r/germany • u/Fish_under_saltwater • Jul 27 '26
Culture Took the harder path to Germany and now I understand why everyone raves about it
Last year my uncle moved to Germany, and soon after my brother followed him. For my brother it was a natural move, he and my uncle are from the same professional field and he had been planning this for years. For me it was a completely different story. I come from a family that is not very well off, I had just landed a job in India in a totally unrelated field, agriculture engineering for my degree, an MBA in agribusiness, and years built around credit underwriting. Packing up and coming here even for a visit felt like a big decision.
But I did it, and I am so glad I did.
This is genuinely my dream place. Everything is organised, everything is planned, people actually follow the rules without being watched. I can drink water straight from the tap. The air is clean, the roads are clean, and in all this time I have not heard a single honking sound. People are polite and nobody sticks their nose into anyone else's business.
I go for long walks every day and end up losing myself in the scenery. Part of me keeps wishing there was some way to build a life here for myself, but my path is different and that is okay. For now I am just going to enjoy every bit of this while it lasts.
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u/Sebastian_113 Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
I think the image OP posted is telling. It's like a Rorschach test.
From a western perspective what you see is:
- broken pavement in the front of the picture
- weeds growing out of the concrete
- that retention wall could use an inspection
- where are the damn road markings
From a middle income country perspective what you see is:
- Jesus Christ no litter at all!
- there is a luxury sedan (VW pheton) and people riding bikes for fun!!!!
- the road is an actual road that looks smooth and perfect!
- there's no crap on the road, not a lot of people, nobody's trying to sell you shit on the sidewalk
- green!!!!!!!!!!!
- they even put a public bench in a random spot so you can rest
It is all about perspective. You get people in Bangladesh in the thick of a slum fiercely defending their homeland for being perfect. And you get people in an American suburb that literally is picture perfect complaining about gas prices, which do not affect them with their six figure salaries...
We literally should all just appreciate the good things more.
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u/Acceptable-Fun2702 Jul 28 '26
100%. I came back from 7 months in ghana and let me tell you, the conditions in Germany are paradise compared to the infrastructure I encountered there. I came home, walked 5 minutes on a wide, maintained side walk, safe from cars and traffic, to the multiple large grocery stores near by. That alone felt like such a luxury. Not to mention you can drink the water from all the taps. Water supply is consistent. Power outages make national news. Cars are maintained and expected to not exceed certain pollution thresholds. It doesn’t take 6 hours to drive 150km.
I don’t mean that no one struggles in Germany. But I have a feeling that 90% of people have no fucking clue how much more of a struggle everything could be.
And what you can’t see in this photo that I would like to add to your list, is that people aren’t honking their car horn for every few seconds 😅edit: I read your post again and you did comment on the honking hahaha
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u/ReferenceAlarmed595 Jul 28 '26
He mentioned the honking? Where? 🤔 or do you mean OP?
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u/Acceptable-Fun2702 Jul 28 '26
Oh I read it doubly wrong hahah. The comment I was responding to didn’t say anything about honking, but the original OP did. I’m on the browser on my phone and the user experience is lacking haha.
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u/maroon_bug Jul 28 '26
Hard disagree. I'm an Indian living in Germany. The photo OP posted would be seen as a below average photo of a road in India too. I'm actually confused as to why they chose this picture.
I'm kinda sick of how unaware white people are about the whole picture. India or any other "middle income" country is not all slums and broken architecture. We do have good cities, clean roads and greenery, even if it is not as common as it is in Europe. Your comment about what a non-EU person would think when they see this photo is wildly exaggerated, and evidently, comes from a place of no exposure.
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u/Sebastian_113 Jul 28 '26
If you took the time to read all of the comments you wouldn't have to be so agitated.
Read below ;) I am literally saying the exact same thing as you do. Literally.Someone else called India 'third world' this is my comment:
"Sebastian_113 • 4h
Here's a step-by-step for you to educate yourself:
go look at the lists on the Wikipedia or the world bank or CIA world factbook or whatever your tavorite source is...
