5 Shocks of Having a YouTube Channel in Germany - American Family in Germany
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- Опубликовано: 9 июл 2024
- Having just finished our first year here in Germany, and having just crossed 1,000 subscribers on our channel, we decided to share 5 shocks (or surprises) of having a RUclips channel while living in Germany. It's been an amazing journey and we're excited to continue sharing this adventure with you!
#lifeingermany #americansingermany #vlogger #shocks
00:00 Intro
00:42 Shock 1
02:03 Shock 2
03:26 Shock 3
04:43 Shock 4
05:40 Shock 5
About us: At the end of July, after a long time of hoping, dreaming, and planning, we sold or gave away almost everything we owned and left the United States to begin our journey with four children as an expat family. We moved to Leipzig, Germany, a beautiful city in the state of Saxony. This is our story.
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Some of the gear we use (affiliate links):
Sony ZV-E10: amzn.to/3IPwgky (Germany) amzn.to/3IRX1EQ (US)
Sony Digital Bluetooth Wireless Microphone ECMW2BT: amzn.to/3aQ0Wp5 (Germany) amzn.to/3aVRcJV (US)
Sony GP-VPT2BT Bluetooth Handle: amzn.to/3PlvkqA (Germany) amzn.to/3RK006m (US)
Rode VideoMicro: amzn.to/3csYh5p (Germany) amzn.to/3OkxhSH (US)
Mosiso Camera Backpack (fits my 17 inch Lenovo Legion!) amzn.to/3uZjD0E (Germany) amzn.to/3z0LgHU (US)
GVM LED Lights: amzn.to/3PiBveS (Germany) amzn.to/3chBaKK (US)
Condenser Mic: amzn.to/3B0Udn7 (Germany) amzn.to/3ofLvtp (US)
DJI Osmo Action: click.dji.com/AKRVYLqj_0JYCaM... (link to the Action 2 - our next action cam upgrade)
DJI Mini 2 Drone: click.dji.com/ABqJfEdbkB4ZH1t...
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Our Family Mascot: / chippywashere
Music from Epidemic Sound: www.epidemicsound.com/referra... (referral link)
As an older German (60++) I was schooled extensively what went wrong here during WW1+2. We also heard stories about how fantastic the life is in the USA, the land of limitless opportunities. Then I went to the USA as an exchange student and began forming my own opinion, noticing how narrow minded many people were. Nice but narrow minded. In the last year's (retirement) I had even more time and started watching channels like yours and I "know" many of those commenting on vlogs like yours.
And of course our generation, born after WW2' is a big portion of who made the country into what it is today. Still that does not keep us from critizising our country most of the time, because that is what defines you as a German.
But secretly we love it if I migrants appreciate what we managed to set up (•‿•)
Thank you for the insight. I can easily agree that many Americans are narrow minded (but mostly nice). It's become an even bigger problem recently, and having open-minded conversations is incredibly difficult. Germans aren't alone in criticizing their country though; Americans have made an art of criticizing their country while at the same time praising it as the best place in the world.
And as a migrant, I'll say thanks for helping make Germany an awesome place for our family to live. 😃
Those videos about culture shocks in Germany never get old... ;)
Everyone loves a good shock! (I have to admit, I'm way more likely to use the word surprise in real life instead of shock, but I have to also be honest and admit that the audience is more likely to click on a video with the word shock than they would with surprise. Maybe once we grow enough I'll be less shocked and more surprised 🤣)
Reiselust is what I feel when watching your city tours. Keep on going and your channel will grow.
I watch different expat youtube channels and thru their experiences in Germany I´m remembered, how wonderful our country is, that one can call himself lucky to live here and last but not least that most Germans are not biased against foreigners but actually like to help them get acquainted. You are very welcome!
That's awesome. It's really cool for us to hear through your comment and others like yours that our channel can help you see some of the great things about your country. That was never something we expected, but it's nice to know we can have that kind of impact. And in our experience, most of the Germans we've interacted with have been amazing. Maybe it's because we're making an effort to speak the language and integrate ourselves, but we've had really nice experiences. Thanks!
Watching Foreigners discover Germany is showing me so many nice places i didnt know previously, as well as giving me a new look on the daily beauty that gets way too fast normal and unnoticed if you live here.
No matter where you live it's easy to get used to a place and almost take it for granted. I've thought about some of the places we lived and how I probably didn't appreciate everything that they had to offer while we were living there. So it's always good to get that outside perspective to remind us of what we have!
Good morning, from SE Bavaria. Your video was just washed up on my RUclips feed, and it is a pleasure to watch and listen to you. I noticed a sparkle on your face, which drew me in. So I left a sub 😉
Have to catch up on your story, why you moved to Germany. It is a huge step, new culture, language, way of life and lifestyle.
Keep the videos coming. And I wish you all the best settling in and making Germany your new home.
