Welcome to my channel! I'm Meghan, a 25-year old Canadian who loves sharing her passion for exploring new cultures and languages. Having lived in Germany for 3 years, I understand that living abroad comes with its own set of joys and challenges - let's navigate them together :)
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Danke fuer den guten Ton, jetzt versteht mann Dich wieder.
Super, danke dass du mir Bescheid gesagt hast :)
That you do not NEED to speak the local language of that country you are in is one thing, but another thing is, to learn this language in advance before you move here and of course, while you are there. There comes the typical American arrogantness, the others should understand ME, not I have to understand THEM, because I am an American.
Hi @udomann9271 - I am also a proponent of learning the local language (feel free to check out my "How I learned German" video ;)). Not only does it show respect to the culture and people of the country you are living in, it will greatly enhance your experience and opportunities there. That being said, I don't think it's realistic to expect everyone to learn a country's language before living there. Learning a language fluently takes hundreds of dedicated hours and for those applying to multiple countries for their studies/work, they may not know which country they will end up in until a few months before leaving.
Wir haben (fast) alle in der Schule Englisch gelernt, es ist eine einfache Sprache, und international. Deutsch ist viel schwieriger. Dein Pilot der Dich nach Frankfurth Rhein Main bringt muss auch Englisch sprechen. Es ist natuerlich gut wenn mann denn irgendwann die deutsche Sprache lernt.
Learned wonderful information and also saw a wonderful beauty.
Being abroad for just some month is so good, even just to see the own country in a different live. Being in England for one semester was very valuable. A good overview in this video! An additional idea for young people, to start as an Au Pair. You just need A1 level in German. You would be one year in Germany, to look around and improve the German knowledge, get a paid language course and some moey from the host family. You may find a certain company, to start as an apprentice or the right university to start a study. You would not need a blocked account for the year as an Au pair.
Great point on the Au Pair visa - I met quite a few people in Hamburg who were doing this, and I only remembered after I'd filmed the video :D This is a great option as well. I would recommend anyone going for this to take the time to get to know the family before agreeing to be an Au Pair and be very picky - this can make or break your experience, from what I've heard.
@@MeghanAbroad absolutely! There are good and bad experiences on that. And hopefully every au pair finds a good and suitable family.
About the "friendliness", someone explained on Reddit once pretty well by contrasting people from California and New York how cultures are different. When you have a flat tire and stuck at the side of the road and don't know how to change a tire, Californians will stop and will say "Oh that's so terrible what happened to you, I hope everything going to be fine ..", they will empathize with you but won't help you. They are nice but not kind. A New Yorker will stop and change the flat tire for you but say "What's wrong with you? Are you stupid? Why don't you know how to change a tire?" They're kind but not nice. Seems the same pattern with Canadians, people confuse kind and nice. 💀😅
Wenn dir einmal "Zuckerrübensirup" in Hamburg begegnet ... das ist das Äquivalent zu Maple Syrup in der Mitte Deutschlands (Nordrheinwestfalen), sehr lecker
Cool, falls ich das sehe, werde ich es probieren, danke für den Tipp :)
Germany's economy is shrinking just as fast as Canada's. You're gonna need a 3rd option.
What?😂😂 ruZZia??😅
@@mwb3783 "Russia is expected to grow faster than all advanced economies this year." That's according to CNBC, APR 17 2024.😃
You look Celtic to me.
As a French Canadian, I have to say... Hey! It's all true... lol
As a fellow Canadian, and New Brunswicker, I agree with this video. Alot of the stereotypes are actually mostly true... Maybe not for my Province, but still, there's a lot of similarities.