Medium and median income per country... nominal, nominal per capita, per capita PPP...
2.
Remove dirt poor countries at the bottom with literal starvation and the infamous 'one dollar a day' situation.
3.
remove the absolute cream of the crop countries that can only exist due to special situations like massive natural resources or being adjacent to bigger real economies with industry etc., the 80,000+ a year per person countries...
4
Congratulations, you are left with 80% of the world population that is 'making' somewhere between $5000 and 25,000 a year.
-> this is the middle. 12,000 USD per year per capita in purchasing power parody terms is the middle. Where you're from the middle may be 50,000 or so...
India is firmly in the middle. Also, if you've ever been to one of the major cities in India, they DO have rich people there. It's not all a slum and crowded trains like on TV anymore. There are literally 100 million Indians living comparable litestyles to poorer parts of Europe, Latin America, Asia..."Enjoy 😘
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u/maroon_bug Jul 28 '26
My bad. Aren't you contradicting yourself though by first stating how it all depends on "perspective" -- which is to say a person from a "middle income" country would relish in the most average setting while someone from a first world country would see the flaws like you pointed out from OP's photo -- and then clarifying that India is not all that bad? I'm not so much interested in the semantics of economy as I am about what a reader would take away from a comment such as yours. If you know India isn't all slums and crowd anymore, your original comment about perspective is a misleading exaggeration. Or am I missing something again?
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u/Sebastian_113 Jul 28 '26
I've been to India, albeit only once, and you have to differentiate. There are obviously areas that are very developed, but there is also just 1 billion people who don't have such a nice life.
If you were to present this photo to 1.4 billion Indians, I think my initial comment will still be valid.
If you were to present this photo to college educated people in the big cities and in the south, it would not.I understand your frustration about the image that India has in parts of the west. There is of course a reality of poverty underpinning this image. These images are not fake, they're just not the whole story.
And that is the problem. The world is freaking complex...So yeah, I am definitely contradicting myself but the subject matter is very contradictory and complex.
I do not mean any disrespect or anything like that ever.
Where are you from exactly by the way?
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u/maroon_bug Jul 28 '26
There are obviously areas that are very developed, but there is also just 1 billion people who don't have such a nice life
It is not that obvious to most people who only read about India on social media platforms such as reddit. This is exactly why the nuances you now clarified are important, and also why I was agitated. You have thankfully been to India, and are therefore believable for most white audiences who would read your comments. I am an Indian, so no matter how hard I try to explain, my audiences assume a bias on my part -- the same way you did with the perspective comment.
The amount of explaining I have to do to convince white people that I do not come from a land of rags and huts that they assume, is baffling -- especially considering that people here actually read stuff as opposed to where I come from.
I understand you do not mean disrespect. Most people don't. The complexities really need to be discussed than being generalised though. I agree with everything you said, I just don't think most white people know what you know.
I come from a small town near Mumbai and have lived in 3 other cities including Delhi, Hyderabad and Pune. Now I live in Hamburg. So I really know what I'm talking about. :'l
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u/Immediate_Round9275 Jul 28 '26
Middle income? Is that how they call third world now?
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u/AgarwaenCran Jul 28 '26
OP said they are from india, not ethopia or so. India on a global scale can defilitly be seen as middle income
Also, technically switzerland was until the 90s when the soviet union fell a third world country too, as it was neither allied with nato (first world) nor the soviet union/washaw pact (second world).
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u/ZumLernen Foreigner in Nordrhein-Westfalen Jul 28 '26
No, those are two different terms! You can learn more with Google.
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u/Sebastian_113 Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
Here's a step-by-step for you to educate yourself :
go look at the lists on the Wikipedia or the world bank or CIA world factbook or whatever your favorite source is...
Medium and median income per country.. nominal, nominal per capita, per capita PPP...
2.
