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Let's do a small survey. What did you make you move to Berlin in the first place? When did you first realise that you made a mistake? Where would you go/where are you going next? I'll go first. 1) a shiny and well paid job and a change after all this Brexit madness (I lived in the UK for a long time 2) convoluted and stupid burocracy, rudness/blatant racidm and another level of "being a hipster" 3) anywhere else. First back home to recharge then UK or Ireland. You, guys?
Stupid choice. Came here for a weekend trip, had a great time. Then my job in the UK start feeling shaky. When I got a job offer here, felt natural. Then poop hit the vent: The job was a joke with people that were grumpy and nasty, left it quite quick. Then all this struggle with a place to live, and people in general everywhere. Felt like a mistake from the first days, to be honest, but I was still “OK, it’s a change, it’s normal”. Changed jobs, found a flat, things got steady, but... the people still shit. No friends, no connections, nothing... only assholery. Got burned at my last job, by people, by everything. Still I am lucky to have found another job quite well paid for this city, so I plan to live in a bubble until I make the real plot on how to get rid of this place. For now, I am too depressed and exhausted by all. Need to get a bit better and then off I go. One more year, maximum.
1. Thought I could have more and better chances at landing a good job. I finished my studies in German at a German university, so I thought it should be easy to find adequate employment. Big mistake.
2. Into the first year, after realizing that I was chronically broke. So much, that eating out was out of the question. It got so bad I almost considered requesting welfare. Thank God that didn't work out. To this day I'm glad I never got that sort of help. I guess it would have been more endurable if I had met good people, but most Germans I've met (not just Berliners) are trash.
3. Now I'm living in a Slavic country. I have a good job, a good salary and I've met great people here.
To this day I get pissed off when someone claims to like Berlin. That city is to me what New York City is for Homer Simpson.
1. Job
2. The blockhead german mentality, the hostile people and the overall feeling of stagnation within that city. A, and racism once in a while.
3. Moved to another german city. Much better overall but still I wouldn’t call it a good life, unfortunately bc. of number 2.1 again.
1)My husband's job. 2) Realized I may have mad a mistake about 2 years in when I still wasn't working, and the nostalgia of the all night clubs wore off. Also the amount of hostility I'd encountered was becoming too frequent to ignore. I won't say the ridiculous bureaucracy because I believe it would be like that anyway where you're not a citizen. 3) Undecided as to where to go next. Considering Serbia, Hungary, or Portugal? maybe we'll head to Bali for a few months first to cleanse our souls.
Thank you for so many replies, each of them made me feel a bit less lonely and a bit more sane, thank you. I wish you all the best and to be able to leave this city as soon as possible. Having lived in the UK most of my working life, I found Berlin and Germany a real shamble when it comes to the simplest things (bureaucracy is a joke and digitalisation in the public administration is so beyond even in comparison to countries that Germans consider "less developed" (read Southern Europe).
Merry Christmas to everyone.
It can be quite tough to go through holidays, ending another year of struggles and heavy hearts. Hang in there!
I wish everyone strength, peace of mind and all the best there can be in this filth ridden city.
If you need a break, maybe just for a couple hours, go to Potsdam. There's a nice big park there, it has a village vibe and the people are polite.
And it's a real park, too, with large meadows and beautiful landscaping. Nothing like the "parks" in Berlin that are just worn down fields that are soon to turn to dirt and mud but nontheless full of nudists (exhibitionist German men) and unkempt underbrush full of nasty Germans pissing in public and pooping in public. And don't forget the drug dealers and gypsy beggars and kurva Polish drunks. None of that garbage is common in Potsdam.
Nevertheless, Potsdam, Munich, Frankfurt or fuckthemmama village I'm this fooking country. This shyathole is poison. No matter where. If a female reproductive organ is fishy the whole female dog is fishy. Easy as that. I poop and semen on the idiot Nazi potsdam
I was walking home from work earlier this week and saw some guy, probably about 40-50, leave his apartment building and walk into the small flower bed in front of it and pull down his pants to take a dump. What is wrong with these people?
I have lived in Berlin for less than a year and I can proudly say that I have managed to avoid taking the U-Bahn for the past 8 months. S-Bahn is at least more decent.
Check all the other "hated cities" in citihater.com. Berlin is the only one that has daily posts, there must be a strong reason for that, right? I am glad there are so many fellow likeminded people who are able to judge this city for what it really is.
Communist nostalgia is the plague of this city. I still cannot believe how many people are nostalgic of Berlin's communist past. This city is broken beyond repair. Run.
Flakes, flakes, flakes....and more flakes.
Accidentally found myself in Wedding yesterday. Filthy, rotten place. Ghetto. Disgusting.
Thank you for having created a place where common sense and objective views on Berlin are shared. You really feel an outsider when everyone around you think that this city is amazing and you regret the choice you made, meaning moving here. Thank you guys, keep up the great work!
I have experienced some mobbing (read pure bullying) at the workplace that I have never seen in other countries (UK, for example). I have escaped the situation quite quickly, but then I have learned that it is quite normal in Berlin and in Germany as a whole to "bring the employee to resign". Once again this is exactly what Germany is. They tell you that tenants and employees have lots of rights in front of the law, but then effectively you have no chance to fight off some illegal situations. It is a farce.
I have experienced some mobbing (read pure bullying) at the workplace that I have never seen in other countries (UK, for example). I have escaped the situation quite quickly, but then I have learned that it is quite normal in Berlin and in Germany as a whole to "bring the employee to resign". Once again this is exactly what Germany is. They tell you that tenants and employees have lots of rights in front of the law, but then effectively you have no chance to fight off some illegal situations. It is a farce.
Berlin wears the "liberal mask", but it is a disgrace when it comes to being racist on all fronts. I have witnessed so many horrible situations where being non White Caucasian and non German subjected people to despicable treatment. As a White Caucasian, I will never fully experienced that, but I am still shocked by the level of racism I see every day in this country.
Berlin is the wage dumping capital of Europe and the city of the working poor.Do not accept a job that will not pay your health insurance or that pays you 400 EUR per month as a full time employee.. You have a choice. Move. www.euronews.com/2017/07/26/dierk-hirschel-berlin-is-the-capital-of-the-working-poor