German woman living in America reveals the five things she would change about her home country after seven years in the US 'changed her perspective'

A German woman now living in America has revealed the five things she would change about her home country.

Felicia, who goes by Felicia, moved from Munich, Germany, to Cincinnati, Ohio, in 2016 and has admitted that the experience “definitely changed her perspective.”

“I realized things about German culture and the German system that I had never really noticed before, and some things about Germany that I used to take for granted I now really appreciate,” says Feli, who regularly shares videos about her life in The United States. shared on YouTube.

As much as Feli appreciates her home country, she said there are “a lot of things” she likes more about America. In a recent video, the German-born woman revealed what she would change about her home country after being asked by a follower.

“Please keep in mind that this is a completely hypothetical scenario,” she added.

“Differences are not necessarily good or bad, that's something to keep in mind when you watch any of my videos,” Feli added.

'By the way, differences are valid and important, and for me they are super interesting to observe.'

Customer service

The first thing Feli would change in Germany is customer service, noting that waiters in the US are much more attentive than in her home country.

“In my opinion, customer service in Germany is not nearly as good as customer service in the US,” she said.

The content creator said her opinion is somewhat controversial because many Germans who have been there prefer the service in Germany – they find the service in America “too fake,” especially in restaurant settings.

Although she says she understands their point, she sometimes feels guilty dining in Germany.

“I also don't want to feel like I'm bothering the waiter or store employee as a customer,” she explains. “I don't want to feel guilty for being here, but that's how it often feels to me in Germany.”

German bureaucracy

The second thing she would change is the German bureaucracy.

“This probably doesn't come as a surprise to many people because our bureaucratic system really doesn't have a good reputation, even among locals,” she noted.

Feli explained that many “die Behörde,” a public office or government agency in Germany, have complicated protocols that can turn simple tasks into long, drawn-out processes.

“Files are transferred back and forth forever, and every step must be followed by the book, so it is normal for a resident of Germany to have to wait several weeks or even months for an appointment for a form you have submitted,” she explained out.

“In addition, government systems in Germany are significantly behind in terms of digitalization,” she added.

Feli went on to explain that a friend who works for the government told her that they would print out all the emails and manually review them.

“I wish I was making this up, some of these places don't accept emails either, but they do accept faxes,” she joked.

As an example she used buying a house in the US compared to Germany.

“I was absolutely amazed at how quick and easy it was to buy a house here in the US, compared to the bureaucratic hoops you have to jump through in Germany,” she said.

According to Feli, it was only about a month between seeing the house she first bought and the day she officially owned it.

“There are also numerous functions in the system that are virtually redundant and have very little work to do,” Feli added. 'There's actually a whole genre of jokes about how civil servants in Germany sleep at work or go home at noon every Friday or are unavailable after 2 p.m.

Feli went on to say that some departments are overworked, while others are poorly managed. He complained that the bureaucratic system is costing the German government a lot of money and also slowing down their economy.

“One of the inherent problems here is that most civil servants are 'verbeamtet' – so they have a permanent position and cannot be fired,” she said. “The longer they work in the system, the more money they make, so they don't really have an incentive to initiate changes that would make the system more efficient.”

Negative outlook

Another difference between the US and Germany is their general outlook on life: Germans can often have a 'negative outlook'.

'It sounds a little harsher than it actually is. Of course, it is not the case that all people in Germany walk around thinking: 'I hate my life, everything is worthless,' she said.

“I mean, some do, but I'm talking more about this subtle pessimism that always seemed completely normal to me before I moved to the US,” she said.

According to Feli, she generally noticed that the Germans she interviewed were more pessimistic and cautious

'I never saw anything wrong with this before I moved to the US and if you're German I'm sure you don't see that either, completely understandable, but when I suddenly shared something about myself or shared some good news in the US, people were often even more excited than me,” she recalls.

She went on to say that some Germans view an excited response as superficial and fake, but she found it liberating not to feel like everything she said was immediately evaluated and faced with “skepticism and critical follow-up questions.”

'Sometimes I wish Germans could just let themselves and others be unashamedly happy, positive and enthusiastic about something, and not in a sarcastic way, as we like to do, but in a sincere way, without feeling like you are being judged or acting stupid,” she explained.

German school system

According to Feli, the German school system is still very similar to what it was in the 19th century when it was created.

“It is still based on a rather authoritarian and old-fashioned approach to education, so I think it is time for a major general reform, but for education in German,” she explained.

However, Feli explained that education in Germany is a state affair and all sixteen states in Germany have their own education system and curriculum.

“We're probably not wasting a lot of money just because we have 16 different school systems instead of one,” she points out.

She said it also makes it very difficult to move schools within Germany, with some schools graduating in 12th grade and others in 13th grade; as well as learning second languages ​​in different years and even different subjects.

'The fact that the das Abitur [the German A-levels or final exams] The differences between states are so great that it is very difficult to compare final grades and GPA,” Feli explains.

She said she would also like to get rid of the three-level school system that most German states have.

Feli explained that after primary school, students are divided into three different school types depending on their academic performance in fourth grade.

The first is hauptshule, which ends after ninth grade and the student will then choose a higher degree or begin an internship.

Then there is the realschule, which starts after the tenth grade and finally the gymnasium; which ends after 12th or 13th grade and prepares students for college.

“Although it is technically possible to switch between these three school levels, in real life it is not that easy,” she says. 'Partly because of the difference in teaching programs and subjects, which often means that students who do switch have to repeat a grade to catch up.

“I think the system doesn't respond well to students' individual strengths and weaknesses and it can really mess with their self-confidence,” she says.

Free water

Feli's last difference was that waiters gave customers table water when they were sitting in restaurants.

“It may sound a bit trivial, but it makes such a big difference,” she said.

“That's not common in Germany,” she continued. “Actually, I don't think I've ever experienced that before.”

She said German restaurants are offering bottled water instead, which you have to pay for when you ask for water at a restaurant.

“They usually ask you what size bottle you want and whether you want still or sparkling water, and that's on your bill,” she explained.