Glad you found us, and thanks so much for the compliment and the sub! It's been quite the journey, and we still have a long way to go and a lot more to tell!
Congrats on crossing that 1K mark! Big deal!!
Hey! Thanks so much! And thanks for being a great inspiration!
I follow some others too. For example: Montana Showalter is a young American lady currently based in Leipzig. (Try to meet her!) For me it's just to hear about other people feel about Germany. Because there is a huge difference between USA and Germany. Maybe it's something I heard a lot from (patriotic) Americans describing the USA as best country in the world. Is it really? It makes me smile a bit. =) On the other hand Germany is also not the best country in the world. Don't get me wrong. But with Leipzig you chose a big but fragile historic city. The fragile (emotional) part is the part. about the German reunion. So I wanna invite you and your family to be a part of this time. I wanna invite you to the Lichterfest on October the 9th 2022 on the Augustusplatz. Light a candle for the silent revolution on October, 9th 1989.
Couldn't agree more. Also following Montana since her first appearance here in Germany by attending the CBYX program. What a nice, open minded - somehow cosmpolitan young woman and for me a true ambassador.
I also remember myself taking part on two of those "Monday demonstrations" where I took part at that time and even went once into the "Nikolaikirche" (St. Nicholas church) although I'm not a believer. Partly really scared about what might happen due to the police with dog squads and you also didn't know if the person next to you was thinking the same or if he might be one of those undercover agents of the "Stasi". What always makes me angry these days is when some politically deluded idiots shout "Wir sind das Volk" (We are the people), abusing the very reason it was intended in the past.
We'll have to try and connect with Montana - I've watched a few of her videos (and her German skills are certainly far better than mine!).
The US is a great but flawed country, so I would never say it's the best country in the world. There are amazing people and incredible histories in most if not all countries around the world. (Some of course may be more difficult to visit for various reasons). Germany is also an amazing yet flawed country with a difficult past. I think it's important to really try and understand the history of a place and the people and to see how certain events and circumstances shaped them. The sociology of it is fascinating.
The history in Leipzig is one of the reasons we love the city and decided to move here. Thank you for the invite to the Lichterfest! One of our local friends took us last year and it was incredibly moving. We'll definitely be going again this year.
@@OnwardMJ You probably saw me a lot mentioning the history of Leipzig in your comments. I don't want you to bother you with this, but many people don't realize the historic value of Leipzig. But I saw you do by loving Auerbach's Keller. It's already older than the complete history of the USA. This must be a strange feeling for you. I'm not sure how a regular American can handle so much mind-blowing history. Anyway the Lichterfest is important for me, because my parents attended the Monday demonstrations back on October 9th 1989. I remember when my parents brought me and my brother to my grandma, because my parents did not know if they gonna survive this day. No one knew if russian tanks would appear and tear down that demonstration with violence. And they did not and this day was the beginning of the end of the iron curtain in Europe. So this makes me very emotional. at the 20th anniversary of this day they created a movement called "children of the silent revolution". I'm one of them, like many other people of Leipzig from my generation.
@@MarcoTorrance That's incredible. It can be strange sometimes when we learn about some of the history of the city and of Germany, and stop to humanize it by rememebering that the people that we are living around and interacting with lived through it. We went to the Stassi Museum not that long ago and it was hard to comprehend all of that going on right in this city that we love. America has some incredible history too (obviously not as old) but there's definitely something just different about it here.
It would be great to hear more from you about your family's story. Maybe we can meet up sometime (or at Lichterfest) and chat.
Subscribers are only nice because you are nice. 🤗
Thanks!
Hello MJ. Congratulations for crossing the 1000 Subscriber threshold looks like you're ready to explode:). You might be a new creator but you already seem very comfortable talking on camera and your Audio is spot on. Those are things I'm still struggling with. Also cool that you are in the east in Leipzig, quite a different area to where a lot of other foreigners are living so I'm sure you can give some unique insights. Keep at it :)
Thanks! I've watched some of your videos as well and I enjoy your content. You're in Frankfurt right? That was one of the cities on our potential list of places to move. It looks like a great city, and I'll hopefully be swinging through for the book fair in the fall. Thanks for the compliment on the audio - I still need to improve it though! I do some audio engineering as a volunteer and also produce music as a hobby (when I have that imaginary thing called "spare time" 🤣). We should connect some time!
@@OnwardMJ yes let’s do it. Let me know when you are in FFM 😀
Whoop whoop first real comment! Keep doing what'ya doing!
Thanks! And yet another reason we love our community!
