Often when I meet a new German acquaintance I am often asked what I don’t like about Germany. Now there are things that bother me but the problem is that I can almost never remember what they are when asked. It is kind of like how you might keep a mental list of CDs you want to buy and then the next time you are in a music store you can’t remember what it was you wanted to buy. But there are 2 things I can remember right now so I’ll let you all know what they are.
1. Bureaucracy: Germany has it down to a science, an art form even. Every piece of paper has to be stamped, signed in triplicate, photocopied and filed away. Any foreigner that has ever tried to get a driver’s license here knows what I’m talking about. If all stamps and ink pads in Germany were to disappear over night the country would flip the fuck out. Absolute standstill.
2. Street signs or the lack thereof: They do exist but they always seem to be sporadic especially when you are lost or in a hurry to get somewhere. They also have problems deciding on what to name a street. A road could be a kilometer long and have 5 different names. Forget Mapquest. That will just confuse you even more. Just swallow your pride and ask at the gas station. You’ll get there quicker.
I’m sure there are other things that really bother me about Germany but they are not so bad that I constantly bitch about them. All in all I can’t complain. I got a job and roof over my head and food to eat. I’m lucky.
Oh I almost forgot, the weather sucks. Often.