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Moving to Germany with Small Kids: From Panic to Peace
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- Published on Mar 10, 2026
- Have you just landed in your new country as an expat with your family (in the middle of winter, and left everyone you know behind)?
Here I offer some tips and resources that helped us get settled. Moving abroad is scary, terrifying, even boring sometimes, but rewarding, exciting, and worth it! It will change you forever.
Welcome to Europe. As a German, I can personally recommend watching the program “Lach- und Sachgeschichten” with your family and “Die Sendung mit der Maus” for your daughter. Both are excellent for learning the German language. They are spoken slowly and explained in a child-friendly way.
Good advice. Reminds me how I got more proficiency in english at 14 when I could watch sesame street that was (at the time) in english on german tv.
We are polyglots and don’t use much German at home (we are German but speak primarily English and Hebrew at home) and our kids learned so much German from watching Meine Freundin Conni. It’s a fantastic program and nothing is inappropriate or teaches bad behaviour. Then kindergarten did them a world of good. Both are top of their classes in German now but they genuinely did not speak German when they started kindergarten.
Start with "Sendung mit dem Elefanten", it's more pre school oriented.
Yes, even I as an adult always learn something new from these wonderful "Lach- und Sachgeschichten".
They moved here 8 years ago.
Wenn mich jemand fragen würde, wie man sich in einem fremden Land integriert: Sprache lernen, so schnell wie möglich. Speziell in Deutschland wäre meine Empfehlung als nächstes einem Verein beizutreten. In Deutschland gibt es Vereine für alles Mögliche, nicht nur für Sport. Unter Leuten mit gleichen Interessen ist das Leben gleich viel angenehmer. 😉 Aber schön, dass ihr da seid! 🤗
sie haben einen hund... nirgendwo lernt man mehr leute kennen als bei spazieren mit dem hund...^^
🤍Jesus❤🤍 bless You,
Please know that no ideology whether esoterical or politrical but Sollely the🤍Creator of all Life before He humbled Himself 2 be human, + became Savior for everyone who trusts in Him, Jesus ❤ Christ and His greatest+perfect! work of undeserved but free grace, when He voluntarily gave His **SINLESS!!! life for us human sinners, so that we can be reconciled with God, through His grace alone, not through our own works, BECAUSE A HUMAN BEING CANNOT EARN THE WAY TO HEAVEN; only He-Jesus, the flawless Lamb of God, is able to SAVE a person, to reconcile them with God, + to permanently quench the thirst of every human soul. Jesus ❤ loves you too, and He, the Risen, Living God 🤍, invites you to speak to Him in your heart as with a good friend, and know that He never rejects anyone who trusts in Him.**
Reference from God's 🤍 living Word of the Holy Scriptures of the Bible:
John 3:16-18
1. For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.
-For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him.
Whoever believes in Him (trusts Him) is not condemned; but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because they refuse to trust in the only Son of God.
The righteousness given by God through faith in Jesus Christ
But now the righteousness of God has been revealed apart from the law, which is testified to by the Law and the Prophets,
***the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ, to all who believe. For there is no distinction;
--->for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
!!! so that they may be justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.
Regarding the world situation: We resist all fear-mongering by the media, but also in general, with firm confidence in Christ, who has overcome the world. He rules and has all things in His hand. In Him we are safe, even in sickness and death, no longer fear death, and know that we can never fall deeper than into God's loving fatherly hand. Psalm 73:23-26; John 16:33.
*Romans 5:8. "But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us."
"For it is by grace you are saved through faith. It is not your own doing. It is the FREE gift of God. Not by works lest any man boast." *Ephesians 2:8-9.
Also 2. Corinthians 5:16-21 expresses it so beautifully:
So from now on we regard no one from a worldly point of view. Though we once regarded Christ in this way, we do so no longer.
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!
All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation:
that God was reconciling the world to himself in Christ, not counting people’s sins against them. And he has committed to us the message of reconciliation.