always cold in Canada? yeah no the other day it was 38C 100.4F with a humidex of 42 107.6F far from cold but I love to toy with Americans who complain that 30 degrees is to cold I laugh and say that's t-shirt weather, me knowing we're talking different scales but them not knowing it. but regardless 30 F 30C I'm still in shorts hell I used to walk through 3 feet of snow to get to school in shorts. but my reasoning proved out to piss off the school and children's aid. you see I wore shorts because I knew id have to walk through snow and its easier to bring a towal to dry legs off than it is to strip out of wet pants so I'm not sitting in cold wet pants all day I never got sick everyone else did
Hi Meghan. Wow thats very fascinating how you describe the European cultures from a Canadian perspective. I love Hamburg, Bremen the north in general but i am down here in the south and that has its unique specialities. Loved this video and I am a new fan ❤❤❤❤
Hilfe!! Ich muss Deutsch lernen. Mein leben hängt davon ab
Viel Glück, hoffentlich sind meine Tipps hilfreich für dich :)
Auch von mir, Willkommen in Deutschland, der soziale Aspekt ist in Europa sehr viel größer als in Amerika, ich verstehe Deine Entscheidung. Ich komme auch aus dem Norden und sage Mal: Moin, sollte für Dich schon in Mark und Bein über gegangen sein 😂
Haha, 'moin' ist praktisch mein Lieblingswort 😀
@@MeghanAbroad weil mit einem Wort alles gesagt ist, z.B. Hallo, wie geht es Dir. Ist heute nicht ein schöner Tag, ich habe gute Laune, Du auch..... Das alles kann das Wort Moin....
@@user-nu3ti4fz9q Genau 😄
You can tell that you speak German it’s left you with an German accent how you pronounce words
A few people have said so, which is interesting to me
Dear Meghan, at first: great video about your motivation and reasons to come to Germany. I am a german who has been to US many times and many other coutries during my professional life and understand your thoughts about the cultural differences between northern america an europe.. I hope you enjoy your time in Hamburg and hope you will also explore more about the southern regions of Germany as well as the eastern parts. Much more to explore what you surely will appreciate. Whenever you plan to come down to the rhine valley delta around Heidelberg, I will be happy to show you some of the local treasures.
Hi Bernhard, thanks for you comment, I've done a few shorter trips within Germany but definitely have much more to see :)
Welcome to germany! Don't worry about telling us to keep it in german if you wanna learn the language btw ;)
Haha you are free to write me in German or English, whatever you like
For a German, I hardly can think about something you might miss. But yes, if your country is much warmer or colder, that is a difference. If you usually have much spicier food, or more sweet potatoes, cooked bananas, etc. that is something you may miss. And while it might helf to meet people from your country or origin against homesickness, to much contact there, might harm the attempt to learn German. Yes, joining local clubs to have like minded people and the possibility to talk German with nice people.
Agree that there should be a balance between getting stuck in an "expat bubble" because most of your friends are internationals vs only having contact with the locals. It's a tricky balance to strike and will depend on your personality, goals, environment etc. For me it was important to make both German and international friends
Taking bureaucracy and not being able to pay with a card as examples of inefficiency is a weird choice. This is neither where the stereotype comes from, nor are these things good examples of efficiency.
Where do you think the stereotype comes from? My thoughts: I view efficiency as how many resources (ie. time, labour, effort) are needed to achieve the same result. With the cash example, carrying cash is inefficient because: -You need to take time to withdraw cash from a bank or ATM, making sure you take out from your bank lest you pay more fees, and in the right amount (too much is a security risk, too little and you will need to repeatedly withdraw more) -You need to spend extra time counting out your cash when paying, the cashier spends time counting out your change (if you don't think this is inefficient, you've never waited in a long line at the supermarket while the person in front spends an eternity counting out every coin from their wallet lol) -You have the extra weight to carry around, especially coins VS you pay in card, with a single tap, which withdraws exactly the right amount in the moment that you need it. Same thing mirrored on the business side. For the point on bureaucracy - I agree that that a country's bureaucracy is not necessarily representative of its efficiency but it can be an indicator; in this case it was just one example but I probably could have listed some other examples to illustrate my point. If I do a video on working culture in Germany I will probably go into more detail on this.
@@MeghanAbroad Well, on second thought, I agree bureaucracy is an indicator of efficiency, but this is not where the stereotype of German efficiency came from after WWII. As for paying with a card, it is such a small aspect of a whole nation/economy and a service that hasn't been around for long, that it is indeed a bad example. It's very Canadian/American to complain about this, though ;) . Maybe have a look at the article "German efficiency: The roots of a stereotype" and you will see that it's not about paying with cards, but the so-called Prussian virtues that are still present in German society today, even though they become less present. German efficiency is mostly visible in engineering and the production of goods. Even though the Deutsche Bahn does its best to destroy the stereotype of efficiency and punctuality, German high-quality goods and engineering are still globally admired. German professionals are known for their meticulous attention to detail and their commitment to getting things done right the first time. While Germany has low working hours compared to other countries in the world, the German economy is among the strongest in the world. German efficiency is driven by goals, not participation. To Germans, it doesn't matter how much time you spend on something, but how fast you achieve the defined goal. Personally, I think that Germans are actually lazy or gemütlich and value their free time. That's why they organize work as efficiently as possible, so that they may enjoy more leisure.
