Going to live with a friend of mine in Florida. Bye bye Berlin, bye 24/7 darkness, bye people with bad mood. I won't miss you.
Youre forgetting the Pensioners and Berliners that are too German to even fit into Berlin. These are the types that need to escape to a place like Florida. The shrunken testicles of America. "The only reason to visit Florida is to identify your Daughters dead body." #truestory
Dont forget to measure the water before you put it in the Kettle!! LOL Oh I dont miss being around those cheap, miserable, sorry butt Germans LMAO. Enjoy your "Artists" Haven! Wasser ist teurer!! *2yrs out of Berlin and LOVING IT!
Anyone else getting a laugh out of the TransferWise targeted facebook ads? Apparently they're note great at hitting only expats, and they are full of butthurt Germans whining that Americans think the food here sucks.
The people are rude, impatient, and incredibly smug about things they know nothing about. The staring is always a problem and the city is disgusting. Dog poop everywhere. One of the saddest places I've ever lived.
Germans have a very hard time receiving and giving feedback. They even took the word "feedback" from the English language because German offers no equivalent...
In Berlin, it's a new concept, and they don't know a lot about communicating in a clear and friendly way in general. A Turkish PHD student once put it pertinently: "Whenever you give them feedback that they didn't think of, you can literally see the 404 error screen."
I am only guessing that in school they never even had one lesson on communication or communication exercises. It seems to take a lot of non-violent communication courses and psychotherapy to heave the average Berlin woman to the average level in this respect.
I have to go to Berlin twice a year, to visit my family. And f**ck I still hate it so bad. Already at Tegel airport the depression takes over me!
Yes, that moment where you look onto the runway underneath dark grey clouds. Then the old and used airport running beyond its capacity. And finally, once you're on public transport among the Berlin people, you hear bits and pieces of your passengers' conversations - showing so clearly and yet so unconsciously their hopelessness about their own life and envy about other people.
Now that the days are cold, I'd like to remember my flatmate, which used to get into my room and turn off the radiator while I was at work, "because energy is expensive and you are working". He forgot to say that we were paying half of the bills, that he were there all day on weekedays (he had a part time job on weekends) and that he had a thermostat on his room, so my room even with heating was way colder than his.
If only was my former flatmate...
OMG! The exact same thing happened to me as well. I had a full time job, and he was a student spending a lot of time at home. Every day he turned the heat completely off in my room, mentioning that we shouldn't waste energy on "ants". However we used to split equally the bills. ... After 4 cold months I left the WG, too bad the winter was almost over. While searching for a new flatmate, he turned the heat on in my room so that people experience a nice and warm room ...
Oh hell yeah - these are people that would gloat over how cheap they got their lunch for and then give you dirty looks if you paid too much. I still remember the cringe-worthy moments when the berliners at my place would shout over each other:
"I got my salad for 1.65!"
"Well, my rolls were on aktion because they are 2 days - a little stale but good, and only 1.40!"
"I bought a bag of frozen cabbage for 1.5 euro/kg - I can eat this for a week! Ha!"
"Me: Well, this kebab was 3.50, but its warm and good"
"Berliners: Stare at me like I killed their mothers"
I should mention that that was at a tech company - these people were making 45-55k euros a year. I wouldnt call that poor. If they really were poor, hell, I would totally understand them being happy by striking a bargain. Making over 50k euros per year and eating boiled cabbage for a week to save 5-7 euros on food a week? What sort of hell have I fallen into?
Germans are the most Disgusting people on Earth,They are Deformed and Act like Dogs.Their Women are Whores and Filthy,and the Man are Bastards :)
I hope I stay out of jail for the last month in this s hit hole. I went into the Gravis Apple store (FriedrichsStr) today and asked if they would mind charging my iPhone 4s for a few minutes, the stupid young guy said "we only have the newer cables", I replied "I'm astonished that an Apple repair place doesn't have the older cable", this went back and forth a few times until he finally said, maybe they have one in the back (service room), he kept doing something behind the counter so I thought, OK, he must mean for me to go to the back, I knocked on the door and waited and he came over and said I am rude to knock on the door and I said you told me to enquire in the back, and he said he didn't tell me to knock on the door.
I totally lost it and then his co-worker starts up at me, it ended up an inch from an all in brawl.
I ucking hate these people with a passion, they are the stupidest <unts I have ever come across anywhere in the world.