20 We are therefore Christ’s ambassadors, as though God were making his appeal through us.
***We implore you on Christ’s behalf: Be reconciled to God.
+21 God made him who had NO sin to be sin; for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.
Over 30 years ago, two families from the USA moved to our town; they worked for the same company as I did. For four years, their apartments looked like a store for children's books and children's movies. The children's books and movies were basically not intended for their then still young children, but for the parents. The children learned German through school and their friends and sports clubs, etc., very quickly in a natural way anyway. The parents, however, read one book after another and watched virtually every TV show with 'Die Sendung mit der Maus.' Even today, they are true connoisseurs of this show. Even now, I only need to ask, 'In which episode is the cheese-making explained?' and voilà, the answer comes.😄
Ich bin mit der Maus aufgewachsen und gucke sie sonntags immer noch gerne.😊 Ihre Sachgeschichten bilden auch Erwachsene weiter.
Mittlerweile 3 gucken machmal drei Generationen zusammen.
🥰It's great to have you here !🥰
Ways to make friends in Germany:
- Befriend your kids' friends' parents
- Be a student at a university
- Become a member of one of the thousands of "Vereine" (clubs). Germany has a club for every kind of interest: sports, hiking, history, music, environmentalism, animals, ...
- Volunteer: volunteer fire fighters, THW, animal welfare, ...
- some churches do well integrating new members, unfortunately not most of them (you'd have to join one of their groups, like choir, etc. to get acquainted).
- Evangelische Familien- Bildungsstätte (fabi): many courses for children and adults, for everybody.
- Kreis Volkshochschule: mainly targeted to adults. Courses to study languages, Arts, Dance, Yoga, pottery, you name it.
@winterlinde5395
Your first is church, your 2nd is studying (which both he/she said). 😊
@FrogeniusW.G.
😊
Fabi as I experienced it was evangelisch in name only. Religion was never mentioned if it wasn’t a specifically religious topic (most courses are not). And people from all religions or none can participate.
I see „Study at a university“. But Volkshochschule isn’t a university but a school for adults where you can book single courses where you go once a week. Mostly for fun. Share a hobby with other people. But also learn certain skills that can further your career.
Hochschule is misleading in this case. You can’t earn a bachelor in the VOLKShochschule.
I tried to be helpful by naming the institutions you can search for in your town when you‘re new here.
@winterlinde5395 Sorry to nerd out here a little:
I think institutions like Fabi are still very Protestant (evangelisch), in so far that they are one of the tasks that were given to the church: diaconia, serving the public (esp those who need help).
German Protestant churches (and I think Catholic ones too, maybe to a lesser degree, but I'm not sure about that) try to leave "churchy stuff" out of these institutions and initiatives because it's decidedly a different Christian task to praying, worshipping, preaching the word, etc. Also, if you stay neutral when it comes to religion or world view, it's easier to reach people who don't share your religion or world view. And the task is to serve those who need it, not only those who share your beliefs.
@e.458👍
Welcome to Germany. Your kids remind me of the time I was 6 and didn’t understand the new language (son of immigrants). But 6 was perfect, within 6 months spoke fluent abd accent free. It's all about curiosity, kids have that to adapt. Best wishes from Mannheim Baden-Württemberg
OMG, die "Sandtorte" zum fünften Geburtstag ist ja mal mega! 🤩
Welcome to the EU. kind regards from Sweden
You should never feel shy of speaking your native language. If I hear English, I am happy because I have a chance ro practice my English and of meeting new people in my town.. this is never disturbing.
I used to live in the Uk, but I have a different view. Obedient Germans who destroy any effort of foreigners to pick up the German language... I was even ordered by an Indian guy in military style over here: speak English! Germans are perceived as the most ridiculous people living on earth... 😂
For the beginning this is fine. But you will never get an integrated part of the society when everybody has to speak English because people refuse to learn the language of the country they moved to. I know Americans that still speak English only 10 years after they moved to Germany. And they expect that everybody switch to English when they come to a party.
