlin Wall. Just build some traffic light where only the red light function...Problem solved
@@tarond6200 oh wow, this is hilarious! Need to remember this one! (I'm german by the way)
I guess that answers the question, "why did the chicken cross the road?"
"Because it was in Canada and it didn't want to embarrass the drivers who had stopped!"... ;-)
About the Autobahn: The jumble of Autobahn crossings around Mannheim is an absolute nightmare, and it is perfectly normal to get lost there, because the signs are not there or don´t make sense and are totally confusing. I am from southern germany, my sister lives in Weinheim. The first two times I tried to drive to her place, I totally got lost and ended up downtown Mannheim......On my way back, i wanted to take the A5 to Karlsruhe, and ended up on the A6 towards Heilbronn. So, yeah. Especially around mannheim....it´s perfectly possible to end up somewhere.
As you touched the topic of birthdays: from what I understand at least in the US it is common if you meet your friends in a bar or restaurant on your birthday that they pay for your food and drinks. Don't expect that in Germany. It is more likely that your friends expect you to pay for their food and drinks. In a way your not seen as the guest of honour but more as the host. In most work environments it is also expected of you to bring something for your co-workers on or after your birthday. Like cake, sweets or Brötchen.
Another don't: don't expect to split the bill in restaurants. At least not to equal parts. It is more common that every person tells the waiter what he or she had ordered and pays only for that plus a tip.
I am German! That's just not right, if you invite someone you pay the bill! If you go out with friends to a restaurant, there are lots of possibilities to pay the bill: Each person/family pays for the things they ate, some people decide (in advance) that everyone pays the same average amount of the bill (bill divided by persons/family = price per person/family). You can see this splitting of the bill daily in almost any restaurant
i just LOVE the mixture in laurens german: slight british accent but with a bavarian sound in it :)
btw i had a neighbour many years ago... her name was "rosa schlüpfer"
Yes, lovely. That is because Lauren is from Wales and she has a beautiful Welsh accent.
Axel Schweiß is also nice. Names are so funny sometimes. I once had a middle eastern friend in school whos first name was Haramash
sounds funny, but many germans enjoy taking things seriously. we love it when things work the way they should. we love to do things right. and that's not a personal decision, but a national endeavour you partake in. i.e. if you enter an autobahn you join in to the effort to make traffic for everyone as effective as possible. its like joining a football match. you can't just join and do what you want.
So much respect for the Autobahn. Honestly, we don't like driving on it too often because where we live, the A5 can be quite stressful. Growing up in a farming Community, this was quite an adjustment for me.
Also, capitalization of words.
That’s why so many follow the „Rechtsfahrgebot“. Sarcasm off.
@@maxbarko8717 Spend a few days in the US and drive on a freeway and you can say that without sarcasm.
@@oerthling What do you mean?
Regarding carrying cash: Make sure, you have mostly small bills, because large bills are not welcomed. As opposite to Switzerland, where you can pay a chewing gum with a 200.- bill without rising awkwardness.
Yes, but this is also one of my chief complaints about German ATMs... Everyone wants small bills, but if I got to the ATM and withdrawal 150.. it gives me a 100 and a 50. 😐
The reason a lot of restaurants don’t take credit cards is because as the owner they have to pay 1 to3% on every dollar to the credit card company. I used to own a business and I had to pay anywhere from one to 3% for each charge. A small business sometimes finds this difficult.
That is clearly not the reason. Cash handling also has a cost. From the risk bringing the money container to the bank deposit machine to the time needed to count all the money to fill out the deposit form.
You can get card processing for 1% and less nowadays. That's the reason many US Cashback offres won't be applied when used overseas in Europe.
The main reason for the cash only in restaurants and eateries is purely tax evasion. Having a "money pool" in the restaurant unknown to the tax authorities to be "tax creative". Every restaurant getting audited which was cash only falls over this. And they still try it over and over again.
@@PascalGienger what type of business do you own? I know it is hard running a business. What company did you buy your credit card machine from and what company do you use to contract the credit cards?
@@elizabethhill2923 Volksbank payments has that small business 1% pricing for all cards (VRPay). And - restaurants in France or Belgium - who mostly accept cards - surely don't have lower costs than in Germany.
It is tax cheating. I heard from multiple bar and restaurant owners that in Germany it wouldn't be possible to survive without tax cheating. And that's the basic problem. With card payments this would no longer occur.
In Germany you're still allowed to do tax déclarations using a "Kassenbuch"!
@@PascalGienger Well, using a "Kassenbuch" might be allowed to very small buisnesses, but bars and restaurants have to use a electronic Registrierkasse and hand out the bill that includes taxes since 2019, bakeries also have to do that (if you remeber the shit storm back when it was announced).
In the US. they charge from 1-3%. I use to pay the bills for my company.
Rosa is already a very old name in Germany. My grandmother (who was born in 1900) was called Rosa.
Rosa comes from Latin and actually means rose.
One big don't for me is don't be late. If they say the party starts at 7, you better be there or they will have all eaten already by 7.15.
My family was always the same way... But almost TOO early, really.We once showed up to an international flight 4.5 hours early.... The gate agent assumed we were on an earlier flight and put our luggage on the wrong plane. So our luggage ended up in Mexico, but our flight was later cancelled so we were stranded without our stuff. 🤣
For a party with more people I think the rules are more relaxed. But If I want to meet somebody or if we have a meeting at the company we will only wait a maximum of 15min and get angry after 5min. After that it's done.
Regarding the names: Many over 40 still know "Ashton" as the mean and scheming sister of Orry Main from "North and South" (German: Fackeln im Sturm = "Torches in the Storm"). But probably more people know Ashton Kutcher by now.
I don't think it's true that German registry offices have "catalogs of allowed names", but check new names and of course allow them if they are appropriate. It's quite funny: "Pumuckl Satan Pfefferminza" is forbidden, "Legolas Speedy Napoleon" is fine.
Okay so funny story... My mom said she actually named me after that character in the North and South. I asked her once "but wasn't she like... Evil?". Her reply : "Yeahhhhh hahahah!" 😳🙈
I'll have to admit, I know none of the figures or the contexts in your first paragraph. Never heard of them. And I'm very much unsurprised that "satan" as a name is no good.
@Retroxyl There are a lot of people named Pumuckl in Germany, I think, the reason it got blocked it the "Satan". The other names seem fine to me.
Well i am over 50 and i never saw North and South.
But as an IT guy i think about Ashton Tate the inventor of dBASE when i hear this name.
de.wikipedia.org/wiki/DBASE
German registry offices do have used list of names for foreign languages, in particular in the heydays of "Gastarbeiters" from Türkiye when no German official would have any knowledge of the foreign language and naming. Which did actually cause some problems as, in the case of Türkiye, the lists were provided by the Turkish government, but the majority of guest workers were actually Kurds, with totally different language and culture, thereby the German officials becoming unwitting participants in the Turkish suppression of Kurds.
There are Germans who jaywalk. Exhibit A: me. I guess the rule is to make sure there are no children AND/OR police around. Obviously, I want kids to be safe, nor do I want to pay a fine, but I don't like the whole car-centered concept. Just a thought experiment: What if the light was green for pedestrians by default and drivers had to push a button and wait? BTW: If my birthday party was to take place in my garage (not likely, it's completely cluttered), I would certainly let my guests know beforehand.
