My thoughts on America one year later - American living in Germany

I'm a Canadian trucker that runs The U.S.. When people ask me what the biggest difference is between the two countries, I tell them that everywhere you look in the U.S. there is propaganda. The greatest health care, the greatest education system, the greatest military, the greatest democracy. As we all know (anyone outside of the U.S.), none of these things are true. That doesn't mean it's a bad country, but it does mean that Americans that don't look outside the fishbowl think every other country is uncivilized compared to them.

When I was transferred to my company's Brussels office, I thought it would be a good career move and I'd return to a better job in 3-5 years. Within about 3 months I realized that I didn't want to return...ever. First, the work / life balance was totally new. And vacations...real vacations...two weeks in a row! My back issue was sorted out by the Belgian health system after getting zero help from US doctors. Then, there is the safety issue. There's no gun crime and you can go out in a European city at night without fear. Life in Europe is so much better than in the US.

I made the experiance of an american co-worker we invited to our Headquarters in Munich some years ago. It was his first international travel, so he had no experience in getting a passport, arrange socket adaptors, prepare for the different weather here (winter time) and the transport from airport to the hotel using public transport. When we had the first meeting in person he was still overwhelmed with all the new things he experienced. We arranged a dinner in the evening, and he was afraid to join, as he thought about crime and personal safety, assuming that the situation in Munich during the night would be as bad as in his home city Dallas. It turned out a pleasant evening, and it was astonishing, how little he knew about the rest of the world and the different life styles etc.

Well said, Olivia. My observation of Americans is that they/we are more interested in being right than what is right.

Hey there. The former German Kanzler Helmut Schmidt said once on an interview, he met many foreign ministers and had to learn that they never had left their country before they became politician. He did suggest that every student around the world somehow should spend less than one year in a different country. it changes you and you need this change. Not only the american. Even the Germans. Best Wishes.

I am also an American living in Asia and your points are spot on. Living here and experiencing other cultures and points of view has opened my perspective on so many things and has helped me realize the shortcomings and "blinders" I had when growing up in the US.

Very insightful. As a European living in the US I feel very sad about what has happened to this country. It is on the way to becoming a failed democracy. Ever shrinking investment in public education has led to a level of ignorance that is appalling. This is made worse by a strange pride in being ignorant and a widespread disdain for science and expertise. The level of political discourse is beyond embarrassing with a two party system where one of the parties is little more than a gathering of neo fascist lunatics without any commitment to democracy let alone coherent reasoning and the other one losing itself in cultural fringe issues. America has been good to me. It is a land of opportunity for a small minority at the expense of the vast majority of the population. I can’t believe that to this day there is no societal consensus that everybody should have access to healthcare, that some of America’s richest cities are overwhelmed by homelessness and that carrying a gun around to take the law into your own hands is perfectly normal. Few Americans realize how bizarre any of this appears from the perspective of every other industrialized nation. It is a tragedy that “the shining city on the hill” has become an object of bewilderment for the rest of the world. America has lost its leadership role. “Patriots” run around in Stars and Stripes t-shirts that say “let’s go Brandon”. China and Russia are rejoicing. In their wildest dreams they never imagined it would be this easy. Then again, it is not over. Hopefully America can find its way again. I root for you.

I lived in the US as an exchange student when I was 18, I absolutely loved it. When I came back the Belgian mentality felt suffocating - just be normal, get a degree and a normal job, forget about your dream of being an artist. 40 years later, it makes me sad to see how America is suffering. And I know that what goes on there will come to Europe sometime soon. Anyway, living in a foreign country is very wholesome, everybody should be able to get that experience. It opens your eyes and your mind.

I'll be honest. When you said "European Lifestyle" in the beginning, I started cringing and thought "Oh god, is it gonna be one of those..". But then you picked it up so well and expressed everything so eloquently and precise, the satire you brought on us in the beginning became crystal clear. Well said!! And yes, I'm German, I was a German language teacher having A LOT of contact with people starting a new life in Germany. Your experiences match very well with the things all my American students told me. For example, one woman (with a PhD from a big American university) even thought Scotland was an Island and not attached to the rest of Greatbritain. I was like....what in the world do they teach you over there?!? I absolutely loved your point about the different views on money and competition! I share your thoughts about craving simplicity in life. Thank you for your insight!! :)

I am Dutch, and it surprises me that Americans seem to relate EVERYTHING to competition and money. The truth is, you can achieve as a group more with cooperation. This means subjugating your own interests (also moneywise) to the group. Sociologically America as a unit barely is able to exist. As for money, the money is just a means to have the life you want. Health is first, then comes nice food and a shelter, and third is the rest. The rest seems to be number one in American minds. That is to me, quite flabbergasting. So, it is the life that is important, not a lot of money. Big money is just what you might need for that. Might... not must.