@monolith2063of course you should learn the language of the country you chose to
live in. But if you are not able to get what you want, you should try it in English. Nobody will be angry. And I see what you mean
Agree!
@monolith2063 Mit zunehmendem Alter oder anderen Hindernissen ( Ehepartner mit der selben Muttersprache), wird es schwerer eine fremde Sprache zu lernen.
Ich kämpfe mit Italienisch. Aber es macht auch Spaß
Germans are like us 🥰
If you loose eg. a glove, someone will pick it up and place it on a sign, fence or something, so it'll be easy for you to see, when you come back looking for it 🥰
Peace and love from Denmark
Als mein kleiner klein war sind wir bei Regen oft in den Baumarkt um die Ecke gegangen. Es gab da eine große Tier-Abteilung und es war wie ein kleiner Zoobesuch für uns. Fische und Meerschweinchen und Kaninchen.
Ja, Baumarkt mit Zooabteilung und Pflanzen im Winter :-)
I think it’s so brave to move to another country as an adult! Re: speaking English shame- that’s from decades of Karen’s admonitioning people to “speak English, this is America “. Dumbass social construct. This video is so touching. Community is so important.
Thanks for sharing your story
I am glad that you like it here and you want to stay - it is always interesting to hear immigrant stories. On YT sometimes they are painted a bit too colorful and positive - every country has its challenges and shortcomings, and those should be named, too. Your story is very realistic - find public resources, especially for kids, and make use of them - they are there, just sometimes hard to find or to apply for (bureaucracy rules in Germany). And make sure your kids learn German early on, it will make fitting in so much easier for them later. So, after eight years: welcome again - glad you are here.
Heidelberg has LOTS of tourists and many of them are from the US. And there are foreign students studying at the university in Heidelberg, so people are used to others speaking in foreign languages. ;)
Agreed, but as a German I am even more used to foreigners asking me to speak German wuth them. These days I always start with German and switch to English only if they look confused.
Correct...and Heidelberg is not representative of Germany....moreover it's more than 24 yrs I hear it's a kind of full of americans...therefore...let's put it this way...you're in Heidelberg...(not Germany...😂)
@rehasilvia3183 there are many such places in Germany, like, Freiburg, Karlsruhe, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Münster, Erlangen, Munich, Berlin, and while they can be called the most cosmopolitan, each one is different, and none is un-german.
Welcome to our beautiful country, Germany, and I sincerely hope that you will find a new home here with us 💕💕💕
Das DAI in Heidelberg ist wirklich toll.
Welcome! Be confident and friendly and curious - you'll be fine!🍀
In case you didn't know but from the end of WWII till the early 2000nds the US- Army HQ was located in Heidelberg. (Rohrbach) In the city and the entire area (Rhein- Neckar- Kreis) there were generations of families linked to the military and formed the surrounding society accordingly. I guess you will not find any area of comparable size in Germany where so many (even elderly) speak english so well and are familiar with handeling Americans. Leftovers are still visible. (-> Patrick- Henry- Village)
The entire Frankfurt area is similar. From Wiesbaden over Frankfurt to Hanau - all had major American installations. So Hessen is actually also a large area with appropriate levels of English, international schools (especially due to the banking sector in Frankfurt) and a high level of English throughout the population.
Good place to integrate is, joining one of the local sports clubs. They aren't expensive and you will socialize quite quickly.
Schöne Geschichte. 🙂
Welcome to Germany! :)
I'm happy to know you and your family safe and sound here in Germany instead of the VERY dangerous USA right now.
Pretty sure you will get used to everything overtime and will have a happy life here! ❤
Much love from Augsburg
I think the woman who was hurrying her children along was in a great hurry and is used to her children dawdling while shopping. It had nothing to do with you.
Definitely.
I like this brief experience report 😘
Little kids don't judge! They themselves are just learning the language.
Die Sprachbarriere kenne ich, aber wenn man die überwunden hat, geht alles wie von selbst. Schön zu sehen, wie Ihr Euch einlebt.