@@solokom interesting perspective, although I don't agree with all your points. I would never argue against these facts - Germany is top global economy for a reason and excels in manufacturing and engineering. Others have also commented - there is a reason "Made in Germany" is associated with quality . Have detailed and thorough processes to mitigate risk, yes, you could argue that this in the long run is more efficient, and is especially valued for these industries. However, time is also a valuable factor to consider, particularly in other industries. There are times where focusing on an MVP, coming to a decision quickly even if not everyone agrees, and having a more lean and agile mindset is needed, but this goes against the thoroughness and risk-averse nature of Germans that is so prized in manufacturing in engineering. I've seen this in a lot of cases - decisions that take months to make while competitors were able to move faster, months-long waterfall-like planning for software that later had to be scrapped, nested spreadsheets of processes that needed to go through x chains of approval, etc. Speed and quality are usually at tension with each other, and prioritizing quality over speed in every scenario means you will still lose out in today's globalized economy. In my view, this is one of the reasons Germany lags behind in digital competitiveness. As you highlighted, "efficiency" is multi-faced and more nuanced than I was able to get into in this video. Anyway, I've enjoyed reading yours and others comments on this topic, it's always interesting to hear different perspectives and I always learn something :)
If you want to learn more about German humor, watch some videos of the "humorist" (old word for comedian) LORIOT. He already passed away in 2011, but I think many of the modern comedians learned from him. He played with German stereotypes. A French friend once told me that he learned to understand the "German essence" better through Loriot. What I have noticed in my professional life is that humor or situation comedy in business is unfortunately often associated with superficiality. Which is, of course, absolute nonsense!
A few people have mentioned him, will have to check him out 👀
Well done.
Dein Deutsch ist klar verständlich! Man merkt, dass du keine Muttersprachlerin bist. But exactly the point, to use it and show people: "It is okay to make mistakes", is exactly what I do also.
Wegen deinem Akzent hätte ich dich fast für eine Deutsche gehalten. Viel Spaß noch in Europa.
Das höre ich nicht selbst, aber mehrere Leute haben darauf kommentiert :)
Du verstehst das Problem mit dem Bargeld nicht? Bezahlst du mit Karte, bekommt die Bank 1,5 % für jede Trransaktion. Bezahlst du 10 euro, hat der Verkäufer tatsächlich nur 9,85 euro. Bezahlt er seine Ware, hat der Grosshändler nur noch 9,70 euro von diesen 10 euro, weil die Bank wieder 1,5% bekommt. Das virtuelle Geld wird immer weniger und die Bank bekommt immer mehr davon.
Convenience hat auch ihren Preis. In viele Ländern würdest du Kunden verlieren, wenn du nur Bar akzeptierst, weil deine Konkurrenz Karten akzeptiert und viele kein Bargeld mehr mit sich tragen wollen.
@@MeghanAbroad Du hast völlig recht mit deinem Einwand. Stellen wir uns mal eine bargeldlose Gesellschaft vor.... Banken erstellen Negativzinsen, du musst ja dann deinen Verdienst irgendwo lassen. Du bist nicht mehr Besitzer deines Geldes. Sperrt man dein Konto aus irgendwelchen Gründen, hast du keine Chance mehr irgend etwas zum Leben zu bekommen. Du kannst nicht mal auf die Beine kommen, indem du Tageslöhnerjobs annimmst.Wie solltest du bezahlt werden, dein Konto ist futsch.....bisschen dystopisch, aber denkbar. Meine Oma hat den Krieg miterlebt und deshalb, zur Sicherheit, immer Bargeld im Strumpf zu Hause aufbewahrt. Das prägt wahrscheinlich unser Verhältnis zum Bargeld. Da stellen wir die Bequemlichkeit gern hintenan. Das wird sich mit jeder jüngeren Generation wohl nach und nach ändern...
