Before we start, I want you to know that moving to Germany was never my goal. I never dreamed of living and working in Germany. Also, my point of view can be a bit different and specific, because I worked as self-employed for the previous 10 years in my home country and never had a full-time job before I moved to Germany. That’s why I see things differently and I value different things in my lifestyle. So, please read the article till the end and read my second article where I wrote 11 things I hate about living in Germany. That will help you get a better understanding of my point of view on this country.
Germany is your mirror
Few times, I noticed that being in Germany helped me to find out who I am. Starting a new life in Germany helped me to figure some things about myself.
Believe me or not, but If you don’t like something about living in Germany, maybe you don’t like something about yourself. Maybe I’m too obsessed with self-development, but I think Germany is a mirror. Living here, facing all these new rules for a life living you definitely can figure something about yourself.
For example, I never had a full-time job before I moved to Germany, but I always had doubts about me working on a regular job as an employee in my home country. I thought if someone offers me a great salary or if the job fits my interests I should agree to work as an employee. And here I am in Germany, in the country of employees where everyone pushes you to find a job. But even here, where the minimum salary is more than I ever earned in my home country, I found out that working as an employee is not for me. Some people dream of moving to Germany to get the opportunities I already have, but I don’t want to use them. In this case I could say, Germany helped me to understand that looking for a job and being an employee is totally not for me. I’m used to a different lifestyle. And I got to understand that here, in Germany.
Health insurance covers the whole family
In my home country people have worries about their family’s health. What if something happens? What if they have no money to cover the medicine bills? It’s a common struggle for most. But here in Germany it feels like people don’t have to worry about that. You have to pay your health insurance and it covers all the bills for the whole family if something happens. Even if you are the only one who has a job in your family you can cover it. Yeah, health insurance in Germany is more expensive compared to other European countries, but it covers all the health issues and you have to pay a percentage from your income, which means if your earnings are low you’ll get the same health services as others who pay more.
So, a safe life without worries about your health it’s definitely a reason I like Germany and want to stay here.
The weather is better than they say
People used to say that the weather is bad in Germany, but for some reasons I think that’s not true. Here’s a lot of sunny days during the year, and sometimes it feels like the ideal weather, especially in the south of Germany where I live. It’s not too hot and not too cold, -5C in winter and +25C in the summer.
When I was in Spain seeing hot summer days with no place to hide from the heat, I figured it’s better to live in a colder place. When it’s cold you have more options, you can dress warmer, you can turn on the heat or do some sport exercises, you can light a fire or warm up under a blanket in your bed. So you have more options to deal with cold weather compared to hotness.
Yes, it often rains in Germany, but it’s not a big deal here. Streets and roads are well built and you have no problems with puddles in this country. My shoes never soaked even when I was going somewhere under the rain. If you have an umbrella with you most of the time your socks are dry.
So, I don’t agree with people who say that the weather in Germany is so bad. I think the weather is better compared to most north and south countries. It’s just fine, especially in southern Germany.
Cheap and awesome beer
I’m not an alcohol fan, I don’t drink much and advise you not to, but German beer is something that makes me want to stay here forever 🙂 German beer is great and cheap. Sometimes a beer bottle costs you less than a bottle of water.
It’s a common idea that German beer is one of the best in the world, and I think that’s true, especially after I tried one when I was in Thailand. I lived there on an island called Koh Samui for 1 month and I tried their beer. It sucked, so after 1 month drinking it in Thailand I couldn’t drink anything with alcohol for 4 months after that. I couldn’t stand the thought of beer anymore, it felt bad.
So, beer in Germany is a 100% reason to stay and live in Germany for life.
Tech country makes me want to buy more tech
Since my teenage years my life has been about work with studio equipment for music and video production, photography etc. I like to look, learn and work with everything about microphones, speakers, computers, lighting, cameras, etc. And there are a lot of things I always wanted to buy for myself to be able to create something, and Germany feels like just the right place for that. I don’t know why but living here I want to buy all the tech related things I ever wanted.
Maybe the cause is that Germany is a tech country. Great cars, IT-infrastructure, equipment for professionals in different areas, home appliances (best windows, kitchens) designed here in Germany. Worldwide brands are available here and a lot of companies have their residency in Germany, so you have no problems with online shopping and shipping products. Also, compared to high taxes and health insurance people have to pay while living in Germany, it seems like professional equipment costs not so much and you have to buy it.