Thanks for sharing your story .. glad it all went quite well 🙂 (especially regarding MBK 🙂 )
Welcome to Germany 🫶!
Welcome to Germany 😀. I hope you will have a great time ❤
I am a Scot living in Heidelberg. It's such an international city with many foreign students and I find Germans just love to speak English when they get the chance.
Willkommen in Deutschland!
If you're an English native speaker in Germany and want to learn German faster, I'd suggest an intensive German course at the Goethe Institut first, and then a language tandem. There are so many Germans looking for English speakers.
Moving to another city as a German in Germany - it is the same experience.
No, not at all. Not speaking the language and not knowing the customs is something quite different than just not knowing anyone there.
@martinpahl5652 Kommt darauf an. Am Niederrhein leben z.B. lauter eingeschworene Gemeinschaften, bei denen Zugezogene keinen Anschluss finden. Selbst wenn man mit denen im selben Schützenverein ist, sitzt man bei Veranstaltungen nicht am Tisch mit den Einheimischen.
@no-mAlice1 Und warum sitzt man mit den Einheimischen nicht am selben Tisch? Weil es die Einheimischen explizit verbieten? Oder weil man sich nur nicht traut, sich dazuzusetzen?
@martinpahl5652 it’s very similar. I am a German citizen but was raised in Canada with no German language. I came home with two young g children and we lived in a small community in Bayern. That’s where we learned our German. Two years ago we moved to Berlin (after ten years in Bayern and me getting married to a wonderful dual citizen - UK/DE). The integration has been a difficult process and the language has also been a challenge all over again. We all speak with a Bavarian accent and Berliners really struggle to understand it. It’s different. Very different. We all miss Bavaria very much but, at the same time, have learned to love Berlin.
Doesn’t Nalf live in Heidelberg now.? I think he can tell you all about Germany and life here. Watch his channel. But to be honest,winter in most German federal states sucks even for Germans. And imagine being in a strange country and being poor.
Did he moved?
But why do you think they are 'poor'?
Even if they wouldn't have a lot of money, they are very rich already! Rich on experiance. Rich, because they are EDUCATED! Rich, because they are nice persons. Rich , because they have these beautiful children!
Herzlich willkommen in Deutschland!😊
That's also the perfect time to move to Germany with children, as we form most of our life long friendships in kindergarten/ school, so the kids growing up alongside German kids provides them with a level of integration and social network that is unobtainable for people who moved here later. So to anyone thinking about moving permanently to Germany with a young family: elementary school age or younger is the perfect timing if you want them to be able to form strong roots here. Secondary school age is also still find if you are in the early years, however by teenage most friendship circles have already formed and become somewhat "exclusive", in that kids of course will still make new friends, but your lifelong companions are already set in stone for the most part and it can be really hard to find and become a best friend as you already missed out on the formative years of that circle.
I grew up in Heidelberg and it was a great pleasure to see the pictures and how other children experience the city, very sympathetically portrayed from the parents' point of view. Btw., I still have friends there, which meanwhile retired from the US army. I really appreciate them as they are so diffrent from what we think about Americans whilst watching english TV. And I love cultural differences since they are the "Salz in der Suppe". Thanks for sharing your Story!
Welcome to Germany 🇩🇪 ❤
Every community has “Frühe Hilfen" (early support services), for pregnant women and families with children up to 3 years old. These services usually offer parent-child meetings and, above all, networks without any application or fees. If you are a parent in need of support, this is definitely the right place for you. Children older than three can either contact their kindergarten/school or try call Frühe Hilfen. The people who work there are family pediatric nurses or family midwives. It couldn't be easier.