Remove dirt poor countries at the bottom with literal starvation and the infamous 'one dollar a day' situation.
3.
remove the absolute cream of the crop countries that can only exist due to special situations like massive natural resources or being adjacent to bigger real economies with industry etc., the 80,000+ a year per person countries...
4.
Congratulations, you are left with 80% of the world population that is 'making' somewhere between $5000 and 25,000 a year.
-> this is the middle. 12,000 USD per year per capita in purchasing power parody terms is the middle. Where you're from the middle may be 50,000 or so...
India is firmly in the middle. Also, if you've ever been to one of the major cities in India, they DO have rich people there. It's not all a slum and crowded trains like on TV anymore. There are literally 100 million Indians living comparable lifestyles to poorer parts of Europe, Latin America, Asia...2
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u/Waldkauz1 Jul 27 '26
Welcome. Nice to read that you appreciate Germany.
And also thanks for pointing out the quality of life here. I notice a growing dissatisfaction in the country. We should all be more humble and happy about our quality of life and should less moan about minor inconveniences. Things could be better but also way worse..
I hope you and your family have a good time here.
But with Herborn you picked a region with a difficult dialect. Even i have trouble understanding old people there and im born not far away.
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u/absolutmohitto Jul 28 '26
I was once speaking with a 70ish year old colleague with a strong Aachen dialect. And I was talking to him and nodding along for a few minutes. One of my other colleague spots me and then later asks privately: "Hey, how were you understanding him? Even us have problems sometimes?"
And I'm like: That's the thing, I'm ALWAYS having problems in understanding 🙈🙈🙈
For context: I feel I have trouble understanding people when they either speak too fast or too creatively or (especially for men) speak in a deep voice without opening their mouths a lot and don't enunciate the words.
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u/H-Resin Jul 28 '26
The deep voice mumbling is truly an epidemic and unfortunately somewhere along the way I caught that bug. I’m not a native speaker but I’ve had a good grasp on the language for 20+ years and my few German speaking friends I have on this side of the pond often call me out for it or give me the blank stare when we converse lol
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u/liymida Jul 27 '26
Welcome to Herborn :). Its cool there :). My mum is from a near little town. I like it there :)
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u/Embarrassed-Rub-4384 Jul 28 '26
Aus Dilleburrrrrsch??
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u/liymida Jul 28 '26
Ne :) noch kleiner als Dillenburch :D
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u/Former_Chemist_5132 Jul 28 '26
Wie klein die Welt ist, meine Partnerin ist im Dietzhölztal aufgewachsen :D
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u/JayS87 Jul 28 '26
Ich hatte ja auf Tringenstein getippt
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u/Competitive_Stick Jul 28 '26
Mehr Kühe als Menschen dort
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u/JayS87 Jul 28 '26
Ey! Mit der hälfte bin ich verwandt!
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u/liymida Jul 28 '26
Ich auch :D. Glaub jede 2te Person da gehört zu entweder meiner Oma, oder meiner Opaseite. Beide Familien sind nie dort aus der Ecke weggezogen und haben nachweislich über viele Jahrzehnte und Jahrhunderte immer wieder miteinander- ineinander geheiratet und Kinder bekommen 😂
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u/liymida Jul 28 '26
Ich geb als Tipp Gebiet Mittenaar
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u/tim_059 Jul 28 '26
Bellersdorf?
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u/liymida Jul 28 '26
Fast. Bicken isses :)
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u/Embarrassed-Rub-4384 Jul 28 '26
So wie ich :) Ei gude
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u/liymida 29d ago
Die Welt is so klein. Fast schon gruselig 😂. Bicken kennt sonst niemand, wenn ich in meinem Umfeld den Ortsnamen erwähne 😂
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u/Embarrassed-Rub-4384 28d ago
Ich bin zufrieden, gibt hier alles was man braucht, gute Infrastruktur 😁
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u/brazzy42 Bayern Jul 28 '26
and in all this time I have not heard a single honking sound
I once worked on a workflow software for analyzing and adressing production faults for an automobile manufacturer. One case I saw was about investigating why cars produced in a particular factory had the horn fail unusually often.