Adults don’t jaywalk when there’s kids around, and vice versa: that’s how social control works in Germany 😂
I get your point. But most lights work without pushing the knob and go green/red every X minutes
And it's only illegal to cross the street if you do It in the area of the Traffic light if you walk 10 m away from that you can cross it when theres no Cars around
I totally agree. I would deny ANY car to enter a city. They would only be allowed between 5:30 and 7:30 to bring their produce to the customers and then must leave the city and park outside. Imagine Berlin without cars! Or Stuttgart, Paris, Vienna! Perfect! Only dogs pooping and aboriginal bikers peddling around. No more cars! No more aliens! If the city dwellers want outside they have to present their passport and can be allowed outside for work. But no more than 8 hours! Then they must go back into their ghetto. Sorry - walk back of course!
In fact jaywalking is pretty common over here. Regional differences may exist, though.
Hiya Lauren, I'm German & Welsh and you might be happy to hear that there are no tolls for the Severn Bridge since 2018 anymore. Free entrance into beautiful Wales :) I can also recommend Wales to Dr. & Mr. Blackforest, as there is lots of beautiful nature and even dolphins all year round in west Wales! X
Actually Seppi is just the diminutive form/nickname of Sepp and Sepp is originally the nickname of Joseph but it can be also a name for itself.
And because Lauren mentioned that her name is in German a male name, so I have to say first of all "Lauren" is an English name and not German at all, the actual German form for "Lauren" is "Laurenz" and the female form is "Laurenzia" in German decending from the Latin name "Laurentius/male" and "Laurentia/female" meaning somewhat like "the with laurel crowned one"
Ooo, I like someone who knows their Latin! Maybe it’s a new thing, that Lauren is male here, but I get called Herr without fail in written correspondence.
Where I live in Bavaria, all the Sepps and Seppis and Joseph.
And then there is the similar name "Laurin" (male).
@@LaureninGermany Lauren isn't a name commonly used in Germany and Austria, as far as I know, and will usually be recognized as an English female name. Now Laurin on the other hand is a common name for boys in Southern Germany and Austria as well as South Tyrol based on the Legend of the dwarfen King Laurin and his Rosengarten high in the Dolomites. So people not familiar with the English girls' name will just suspect that there is a typo in the German boys' name and will address a Miss Lauren as a Mister Laurin instead. The name's roots are probably the same as for the names Laurenz, Lorenz, Laurenzia, Laura etc.
@@LaureninGermany It seems that using the English name "Lauren" - in Germany - is just way more common for males and it might be seen as the counterpart for "Laura" which is by the way the original "Nickname" of Laurenzia but as like as with Sepp also a name by itself not only here in Germany...done simply out of - let´s call it polite "unawareness" - of the meaning of English names in particular...I would say.
@@urlauburlaub2222 Rumors have it that there is a fairy/Flussjungfrau (??) in the Blautopf the spring of the River Blau in Blaubeuren near Ulm an der Donau whose name is " die schöne Lau" . :)
The don't Jay walk one I can relate to. I got hauled up on in Canada years ago (early 2000's) at a well lit junction with a set of traffic lights. It's 0330 in December and I'd had a few beers (I was not drunk!). The Trans Canada 1 highway was between me and my hotel, so, as there wasn't a sole or vehicle to be seen in either direction (2500m view and no headlights visible anywhere), I being British thought I'll cut across the highway early rather than walk the extra 100m to the controlled line crossing.
I got all the way across the easterly traffic sode, joined the second half of the highway crossing (westerly traffic) and made it to the other side completely fine cutting out of the marked lines early as my hotel was way over to my right! Next thing that happened scared the life out of me, there were multiple sirens and flashing lights as two patrol cars pulled up next to me, one of which came in hot sliding to a stop rally car esk!!!
The officers got out and started telling me off and writing me a ticket each! I didn't know what for as they just told me off for being dangerous and a reckless civilian! I got a CA$150 fine (I think, it was well over 100) and driven to a cash machine to pay the fine immediately as I hadn't the cash in my pocket. If I didn't pay up, it was the police cells for me untill the bank opened in the morning!
Only at the cash machine did they inform me that I'd broken two laws, not crossing using the controlled button push crossing and two, as I had cut across the highway, I had jay walked because I wasn't between the marked lines for the crossing!
I paid the fine and tried explaining to them that in Britain, what I did was completely fine due to the no traffic, good visibility and other circumstances! It didn't wash and I got another telling off!
I've had similar much nicer run in (for jay walking again) with German Politzi, but still managed to get a fine! US cops in NY were just as busybody but the fine was dropped as I was on "holiday!"
Being a grown up, sometimes being treated like a child is annoying, but I get it now when they say "JUST follow the rules!!" however weird they might seem! Better for your bank balance as well! I find it odd that I can buy a gun in the US at 18, but crossing a road when there is no traffic in the middle of the night is dangerous for my and other road users safety!!
NOTE: crossing the road on a red when there is traffic about and or kids watching is frowned upon in UK. I don't do it now as I am not often out at those times and teach my kids to use the crossings.
Another lovely video! I'm an American who's been living in Germany for nearly 40 years now, and everything you say is so spot-on! When I arrived in the 1980's it was even more of a culture shock for me. I committed nearly every faux-pas you gals mentioned 😊🤦! I have seen things ease up over the years, though. Store and business opening hours have gradually lengthened, credit and debit cards are more widely accepted, sports casual dress is more common, and even the informal "du" form of address is becoming more prevalent in the workplace and such.
The names section really made me smile! My first name is Renée and people who don't know me, or don't speak French, are often surprised that I'm a lady because they only know the masculine spelling René. I get mail addressed to "Mr." so often that I hardly notice it anymore. I once had a French friend named Rolande, and she had it even worse because everyone pronounced her name as "Roland", a common German men's name. My heart goes out to any male Andrea from Italy who gets addressed as a lady everywhere else! 🤗
Edit: I forgot to mention that birthday parties in the garage or garden aren't common unless maybe you're in the countryside. In the city most people live in apartments and even if they have a garden, they must always be mindful of the neighbours. (In general, I'd say don't be offended if German friends don't invite you to their homes even after you've had them over. Germans tend to be more private in general, but if they do invite you, it's much more meaningful.) If I have a big birthday celebration, I reserve a large table or a party room at a restaurant. The big culture shock for me was that traditionally the birthday kid was expected to pay for the guests, not the other way around. Thankfully, that too has eased up over the years. At least, my friends always reimburse me or cover my bill. One big DON'T about birthdays: NEVER wish anyone happy birthday before their actual birthday. For some unfathomable reason, even the least superstitious German will tell you that brings bad luck. At least, that's been my experience.
Anyway, thanks for the great work, and have a wonderful day! 🤗
The hint on carrying cash with you is true for essentially every Bundesland, especially for places with relatively low turnover or revenue or with mostly German customers. As soon as revenues go up or international guests are expected, then girocard and some credit cards are usually accepted.
Things have also changed with the pandepic and the scare of fomites (things that can carry germs).
Jaywalking really isn't a concept that exists in Germany, unless you make the point to cross right at a red light. We don't even have a word for that. Just move 20 meters to the side without making it too obvious that you are just avoiding the crossing and you should be fine.