Es ist spannend zu hören und zu lesen wie Du über deine erfahrungen sprichst. Mein Mann ist auch viel weg für die Arbeit, Ich habe mich direkt daran gemacht Deutsch zu lernen und meine Kinder zu den Spielplätzen zu bringen. Aber mit DunklenHaarrn und eher Nordafrikanischem Aussehen haben wir komplett andere erfahrungen gemacht. Sehr interesannt wie Menschen auf Vorurteilen und Vorbehalte reagieren. 😂. Willkommen in der neuen Heimat❤
Es tut mir leid, dass Du mit Vorurteilen und Vorbehalten zu kämpfen hattest! Und Danke, dass Du nicht aufgegeben hast 🤗... Willkommen in Deutschland 🤗
Really interesting topic! As a dad of two, I take a very relaxed approach to this. For example, my daughter grew up entirely in Italy with her mother for the first five years, while I was here in Germany. When she finally came to Berlin, she didn't speak a single word of German.
But what can I say? It didn't even take half a year before she spoke enough German to have proper conversations. Of course, at the beginning, Italian grammar would slip through every now and then, but that’s just part of it. Now she’s 13, and it’s just amazing how fluently she masters both languages perfectly.
For the little ones, it's usually not a big problem at all - they don't see the obstacle, but instead instinctively look for a solution on how to handle the situation, even if the language isn't perfect yet. As many have already mentioned here: making connections through clubs, playgrounds, or simply by getting out among people is worth its weight in gold. In the end, all that matters is just talking to everyone you meet - listening, trying, and simply getting in contact with people. This is so valuable because you are continuously training yourself. You constantly pick up new things and automatically integrate them into your language learning. Kids don't need vocabulary books for that; it happens through direct interaction.
Echt spannendes Thema! Ich sehe das als Papa von zwei Kids total entspannt. Meine Tochter ist zum Beispiel die ersten fünf Jahre mit ihrer Mutter komplett in Italien aufgewachsen, während ich hier in Deutschland war. Als sie dann nach Berlin kam, hat sie wirklich kein Wort Deutsch gesprochen.
Aber was soll ich sagen? Das hat nicht mal ein halbes Jahr gedauert, dann hat sie schon ausreichend Deutsch gesprochen, um sich richtig gut zu unterhalten. Klar, am Anfang ist die italienische Grammatik immer mal wieder durchgerutscht, aber das gehört dazu. Heute ist sie 13 und es ist einfach Wahnsinn, wie flüssig sie beide Sprachen perfekt beherrscht.
Für die Kleinen ist das nämlich meistens gar kein großes Problem - die sehen nicht das Hindernis, sondern suchen instinktiv nach einer Lösung, wie sie die Situation meistern können, auch wenn die Sprache noch nicht perfekt sitzt. Wie hier schon viele geschrieben haben: Der Anschluss über Vereine, Spielplätze oder einfach dadurch, dass man unter Leute geht, ist Gold wert. Am Ende zählt nur, dass man einfach mit jedem redet, dem man begegnet - hinhören, versuchen und einfach in Kontakt gehen mit den Menschen. Das ist so wertvoll, weil man sich dadurch kontinuierlich trainiert. Man schnappt ständig neue Sachen auf und bindet sie ganz automatisch in sein Sprachlernen mit ein. Da brauchen die Kids keine Vokabelhefte, das läuft über den direkten Austausch.
9:57 i think a couple months ago the former chancellor of germany did that too (there)…
Welcome to heidelberg ❤. We move to heidelberg from Munich as germans. We have kids studying at University. But I could tell you some of activities here. I hope you enjoy heidelberg... bests, Susanne
Willkommen. :-)
My wife, daughter and I moved from Estonia to England when the daughter was aged 10. I was a native speaker of English, but my wife had to attend part-time English classes for two years to achieve fluency. We were really worried for our daughter because I thought she was perhaps a little to old to easily adopt a new language, not just speaking but also learning to read and write well enough to enter high school and excel. Meanwhile, she was at primary school, where she experienced a lot of bullying and teasing for her faltering English and strong foreign accent. But it turns out we needn't have worried ... I was astonished at how quickly she adapted. Even after her first month at primary school, she was already able to hold regular conversations and even write simple stories ... all without extra after-school coaching, which we had thought she might need. By the time she started high school, she was already achieving high grades for her written work and reading adult level books without difficulty. She went on to be awarded a Masters degree at university and is now a successful medical practitioner in London. I mention all this in case it might be encouraging for families facing the trauma of re-locating to totally foreign countries.