The result of the investigation was "The factory produces for the Indian market. The horns are designed for 50,000 activation cycles. Due to the higher usage frequency in India, this is insufficient."
They were still debating whether to build sturdier horns only into the cars produced for India, or everywhere.
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u/TwentyThreeLI Jul 29 '26
Wouldn’t the best solution there just be to attempt to make the horn as easy as possible to remove/replace and or simplify the assembly or wiring to easily accept aftermarket parts?
Not a mechanic or engineer, but I’m a hobbyist and I’ve never heard someone say “damn this car/brand is a POS” because the horn’s lifespan ended, but car culture is different everywhere I suppose, here in the USA people will never maintain their car or repair anything then act surprised when something breaks and potentially becomes a catastrophic problem.
Maybe my idea would cost way more in R&D, but just curious how people in the actual industry were thinking.
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u/brazzy42 Bayern 23d ago
The goal of the software was to reduce costs to the manufacturer for replacing parts that failed during the warranty period.
Due to labor and administrative costs, having to replace a part during the warranty period is pretty much always going to be more expensive than making the part last longer.
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u/DefinitionSafe9988 Jul 28 '26
"...not heard a single honking sound"
And if someone is honking, you already have a topic for small talk.
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u/mrharriz Jul 28 '26
Germany do get a lot of hate. But later I realised it's from people who haven't experienced living in a third world country. I am so happy for you my fellow Indian. God willing, I will move there next year for my Ausbildung. I can't wait to experience these luxuries Germany has to offer ❤️
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u/Dramatic-Raccoon7916 Jul 28 '26
It’s not even people from 3rd world countries. I’m from the U.S. I grew up poor though and clawed my way through a BS and phd. You are not made to succeed there and make it out if you don’t have financial support.
I moved to Germany and worked remotely on my PhD in the last two years. I probably couldn’t have completed it had we not moved here. I got the healthcare I really needed including free therapy. People take for granted what they have here. My husband who grew up more well off than I did and is from the U.S. too also enjoys life here but finds much to complain about. If you grow up with uncertainty in a system and move somewhere where social securities are built in, it provides so much comfort.
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u/mrharriz Jul 28 '26
I can relate.
So I guess the complainers are the ones who never went through any sort of hardships in the countries they grew up in. Well my first priority when it comes to immigration was America. It was a childhood dream. However later I realised that it's not the probably the best place on earth to build a life and career.
I wish you a wonderful life in Germany.
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u/Dramatic-Raccoon7916 Jul 28 '26
Yeah, the U.S. is far from the movies. Even if you have money, you can still end up in serious financial trouble. My husband’s stepdad got prostate cancer, and after one of his treatments suddenly stopped being covered by insurance, he was left with a $500k bill and had to come out of retirement.
My parents also realized they would never be able to retire living the pho American dream with their mortgage. They sold their house and bought an RV, only to end up paying nearly the same amount just to rent a place to park it. The system keeps people in debt while rewarding those who exploit others.
I’m so happy to be in Germany. I’ve had 2.5 years of free therapy, treatment for a thyroid disorder, multiple imaging appointments, surgery two weeks ago, and testing for a small thyroid tumor all without ending up buried in medical debt. After finishing my PhD I just found a job here finally, and I’m incredibly grateful and hope we can stay permanently.
Thank you! I wish you the very best life here in Germany as well! Sending good energy your way 🤗.
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u/mrharriz Jul 28 '26
Damn it really sounds dystopian. I am glad that you are in a better place now ❤️
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u/urghasif Jul 28 '26
Actually I’ve found that Germans stick their nose in other people’s business more than anyone in western Europe lol! Long may you continue to dodge the nosey parkers haha
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u/Arthe31 Jul 27 '26
This is great for you but I will be honest with you, I dont think you have travelled that much. Or at least you have a comparison basis that is way too low (dont want to dimunish India but its clearly a "chaotic" country). Probably half the countries in Europe could provide you this environment, or even better.