Jaywalking AS IS was, for hte US; invented when cars started to get big. See, originally, everyone would be on streets. Pedestrians, coaches, horses... and cars.
Then, cars hitting pedestrians became common... and the car companies payed good money for Jaywalking laws and campaigns to shift the blame from the car to the pedestrian. "Only idiots jaywalk blabla etc."
Meanwhile, in germany, if a car hits a pedestrian, it will in the vast majority, if not all cases, be cosnidered to be partially at fault because it's the "stronger" traffic participant.
Yes, Jaywalking is actually a purely American invention and has not that much to do with crossing on a red pedestrian light - jaywalking in the American sense is - don't cross a street on any other place as the one spot that you are supposed to do so - that concept doesn't exist in Germany or even the all of Europe - it is okay to cross a street at any given point at your own risk, but it is of course not okay to do so on a red light - but again - jaywalking is something different...
I'm American and lived in a village next to Freiburg for 2 years. My husband and I left for 5 years and have been living in Bavaria for 2 years so my experience is limited. When I have gone to birthday parties in Freiburg, they were always inside the house. Only one of the birthday parties we've gone to in Bavaria was in the backyard/garden. It was in Summer and the family had a BBQ. In the US, BBQ parties are usually held outside so it's good to know this may happen more often than I would expect. Also, I found a lot of bicyclists breaking the rules (while I was driving) in Freiburg but this only happened when we were in the inner city (Innenstadt) though.
Birthdayparties in Garages are also common in Thuringia. Rules, especially traffic rules, taken very serious in Germany. That's why the traffic runs as smooth as it can be. You better have cash at hand, that's caused by the unstable connections even nowadays and the rules applied by the Insurance-companies securing the payments (and the fees you have to pay to the card-companies. Not every small business is willing to pay 5-6% for the processing of the payment).
I'd say your #8 strongly depends on generation and region. I live close to Hamburg, and here it's pretty common to use first names and "du" - not with complete strangers and officials (police officers and the like), but on nearly any other occasion it's ok to introduce oneself using the first name. In groups it's still considered polite to ask if it's ok for everyone. But I noticed in the south of Germany it's still more a thing to strictly stick with surnames and "Sie".
True. I live in Bremen and had a friend from Munich as a guest. He was a bit confused when a waiter used "du". :D For me it's pretty normal.
Then again, this also depends on which region of the south we're talking about. In Bavaria - especially in more rural areas - siezen is basically non-existent.
And yet the Bavarians always say: in Bayern sagen wir du. But I have been caught out with that!
It's always tricky, in the very rural areas du will be most likely used, except for figures of respect like the local priest...but as soon as you go to small towns that can change quickly.
Probably the Scandinavian influence which is noticeable im Hohen Notden
I like your video. I am a person of an age that I can remember in the United States no one wore exercise clothing outside of the gym. In school we would carry our gym clothes and change to do athletics and then had to change back into our clothes. It was not even a thought to wear exercise clothes or gym shoes outside of the gym. So I grew up at a time that it was really look down upon and just not done. So this is not unusual for me. I have lived around the world and in the US. I also lived at a time where in the big cities in the 80s and 90s you had to wear dress shoes to go into clubs. You literally would be turned away. As college students we had one guy that would forget and try to wear tennis shoes and it was very maddening that we could not go into certain clubs when we had this one guy with us. Remember the reason that athletic clothes have become so popular is because the athletic companies clothing companies that make these clothes want to sell high priced polyester type clothing. A silk, cotton, linen, or wool outfit looks so much nicer on people rather than athletic clothes made out of polyester.
1. Cellphones at the restaurant: it depends. When I'm at a restaurant, it's usually our weekly computer Stammtisch (after all this time, usually reduced to 3-6 people), and cellphones tend to come up fairly often in a "let me show you this" situation. I also use mine to measure my blood sugar as a diabetic or to look up something relevant to the conversation, so it's generally laying on the table. *But* texting, or any other activity not related to meeting people, is something you really should avoid at almost all costs.
In the past, I've also fairly often been to a restaurant alone (still happens occasionally), in which case, you can obviously do what you want.
Oh, I almost forgot. This is a more general rule, not just about cellphones in restaurants, but about any situation where you are in fairly close distance to a bunch of strangers (restaurant, bus,, ...): keep down the noise! Don't (for example) play music at concert levels, or talk at typical American loudness values!
2. ... or in the garden. In fact, I haven't heard of doing it in the garage - that would really surprise me.
6. That would probably surprise me, too - I've done this or similar often enough as a German, after convincing myself that it's safe to do. And while they certainly can fine you for that, I've never heard of a case where people got more than a warning.
7. That has changed a lot recently. Many more places started to take cards or eliminated their limits for using cards, due to the pandemic, and they kept doing this since. I pretty much do everything cash-less except situations where I want to get a tip - such as restaurants or taxis - because that can get complicated with cards.
9. Hmm. I do know noise ordinances exist in the US. I do know calling the police when your neighbor plays loud music is a thing in the US.
10. Baby names - I'm pretty certain you're not limited to a list. I *think* the main rules are (1) the name has to be appropriate for the sex of the child (don't call your daughter "Rudolph" or "Table") and (2) don't use something offensive (like "Asshole"). However, that results in a few gray areas, so there are always court cases about what names are and aren't allowed. Maybe those lists were of "safe" names, where you can rely on not getting into trouble?
As for those letters ... it was fairly common for my mother (with a very female German first name) to get letters addressed to "Herr Wiltrud Henningsen". I think it's just a combination of computers and bad assumptions (that is, going through an address list and just assuming everybody on it will be male).
Oh, Germans jaywalk a lot, too (at least when speaking about myself🙂). Especially in the larger cities jaywalking is pretty common. But Germans wouldn't jaywalk when kids are around, that's true.
I always know I have truly left Berlin when some old biddy yells at me for jaywalking.
In Berlin, noone cares, but once you hit the small towns... oh boy.
In berlin you don't really need cash. I even don't have a pocket for cash. Since 2017 i get along with mostly visa and if it's not accepted, i use the old EC System( now called girocard). But! You have to know the city. As a foreigner you better take some cash with you. If you live here for some years you will find the places where you can get your currywurst, döner or whatever with cards. Tickets for public transportation you can get via app. We also have shops like netto where you have self service. You take the products you want to buy scan them on a machine, then you can pay via card or phone and bye. No cashier needed anymore.
Tbh, there is an exception to the athletic clothing in university. It applies to sports students. Even if they don't have any classes that require physical exertion, they will probably wear sweatpants. It's a good way of spotting them.
Beware that "driving on the right side" applies also for walking, or let's say which side you go to in order to avoid collision. I'm German but live mostly in a "drive left or wherever the dirt road allows you to"-country. Every time I'm back in Germany, if I forget to concentrate, I have multiple almost-collisions with shopping carts and on the sidewalk because I'm programmed left-sided. And of course I get angry stares and sometimes rude comments 🤷🏽♀️
As part of my communications class in an American University, we were expected to break some social norms, and see how people react, and I actually chose to do “walk on the left-side of the sidewalk.” And it really messed people up. They’re just not at all expecting it, but no one _thinks_ about how everyone is expecting it.
As every child in Germany knows: Walking on the right side only applies if there is a sidewalk and, of course, on the sidewalk itself. If there is no sidewalk, then you are meant to walk on the left side of the road so you see traffic approaching and can react.
