7 Things that are better in Germany than in the US

The previous article deals with things that are better in the US than in Germany, this time I'll tell you the other side of the story. As a short reminder: This is all based on MY personal experiences I made in my homecountry Germany and the South of the US, where I'm currently spending one year abroad. You might have experienced things differently or have different opinions, so I'd be glad to hear about it. I don't claim to know "the whole truth" :)

I will try to do this as non-political as possible, however there might be one or two points you possibly don't agree with, but that's just how it works. I don't plan on offending somebody!

1. Healthcare System
Okay, first point and I might already talk about a very political difference, the Healthcare System.
First off, yes, I know about the history of the US, I know why many people are afraid of everything that has the word "socialized" in it, However, for me, a person from Germany, which basically invented the socialized health care system in the late 1800's under Emperor Bismarck, it is still absolutely insane why such a rich country like the United States of America still fights so actively against such a health care system. Health Care shouldn't be a privilege of the Rich, and people shouldn't have to sell a kidney to pay for a surgery. Yes, the Tax Burden might be a little higher in Germany than in the US, but at least EVERYONE is entitled to a health insurance that doesn't just cover 80% or tries to find ways (like preexisting conditions) to deny the coverage, but usually covers up to 100%. Believe it or not, Germany is still NOT a dictatorship, NOT socialist, and YES you still have the choice what to buy and what to wear, although EVERYONE has health insurance. It scares me when I meet people in the US who refuse to go to the doctor just because they're fearing the high costs..

I'm glad that I broke my arm in Germany and not in the US:
Germany: Ambulance, Painkillers, Hospital for 5 days, Surgery,... 0€
Here in the US I'd have to sell my soul to the devil, my kidney, my family, and my firstborn child, even with some type of insurance to afford the same procedure.

2. Free College Education

American Colleges are famous for different reasons: On the one hand, some of them are super prestigious; Harvard, Princeton, Yale, just to name a few, everyone has heard of them. The famous Ivy League, 8 of the possibly best colleges in the world, all in the US. On the other hand, going to college in the States creates, unless you have a wealthy family or awesome scholarships, a huge amount of debt. In 2013, the average debt per graduating student was about $28,400.  Almost $30,000 dollar in debt and not having a decent job nor an appartment cause you lived on-campus, sounds great, doesn't it? Of course the college degree opens many doors for the graduates to pay-off their debt within a couple years, but not for everyone.

In Germany, attending any public college, which is the majority, costs about...0€ in tuition. Or, in dollar, based on the current exchange rate of 1.087480..about $0.

You'll still have to pay for living and some administrative fees, but either way it is way cheaper than in the US.

It's even free for international students

HOWEVER, one thing that many people forget when they hear about free college in Germany: not everyone is entitled to go to college. The german schoolsystem is way different from the US-system, and not everyone with a school degree can attend college. It is a very complicated topic and every state has its own rules who can attend without having the highest degree, so just believe me when I say it's more difficult. Thank you :) 

Another positive aspect: It's more difficult to literally buy a college degree since we don't have any for-profit colleges 

3. Public transportation

For those who don't know, Public transportation is this easy, cheap and usually environmental-friendly way to go from A to B. My experience with (the lack of) public transportation in the US is, that, if it exists, is usually seen as something negative, something dangerous, and something for the poor. And since nobody wants to be this lower-class person, nobody is using it. Most students have jobs after school, just to have a car. Exchange Students are, due to the insurance costs and possible ridiculously costly law suits in case of an accident, not allowed to get a license or drive in the US.

In Germany and other european countries, public transportation is extremely popular. The gasoline is more expensive, and the public awareness is higher regarding the climate change (if you are a FOX watcher: Climate change IS a thing!). A driver license is also more expensive and the area way smaller (Germany is half the size of Texas..), which are all reasons why we invest a lot of money in public transportation, and why many people actually prefer taking the train instead of driving the car. 

It is not a negatively connotated thing, it's often the smarter solution.

Public Transportation: You are awesome. <3

4. Alcohol 

What is Germany famous for? German Engineering? Yes, but not what I meant. The best Soccerteam in the World? Another awesome try, but wrong again. 99 Luftballons? Ew.

No, I'm talking about the German beer, the best in the world. We Germans love and celebrate this DRUG, on every occasion, probably way too much.

At this point I'm not trying to celebrate or advertise drug use, and this fourth point "Alcohol" is not related to the quality of the drug. I actually want to talk about the different legislation and briefly explain why I think that the german laws are better in this case. 

Firstly, a small comparison of the legislation:

Germany: Legal Drinking Age: 16 (for beer, wine, & champagne), no 'open-container' laws, sell at every day (except sundays because all shops are closed)

USA: Legal Drinking Age: 21 (with some exceptions, depending on State & County), open-container laws, and many other restrictions, different from County to County, sometimes the famous brown paperbag is needed to carry it from the store to your car...

As you can see, the laws in the USA are way stricter. Americans, usually glorifying 'freedom', seems to forget about this freedom when it comes to drugs. 'The Land of the Free' even outlawed the sell and use of alcohol completely in the 1920's, which led to many crimes and other problems (black market, violence, mafia,..), similar to the ones we have right now with Cannabis. Even in 2015, there are still so called "dry counties" where selling alcohol is illegal, most of them in the conservative south. 