Es ist schön, in Europa / Deutschland zu leben. Freiheit und Sicherheit eine gute Basis für ein gutes Leben.
Wow im welchen Teil von Europa lebst du?
@basilikum20 ich lebe in Kalabrien
@keeneahnungoldr-g9k5h versuchs mal mit Indien, Parkistan, Nord Korea, Russland usw.
6:00 always buy stuffed animals in sets of 2 and keep one in case one gets lost. One can still donate it later if not needed.
Hei and welcome! Try to sign up for local parent-child singing and generally doing things. For grown ups, working(for pay or as a work experience -"Praktikum") in childcare is a great way to learn the language.
The best thing is to move with little kids, because you find ‚friends‘ or acquaintances (what is more the case in Germany) very easily through them! Germans hesitate to get friendly with foreigners though! We are Germans, moved to Mexico for 2 years and moved then to Bavaria, and people there saw us as Mexicans believe it or not! So, after 15 month we moved to the US and we are here since 2003! The Americans welcomed us with invitations and had been willing to getting to know us pretty early on! We never had that in Bavaria as Germans!
We speak German at home although an English teacher to one of my kids recommended to give that up so that my son doesn’t get confused….
Nowadays the friendliness towards foreigners shifted a bit and talking in German in public gets you sometimes in an awkward and uncomfortable situation!
When we are all no matter where we live and come from just make sure that we embrace different cultures, to learn from each other, to educate each other, to see the advantage to know people from different backgrounds etcpp, the world would be much better!
Humanity is needed!
It might not seem to look like it, but most germans are absolutely welcoming and helpful if you just talk to them straightforwardly and have a similar cultural background (western countries etc) And the most of us germans want to make new friends! ❤
If it weren’t for the long, dark winters (although we really like skiing), and if we could go back to the early 2000s, I’d say Germany could be one of the best countries to live in.
I'm only at watching minute 5 yet, but I had to giggle to myself when you actually said you use "Denglisch", it was such fun as a kid to speak Denglish and now as an adult still do sometimes. ... as for people not in the know, it's simply "Deutsch" the German term for "German(adjective)" and "English" smushed together. It's for when people who speak both languages borrow words from both, and mix fluidly within the sentence, 😂
Germany is a good choice!! You will not regret moving here! Security, Social welfare and good health care.❤❤❤
Hi, first off, welcome to Germany (belatedly).
As a way to find friends in Germany try to find a Verein, a private club. There's basically a Verein for any interest group or hobby. Google Verein and the translated name of your hobby. You'll be certain that you have a topic you and the Germans can talk about. You'll have noticed that Germans don't do small talk. But if you've got a topic you're both interested in you'll have the foot in the door, and the Germans will open up. Yes, I know, we can seem distant, or stand-off-ish. But once you crack that 'hard, hairy coconut shell' of a German's exterior you tend to have a friend for life you can always rely on.
They might not sugarcoat stuff, but their opinions will always be honest.
Parents who talk tontheir children in a harsch tone for no good reason (meaning there really is no other option) are fround apon u should not look at them as a good example
Congratulations for becoming a german citizen!
Welcome to Heidelberg. Many languages are spoken here, thanks to the big university. A little bit of German too! 😂
We moved from the UK to Germany in the 70s. My Mum and a seven and a five year old. Me being the seven year old. We learned german just by interacting with other people. We're bilingual now. "How we survived" is such BS. Germany is not a gulag.
Moving to EuropaStan…lol…not is you paid me.
wer macht steckdosen unter einem dachfenster...? 1 x vergessen beim regen das fenster sofort zu schließen und es gibt n großen knall... hatte selber im alten haus so ein fenster und es war nie richtig dicht oder wenn die fenster beschlagen, dann läuft alles in einem kleinen rinnsal genau da runter wo bei denen die steckdosen sind... also wenn das haus mal abbrennt, dann weiß ich weshalb...^^
Entspanne dich! Da läuft so schnell kein Wasser lang!