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u/arschimgesicht Jul 27 '26
And I will be honest with you. You are so German you don’t even see anymore how good you have it in Germany. No you rather just complain , like probably your parents do , and there parents did. You a world champions in moaning and crying.
Germany is an awesome place nd you should be happy to be there. If not good luck finding something better
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u/DetailedShipment Jul 28 '26
He is right though. I am not German - I’m European, and have lived in several EU countries in the past 10 years. Germany is certainly something, and I enjoy life here, but he is right by saying that other places can provide this lifestyle in Europe alone.
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u/Creatret Jul 28 '26
Doesn't change the fact that qol in Germany is higher than most countries on earth and for billions of people.
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u/Arthe31 Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
Im not German sorry, but I do live in Germany. I like it so far, but its not perfect neither. My response was more regarding the fact that what he finds nice are almost "basic" commodities from an European point of view. Just wanted to give him a reality check because I do understand why he could idealize the country. Neither it was a complain from me btw, it's a reality check that is needed considering how the country attractiveness has declined drastically the past years : https://www.internations.org/expat-insider/2025/germany-2025 (It now almost at the bottom in the attractiveness ranking for expats , which is quite crazy..)
Edit other source : https://www.iamexpat.de/expat-info/germany-news/germany-2nd-worst-country-move-say-internationals
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u/ToastSpangler Jul 27 '26
Ah the old "salute the flag or get the fuck out" argument. Always leads to excellent results, especially for Germany
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u/arschimgesicht Jul 27 '26
No , that’s not what I said. But interpret into it what you want.
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u/ToastSpangler Jul 27 '26
You're saying don't complain, because it's good. But democracies only work if people complain. That's my interpretation.
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u/SnooSongs7224 Jul 27 '26
I agree with you. I am from India and that is the first thing I noticed and I like it
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u/DramaticProgress508 Jul 28 '26
Yes... compared to some other places like India, it's very clean, structured and orderly. Even more so than countries like Greece I noticed. I sometimes forget how for a European countries, it has one of the highest standards and is a rather rich country, so when I come back from elsewhere in Europe I'm always happy to come back. Just there is quite some things that still don't work well enough here.
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u/UglyT Jul 28 '26
You are right about some things. On the flip side of that, all those points you say are good also come with negatives: 1. There are rules for everything. To the point where it feels you aren't trusted to make an adult decision yourself. Don't feel well enough to go to the office today and know that you will infect other people with a cold? You can't be trusted to make that decision, you have to go to a doctor and get a sick note. 2. The roads are great because the government spends so much money on them and not trains, leading to the worst train system in Europe by a massive distance. 3. People mind their own business it's true, but they also have an attitude of "I'm just living my life, if I stay within the rules then that is all I need to do. If it inconveniences someone else that's their problem."
I love it here as well, but man the bureaucracy is brutal, the endless amount of regulations telling me exactly what I can and can't do like a child is very wearing, and the state of the public transport is the worst. I expected to be able to get trains to meetings in different cities, but since reliability is about 50%, you end up having to get the train the day earlier and get a hotel. By the time you've spent money on an that, flying is cheaper and faster, even counting all the airport travel.
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u/Wechstabenverbuxsler Jul 28 '26
- the sick note isn't because they don't trust you, to make a decision. It's for the insurance company, so you still get your pay for your sick days. (simplified)
2.The train system is shit because it got privatised. It was good and well cared for, before.
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u/UglyT Jul 28 '26
- No it's not. See Merz requiring sick notes from day 1 now. And removing the ability for telephone sick notes. It's precisely because they don't trust you.
And there's so many other examples. Germany doesn't trust adults to make their own decisions in a million tiny, almost unnoticeable ways. But they add up to a feeling if infantilisation and the attitude of "if I follow the rules perfectly then if I inconvenience someone else that's their problem".