Alcohol is a dangerous drug and causes about 2.5 Million deaths annually, but from my point of view, extremely strict laws or even prohibition never solved any problems.

Just because it's illegal, doesn't mean that people don't drink. People want to drink, young and old. And they do it, disregarding any laws. If they have problem with the consume, it's difficult to find help. The problem is similar to the problems with Cannabis and other recreational drugs: Many people use them without having problems, but some get into serious trouble. Often not because of the drug itself, but of the legislation and the persecution related to the drug-consume.

Alcohol is not harmless, but I think it is better to talk open about the consume and its risks, instead of demonizing it and being so naive to believe that young people don't drink cause it's illegal. 

I could talk about this topic for hours, but I think yall got my point why I think the alcohol laws in Germany are better than in the US. :)

5. Recycling

Boring topic,  so I'll keep it short: INTRODUCE BOTTLE DEPOSITS AND RECYCLE!!! thank you.

6. Credit Cards

Credit Cards, the single-easiest way to get into debt. Similar to the Student Loan Debt, almost every American has some. On average over $15,000. It is almost impossible to survive in the US without a credit card (or two, or ten..), the whole system is based on credits. Credits to buy the new shoes you couldn't afford otherwise, credit for the newest iPhone, and of course credit to pay the other credits.

America loves credits. In the US they are necessary to build a "credit score". As a result, people pay everything with credit card. Groceries for $39,22 *swipe*, chocolate bar for $1,50 *swipe*, college degree from the University of Phoenix for $X0,000 *swipe*, in the hope of having a credit score high enough to buy a house for an affordable rate. 

Germans don't do credit cards, we do debit cards. We don't believe in spending more money than we actually have. Our whole system is different, we are not fans of buying on credit, and we don't have to. Our creditscore is calculated based on how regular you pay your rent, your age, and other factors. It is not necessarily about spending as much as possible with credits and paying them back on time, using credits to buy groceries or to pay your bills is actually bad for your credit score. 

I don't know one person in Germany who uses a credit card. 

7. Religion in School

Religion, one of the most difficult topics: Even though the United States is known for being the most religious industrialized country, Religion has to stay out of public US schools. 

Which seems to be a good and consequent decision in terms of separation of church and state, I miss the opportunity to discuss religion in school. 

In Germany, my "christian religion class" (which not everyone has to attend), doesn't just deals with Christianity or tries to praise it, it actually deals with religion as a whole, and the fundamental ideas and questions that all main religions have in common (Dear Americans, did you know that there is more than just Christianity and the "evil muslims"..which are usually not evil at all, and I met a lot ;) ).

 It allows you to freely debate religion, to criticize it, to compare it, and learn about different religions. You try to overcome misconceptions and talk about ways to coexist. 

Since religion is part of society, in the US and in Germany, and since it often causes problems, mostly based on a lack of knowledge and the resulting fear, I think it would be an important subject and shouldn't be a taboo.

What do you think about it? 

Missed the 7 Things that are better in the US than in Germany? Click here for this and other english articles! :) 

7 Things that are better in the US than in Germany

At this point I'd usually talk about specific events I experienced in the US, but in this entry I'd rather like to talk about some more general things. As an exchange student, other people ask you questions like: "How do you like it here? Is it better/worse than in your home country? What are the biggest differences? Why is Germany so much better in soccer than anyone else?" just to mention a few.

I will not reveal which country I like more, but I'll tell you a little more about the differences and similarities. I'll break it down to a series of blog entries, starting with this one about 'Seven Things that are better in the US than in Germany'

As a warning: People make different experiences, have different perceptions or different opinions:

Things I experienced as 'typical american' or 'typical german' could be totally different in parts of the US or germany where I haven't been, but at this point I can only talk about MY experiences. If you think what I'm saying is wrong (or rather you perceived it in a different way), I'd be glad to hear about it! :) I don't claim to know 'the whole truth', why I should call this article rather 'Seven things that are better in the US than in Germany in my opinion', but everyone who is into media and journalism (or everything that pretends to be "journalism" (why do I suddenly have to think about this song?) ) knows that lurid headlines are crucial for clicks, the cocaine of the 21st century.

Anyway, enough disclaimer bla bla, here are the ten things which I think are better in the US than in Germany.

1. Free Refill in Restaurants

Are y'all aware that you have to pay for every single refill in a german restaurant? Not only for alcoholic beverages, but for soda and even water. You have to pay for it. Again and again and again. It doesn't matter if you're eating spicy food or if it is hot outside. NO.FREE.REFILL. NO, NOT EVEN WATER. 