I agree completely the way you put it in this video, very insightful! I’m a german living in the states for a long time. It is sad that the average american has been brainwashed to believed that the US has the best government structure for example, snd the best living conditions and the best everything. This leads to closed mindedness and prevents positive change, learning from others. We can all learn from each other.

Well put.. there is no greatest country, we can all learn from each other....

Thank you very much for this good explanation of your thoughts. I moved to Germany 50 years ago to lecture for a year at a University here. After living here a year I experienced many of the feelings you mentioned and I have stayed. It was the best decision I ever made. As you say Germany is not Paradise but the life style here fits my own demands on life and I like the relaxation of not having to become rich or such. It is too bad, that not everyone can search out the country where one wants to live. Many Americans fear things like "socialism" or tolerance...Americans want Individualismus and being missonaries, trying to convince the world to change their opinions and take on their relgious or political thoughts. There are too many positive things here available to me like free education, cheap medical insurance, good public transportation, good bike trails, far less racism, more egal rights for women...just a bit of "socialism". ha I Hope you enjoy a long and healthy life here, as I have done. At the moment I do not feel the situation in the USA is improving.

I worked and educated Americans (not immigrants) for 15 years in LA California (Yorba Linda) 1995-2010. I gave up on screaming and loud Americans being wrong most of the time. Moved back to EU and have never returned and never will. 15 wasted years, so I learned the hard way about the "Home of the bold and land of debris"

Germany is sooo nice, greetings from the Netherlands

Same experience for me living abroad. I'm back in the states now because of family issues but can't wait to leave again for good this time.

Olivia you are welcome! ICH bin sehr dankbar das YouTube zu mir gesagt hat: "Thomas guck dir mal an was die Olivia zu sagen hat"! Ich denke nur sehr oft das du traurig bist, traurig weil es Menschen gibt die glauben alles besser zu können, ja sogar etwas besseres zu sein! Denk doch einfach daran das all jene die immer etwas zu meckern haben die Knie auch krumm machen wenn sie auf dem Klo sitzen 😀! Olivia ich sag zu dir: ❤️lich willkommen bei uns in Deutschland!

It seems to me that a fundamental problem is how "isolationist" America has grown in the last forty years or so, and how deeply ingrained that has become, with so little exposure to other nations of the world. We can't expect Americans to travel as widely as so many in Europe do; but the fact that other perspectives aren't taught, or just media/news/information from other non-American nations aren't circulated to an American audience on anything like a significant scale, must naturally create a "bubble" within American society that could so easily become toxic.

As you said before in other videos as well, you are now in a different fishbowl. Germany has to be a clear fishbowl. Or rather it is a different part of a big, diverse pond. Others swim in and out of our part of the pond continuously and we have to interact with other fish on a daily basis. The US is a one-way-mirrored fishbowl with only a few clear spots in its glass wall that allow vision to the outside. It is a HUGE fishbowl, so huge in fact, that it is basically self-sufficient. But it is not unaffected by other fishbowls that it has connections to. Only few fish in the US bowl find the spots where they can look outside, and are not afraid of what they see, but are intrigued by it. Some are afraid of what they see and don't want to acknowledge what they see as reality. Others turn their backs on these clear spots and willfully ignore them. You were a fish that transferred from the one-way-mirrored fish-bowl into the multi-cultural pond with loads of international interactions that is Europe, with a strong focus on the German part of that pond. But you can't help and see that many of the interactions in that pond are dependent on other areas of the pond as well. You have woken up to the fact that the US has to acknowledge that is is part of the gigantic pond that represents our world, not something that is only reflecting its own image back at its own member fish. Thank you for that beautiful allegory, it helps a lot in formulating this interesting idea.

I'm Mexican and I noticed and liked that you said "United States American" a lot of the countries in the continent don't like being told that Americans are only the people who live in the U.S. of A. 😁