german efficiency is more about getting it done CORRECTLY :) therfore we accept the process to be slower, but right more often than wrong. Its always a deicsion between speed and accuracy. you are inofficially allowed to cross if you can make sure no children are watching. Its not funny but there is a reason for this. Kids in germany are allowed to walk alone to school normally by the age of 6-7 but at that age the skill to judge speeds and timing and the overall broader perception is not fully trained. So it is important that the young children follow the rules .... its also well known that the best way to teach something is not by saying it but by doing it :) There you have the whole reason why germans stop at red .... and have "funny" stickers" (also a typical german behaviour by my side .... writing a whole essay about a topic to explain something while no one asked for it :p)
Interesting, I hadn't considered that their depth perception would be less developed as kids, which is a fair point. Kids in Canada normally take the school bus from a nearby stop or are driven to school by their parents
The "reviewing Tim Horton's" video sounds like a really good idea. I hope you do it!
Thanks for the feedback, I also think it would be fun since there's lots of new things on the menu since I've been away! Stay tuned, it's in planning :)
Prima Aussprache, fliessend...wie sagte Tolkien? Der Weg ist das Ziel...
I appreciate the view that one should broaden one's horizon and experience other countries by living there for a while, if possible. For me (German) it was the USA, and after many years I decided Murica is NOT for me - I really tried, though. It was a better experience when I moved from Florida to Seattle (close to Canada 😄), but... no. I could have moved to Canada, I have family there, but that would have been yet another international move I no longer have the energy for. I returned to Hamburg, Germany, and I am glad I did. I sure noticed that things changed a lot in Germany since I left, but the European way is better for me. The US was nicer in the 1990s to maybe mid-2000s, after that it became worse and worse of a place to be. Besides, from Germany, it is an easy way to travel to all the neighboring countries! 😊 There are simply way more cultures and different people to experience in Europe than in North America (yes, I include Canada), where many towns look the same, shopping centers with all the same chain stores, etc. And yes, I would say Canada is a "USA light" version. 😄 So, Willkommen in Hamburg!
Thanks for sharing your experience, always interesting to hear from Germans who go the opposite way, lol. I usually hear mixed experiences, once again goes to show everyone is different
English Canada is closer to USA work mentality, QC is again a distinct society, it is closer to the European way of doing things. The Germans are defenitively prone to gemütlichkeit, und es ist prima. Ich liebe auch deutsches Essen, und Kultur. Be well and stay safe
You're right that there are different subcultures within Canada, with Quebec being the most distinct. Interesting to hear you consider it closer to Europe
Actually, New-Brunswick is officially by-lingual ((Fr & En), there are indeed many regions and municipalities outside QC that have fairly large populations of Francophones. One should not forget the number of Fr. immersion schools/programs in all parts of Canada as well. Probably most grads are not as elequent/comfortable as those closer to QC, but fluent enough for basic converstions. Montreal is officially approx. 68% by-lingual, and prob close to 45% multilingual (3+ languages). Overall, your assessment of stereotypes was pretty much spot on. Be well and stay safe
hello from P.E.I.
👋
Hello my northen Province neighbors!
moin! welcome to hamburg! enjoy your stay! prost!
You're right about languages, only a mibority are bilingual, we learn a 2nd language in school, but very basic, and most people forget everything when they finish school, unless they have people around to practice it. I'm from Montreal, and we did have english lessons in school, but I mostly learned by myself after school was done. I'm lucky to live in Montreal, where I speak both english & french on a daily basis, but people from western provinces don't have the same opportunity, not many french speakers over there, so they lose their french pretty fast by lack of opportunity to speak it. About being polite and friendly, generally true, but as everywhere in the world, it's possible to bump into an AH once in a while, even in Canada. For Tim Horton's, I'm the black sheep, but I'm a princess🤣🤣 who likes strong coffee & I can't find that at Tim's. Good for donuts, but nothing else. Don't forget to cheer for your team, the Oilers are about to bring back the cup here for the first time since many years. Aboot poutine, I worked in a fast food, making it for years, so I can't stand it anymore. Maple syrup=yess, I used to make it with grandpa in the mid-80's in rural Québec, so it's part of me. Have a nice day & I'll watch what else you have on your channel.