The strange thing is, when I was walking there, I was thinking "what ucked up thing is going to happen here".
I try to avoid Berliners as much as possible, but sometimes you have to come into a non-safe space with them and I now have anxiety about doing so. They should never have brought down that wall and let them into a civilised world. They are still in the mind-set of government monopolies with no competition, not realising that their very jobs in the capitalist system depend on repeat customers who can go elsewhere. I used to recommend people use Gravis instead of the Apple store, but do you think I will ever do that again, in fact, I can't wait until I hear they have gone bust and these two imbeciles are out of a job, or working cleaning public toilets, where they belong, definitely not in customer "service".
Please god, help me hang on to some sort of sanity for the next month, just one more month, please.
Just avoid Berliners as much as possible. Imagine you're in an occupied country, that you're dealing with the enemy. If you absolutley have to interact with a Berliner, restrict yourself as much as possible - simple yes or no answers, simple questions. If you need to ask a Berliner a favor, like you did in that store, just forget about it, simply not worth it.
Remember, you've got just one month left, imagine how you'll be laughing about this horrible time in a few months, over a beer with friends... and these people will be stuck here forever.
For those who left or are seriously on the verge of leaving, where did you move to (or are moving to)? What motivated you to choose that place and do you enjoy living there more than Berlin (if you've moved already)?
I left for New York City 3 months ago. I still come here to remind myself how miserable Berlin was.
I chose that because I stayed there with a friend for 6 months and while there are some negative aspects (expensive, loud, tiring, etc.), the positive ones make up for them. I'm talking about how people are usually nice to strangers, how people smile at each other, how people help you if you slip on the stairs, and how people laugh out loud, move out of your way if you're in a hurry, they ask you where you from and DONT judge you for it, how people are honest but polite (no besserweisers!) and just that there's so much energy in the air - people are flying drones, building things, dancing, brewing, setting up businesses, EVERYTHING. People here just make you feel welcome.
Big contrast to the people in berlin - obnoxious, rude, only way of spending time is either drinking beer, drinking beer and watching tv, walking the dog, and talking about things they have no idea about. Oh, and insulting foreigners!
It's one of the most iconic cities in the world. Berlin is like its Bushwick mixed with some pockets of nicer looking areas (older German architecture). If you have the chance to live there for at least a few months, I definitely think it's worth it. You can find reasonable deals especially if you're also earning money there as long as you're not looking in Manhattan or the most expensive areas of Brooklyn. To try to make NY your home long term is dumb though. You can get more for the same money in other US cities, minus SF and maybe LA when you factor in needing to own a car, and live without all of the extra stress.
sorry but berlin is really a 3rd world city.
OK< here are a couple more past posts, just to bring the topic back on track and to help new-comers have a more realistic view of Berlin and the ignorant, miserable people who live here, including me, even though I came here five years ago with a positive, optimistic, generous and trusting attitude towards life. Gradually I had to put on a miserable mask, just to survive the constant onslaught of negativity and lack of any social graces.
Here are the earlier posts:
You know that feeling when you try to describe Berlin to someone who hasn't lived there? They are staring at you in disbelief, trying to figure out why you suddenly became so agitated. And why are you telling to them things that doesn't match their expectations at all. I swear to you, few of them even had "this guy is clearly a kuu kuu head" look in their eyes. And I can't really blame them. The stereotypical image of Berlin / Germany and the reality differ so greatly.
I fully agree, I meet so many people throughout the world that still think Berlin is a wicked cool place to go. When they find out I lived there for 10 years they say "OMG... wasn't it awesome?".... my pulse rises immediately and I try not to be too negative about it but I can't help it... After my ten minute rant they are pretty sorry for asking... I try to end with " It an OK place to visit but I strongly advise you not to stay too long as it will suck the soul right out of you."
Met (what I thought) was a wonderful guy from Berlin, in the states. Dated for a number of years, then we made the decision to move to Berlin. I did enjoy it for a while, but it didnt take me long to realize that Berlin and its people were just AWFUL! The bureaucracy, though tedious, isnt as bad as some claim it to be, I found that after one year basically being alone in Berlin (my BF traveled for work weekly) caused me to become very depressed. The people and their neurosis', the weather, the lack of Community, the lack of Trust, and barely being able to find a hope of refuge ANYWHERE. I got tired of being around people that were just so Miserable and displaced. I made the decision to Divorce and leave after 3yrs. His true Eastern Block roots began to show; cheap, squalid, controlling and Toxic. It was very hard, for I do miss being in Europe in General. But Berlin...F**k what a pit!!