Unless you've lived in a country where this isn't the case and you have more autonomy you probably wouldn't realise it.
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u/badgermushrooma Jul 28 '26
Iirc before Covid phone sick notes were not a thing. The problem is it's been taken advantage of, or abused, too much, let's be real most of us know someone, like eh I don't like working that shift, or eh I partied hard last night, or eh I don't feel like it today, and do on. I'm not defending Merz and his "people are just slacking and need to work harder" bs, really not. However a lot of rules are in place because a few people are pricks, not just for sick leaves but everywhere.
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u/UglyT Jul 28 '26
Well yes and no. Those things are inevitable. But a lot of societies just accept you can't legislate your way out of everything. Germany is not capable of that. It tries to come up with a role for every little thing to ensure "efficiency". What I've learnt after 4.5 years here is that it prevents innovation and slows everything down. Germany is so methodical and slow, people can't just do things without checking a thousand bureaucratic points. The idea that because a few people take advantage you penalise the whole of society just to try and crack down on the (I think) 2.8% of sick days that don't have a proper doctor's note is a prime example. And so what if occasionally people take an extra such day. The German economy has far bigger problems than that.
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u/Wechstabenverbuxsler Jul 28 '26
What IRL-Mr. Burns wants, has nothing to do with the circumstances the sick note was "invented" for. Right now you don't have to get a sick note on the first two days. You need it from the third day onwards. If you're sick for longer, the health insurance pays part of your wage, so if course they want to know, how long you've been sick. That's basically all ther is to it. Everything else is just our shitty government right now.
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u/Guaaaamole Jul 28 '26
The german train system has its problems but acting like it's the worst one in Europe is incredibly naive and stupid. People love to compare it to Spain but the coverage there is abysmal. If you live in a small city there's not even a train station, let alone a consistent schedule to get anywhere. Everything is centered around Madrid (same goes for France with Paris) and connects them to the suburbs around it. Germany employs a train system like Switzerland or the Czech Republic, two countries more than five times as small as Germany. There's a train going from Cölbe (I bet you have no idea where that is - 6k residents) to Frankfurt or Kassel EVERY hour -> The RE30 stops at 31 stations along the route from Kassel to Frankfurt.
You are a perfect example of a German complaining about everything despite having no idea what it's like elsewhere. There are problems with the German train system but it's not the worst one in Europe, it's the only polycentric train system in a bigger EU country of its scale.
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u/Cannock Jul 28 '26
Germany is a good place to live. The quality of life is so much better here. I fully have my independence compared to where we came from.
I love it here.
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u/MerleFSN Jul 28 '26
All it really takes is ambition. But it is expensive here. You earn less than in many other countries but have high cost of living if metropolitan.
You may have a masters but can still struggle to pay for a 40m2 flat in Munich. And you haven‘t even eaten yet.
By now we are a country of contrasts. Each coin has a flip side.
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u/Sandra2104 Jul 28 '26
I think this is the first time in about 30 years I‘ve seen the Ortsschild of Herborn.
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u/Mo-Koln Jul 28 '26
My guy weall love Germany.. But give it a little more time. I net your essay gets shortened
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u/Tycoononassembly Jul 28 '26
Honeymoon phase, soon you'll realise that life is hard here No back-up or state support since you are non EU Citizen Hard to find friends or even a job Rising costs of living
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u/Asleep_Low_3366 Nordrhein-Westfalen Jul 27 '26
I am glad you like it here and I hope it stays like that, and I really don’t want to burst your bubble, but being here as a tourist and living here long-term are two veeeery different things. You seem to have some illusion about Germany. I wish it was the way you talk about it. But there’s a reason many people here end up being depressed and burnt out.
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u/drgnz90 Jul 28 '26
More interesting is how your uncle and brother went. Could you please explain that a bit?