Bist du bei deinen Steckdosen im Bad auch so hysterisch?
Und die schicken die Kinder noch nicht mal in die Schule oder Kindergarten. Da haben wir damals deutsch gelernt.
Also wenn deshalb das Haus abbrennt ist aber noch was ganz anderes bei der Elektroinstallation schief gelaufen 😉 Wenn das in deinem Haus der Fall ist solltest du dir darum mehr Sorgen machen als um die, zugegebenermaßen unkluge, Installation dieser Steckdosen 😂
Welcome to Europe, welcome to Germany.
When I lived in California I was very concious about my German accent. 🙄
Die andere Seite der Münze ist : Ich als Pure Deutsche Kartoffel habe Ganze 3,5 Jahre nach einer bezahlbaren wohnung gesucht .. Ich bin 33 und habe mich entschlossen auszuwandern in den nächsten Jahren weil es nicht mehr mein Deutschland ist . Ich habe mir dafür Englisch und Spanisch beigebracht und lerne gerade sogar Thai .. Ich halte es hier nicht ner aus und will hier keine Kinder großziehen .. es wird nicht besser ..
Germany is not for Germans !
@Clovis495 My point is not “Germany is not for Germans.”
My point is that many ordinary people feel left behind.
Housing is scarce. Daycare is scarce. Bureaucracy is slow. And when population grows faster than infrastructure, tensions rise.
It’s not about blaming newcomers. It’s about asking why the system wasn’t expanded before increasing demand.
Feeling frustrated about that doesn’t make someone extreme - it makes them concerned about their own future.
@Utopia-Meow Es stimmt, dass Infrastruktur und Verwaltung teils überlastet sind - aber die Ursachen liegen nicht nur in einem „versäumten Ausbau vor Wachstum“. Deutschland hat in den letzten 15 Jahren Milliarden in Wohnungsbau, Kindergärten und Digitalisierung gesteckt, doch die Wirkung verpuffte oft durch andere Faktoren:- Baubürokratie und Vorschriften verteuern und verzögern Neubauten erheblich. Viele Projekte scheitern an Genehmigungsverfahren, nicht am Willen zu bauen.
- Fachkräftemangel und Baustoffpreise bremsen die Umsetzung, egal wie viel Geld bereitgestellt wird.
- Demografischer Wandel sorgt dafür, dass immer mehr Menschen in Ballungsräume ziehen, während im ländlichen Raum Leerstand bleibt. Das ist weniger eine Frage der Zuwanderung als der Stadtplanung.
- Auch internationale Krisen (Zinsen, Ukrainekrieg, Pandemie) haben Baukosten und Mietmärkte stark beeinflusst.
Das Problem ist komplexer als Du es hier darstellst - „mehr Bevölkerung, gleich schlechtere Infrastruktur“. Viele Engpässe sind selbstgemacht durch ineffiziente Prozesse und politische Prioritäten - unabhängig davon, ob oder wie stark die Bevölkerung wächst.
@Clovis495Nonsense!
Körperwelten with children is cerntainly a choice. Its not meant for kids
FYI There are real corpses on display.
If Germans "look" (Americans often call it "staring"), they don't judge, they just want to know/ understand. _Especially_ kids obviously. 😊
If Germans judge, they either _say_ it (if it's personal or important enough etc.) or they do "mimiks", like eye rolling or head shaking etc. 😅
Ich finde schon, dass ein Umzug in ein fremdes Land vorraussetzt, dass man die Sprache erlernen möchte. Integration kann nur so funktionieren, es sei denn man begnügt sich mit einer Gruppe aus seinem Land, aber das ersetzt niemals die Integration. Ich spreche aus Erfahrung, bin selber in meinem Leben in zwei Länder ausgewandert.