"cheap, squalid, controlling and Toxic"
This should be the motto of the city.
This place is dirty. People piss everywhere. Tons of poor people looking to vent their anger on you, throw a bottle under your bicycle or whatever. Controlling? That's putting it lightly. Everything is regulated, down to what you wear, on what days, and what you can do (eg. Sunday mornings: semi-sporty pristine cloths - must walk dog or take child to park). Toxic?
Yep, everyone wants to leave after some time. I'm really surprise that some people from here admit to living in Berlin 5 or 10 years - I'm ready to go after just one year. There are so many good places in the world, so many honest, fun, and friendly people, there's no point in wasting your life here.
"Cheap Squalid, Controlling and Toxic" OP here. *thanks for using my testimony as a Warning. Yeah, Ive never been happier after leaving Berlin. Not only was that relationship Poisonous, but Berlin itself was Toxic. UGH so many useless and lost souls congregated there. It was like Purgatory; no one had any passion other than to wander aimlessly and shout about some forgotten Dream. Such a desolate Wasteland of youth and broken dreams. Get OUT!! fornicate the money and just leave!! Even if you dont have the resources, just GO!! Find another place in Europe to be. Any place...is better without GERMANS!
This is a post I came across earlier here and thought it was worth a re-run:
Hello,
I know this page is committed to express anger, hate, negativeness or bad experiences. However, i will try to evaluate very objectively.
I used to live in Germany ( not in Berlin) two years. I have experienced almost everything which were written here. I was master student and i am not living in Germany right now but will be back very soon. So, i am living my favorite place in the world currently and it will be hard to go back to Germany ( Berlin) definitely. This time, i reckon, i will be not as depressive as previously because i am considering myself as Germany immunized. Not in a bad way actually. I will be justifying myself.
Number one obstacle for foreigners is being alone. You probably expect to build a new social network ( including partner ) as soon as possible because social network can boost your integration process. According to my observations this is extremely hard in Germany. People tend to stick their existent social network and closed to new interactions. I had my birthday couple of days ago. I have been working at the company since 6 months and i have invited couple of colleagues to my birthday party. The fact that ,they have attended even tough, we do not know each other well. In Germany, it would take at least one year to be able to invite someone for going out. ( I do not know why ) The invite should not be spontaneous in Germany by the way, i have invited my colleagues spontaneously. So, random interactions or invitations are almost impossible in Germany to take place. When it comes to communication, i would say Germans ( sorry for generalizing but i have not had reverse example ) have very weak communication skills. They only talk about work or school. Okay, minority of them are exceptions but seriously, i could not have progressive conversations with Germans. Can i have problems in order to communicate ? ( i was assuming this in Germany )Since i have been living in my favorite place, i have noticed that i can actually communicate with people progressively and meaningfully. This is like endless loop. You can not communicate, you feel lonely.
The biggest challenge in Germany is understanding German culture. German culture is based on pragmatism utmost. Yeah, this sounds mainstream but believe me " utmost " is the keyword. Unless, there is no benefit to talk to you for German person, you will be ignored. Is this rude or just cultural thing ? You can decide. Please, make yourself get used to this fact. This is the milestone of living in Germany as foreigner.
So, Germany is definitely not suitable country to live for foreigners from social aspect. It's better to build your social network with other foreigners to have joyful life in Germany. I personally do not believe that having German partner ( male / female) would change anything because, it means you will be dealing with German culture more and more.
In public, I get nasty stares and glares from others. Some of it are hate glares and some annoyed "f*** you" death glares and it really has started to get in my head to the point where I wear sunglasses and headphones just to block out the microagressions from these people.
This is normal in Berlin, they just stare, and you're not sure if they're looking for a punch in the mouth or just admiring you, of course in my case they're admiring me :o) but I give them a smack in the chops anyway, just to help them know they're actually alive
I ask myself How People can live their whole life in this Hellhole ?
Easy.If they leave Berlin they may have to interact with people from other cultures who know 1. How to work hard. 2. Find pleasure in working hard and with others to get the job done. 3. Being German does not automatically give you the right to a job which you are clearly poop at. 5. (Now you know why they stay put)
Can anyone tell me why do Germans tend to pout their lips when they talk? It looks so darn stupid. Why do they do that!? WHYYYY?! :@