[Singing] "Da wo kein Gehweg ist, da geh ich links. Da kommen die Autos mir entgegen."
On a different note, could someone explain to me why Brits stand on the right of the escalator and walk on the left, rather than stand on the left (slow traffic) and walk on the right (fast traffic)? The use of escalators is inconsistent with road traffic, where you overtake on the right. Never made sense to me.
@@Warentester In Germany the rule is Rechts stehen, links gehen as well. I have a strong dislike for people who don't get that rule in a train station when I have to catch a train😑 Just don't clog the escalator, people! How hard is that?
@@solar0wind in Germany it makes sense as it follows the "Rechtsfahrgebot". It is the same logic on the escalator as it is the motorway. In the UK, however, you drive on the left. So slow traffic goes on the left and overtaking on the right while driving, but you stand on the right and overtake on the left while walking on escalators. Makes no sense to me.
@@Warentester Ohh okay I see what you mean. Idk who decided on escalator etiquette in the first place😂
Collaborations are always so refreshing, to see new creators and watching their view.
And so generous of Ashton!
Interesting video, though I think some minor things might not be completely accurate. If you allow me to add my thoughts and what I found out. BTW I am German
#1 Cellphones at the table: I usually have my phone on the table, because I take pictures of the food and/or friends with whom I am, BUT: that is all I do with it.
#2 Birthday party in a garage: Now, that I find extremely unusual. I am in my sixties, I've lived in Bavaria now for over 30 years, but I have never ever, in Bavaria or somewhere else, been invited to a party in a garage. I have been invited to garden parties, but I guess if I don't hurry up to be invited to a party in a garage, I doubt I will experience this in this lifetime. Very odd, and somehow I don't think it is something many people have experienced.
#3 Athletic clothing: yes. Just don't do it. Wear your athletic clothing only to the gym or when you are out running.
#5 Bicycling: I mean isn't it just common sense, that you should know the rules before participating in traffic? I don't think this would be different in the US and/or Britain (Wales)? I mean it is not really surprising to being yelled at if your are literally a risk for everybody else's safety. Though I am generally very sorry for your unpleasant first experience in Germany.
#6 Jaywalking: oh the stories I could tell ... on the police being armed, that does not mean they'll do a showdown. They carry their guns in their holster on their hips, you would really have to do something terrible for them to draw them. Unlike in the US, where it is a lot more normal that they actually carry them in their hands. That was a shock to me, living in the US.
#7 Cash: yes, absolutely! Always carry enough cash with you. I have cards, I have a smartphone, even a smart watch with which I could pay, and there are places where you can, but I prefer not to. Especially since it is common in Germany to "round-up" when tipping. So you need cash anyway. How do you tip without cash? In Germany. Also I think if you pay by cash you don't tend to overspend so much, as you might with cards. In Supermarkets , however, I use my EC card, that is pretty common these days, especially since Covid. But also many places like restaurants and hotel these days prefer EC cards (not credit cards, because they have to pay a fee when you pay with your credit card and that means they earn less - even if it is only a small portion, so I don't see this changing any time soon).
#9 quiet hours: YES! PLEASE observe them. We Germans like our quiet!
#10 Baby names: Well, yes, I find it quite strange when I see some American names like Apple, Honey, Candy, Brooklyn, Bronx, Sparrow, Princess, North, Golden, Bear Blue, Poppy, Blossom and I won't get into the really crazy ones ("celebrities" really are crazy! ). Most of the names are places, food or flowers, and I ask myself "WHY"? Basically in Germany, unless the name is something really crazy or political or disrespectful or will prompt your child being teased, you can really give them almost any name. But some crazy names just won't fly, or as I learned in your case the "number" after the name. That's just not a thing here, but I am sure you can change that in the US. A simple name change like that shouldn't be a problem (in the US). Here it somehow just is superfluous. To name your child Rosa when the last name is Schwein is cruel, but Rosa is actually a regular name in Germany. I was not aware that there exists a list of names you can choose from in Germany, so far I have only heard this from expats, I never heard it from a German. Sometimes I think maybe it is an urban myth among expats? As far as I know some crazy names like cities, rivers and more are actually allowed in Germany, so for example you could have tea with London and Shakira at Kurdistan's house this afternoon (in Germany). I could find no source for a so-called list of names, but I learned that it pretty much lies in the discretion of the "Standesamt" of your city. So they might allow you a name that the Standesamt in the next city over would not. I have also found an article with crazy names that have been allowed. So I would say that the myth of not being able to name your child as you want has some truth to it, but seems to be highly exaggerated (by expats).
Lauren is not a male name in Germany. I went to school with a Lauren and she was definitely a girl and that was in the late 60's early 70's. There is a very similar male name "Laurin". Note the spelling. I learned that Lauren used to be a male name in Germany (loooooong time ago apparently) but has for maaaaaany years been a female name. Which probably means that these days you could name a boy or a girl Lauren. Which makes it another unisex name in Germany - and yes, we have many of them - although I constantly hear that we don't have them (again, only from expats).
living in bavaria, I've never seen a party in a garage, but if the weather is good its usually in the garden.
same situation in terms of clothes, and many have heaters. but a thing you shouldn't forget: you can still enter the house and dont have to pee in the garden.
This is like having Kaffeeklatsch with friends!
😄 the two of you make sure I constantly discover new things and places in Germany.
Oooh Sisu!! I‘m about to let it all out 😂 Seriously, I had to edit so much out because we talked and talked, it was wonderful!
I'm going crazy, you guys made a video with Lauren, which I've also subscribed to for a while. Your stories complemented each other very well.
She is such a lovely person, inside and out.
Need to make a statement here: l’ve lived in Bavaria for over 30 years and I’m married to a Bavarian and I have never, repeat: never, celebrated a party or any other occasion in anybody’s garage! Maybe, it’s just the people you know and I know a lot of people here.
The first thing: We germans love our cash money, so you can buy only that much that you have in your pocket and won't buy things you can't afford, what would be the case if you pay by credit card.
The second thing: There's a saxing from Karl Lagerfeld, a former german designer, who said: " Wer Jogginghosen trägt, hat die Kontrolle über sein Leben verloren".
And i have another topic what not to do: Never take a right turn at a traffic light when it's Red, it's only allowed when you have a green light or there's a green arrow at the traffic light that allows you to turn, but carefully watching the oncoming traffic.
Rosa is not only a colour in Germany, it's a name, too. It was the short form of longer names that start with Rosa. Rosamunde for example, which is a very old medieval name. But the short form became a name over time and that's why Rosa Schwein is legit.
Finally! Thank you!
Rosa Luxemburg
Legit may be, but extremely stupid non the less. Do those people ever think what will happen when their child goes to school? Or do they think its a character building exercise, like its described in the Johnny Cash song "A Boy Named Sue"?
@@petebeatminister that’s what I can’t get over, too. My husband knows (and he swears this is true) - Rainer Werb, Rainer Lös, and I know a Rainer Reinhard…
Ja, aber "Rosa Schwein" - die Arme!