@@OnwardMJ I made it a habit to try to win the first comment battle. Since you guys are in my "heavy rotation" together with the McFall's and Simple Germany. If you ever come to my area, I'd be more then happy to show you all the quirks an features (sorry Douglas DeMuro) of the beautiful area, that gave Deutschland the name "Deutschland". Read you later folks!
thank you and your nice family 🙋♂
Thank you for your support and your nice comments! 😃
About Shock nr. 2, in my opinion it is interesting what people from other cultures think about my own culture and society, especially if it's constructive criticism. Germany is not perfect, we are all aware of that and that is why it is so important to get many views from different perspectives in order to make this country better. A pluralistic, democratic society needs people who are able to offer criticism but to propose solutions for improvements, too.
So, if you make more videos, keep that in mind. There is no need for adulation, or as we say "Lobhudelei". If you dislike something, you can talk about that.
I think that's a great attitude for people to have, unfortunately, I don't think (most) Americans have that same philosophy. In the US I think there is a general feeling that the country is great and that no outside opinion matters. Probably why the US is in decline from the viewpoint of the outside world. Maybe if more Americans stopped to see what our country looked like from an outside perspective, there would be more people willing to make changes and improve the country.
We will be sharing some of the negative/more difficult/less pleasant aspects of life in Germany too (cough, cough, bureaucracy). But we really do see and experience a lot of positives here, so we've started with those. I'll be sure not to "sugarcoat" things (as we would say in the States) but at the same time, we try to view the positive in things as much as possible (especially since we are here by choice).
And in any case, Germans are one of the least people likely to be accused of „sugarcoating“ criticisms… ;-)
Hi MJ !
I binge-watched all your family's videos over the last day or two... just commenting to say I particularly appreciate your content about settling into life in Leipzig !
Yes, I am one of those Germans that enjoys watching reactions from Anglo/American expats... though I also pass as a British expat since I found myself having to settle back into German life after 10 years in beautiful Blighty and starting a family there!
Hence I can identify with a lot of the initial turmoil of assimilating to a new culture as well as navigating the German (pre-)school system with kids who are new to the lingo !
Anyways, just wanted to say you are doing a fantastic job with your content ! I particularly appreciate not only your video and sound quality which greatly contribute to your overall appeal, but especially your first-hand info and impressions of/about your chosen city as well as your apparent inclination towards cultural/literary/artistic offerings in your area and beyond !
As I am currently entertaining the idea of following my favourite Professor to Leipzig to pursue a doctorate of letters with the local university (which is of excellent calibre FYI), I am intrigued to find out how you went about finding your new home in the city (and your experiences/discoveries along the way!), seeing you explore Leipzig further and sharing your pictures/vids !
A little bit of background info with regards to your professions/current jobs would also be of great interest, if that is something you want to share ! I know you mentioned you are both working from home (?) - just curious what it is you guys do when you are not creating + uploading captivating new content and how that carried over into your new life in Germany 😉
Congratulations on hitting your first YT milestone !
Thanks for watching and for the encouragement! We do love our city, even now as we are exploring some cities in northern Bavaria (and loving them) we still appreciate and love Leipzig and we're glad to call it home.
The short answer for our work is I'm a freelancer in marketing focusing on digital marketing strategy for authors and publishers, and my wife works in the humanitarian education field while finishing her PhD work.
If you want to connect and ask some questions about Leipzig (although we feel like we have so much more to learn and explore!) feel free to reach out (MJ@OnwardMJ.com).
So happy to learn you work within the creative arts and are indeed connected to the field of literature and culture ! How fun !
Thanks for letting me know how to get in touch -I may drop you a line in the future ! Until then, I will be keeping my eyes peeled for new uploads !
To see many vlogs of expats, show us a new perpective about our country, and I/we propper our english!
I'm glad Germans like to see what other people think about the country, and I hope we can bring some different points of view! Vlogs are definitely a great way to work on language skills - I try to watch some vlogs in German to help me too!
@@OnwardMJ you do, for example: public transportation! Every expat I followed love the PT in germany. The germans are angry when the train comes a little late their are many other example too. The most things that are normal for us we don´t appreciate! But when we see in the videos that many people wondering and love this things, you see it from a other perspective.
Greetings! I hope you had and enjoyed a calm & relaxed saturday ;)
Cheers from *Stuttgart*
Thanks!
😊👋👌
So how is your german then? Are you practicing?
Leider glaube ich, dass mein Deutsch noch nicht gut genug ist. Aber ich lerne und ich versuche. Hoffentlich im Herbst werde ich mehr Zeit haben, um ein Deutschkurs zu machen.
Regarding German history and German identity: I would love to see a reaction video from you on Rammstein's "Deutschland" song (their official video).
I'll have to check it out. Thanks for the video idea!
@@OnwardMJ But don't watch it beforehand!!! Film your reaction watching it the first time! (And try to find a version with subtitles. RUclips's automatically generated and translated subtitles are quite good as well.)
@@hape3862 thanks for the heads up! That makes sense for a reaction video (something I haven't done before). I'll see what I can do!