Lass sie erst mal ankommen
@SabineEuropeach ich dachte sie leben hier schon einige Jahre. Außerdem betont sie es ja recht häufig, dass sie die Community englischsprechender sucht. Soll mir auch egal sein, habe nur meine Erfahrung und Meinung mitgeteilt
@Emma-di8yfIch bin Deutsche , auch wenn ich mehr als mein halbes Leben in unterschiedlichen Ländern lebte!
Soll doch jeder glücklich werden und egal wie und natürlich hast du recht. Ohne die Sprache kannst Du ein Land, seine Kultur und Güte nicht verstehen
Emma ich versuche es gerade mit Griechisch und bin schon froh einiges Lesen zu können
Sprechen sie Deutsch so oft wie möglich,in anderen Teilen des Landes sprechen nicht alle Leute englisch.es wird von türkischen und arabischen Familien auch erwartet,dass sie mit den Kindern nicht nur in ihrer Muttersprache sprechen und sich nicht nur in der eigenen Community aufhalten,warum sollte das für Amerikaner nicht gelten??
Still looking for a channel where an american family moves to east germany. So sad they always move to Bayern oder BW...
also "Körperwelten" worked with stolen bodies...
*Mimimi*
must be terrible, cops dont abuse you..
nobody is shooting at your kids in school
and the pledge of allegiance for the USA isnt done!
and the German president isnt an orange idiot!
But you also have to meet some typical German know-it-alls „Besserwisser“ in forums… saying that as a German myself.
Es ist schön und gut dass Sie gut angekommen sind. Aber eine grosse bItte, gerade wir Deutsche hier ist es völlig egal welche Sprache Sie sprechen und wie Sie mit Ihren Kindern sprechen, solange Sie sich um ihre Kinder kümmern und lieb sind...Uns sprechen Sie ruhig laut englisch oder halt eine andere Sprache, das ist hier nicht wichtig.
Ich habe zweimal eine Weile im Ausland gelebt und gearbeitet, und fand es sehr wichtig die jeweilige Sprache zu lernen. Selbst wenn man anfangs nur schlecht spricht ist es für viele ein positives Zeichen, dass man es lernt. Mit Englisch als Fremdsprache ist die Akzeptanz natürlich heutzutage höher als mit anderen Sprachen, aber man sollte nicht vergessen dass die meisten Menschen auf der Welt nur schlecht oder gar kein Englisch sprechen, allen gegenteiligen Behauptungen zum Trotz. Daher würde ich nicht sagen dass es völlig egal ist, es kommt auf den jeweiligen Kontext an.
why would you come to Germany without speaking the language? you weren't fleeing from a war, you chose to go there without speaking. And you said "you came without understanding" don't come with "but she said"...
Warum nicht? Zum einen sprach ihr Mann “fluent” und viele Deutsche wandern doch auch ohne ausreichende Sprachkenntnisse in andere Länder aus. Sprachen lernt man am besten wenn man in dem Land lebt. Man muss doch nicht vor Krieg fliehen nur um in einem anderen Land leben zu wollen.
Bisschen krank, Kinder mit in Körperwelten zu nehmen.
Wieso? Beste Art Dinge über den menschlichen Körper zu lernen.
I‘m glad MBK is ok. 😊 Welcome to the EU.
Germans generally don't mind friendly foreigners, but the more horror stories come from Trump-America, the less they like MAGA Americans
Wait until we got our own ICE. Good bye.
Als die Intelligenz verteilt wurde, warst du wahrscheinlich auf dem Klo, richtig?
Idiot
We are not blind. We can see what it leads to. We can never allow fascists to destroy Europe again.
@Justalittlebit50 Oder der Kopf war schon voll mit Hass und Dummheit und es ging nichts Nützliches mehr rein
What the frick is your problem? Why the hate? What did that family ever do to you? Does their presence in Germany affect your personal life in any way? Does any of the problems in your life spring from them being here? No. So: just be a decent human being. Is that so hard?
Most Germans speak some English and are happy to communicate. We are quite friendly people!