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I was recently out of Germany for a bit and I saw people greeting each other in public and smiling at each other. The food had taste and was well made. The sun came out. A stranger said hello to me in passing and I scowled at him in suspicion. What have I become?
I forgot about the existence of this website, but I remember venting in here.. I moved to the UK 4 years ago, and although the crazy lefty mentality is strong in here (not as much as in Berlin) at least I'm not as miserable as I was back then. Reading words like spaeti and berghain gives me a bit of nausea. For those who are stuck in there, set yourself free ASAP. Wish you all the best
Congratulations, you escaped becoming emotional Soylent Green. The moronic lefties here are worse than anywhere else I've been, they're insufferable. The feminists are the worst and the place is now over run with muslims. Four mosques now in my little kiez.
It would be nice to meet one German that doesn’t slightly creep me out
Why do Germans get dressed up as ridiculous movie or series characters all the time? I swear, I see weird witches or dragonball or freaks of nature every weekend. What for?
North America and UK is all about safe spaces and Germany openly sexually harassed people, people die constantly in clubs, suicide, etc and rape and nobody discusses it? Fuckk
But honestly, to endure that negative and bleakness you should have self-awareness - tons of it - and create your own bubble which has to be resistant to outside influence. Also, find other foreign friends that are just as strong and aware as you. Either that or be a loner and live close to nature, which is really beautiful in Germany, unlike the people
German newspapers aren't even allowed to report on suicides unless they are particularly newsworthy, such as when someone sets themself on fire in front of an embassy. The claimed reason is because it would cause more suicide otherwise. I really wish I were making this up.
Lmao all of Germany is a safe space. You can go to prison for up to 2 years for hurting someone's feelings, you can be forced to pay 2-3 months' salary for moving your hand the wrong way. Germany's the PC capital of the world on paper, but these laws are only enforced against some people.
On Friday while I was walking home I came across some weird guy. He was dressed like a transgender wizard (he had a weird robe made of silk and was wearing a dress underneath it). He also had one of those weird hairdos where it's all shaved except a little tail in the back, like a Hare Krisna or some other kind of new age cult. I tried to avoid eye contact because someone who puts that much energy into being such a freak is probably obnoxious. Anyway he pointed at me and acted like he was putting a spell on me and daid something like "vai victus". Okay, typical retarded German druggie I thought BUT I was sick all weekend after that. What the fuck? I know this sounds crazy but it's 100% true. If I see him again I am going to kick his ass.
Guys, I’m desperate. I’m highly qualified and have achieved extraordinary things in my life so far (of course, all that is useless in Germany because they have no idea about anything that’s different from an ausbildung). Where should I move to? I’m very ambitious and work very hard to achieve things. But Germany keeps treating me like an unskilled worker (when I have mSc and all of that). Where to move to? Any thoughts?
UK, US, Switzerland even though they're basically Germans BUT they have less of a nanny state and wages that are like 2x what's normal in Berlin. Singapore or Australia if you are so put off by Europe from your bad experience in Berlin (can't really blame you if you are). In general, unless you moved to some war torn country I can't really see how life could suck more than in Berlin.
Germany can never achieve the level of achievement of the USA because of the negative (not pessimistic, just downright negative) mentality of the people there. A German word you expats may not be aware of is "Traumtänzer". It basically means "daydreamer" (Traum=dream, Tänzer=dancer). Most of the hustlers and extremely successful Americans people look up to and whose quotes abound in motivational videos are what the average German would call a "Traumtänzer": people who have a vision of what their life should be like and go all the way until they make those dreams happen.
Foreigners who arrive in Germany with big plans for their lifes are in for lots of disappointment. You yourselves are probably more qualified than your German counterparts, but due to Germany being such a restrictive and racist country, climbing up the social ladder is rendered pretty much impossible. I don't know of many foreigners who arrived in Germany and somehow ended up living the life. Most of them are lucky if they manage to rent a small appartment for the entire family and drive a small car (often a second-hand one).
If you want to hustle and become the best version of your self, avoid Germany. Germans are notoriously cold, blunt, rude and negative. They will not build you up, but bring you down. They don't even like it when their own countrymen are successful (refer to one of the posts below), so it is expected that they won't want foreigners to make it. Germany offers foreigners the chance to study (and the chance for landlords to make money off naive foreigners), but you will be discriminated on the job market. You will be discriminated in your everyday life. You will either leave the country feeling frustrated that you wasted so much time, effort and money in what was advertised as a land full of opportunities, or you will stay and either indulge in alcohol or drugs to alleviate the mental strain or just become German and end up as a soulless carcass.
Perfect post. I came to Germany because of a German girl. Got here and realized that, by default, all door were closed to me. I believed the hype and that I was jusr doing things wrong so I tried to Germanize. I went to German university, even got a German master's. After graduation I realized that all doors are still closed to me. Doesn't matter how much you try here, as a foreigner you will always be stuck in a dead end, low level job. I earn enough to save about 200eur per month max. And I am even a white, German-looking foreigner who speaks very good German. Cannot imagine how bad things are for blacks and asians here.
What also gets me down is looking at what my friends from high school have accomplished. They own houses, have families with kids, own boats and rental homes. Then I look at my "friends" here (I find it difficult to consider any German a friend. They're passing acquaintances.) and I see what they've accomplished. Over 40 and still renting the same apartment for 15 years, no car at all, no long-term financial planning, nothing. Some are in thrir late 30s and still living with roommates. Almost none of my "friends" ever bothered getting married because that's just too conservative for Berlin.