Unlucky or absurd joke names are "Axel Schweiß" (it sounds like "armpit sweat"), "Melitta Filter" (possible but sounds like a famous brand of coffee), "Anna Nass" (sounds like the German word for pineapple) , "Reiner Jux" (pure joke), "Reiner Zufall" (sheer coincidence, but as far as I know the real name of some German criminal investigation policeman; we speak of "Kommissar Zufall" when a crime mystery gets solved because of an unpredictable coincidence and not the sharp wit of the detectives), "Claire Grube" sounds like "Klärgrube", the German word for a septic tank. The civil servants at the registration offices can refuse a name when they have reason to think that such a name will make a person the subject of public ridicule for the rest of their lives.
this was so a fun and chill video thx ^-^
The famous German Karl Lagerfeld once said that who leaves the house in jogging pants without actually doing sports, has lost control over his/ her life. I guess that there is nothing to add. People do not need to be a facionista, but below a certain standard they do not give the impression of taking things seriously.
He Ashton and Lauren, really loved this video especially because not only do you tell them very engaging and funny but also because you also took the effort to understand "why" there is a difference.
Also funny to see how much we Dutch have in common with our neighbours.
Keep up the great work and might I suggest a collaboration with Nalf (another American in Germany)?
Ps. Great editing 👌
That would be really cool. He seems like a really fun guy to be around and we enjoy his videos a lot.
Thank you so much! Yes, we love analysing what is behind all these cultural differences. And I also love Nalf! Such a great creator, so funny!
Cash is king. As we have friends in the Gastronomie / restaurant business they've told us that the credit card companies levy a rather hefty percentage of the final bill on the restaurants for the 'benefit' of being able to paying with card they've decided not to accept ANY cards at all. Not even the EC debit card. It cuts into their already tiny profit margin significantly.
In many areas profit margins for restaurants runs in the 2-5% range for food items. The only somewhat profitable item on their menu are the more expensive drinks, with a profit margin of around 100%-400%, depending strongly on the area, region, type of drink, etc. But with a standard sparkling, bottled table water, the margin is only around 100%, but the cost for a 0.7L bottle is still only around 4€ in the restaurant. So if they have the great 'opportunity' of allowing guests to pay with card a deduction of 20 cents due to a 5% surcharge by the credit card companies is a very significant cut to their slim profits. Or for a 25€ food item (relatively high class already) cutting it by 50 cents when the profit margin is only 50 cents, then you are working for effectively nil, unless the guest drinks copious amounts of champagne.
Nobody in their right mind would do that. So, yeah, I completely get why many restaurants demand cash instead of card.
One other thing you DON'T do in Germany is offer the Nazi salute anywhere in public. Not even as a (bad taste) joke.
From my personal opinion, you shouldn't offer it anywhere, period. But that's neither here nor there.
But if you decide to still do it, especially at a concentration camp memorial, or any other memorial, be prepared for some very evil looks cast your way, at the very minimum.
In many cases you may have instigated a shouting match among the surrounding people calling you everything from minor to grave insults. If you do it in front of cops you may be even be arrested AND fined.
In especially egregious cases you may even land in prison when coupled with flying Nazi insignia, flags, or any other such paraphernalia. If you are stupid enough to actually pose that way in a concentration camp memorial, wearing an SS uniform, Totenkopf markings, while flying the Swastika flag, make some selfies along the way, and post them on pro-right wing sites, weeeell... get ready for a shitload of court cases thrown your way. Oh, and don't wager on a lawyer getting you a free of jail card in that case; a lawyer might only help in getting you a more lenient sentence, but definitely NOT an aquital.
While it may sound harsh, Germany has come a LONG way from its dark past, but we still remember it, and have made it our goal to never allow it to be repeated.
A very delightful vid this time with a welsh Lady. Love it!!!
in my experience, girocard (German Debit Card System) is much more widespread than actual Credit Cards (Visa or Mastercard), presumably because the transaction fees are lower. I've been surprised at times at where I'd been able to pay with my girocard - dry cleaners, small restaurants, even some food stalls... it's dangerous to rely on that. And it won't be of use for American or Welsh tourists :)
Lived my entire life (except for a year in San Francisco and six in the UK) in Germany, never came across a birthday party in a garage, must be a Bavarian thing :) (or your particular group of friends?!). The mobiles are getting more common - and I agree with both of you, that‘s a shame! If I go out to have a nice meal, spend time with friends, I invest time and money, so I want to enjoy my time properly with the food and / or the people. With the athleisure wear, again, getting much more common these days in Germany, too. - The world is getting more global, I guess, for better or worse :)
I think it's a suburban/ village thing. Where people live in houses that have garages.
Nice to have u both in one Video.
Paying in Germany: Cash is king. Debit Card (EC) is common. Credit Cards are still the exception in most places. But contact less payment acceptance got a boost since the pandemic.
My grandpa went to the mayor to tell them my mom was born, but the name they picked wasn‘t clearly female and so on the spot he gave her a second name (my grandma’s) :D
So yeah, it can be difficult even for Germans - and the name, Gesa, none of us has heard it ever be a male name yet it’s really a pretty common name at least in the north for girls. I looked it up and it’s a Frisian name. Maybe the worker was from the south
Hello Ashton,
happy Sunday! Really interesting conversation with Laureen. For me I would be funny if you hat translated some german sayings Word by Word, like " zweites Standbein" to " second standing leg" . To be honest your german language still are really, really good. This Just for entertainment. Best regards Ralf
Hi Ralf! Happy Sunday! We had a really fun conversation off camera about learning "phrases/parts of speech" like that. There are so many in each language that when "directly" translated sometimes sounds funny.
The one that came to my mind is that, in the States we will say that someone "grazes like a cow" when they just snack all day long. But in Germany, they sometimes equate one to a "Mähdrescher". 😉 I LOVE learning those parts of language.
@@TypeAshton In this content, I have another one for you: 'Buffetfräse' or 'Restefräse' for someone who regularly eats more than avarage or clears the table from food on parties.
Liebe Grüße aus der Südpfalz !
Regarding jaywalking: It's just isn't allowed when there's is traffic light and path for pedestrians and the light is of course red. But if you do it like 20m further down the road with no traffic light and path it's ok.
Das war echt lustig, macht das mal öfter....habe mich halb tot gelacht über diese scheinbar kleinen Unterschieden und vor allem darüber, wie Deutschland von Expats wahrgenommen wird ;)
Nice list of "not-so-common" differences! As far as dressing for the occasion, the first time my wife and I went out for drinks in the US after coming back from Germany I was amazed at how many people didn't dress nicely. Most of them looked like they just got off work and still had their work clothes on. In Germany we would spend the time to get ready and dress nicely anytime we were going out, even if it was just to a pub. And I was actually turned away at a club once for wearing Adidas pants (before I knew the proper etiquette!).
Quite right too!
Karl Lagerfeld once said: "Whoever leaves the house in sports clothes has lost control over his life!". There is not much more to be added.
Adidas pants....in public?
Gopnik for sure.
Claire is a popular female given name in English-speaking countries. In German it would be Kläre, Klara. But imagine how it would sound if her last name was Grube. To a German, Claire Grube sounds like Klärgrube (septic tank). I think it wouldn't be funny for Claire to live in Germany with a surname like that. And she shouldn't fall in love with a guy named Axel Schweiß. Because his name sounded like Achselschweiss (armpit sweat). The trouble would be predetermined.
hahhaha oh no, that would be a very unfortunate name.
@@TypeAshton One more: Anna Bolika.
Das hat ja alles sooooo einen Bart!