Yeah, the second language education that I and others have experienced in Canada is really lagging behind the rest of the world. It's a shame. The only exception is french immersion schools we have, but those can sometimes be difficult to get into. I agree with you on Tims coffee, often I still end up drinking it though if there's nothing else around 🙈 and appreciate the support for the Oilers - Go oilers go :D Thanks for your comment :)
Mowing the lawn is number one sport in germany ... forget football and that other stuff
In Canada too it seems... 😀
Tsssttt ! 🙂 You forgot New Brunswick And it's French speaking Acadians Officialy, a bilingual province
You're absolutely right - thanks for reminding
Are you a fellow New Brunswicker!?
Willkommen in Deutschland. Ich kann einigermaßen Englisch verstehen aber schreiben leider nein. Deshalb schreibe ich in Deutsch,ich kann ihre Gründe gut verstehen glaube ich zumindest. Wenn jemand sich vorher Gedanken macht und überlegt was wohl der richtige Schritt für ihn ist bin ich überzeugt das war kein Schnellschuss nach Deutschland zu kommen sondern eine Bewusste Entscheidung die lezt endlich auch Mut erfordert. Deshalb wünsche ich ihnen ein glückliches Händchen für die nächsten Schritte in ihrem Leben.
Hi Meghan, fellow Hamburger here. 9:14 Yepp, among the German cities I would rank Hamburg as #2 with Berlin as #1 for public transportation. I never check when the next Ubahn leaves cause that usually takes more time than just popping on the station and waiting. They are so regular it just doesn't make sense to check for the next departure. The only cities I have visited with even better public transportation are Paris, and absolute number one, London. But those two are both strong contenders to share that number one spot. Even with those two up there I'd still give Hamburg an overall rank #4 for Europe. Mind you, the caveat is obviously DB trains. They have become so bad I can't even sum up my experience with them anymore.
Aber im Ranking Lebenswert bitte HH vor Berlin 😂
I fully understand your motivation! I'm German, grew up in Karlsruhe on the French border. As a pupil i visited France very often and i was in Switzerland, Austria and Italy. And became aware of my ability to learn other languages easily. After finishing my studies I went to a backpacking trip rheough Africa from west to east. I found a job as sales manager and worked with several countries there. Then i went to Switzerland to get an education as management consultant. After that i worked for 35 years in this business. I lived 20 years in Spain. But i worked world wide! Now i think to move to Cameroun. Writing my second book. I speak several languages fluently, because i learn like a child. And my lady is African. Very good how you describe German culture. I will come back to Germany because i estimate some things here and i have 4 children and 6 grandchildren. I'm feeling well all over in the world, only i prefer warm weather!!! Have a nice time! People like you are the salt of the earth. ❤❤❤❤
you living in the wrong country ,The Netherlands is a country for you. !!!
I lived in the Netherlands as an exchange student before I moved to Germany a few years later
Of course we will cross the street at 3 am with no cars for miles. Would't be efficient to stand around waiting for no reason, we might be late.
the german comedian michael mittermeier does also stand up in english and did shows in uk, usa and canada
Cool, I will check him out
I also once saw a clip of Till Reiners performing in English in Canada and found it pretty funny
Hi Meghan. KZread shows me a hour ago your first long video. So i am no here. Watch every video in a row. Okay, dass war mein Englisch. Ich mag deinen Content. Ruhig & ehrlich gesprochen, vorallem der deutsche Rasenmäher in der Nachbarschaft. 😉 Ich wünsche dir weiterhin viel Erfolg in Deutschland & auf KZread. Grüße aus Hameln. Yes, die mit dem Rattenfänger. 😋
I think the "efficiency" stereotype comes from a very different angle: It's when a german person has work to do, they do it until it's done without getting distracted or having to be reminded several times. There was a nice documentary on YT where a british couple lived in germany for a few weeks accompanied by TV. The man was to work at a writing utensil manufacturing company during that time. (in the pencil manufacturing to be specific) He seemed quite surprised that the workers start working on time, and until there's a break, and then punctually started working again. No fiddling with their mobil phones or talking isntead of working or dreaming about the day, if there is work to do, they work. And that's where that stereotype comes from. And i agree, if you take their rules and "bureaucrazy" into account, that can make them look inefficient as a whole, but that's not what the stereotype means. A recent example where their "papermasturb..." (as some people call it) is what makes them look inefficient: Tim Raue a german chef married an austrian women, and both registered their "second home" at the respective others main home. =Berlin and Graz. Raue explained to a journalist, that his wife needed several appointments and it took 7 months for her to complete everything, while he called in for an appointment in graz, asked what he had to bring, and at the appointment, he left again after 5 minutes and it was done.) The pedestrian crossing at red lights. I am with the germans on this. (But then again, i am from their southern neighbouring country, so not that far off ;-) ) As i told an intern once: "laws don't just apply when it's convenient for you. The traffic laws don't say _on a red light you have to stop, unless you think it's not that bad, or nobody is around, or it's 3 am_".