Germany doesn't feel anything like the Germany-worship you see all over the internet makes you think it'd feel. I honestly feel like I am stuck in a sort of prison here, and the low pay means it will be a LONG time before I am able to leave.
If you're new here and think the problems you notice are you then just get out immediately. Don't study here, don't settle for a job below your intelligence, don't mingle with Germans. If you have to stay here then find a company full of foreigners, if possible. Dealing with Germans 24/7 will rob you of your self respect and eventually you'll start to believe you are inferior.
Moving here was undoubtedly the biggest mistake of my life. This city is evil or cursed or something. I honestly believe that.
All true, just wanted to add one thing. The only way I managed to deal with life in Berlin was getting drunk or higg everyday after work. In the long run it wrecked me health-wise. Been completely sober now for about a year and this place gets worse by the day.
'Germany doesn't feel anything like the Germany-worship you see all over the internet makes you think it'd feel'
I totally get that. If one were to take a short holiday in Germany (2-3 weeks or so) then one might easily be impressed or taken in by the hype. Spend a few months (or longer) there, then you start to get a very different picture of what it is.
Mate what's up with German girls? So many send mixed signals and are complicated. Met a girl recently who was even worse in that regard even by German girls standards. Totally dazed and confused.
It's honestly Avoidant Personality Disorder. Almost all Germans have it. They oscillate between mania and depression and they are nearly incapable of communicating. Even nice Berliners have huge problems being honest and talking about difficult, meaningful things.
99.9% of Germans have mental issues. Really. Even when I meet really nice germans, it’s not long before I realize there’s something fishy about them. This is a sick society. Not even germans themselves can endure it. You know what’s really funny? Most Germans living abroad have the same opinion as we BHers have. Ask them and you’ll see. “That mentality”, “it’s because of my fellow countrymen that I’m abroad”, “German society is selfish”, “jealous” etc. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. A sick society
Was watching a video on youtube by Ruptly of the anti-lockdown protests a couple of months back in Berlin. In the video I kept seeing the police spraying something on protesters. Didn't seem to bother them much so I assume it's not pepperspray/tear gas. But what is it? Anyone know?
The number of people who don't care to wear a mask on public transport. A date with Miss Rona, anyone? Clowns.
Masks probably don't work anyway but that's not really the point. Germany's great at making rules and not enforcing them, which does nothing but further erode public support for laws/rules. If there's a 500EUR penalty for not wearing a mask then they should have people checking at every station and enforcing it. Doing otherwise is just a sham. Now, if one guy on a train in the middle of nowhere in Berlin did a Hitler salute then I am 100% positive they'd arrest him and fine him.
Duh, that piece of plexiglass totally protects them. Also all the cashiers wearing face shields. Coronavirus is totally spread by people breathing directly into your face and totally not through aerosols that aren't filtered. Obviously Germans know how to keep the virus from spreading since thus far like 9k people have died (normal year about 25k Germans die of the regular flu but in this year only 411 this season according to Robert Koch Instutut). Germans just know everything about preventing disease even though there are no novel treatments that have been developed in Germany. And if you don't completely believe everything written above you are a conspiracy theorist and it should be illegal to deny any of it.
I only rode the subway twice since lockdown and saw one person not wearing a mask each ride. Both looked turkish. That said, Germans have a tendency to wear them on their mouth/chin only which is pointless. Also all the people with masks that have exhale valves - those are also worthless.
the walk of shame is a whole lot dirtier and lonelier
I'm ashamed of Berlin. I always make excuses so my parents won't visit me here because I don't want them to see what a hole this place really is. I don't want my mother to see so many men pissing in the street. I don't want my father to see all the gay stuff going on in public parks. I don't want them to see how poor this city looks and how depressing it is in the winter.
Luckily most people in the US (where I'm from) don't care about Germany and don't know how degenerate Berlin really is. When I make it back later this year I hope most people won't think of me as an untouchable if I tell them I lived here.
The walk of shame? That’s knowing all the people who you went to High School and University are doing well. And your dumb butt thought it would be a great idea to move to Europe. Now you are stuck and broke in this piss city and working a minimal wage job. That’s a walk a shame!!!
I love how everyone is an individual in Berlin, you never see two Germans looking the same, or saying the same things, or cooking the same food, or listening to the same mindfuck, pathetic techno garbage 'music'.
Yes Berlin really is a city for free spirits. I am always amazed at how every Berliner I meet has a different worldview and a completely different life philosophy. It's always refreshing to speak with strangers here because they all seem like a completely different species. Not once have my prejudices about any Berliner been correct upon closer inspection. This city definitely does something to foster critical thinking and free thought.
I love how everyone is an individual in Berlin, you never see two Germans looking the same, or saying the same things, or cooking the same food, or listening to the same mindfuck, pathetic techno garbage 'music'.
Germans really try to give our life advice. Bro I see what you’re wearing, where you’re living, how you’re picking up, who you’re dating, your dumb butt kids, your pooping attitude, your pompous ness and terrible taste, the shittyy food you eat, your awful sense of style, lack of manners, and your stupid job. And rented apartment. Get the fuccc outta here