@@TypeAshton There's a common anecdote in Switzerland about an Italian named Ganzoni, a reputable name there, marrying a Swiss girl going by the surname Hösli, (again, a common name in some regions), so their family name, by convention, was Ganzoni-Hösli. Which in Swiss German means (sounds like) 'without any panties'.
The pitfalls of Language...
You can have fun with names, like "Carla-Marie" and of course "Marie-Johanna". If you really want to, you can turn perfectly normal, even traditional names, into jokes, bad ones and good ones.
Did I miss something? "Is today collaboration day?"
Feli from Germany & My Merry Messy Life
Black Forest Family & Lauren in Germany
A really fun coincidence. ❤️ Such a treat this weekend!
Interesting collaboration. I haven't seen Laurens channel and will have a look. Based on her language "problems" it would seem that she's been here much longer or is married to a German and speaks German at home. Regarding the "Ruhezeiten", you forgot to mention the afternoon Ruhezeiten (13-15:00)! Looking forward to the "do's"
Thank you both for your entertaining video.
I have lived in Germany, being
originally from Britain, for 15 years.
So I sympathised with your “don't“.
Re: carrying cash
At least prior to the pandemic
cash is king in Germany
I have to say I always pay
for bread especially with cash.
In the pandemic contactless
arrived even in bakeries.
I still make sure I have cash
even though I have a bank card.
Re: the Autobahn
Lauren's experience reminded me
of my mother-in-law.
Who when she drove was famous
for getting on the Autobahn
and driving the wrong way
before stopping to phone for directions LOL
@@UnExcited42
I certainly always carry cash
and check whether they take cards etc.
It’s not just me! I don’t know whether to be happy about this or sympathetic to the others!
@@LaureninGermany
Be happy - the Autobahns in Germany are all very similar!
In Germany, mobile payment terminals for credit cards cost a rent, so that they are only worthwhile with a certain regular turnover. Therefore, small shops do not use them if there are not enough users for them. Of course, the number of users also depends on how many card users are actually available and want to use them. Therefore, such systems are more common in tourist centers or in big cities than in rural areas or smaller towns.
When we lived in Germany (Koeln / Muenchen - 1957 - 1974) Credit cards were almost unknown. Even on my last visit Credit cards were only accepted at large international hotels. The German reason for not accepting Credit cards was simple - they refused to pay the Credit card fees. Cash was still King.
@@conbertbenneck49 Contactless payment has increased since the pandemic Corvid-19, but for many small businesses it is simply a question of cost. Every larger shop or retail chain such as supermarkets, hardware stores, furniture stores, petrol stations, etc. often accept giro cards / ec-cards as well as credit cards. Medium-sized companies often only giro cards / ec-cards and small shops mostly only cash.
I'm a German who moved to NYC some years ago. It's funny to see what you encounter in Germany - I had similar experiences the opposite way here in the US. And I began to love to wear US sports gear and comfy sneakers/shoes.
The phrase Lauren was looking for is "side hustle"
Aha! Yes, but as it’s American that’s probably why I didn’t know it!
The thing with the names always comes up and still there is so much more variety in names in Germany. It feels like in the englishspeaking world 80% of people share the same one or two dozen names. In a German classroom two students occasionally might share a name, it is really rare that two pairs of students share a name, but it's also not that unlikely that there is only one other student in the whole school who has your name even when the name is not particular exotic. Also, we don't need middle name because there are not that many people with the same first and last name.
I used to think Ashton was a really unique name... until at one point there were THREE in my grade in school. And of course, one of them also had a last name that started with the same letter so our lockers were next to each other and we were always one right after the other in line.
I was born in 1980 and in my first grade class in Hünfeld, Germany, i had three Melanies and three Sebastians out of about 24 kids.
There were Markuses and two Marcoes in my first class of elementary school, and all the Sabines I've met in my life...
You know, this is maybe why I find that people are so confused about me having a middle name. I have to basically explain it as I have a “zweiter Vorname” but sometimes it comes up, and it is slightly annoying. Really, it is not like I _use_ the middle name. But it’s legally a part of my name, so it always ends up gumming up the works.
@@puellanivis Middle names were a lot more popular a couple of decades back. Weirdest thing about those: Maria was/is a completely acceptable middle name for boys, but not acceptable as first name.
The baby name thing is so often displayed wrong in media! There is no list of names! It is the decision of the officer to accept it or not, but there are rules. You can give turkish names, hindi names or whatever. They must be writable with the german alphabet, they must not set the bearer of that name to been bullied, a few years back, it must respect the gender of the baby or you must give a second name to make gender clear, but I believe they skipped that rule. And you can not give last names, city or place names. But if you can clarify that in your cultural background the wanted name is appropiate, the authorities have to accept it as long as other rules are obeyed.
As someone living in Baden-Württemberg I have to say that I barely need cash. Occasionally if I just want to grab a Döner, they might require cash if the bill is less than 10€. But even the bakeries in Karlsruhe take your Visa if you just have something for 2-3€
Interesting video. Was many times in Lahr so I know your area. Freiburg is a great location with FR, CH, nearby. My personal Schwarzwald favorite is Freudenstadt. Beautiful nature, and atemberaubendes Wintermärchenland. Stay warm!!
Yeah, Germans tend to party outdoors as often and long as possible. Yesterday I was on a party with people from school 37 years ago. We didn’t rent a large room but we went to a Grillhütte you can find almost everywhere in close approximation to almost every little village. And even while it was cold and rainy, for the most time of the evening we were standing around the „Schwenk-Grill“ while inside of the Grillhütte was the music playing. There is no bad weather only bad clothing. 😉
But to be fair, we also celebrate our birthdays indoors but mostly with the family and close friends. If it‘s going to be bigger, it‘s mostly outdoors or in a bigger room at a restaurant. But even if it‘s a garden party, guests still can use the toilet inside the house. 😊 And sometimes hosts show guests around if they never been there.
Yeah, to introduce yourself as Rudolf is so unfair, because even Germans can‘t decide if it‘s his Vorname or Nachname. But since we mostly use our last name to introduce ourself to strangers we would assume it‘s the persons last name. Especially if the person is a woman. 😉
There is only one person I met who didn‘t have that problem of getting his last name confused with his first name and he was called Gabriel Gabriel. He probably had very funny parents. 😉
Don‘t forget noon as quiet hour, too. Often you are not allowed to throw bottles into the recycling container during „Mittagsruhe“ between 13-15 o’clock. But this depends on the area and the community you‘re living in.
So if i get this right, Katelynne is somehow like Madisynn? 😉
And when it comes to names that can be used for all genders like Kim, you are legally allowed to give your boy the name Maria. But not alone and only as a second name. A famous example is Klaus Maria Brandauer who once played a Bond villain.
In Switzerland there is a last name called “Rudolf von Rohr” but also the simple “von Rohr”, thus if somebody introduced themselves as ‘Rudolf von Rohr’, you wouldn’t know whether that was his full name or just the last name. But maybe most “von Rohr’’ families know this and are responsible enough to not name their child Rudolf.
@@aphextwin5712 There was a big deal made once in New Mexico about fake voters, and they even specifically called out a person named “Duran Duran” as obviously a fake registration. They then issued an apology in the following edition of the paper to Mr. Duran, for suggesting that his name way fraudulent.