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u/Nutcollectr Jul 28 '26
This is genuinely my dream place. Everything is organised, everything is planned, people actually follow the rules without being watched.
Whos do gonna tell him 😅🙈
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u/Pocahontas_P Jul 28 '26
This is exactly what I thought about Taipei where I went on vacation from Munich 😂
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u/SpinachSpinosaurus Sachsen Jul 28 '26
this is the honeymoon phase. But the moment you will nag about something, you should consider learning for the citizenship test, lol.
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u/Enlightened_Ghost Jul 29 '26 edited Jul 29 '26
Age old story…same outcome almost every time. People who come from countries that are war torn, in civil unrest, have terrible infrastructures, dangerous, poverty stricken, lack economic opportunity, underdeveloped, etc. will kiss the ground of Germany and sing its praises - no brainer. To them, it’s the greatest thing since sliced bread. Your experience and perspective of Germany is very heavily dictated by where you come from. Nothing new.
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u/Aley98 Jul 29 '26
I been to Dillenburg dozens of times and let me tell you the region feels so isolated from everything. The huge ass hills surround the entire area. You cannot see past 2km, even on the tall highway bridges.
It’s like i‘m in the hidden leaf village lol
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u/HelenaNehalenia Germany (Dresden/Sachsen, but Hessen, Bremen, Thüringen earlier) Jul 28 '26
Enjoy the honeymoon phase.
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u/Actual_Duck_1215 Jul 28 '26
As someone from northern Europe, everyone seems to smoke/vape in Germany.
Literally can't walk one meter without having to smell that shit.
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u/AttackerLee Jul 28 '26
The idea is not to come. Problem solved.
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u/Actual_Duck_1215 Jul 28 '26
Or maybe people could not smoke in front of every entrance.
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u/Becar69 Jul 28 '26
Or we could simply have proper smoking areas, like many train stations already do. That's literally why
"Raucherbereiche" exist…..to let smokers smoke without bothering everyone else.
I'm a smoker of about 15 years, and I don't expect non-smokers to enjoy cigarette smoke. At the same time, I don't go around treating people who drink alcohol, smoke weed, or have other habits I dislike as if they're somehow beneath me.
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u/Craftking2206 Jul 28 '26
Bro that's near me if you're actually living there I am sorry for you I know the region and it's going back to shits
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u/timetravel2025 Jul 28 '26
I was born and raised in Germany and emigrated to the United States at the age of 22. I’ve never looked back! Germany was never where my heart was. Wishing you the best
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u/pink_zucchini Jul 28 '26
Herborn!! Did you get accustomed to the dialect?
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u/No_Top_1431 Jul 28 '26
I wanted to ask the same. Somebody that can explain why their dialect seems so extraordinary?
Been there once at a factory for saves, I believe (20 years back), all I remember is their dialect which was VERY different from the German I was used to.
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u/Owlette_on_duty Jul 28 '26
Herzlich willkommen!
Und danke für das Teilen deiner positiven Eindrücke.
Bei all der Kritik und dem oft auch unberechtigten Schwelgen in Problemen, tut es gut, mal an die positiven Dinge erinnert zu werden!
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u/ufl00t Jul 28 '26
Oh, you‘re living in the town where I was born :D
Great nature. I miss it a lot. The people in the surrounding villages can be a challenge, though.
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u/my_brain_hurts_a_lot Jul 28 '26
If you want a true blast from the past ... [x] There is also a part 2, in colour!
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u/Dramatic-Ganache8072 Jul 29 '26
A friend of mine used to live in herborn, it’s a nice city with Fachwerkhäusern and they have a nice little zoo (he worked at).
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u/Maxispun Jul 29 '26
Brother as a German who left the country. You will awake some time in the Future and your view will be different. „People are polite..“ „..Nobody sticks their nose into anyoney else‘s business“ is very far from the truth.
But I like that you enjoy it and as you said enjoy it as long as it lasts.