Thanks for your comment, and you have a good point about this element of working culture in Germany - when they are on working time, it is full concentrated work, no switching tasks, checking phones etc. But then they also take their breaks, vacations, and make Feierabend when the work is done. I'll probably make a video about the working culture differences at some point because I think they're interesting As you and others have highlighted, the intense rule-following can have an upside ;) at times, however, it can also feel constricting. There's a balance that's different for every country
Moin Moin. Tolles Video und es freut mich das du in Hamburg lebst. Danke das du die Deutsche Kultur und Sprache liebst. Ich freue mich mehr von dir zu sehen und zu hören. Liebe grüße aus Hamburg
Ich dachte, Hamburger sagen nur einmal "Moin".😂 I lived in HH for 15 years and this is one I remember deeply.
@@Winona493 jeder wie er mag aber in meiner familie ist es immer moin moin außer man kennt sich dann is dat moin.
@@michaelcelik7243 Bei uns in MV sind Leute, die "Moin moin" sagen, Schnacker. So wenig, wie möglich sagen, aber dafür auf den Punkt, deshalb nur "Moin". Schon witzig, wie unterschiedlich ein Wort sein kann😅
Das ist deutlich besseres Deutsch als integrationsunwillige Einwanderer, die schon seit Jahrzehnten in Deutschland leben, sprechen.😉
HAHAHA! Annoyed by a neighbor, because he is mowing... Respect the quiet hours... You are german! Congratulations!
Haha I like my peace and quiet 😆
Hi Meghan, a interesting video! I do have a question though... How easy - or difficult - was it for you as a Canadian to get a work permit and "green card" here in Germany? I know it is really hard for a German to migrate to Canada, you need sponsors and money and a job fixed and God knows what else. So how was it for you? May be a idea for another video...
I'm going to talk about this soon in an upcoming video! Probably next week
German grammar... As long as you aren't a linguist, german teacher or try to master a grammar test, i would say it's enough to know that the grammar is just "the other way around" to english grammar. ;-) I am a native german speaker (although some germans will disagree ;-) ) and when learnign english in school, i noticed that "fact" early on. The only times that wasn't enough was when we had dedicated grammar rule tests where you had to explain it in a correct way. But that was also the case if we had a german grammar test... I'd claim that apart from german teachers and linguists, 99% of native german speakers can't explain a single grammar rule to you when asked. It's just what we grew up with, just like you grew up with english grammar. But i am sure the exposure to german grammar will do it's job over time, and you will just intuitively get it right. And it's not a problem to struggle with grammar a bit, it's always highly appreciated in every language/country if a foreigner at least tries. People will still understand. Funnily enough i think almost correct pronounciation is more important than grammar.
Yeah I agree that the importance of grammar is sometimes overblown. The positive thing about German is it's very consistent, unlike English which has a lot of exceptions with pronunciation and spelling and such. Some people who have other native tongues aside from English find the German grammar easy! English comparatively is more flexible grammatically (like verb position doesn't matter, Nebensätze, etc) so it takes awhile for an English speaker to wrap their head around the German rules. You are right though, with a lot of exposure to the language it becomes much more intuitive
Sounds great! That's better German than some locals speak with their dialects. ^^ And switching between languages isn't that easy, so are you constantly improving "Denglish" and "Grammar salad" too? ;)
Don't walk alone at home at night lonely streets knoNw criminal areas, at this days....always with friends . Suspicious connections..... be aware of k.o.drops at your open drinks..... at the disco Young, beautiful woman as you may be the focus of criminal activity s....always leave with protection. Ansonsten: viel spass bei uns❤👍wir sehen uns später. Bei Kaffee und Kuchen, wenn du willst😅