Another fun one was a non-Hispanic woman named Jamie /dʒeɪmi/ married a Hispanic man name Jaime /haɪme/ and chaos ensued when the two people living at the same address shared the same name in spelling.
There is not a positive list for names, but the registration office will interfere when they see the child's welfare in danger. So you can't purposefully misgender your child (there won't be a boy named Sue in Germany), or give it a ridiculous or evil name (the registration office interfered, e.g., with Atomfried and Hitlerike). Also, the in South America quite common first name of Wagner could not be given to a person in Germany because it is such a frequent last name.
19:39 WOW! Did *not* expect that.😂
I've been paying without cash for a few years now. In restaurants, too. Because of Corona, cashless payment is becoming more and more accepted and sometimes even required.
If it is any consolation, when I was at uni in the UK, I spent six weeks avoiding addressing any of my professors directly as I was completely worried: they all introduced themselves by their first names - and you would NEVER address a professor by their first name :)
And, Ashton, I would blame Mr Kutcher for all the letters you get addressed to you as a male ;)
THIS was new to me too. Although I think there is some variability from Uni to Uni in the USA. When I went to Mizzou, I always addressed our Professors formally. But then when I taught at a smaller, regional University - they addressed everyone by the first name.
When I worked in Germany the French and German speakers would deliberately speak to the British departmental head in English becuase they didn't know whether to say Du or Sie. Partly because he was British. If he was German it most likely would have been Sie.
Hello Ashton, hello Lauren!!
That was really a great video that you two made there, really interesting to hear what experiences you had, super exciting.
Thank you very much for the insight. I can only say from my side, of course I don't know all the universities in Germany, but in Berlin I have also seen young women who also went to the university in leggings, of course the clothes should be clean and be well-groomed, but I would not have consciously noticed that they were all wearing a specific dress code.
Also in other parts of life, the girls wear what they want and mostly don't care that much, maybe a thing in southern Germany, the people are even more conservative, that's why so many young people from these areas like to come to Berlin.
Personally, I don't think it's a bad idea to dress appropriately for the occasion when a certificate is handed over.
You will find that you can only pay with cash again and again here in Vienna, Austria as well, and it doesn't matter which cuisine the restaurant offers, whether Italian, Mexican or Austrian, there are establishments that only take cash.
The thing about crossing the street on red doesn't just have something to do with children and being a bad role model, in Germany people just drive very fast and especially at night when the streets are relatively empty, people speed , especially young men with big tuned cars, when you hear them it's usually too late and an accident can happen.
If it is then determined that you crossed the street on a red light, then you will share the blame for what happened and that would be really bitter. There have been a few cases where people have been killed trying to cross the causeway on what appears to be an empty road.
It's for your own good
In Berlin there are some problems with speeders who keep making the Ku' Damm unsafe and killing people.
Thanks a lot for sharing, have a nice week!!
When making an appointment in Germany it is very impolite if one person is busy with their own mobile phone all the time, then I ask myself, am I actually wanted, does the other person even want to spend time with me and is they really interested to spend time with me or am I only disturbing because the mobile phone is more important?
DON'T dare to not hop over to Lauren's channel!
Seriously!
She's so great!!! ♥️♥️♥️
Super interesting: As a German, I have never heard of birthday parties in garages? In summer we celebrate outside in the garden, but you are definitely allowed to go inside, for example to use the bathroom.
A lot of people in germany do wear leggings, just not sweat pants or full athletic wear etc outside of the house.
Well, the table manners in Germany are also different, you leave both hands on the table and eat with a knife and fork. Americans only eat with a fork and one hand on their leg from what I've observed.
Yes!!! I think one day it would be fun to maKe a video on table manners. In the States, it's cut with the knife, then set it right back down.
Hmm, I not sure about jaywalking. I lived my full life in NRW, some years in Hanover. I can cross the red light with noone around. I don't think it is a thing in Berlin either. Sure, there is a law/fine regarding it. But, I have violated it a few times and never seen it executed. Usually, police has better things to do but this might be different in south Germany.
I knew I should have moved to Berlin! Lol!
Maybe in smaller places where people are actually watching others. In Munich, no one cares.
@@lumina9995 it happened to me in Munich.
@@LaureninGermany I've lived in Munich all my life and have never been criticized. Maybe I've just been lucky🤷🏻♀️
@@lumina9995 or maybe you were cleverer than me! Lol! I wouldn’t do it again!
Thank you very much😊 greetings Christiane
In Switzerland you can pay in most places without cash. Though the means you can pay with vary. Bigger places offer everything but smaller places often only allow bank cards or twint (mobile payment). Also, it is fairly common for places to only accept card payment etc. Above 20.- or something the like because of the fees that are disproportionally high with smaller payments.
That garage-thing became much more popular among youngsters during covid!No-one publicly visual to the police!
Über eine rote Ampel zu gehen, das kann schon mal vorkommen. Bei manchen Radfahrern scheint das Anhalten bei Rot sowieso nur eine Empfehlung zu sein.
Meine grossen Geburtstagsfeiern fanden bisher immer innen statt. Vielleicht hatten die Personen innen einfach keinen Platz, oder es war schon während der Pandemie, da bleibt man ja freiwillig bei Wind und Wetter draußen!
I would debate the no leggings rule. Track suit would be different. Also university is not that dresscodey. It might be peer pressure or you'd stick out but that might depend on the courses. BWL (business management) for instance is famous for being "superficial", in Munich at least.
When I studied in University we sat in Mensa and had a lot of fun identifying the other student`s discipline by their clothes. It was easy to identify Diplome-Pedagogues or BWL-Students, or Social Workers. Primary-School-Teacher-students (mostly very young girls) often had a plush toy at their backpacks. 😂
Some decades ago many older people were walking aroud in a sportsdress made of parachute silk, that was so very ugly, so it became a Don't to wear sportsclothes outside of the gym. But nowadays fashion makes these garments wearable for every day, as long as you are young and good looking.
I probably should have specified.... its more about the peer pressure than a 'written rule' of a dress code. In American Uni, nearly anything goes... including pajamas (literally). However, in Germany this is really frowned upon.
I am sitting here giggling about that Rudolph story, picturing the situation. Herr Rudolph surely was quite amused. ^^
Hi Ashton and Lauren, interesting hearing about all the "don'ts" in Germany. Here is one I heard of in Australia is never put a glass upside down on a table in a Brisbane pub, as to do this, it is actually challenging the biggest guy in the pub for a fight. Here in Melbourne, it is not acceptable to eat or drink while walking through the street, especially in the city. Crossing against a red light is a big no-no here in Melbourne and doing so could result in a fine. Anyway, take care. Rob.
Because I had a look at "names which can/ cannot be legally registered" yesterday I may can shed a light on the name topic. In Germany it's forbidden/ frowned upon to give your child names which can be interpreted as derogative (like Rosa Schwein/ "pink pig") or are related to personalities (like Hemingway (the author) or Heydrich (yes, the "architect" of the Holocaust) as a male first name) or objects (like Benz (car brand) or Rowenta (house appliance brand)). A name could be registered if you give your child a second name which is unambiguously male or female. As an example: there's an actress called Wolke Alma Hegenbarth, Wolke meaning "cloud" while Alma is a female first name. Hope that helps! :)
Ah that does help a LOT! I know a lot of babies born recently that use traditionally male names for females: Hunter, James and Drew. However, I think they do 'typically' pair it with a feminine middle name.