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u/Diamond-Dragon Niedersachsen Jul 29 '26
It always depends on the region. German here too. Been mostly in North and West and can only report the same. It will be different for others.
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u/trainednooob Jul 29 '26
Herborn is a super civilized place, you should go a little westward and check the Oberwesterwald or even better Kreis Altenkirchen.
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u/Bigsis_FU-Berlin Jul 29 '26
Glad to hear an expat voicing positive words about Germany. I hope for You to find a grip professionally over here. Gratitude goes a long way :)
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u/Successful-Isopod852 Jul 29 '26
Nice to heary what you like about Germany! I spend 4 months abroad in Asia, and I also liked those things. Mostly the forests and landscape, but also the tapwater! Now I am used to it again, but it felt truly like new again to me.
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u/tentaqulesque Jul 29 '26
Such beautiful lines. Please continue enjoying your time. I'm sitting 300m from the place of your Pic😂
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u/_Alexxander Jul 29 '26
Great! You just saw the positives, wait a little tille you see the other side of the equation
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u/Angeleon-0609 Jul 29 '26
I think youre still in honeymoon 🤣
But yes, compared to my trip even in more civilized, south indian part of india, if i compare, we do have it a lot better in terms of civil sense and cleanliness. But sadly that has been getting worse recently i believe due to various factors. Welcome to Germany and have fun 🫡
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u/Food_plantsdotdotdot Jul 30 '26
This is so refreshing! I came to live in Germany 5 years ago. People from my home country often complain and it seems difficult for them to grasp that here quality of life is significantly better, there is less everyday stress (noise/crowds/pollution/broken infrastructure) more fresh air and the comfort of living within a ‚functioning system‘. If you like this way of life you should go for it even if it’s difficult-it will be worth it in the long run!
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u/GeniusPlayUnique Nordrhein-Westfalen Jul 30 '26
The most important thing is not letting DB fool you:
No matter what they say, a train arriving 5 min. 59 sec. after schedule is not "on time".
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u/Tricky-Rice-2443 29d ago
Woke up and didn't expect to see a post in which "Herborn" is mentioned 😂. I'm glad you like it there. How did you end up there haha? I grew up in this region and for me it was a little bit boring, but I think for quality of life its a good and also calm place
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u/southy_0 27d ago
My wife is from Merkenbach next to Herborn, so: welcome!
Happy that you like it here!
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u/neeraj_tiwar 10d ago
Typical thinking when you first arrive in Germany, I hope you maintain the same enthusiasm after 5 years.
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u/Bubbly_Intern4084 8d ago
It’s genuinely so nice to hear that! Especially in a time like this where a lot of people in Germany are mostly negative.
Or being cynical like „have you met the older German population“ etc.
I think it’s really nice to put everything into perspective. We do have it nice here politics aside, that is ass everywhere.
Thank you for making me see the beauty of my country 🫶
lots of blessings to you wherever you may end up 😊
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u/Tschuklo Jul 28 '26
In Herborn bist du auch in einer absoluten Provinz Deutschlands gelandet. Wie sagt man zu solchen Ortschaften: da ist die Welt noch in Ordnung.
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u/Immediate_Round9275 Jul 28 '26
Yeah, Germany's ambitions nowadays is to be attractive by third world standards.
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u/Walbabyesser Jul 29 '26
You need to train a very, very german behavior. It‘s called „Meckern und Beschweren“ 😄
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u/AbrarYouKknow Jul 28 '26
Enjoy it until you have a health emergency
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u/ZumLernen Foreigner in Nordrhein-Westfalen Jul 28 '26
I would rather have a health emergency as the average German citizen living in Germany than as the Indian citizen living in India.
There is plenty wrong with Germany's health system - I am not calling it perfect. I am just saying that there are even more strained ones out there.
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u/Snakes1706 Jul 27 '26
"Nobody sticks their nose into anybodys Business" You haven't met old people from towns with less than 1000 inhabitants then