So, the ability to buy brand new tech is one more reason I like living in Germany.
Calmness, safety and no worries
One more thing I like about Germany. Even if your life is hard here and you have a lot of things to do, most times you have no worries.
Markets don’t work on Sundays, so you don’t have to go anywhere, take a rest and do nothing. You have time for that.
You don’t have to worry about deadlines in this country. Because Germany is so slow you always have enough time to deal with everything.
Even If you have no money for living in Germany, you don’t have to worry. You need to send a notification to government services and they can give you the minimum amount of money you need for a living (for paying rent for an apartment as example), until you get a new job.
Yes, life is hard in Germany so sometimes I think of moving out of that country, but living without worries makes me feel good about living here. So, a calm life in Germany is one more point to stay here and one more thing I like.
Simple and practical design
I like the simplicity of design in Germany, I think it’s some kind of philosophy here. The German mindset is complex, but they always try to design things in a simple and practical way.
Take a look at buildings and you’ll find out that everything was thought through. How does the rain go down from the roof? How do people hide from the sun and wind at home? Balcony, windows, everything is well designed.
I like the simple design of apartments we are able to rent here in Germany. Also I like that apartments are renting unfurnished, so I can buy and place something I like and make these apartments feel like my own home place. For comparison, in Bulgaria (also an EU country) if you rent or even buy a new apartment it comes with furniture, even if you don’t like it.
It feels like Germans think a lot on designing things before they create something. Even trees on the streets are designed to look good. Every day we look at everything around us and simple practical design is something I like here.
Cheap variety of food I used to eat
When I think about different countries for living I worry about eating. Different countries have different cultures and different national foods. Sometimes you may not like their food. But you’ll find almost everything in Germany: vegan food, vegetables, fruits, different types of meat, seafood, sweets, soeses… Everything I like is available here and it’s cheap.
For comparison in Asian countries, sometimes it’s difficult to find meat, they used to eat more seafood. When I was in Spain it was difficult to find some cereals and vegetables I’m used to.
In small German cities it’s a problem to find good street food or a restaurant with great service, so we have to buy everything in a food store and cook it at home. But, the cost of food here is cheaper compared to other European countries, and I like that people in Germany don’t have to spend all their salary for food and even with a minimum salary they can buy almost everything they like.
Most Germans are open to speak with you and ready to help
I like that Germans are open to help you for any reason. I was impressed by how much time they could spend trying to answer your questions.
I remember I wrote a letter to one guy in my city. I wanted to ask him about his experience on self-employment. He responded to me agreeing to meet. When we met he spent 4 hours speaking with me trying to answer my questions.
Working with government services I found them trying to help me whatever it may be. They spent hours speaking with me trying to figure out my life story. I spoke with them in English, so that wasn’t easy for them, but they tried.
One day a guy on the street noticed that I was trying to find my way using maps on my smartphone and he tried to help me even though I didn’t ask him for help, that was so thoughtful.
In most cases Germans can’t help me to fix my issues, but they always try to provide some information to me that might help me. I appreciate that and it’s a reason I like Germany, because of the people who live here.
32% speak English, 8% speak Russian
Each EU country has its own language, but a lot of travelers there need English as an international language to understand each other. Germany is a place where English is the most popular compared to other EU countries. Germans speak English well and clearly, I understand them even better than natives.
There are a lot of stories that Germans don’t like to speak English and you should learn German to live here, but I think it’s a lie. According to statistics around 32% of Germany’s population speaks English, and their level of efficiency is on the highest level in Europe. Around 10% of the population are Russian, Ukrainian and Bulgarian speakers. So for me knowing these 4 languages it’s not a problem to live here without knowing German. Most times I can find someone to speak to in a language I know.
Conclusion
These are the main things I like about living in Germany, reasons why I can’t simply leave this country. I like the weather, especially in the South. I like simple and practical design, tech and equipment I can use and buy here. I like the cheap variety of food I can buy here and a safe life without stress. I hope you enjoyed reading about my experience in this country and my point of view. Please, read my article about 11 things I hate in Germany to understand both the pros and cons of living here.