Exactly, there is no list of accepted names where you can only choose a name on the list, however a child cannot be named after objects and the name must not be deemed derogatory. Moon Unit, Dweezil and Diva Muffin would likely not be allowed but Diva Maria Muffin perhaps.
The restriction of needing a middle name for gender ambiguous first name got abolished many years ago. Probably way over a decade ago.
@@faultier1158 that's possible. Last jurisdiction about that I've found was from 2007.
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That link is incomplete, unfortunately.
@@koeniglicher Hi there - it should be fixed now. Sorry about that!
Well, I also get confused when I pass the area around Cologne. You have to have in mind all the cities that are on your way. And making quick decisions while trying to find out which is and which is not is challenging. But the same happens to me in the USA. So I have come to use my navigation device when on the interstate or Autobahn. Thanks for smart phones and Google Maps!
Quiet hours are not totally quiet. The law regulated the maximum amount of sound you are allowed to produce in the outside. As an example on a Sunday you are allowed to drill a hole from the inside of the wall from your Bulding though the outside. But not the other way 😅. That's quiet funny I think.
I think there is not an actual list of approved names, but the office that registers the name can refuse it if it makes it (a) impossible to identify the person or (b) it would be harmful to the wellbeing of the child.
Another don't in Germany: never take video/pictures at the swimming pool. The Germans are certainly all about privacy, even if your subject is consenting to the video/pictures. And if you are caught, the lifeguard will approach you.
Thank you again for that entertaining video, Ashton and Lauren. You wanted some more don´ts. Here are some:
1. Du und Sie: as you are pretty young, don´t suppose that you can say DU to everyone new. You probably know that already. If you aren´t sure, the best way is to talk to somebody new is to use the formal SIE. In past times this rule was much more severe than nowadays but still. The general rule is that the older person offers the DU to the younger person. Or the socially higher ranked to the lower ranked, like the boss to the subordinate.
2. When you enter people´s homes, always ask or better look if the people who invited you take off their shoes. Don´t take it for granted to walk in with your street shoes.
3. If you are invited to somebody´s house to eat, it is ok to not wanting to eat everything cooked, but once you have served something onto your plate, please finish your food. And if you liked the food it is NOT necessary any more since many dozens of years to leave the "Anstandshäppchen", a little leftover for whomever.
Regarding the cash thing: make a bank that does not charge that much for cards&card payment systems and people could use them more often. But right now, most banks and companies charge just too much money for a business to see the value in it and make a profit on it, so we don't use it.
And the cultural thing about it: we don't want to be the "Gläserner Bürger" where everyone can track our movement, our habbits by simply looking at our purchases..
And on the topic of short variations of Names. You know what Schorsch stands for?
i am from bavaria and never heard that it is bad to wear leggings and such things. I dont care if girls wear that on their daily life, in university or restaurants. Never heard someone else talking about that
Really? My German friends and colleagues talk about this all the time. For them, its a culture shock to go to the US and see all of the woman in workout clothes who aren't working out.
Then You never heard Karl Lagerfeld: " Jogginghosen sind das Zeichen einer Niederlage. Man hat die Kontrolle über sein Leben verloren und dann geht man eben in Jogginghosen auf die Straße." A bit snobby, but still valid for Germany. "No shoes, no shirt, no service" Seems to be similar but on a lower level.
@@mikki240559 was interessiert mich denn so ein Modetyp vom letzten Jahrhundert. Kleidung macht keinen Erfolg aus im Leben
@@Questrelgon Es gibt schon einen gesellschaftlichen Standard. Kann der weg? Auf jeden Fall.
@@Questrelgon Wenn es ihnen egal ist, wie Menschen Sie einstufen, dann ist Ihre Aussage o.k., aber ..... ab einer bestimmten Einkommensstufe und gesellschaftlichen Einstufung ist die richtige Kleidung ein absolut wichtiges Thema. Aber jeder wie er will!
I thought jaywalking was to cross outside cross walks.
I love the Quiet Hours rules!
Me too.
"Don't leave your cellphone on the table"… with an exception that I heard in the past: everyone *must* put their phone in the middle of the table, and you're not allowed to pick it up for an agreed-upon period (until everyone's done eating, or until the evening or event or meeting is officially "closed"). If anyone does… the first one to do picks up the bill for everyone ;-)
It's always amusing when these channels perpetuate the myth of Germans not jaywalking. :-)
We do. There's probably some regional variance that might further that impression for some people.
And there is an understanding to avoid doing that while young kids are nearby, so they don't run on the street without looking.
Crossing on red while the police is nearby
is just unlucky. ;-) Just giving a warning for that is also very typical.
A bunch of Germans jaywalked while you read this. ;-)
Just less than New Yorkers :)
If comparing to Netherlands, #1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 are all acceptable in my country. I never realized how different it is to Germany in these examples and how close NL has come to American culture.
When I am in (mostly Northern) Germany though I do jaywalk and call young people by their first name.
Agree.
@@urlauburlaub2222 1 being acceptable or not imho also depends on who's with you. When I, my mom and some friends go out for dinner, nobody complains. Especially not for some quick checks etc.
I personally think that the main issue is when one is so absorbed in the phone to ignore everyone else.
@@urlauburlaub2222 #1 is acceptable with friends, family and in restaurants that aren't expensive. In more formal circumstances or exclusive dinners it is not.
Take everything with a grain of salt. These are mostly very subjective views and may change based on region and social context.
Except wearing sweatpants in public, or as a friend put it 'if you can't be arsed to put on a pair of trousers when leaving home, you probably have no aspiration in life'.
I have lived in Germany for many, many years. Yes you guys are right. But not all Germany will scream at you for making mistakes. (The guy in the bike story was just rude!) But many of the practices you describe here are seen as showing respect to others. At dinner, you are with your friends; not your phone. Space to live is a scarce commodity in many parts of Germany. Being quiet in the peaceful hours is just common courtesy. „Proper“ attire, paying cash, and jay walking rules are, as you point out, part of living here.
What a beautiful and fun collaboration from the two of you. I loved the video and had to laugh the whole time. Two native English speakers so used to the German language that they have to throw in German words like "zweites Standbein" and ask each other for the correct English translation. I also really liked the little clips, like falling into the water on a bicycle or being handcuffed by the police, to exaggerate the actual topic and add to the feeling of the audience. Very well done, I love it. BTW - being caught and getting scared by police for jaywalking and not following the rules I'd see as "instant karma". 😂 It adds to the German stereotype of which we have a very own word for, which is Schadenfreude.
The only issue I found very serious was the one about naming your baby. I don't know the exact boundaries of possible restrictions, but I understand and agree that there should be some for the sake of the baby. I still wonder why some parents are so irresponsible when it comes to naming their little ones to sound funny or the like, and don't think of the possible harm it will cause them in their whole lives, like bullying, etc.
I always liked what my dad used to say.... "Ask yourself... if you were to become President some day, is this an appropriate name?" Seemed like a good benchmark.
@@TypeAshton As an American, I remember finding out about these restrictions and simply being shocked that the government had a right to say what someone could name their child at all. Just couldn't imagine it, that it would be any of their business. Children will be teased about their name whatever it is, if that's what the bullies feel like doing.