@@OnwardMJ Oh, one important hint for your understanding: The woman you'll see throughout the video is "Germania" the allegory or personification of Germany. (Like "Britannia" or "Mother Russia".)
Actually, watching expad videos helped me, to understand the american culture better.
That makes sense, I'm glad we can help!
the nice american will of course not correct you, but as a german it is my nature (expat not expad) 😛
So when are you moving back to the U.S?
No plans to go back right now. We'll be staying in Germany for as long as we can and after that, we'll see what's next!
@@OnwardMJ
Great. The reason I asked is because, having watched one of your previous videos at least one of your older children seemed sad/kind of homesick.
All the best on your future adventures.
Grüße aus München.
@@Wintermaus yes, it's been hardest for her. She has some ups and downs (understandably) but is doing good. Hopefully we'll get back to visit her friends in the States soon, and when she's older she'll be able to decide if she wants to stay here or move back.
Germans are very friendly and helpful. But they are also very proud of their country, even if they do not like to admit it and like to criticize their country.Of course, there are idiots who are exactly the opposite, but that's maybe 5% of Germans.But I would like to give you one piece of advice - learn the language as soon as possible, because only then will you be able to understand the culture properly.
Ja, das stimmt. Die Deutschen, die wir kennengelernt haben, sind sehr nett und sehr hilfreich. Und vielleicht es ist die Geschichte Deutschlands, die es schwierig macht, Stolz auf Deutschland zu sein.
Und natürlich lerne ich Deutsch, leider ist es noch nicht gut genug. Aber ich versuche, und hoffentlich im Herbst kann ich ein Kurs machen.
@@OnwardMJ Also wenn du das jetzt ohne Google Translator geschrieben hast,dann ist dein Deutsch schon extrem gut!Sehr viel besser als mein Englisch 😂.
Sicher spielt die Geschichte eine wichtige Rolle dabei das Deutsche ihren Stolz nicht so sehr zeigen.Aber es ist mehr eine kulturelle Sache denke ich.Der Deutsche im generellen liebt es zu untertreiben,um dann mit etwas Besonderen zu überraschen....Außer wenn es um Sport,Autos,Bier,Brot,oder Wein geht - dann gibt es für sie keine Diskussion mehr.Von deren Qualität sind sie zu 100% überzeugt und sind mächtig stolz darauf.Guter Rat von mir;kritisiere nie im Beisein von Deutschen eines dieser Dinge 😂.
Ja, es war ohne Google Translate 😂. Aber es ist sehr einfacher, etwas zu schreiben als Deutsch zu sprechen. I kann langsam denken, und lese alles, das ich geschrieben habe. Wenn ich möchte etwas sagen, vergesse ich alles! 🤣 Und viele Deutscher sagen auch, mein Deutsch ist besser als ihre Englisch. Doch ist es falsch, und ich glaube, dass sie mich ermutigen wollten!
Und deine Erklärung macht sinn. Danke!
You have "Germany" in the title of your video? Germans dominate the comments.
I guess that's the key then! I better go back and check some of my videos to make sure they all have Germany in the title! 😂
@@OnwardMJAs we always fail conquering countries, we now conquer comment sections. 🤣
I dun know why, but i have a feeling,.. you would like to read about the
Philosoph *Immanuel Kant* (1724-1804)
#1
Freedom is Independence of the compulsory Will of another; and in so far as it can co-exist with the Freedom of all according to a universal Law, it is the one sole original, inborn Right belonging to every man in virtue of his Humanity.
#2
“Enlightenment is man’s emergence from his self-incurred immaturity. Immaturity is the inability to use one’s own understanding without the guidance of another. This immaturity is self-incurred if its cause is not lack of understanding, but lack of resolution and courage to use it without the guidance of another. The motto of enlightenment is therefore: *Sapere aude! Have courage to use your own understanding!”*
#3
"One person's freedom ends where another's begins."
/////
*Immanuel Kant*
was a German philosopher and one of the *central Enlightenment thinkers.* Born in Königsberg, Kant's comprehensive and systematic works in *epistemology, metaphysics, ethics, and aesthetics* have made him one of the most influential figures in modern Western philosophy
_Those 5 points raw seen, were his keypoints he was philosophizing..._
>> Freedom
>> Rights
>> Moral
>> Human:ity
>> Happiness
#4
*Happiness* is not an ideal of reason, but of imagination. Rules for happiness: something to do, someone to love, something to hope for. Morality is not properly the doctrine of how we may make ourselves happy, but *how we may make ourselves worthy of happiness.*
_And with that,..._
_happy reading ;)_
I remember reading a little Kant when I was younger (probably in Uni) but it's been a long time. Thanks for the reminder, I'll have to read some of his work again (vielleicht auf Deutsch um mein Deutsch zu verbessern!)