2. Community Service

It seems that Americans don't just like to get free stuff (like free refills.), but that they also like to do stuff for free. Like volunteering. From cleaning a local river, organizing a fundraising to fight diseases, or even building houses, Americans seem to love helping others. Of course you could argue that many people don't really do it to help others but for a better reputation in their community, free shirts, awars, or even better chances to find a job, BUT they still HELP PEOPLE! This mentality really surprised and deeply impressed me, and it's something Americans can really be proud of! I would lie if I said that nobody in germany is doing community service, but especially among german teenagers volunteering usually doesn't go further than liking a picture of starving children or an abused dog on facebook. If any German is reading this and feels offended by this, wouldn't it be better to see it as a challenge to change this reputation? ;-) 

3. School Sports

Yes, America is often connotated with low-quality food and an extremely high obesity rate. However, sports is a pretty popular part of american culture, which also impacts the school life. While sports in Germany usually takes place in sportclubs that are not affiliated with school, US students are often part of one or more school teams. Sports is taken way more seriously here than in Germany. Students in the US practice daily and compete against other school teams to earn a high county-,state-, or even nationwide reputation. High School sports, especially American Football and Baseball is an effective way for talented athletes to present themselves to earn scholarships for collegeteams and maybe even end up becoming professional, (way too) highly paid sportsperson. 

4. School Pride

Americans are proud. Proud of their nation, their flag, and their perfectly cut lawn. Americans like being proud of things. They might be even proud of being proud. And proud of being proud of being proud. And so on.

My favorite Pride was the School Pride: Pep Rallies, Spirit Weeks, and football games, preferably against rivals, are just awesome. Back in Germany nobody wants to have anything to do with their school, it is just "not cool". But in the US: That feeling when the whole school is getting hyped before a game, then standing side by side in the fan section, chanting and cheering; absolutely priceless. 

I will miss it so much!

5. Liberalism 

Even though people south of the bible belt are generally speaking more conservative, there are still some very progressive and liberal parts in this huge country. Same-Sex marriage is (at least de jure) legal in 37 states, and Medical Marijuana is available in 23 states and the District of Columbia. legal for "recreational purposes" in 4...and counting. 

And in Germany? Our Christian-Conservative Government allowes both of these things in...0 out of 16 german states (yes, Germany has states, No, we're not the "United States of Germany").

6. Parks & Sports areas

 Yes, I already talked about the importance of sports in the American Culture. However, I'd just like to mention again how awesome it is that America invests so much more money in it than we do in Germany. I was extremely surprised when I arrived here and saw things like public baseball or soccer fields. They're mostly in a pretty good shape, and everyone can play on there. Without paying fees, without being member in a sportsclub. Awesome. THIS is a clever use of taxdollars!

Doesn't surprise me at all that the US gets so many more olympic gold medals than Germany.

7. Wildlife (Chipmunks!!!)

*edit* To avoid misunderstandings, I don't want to lie and say that America is great with saving the environment. We all know that the USA loves big wasteful cars, and is also famous for terrible technologies like fracking that destroy the environment! I'm just saying that I like the many different kinds of animals that life on the Northamerican continent and now: lights off, save energy. :)

Honestly, I've never been a big fan of animals. At least not pets. They're smelly, you have to bring the to the vet all the time, and they make it difficult to go on vacation. Surprisingly, the wildlife here in the US fascinates me more than I could ever imagine!

I'm from Germany, a country where you have some rabbits, deer, and here and there a wild hog. That's about it.

In the US you have so many more cool, cute, fascinating, and even dangerous animals. Turtles, Chipmunks, Snakes, Alligators, just to name a few. It's crazy! To me it's impressive how America handles having even quite dangerous animals. Do you know what Germans do when one silly bear crosses the border to Germany? They totally freak out! Newspapers, TV-Stations, they're reporting for weeks about nothing but the "Problem-Bear Bruno", until...someone shoots him. True story...sadly.

I wish we'd have a government that would really care about nature. We could need a Teddy Roosevelt who established five national parks and tried to promote the conservation of nature...or at least (and I never thought that I will ever say that), someone like George W. Bush...but only for this following, and probably only useful sentence.

For more english articles click here :)

[ENG] Speechless - Theater of the Absurd

Since I've got a writer's block everytime when I planned on blogging something meaningful and informative about my past couple weeks for whatever reasons, I just decided to try to write down what I'm thinking about, completely spontaneous, and of course without any filter. 

Within the past weeks, my head is actually full of ideas what I could write about; 'How-to's for exchange students-to-be', an essay about the many different meaning of the word 'perspective' (I don't have a clue why, but that word fascinates me..you can bascially look at it from so many...perspectives...no? ok.) or even something what I'd call 'Jon's 3-level writingphenomenom'

Poems, or even books, it feels like I could write all this, right here right now..but everytime when I'm like: Hm, I've got some free time, I should write something...I lose my motivation faster than (*insert an analogy about a german political party what doesn't work in english because y'all don't have a clue what I'm talking about*..let's think of something else..what about: I lose my motivation faster than Aston Villa when Sadio Mané scores the fastest hat trick of the Premier League History against them)

It felt relieving writing the article in german, even if I totally abused it with ignoring any grammatical rules of the (239th) most beautiful language in the world. Not very professional, but kinda fun though.yo.

Anyway, I've only got about 50 days left in the US. 50 days, only a couple of them in school, the place where people my age usually spend a lot of time (or at least should, legally.)

The time I'm spending there became way shorter with finishing the soccer season, but it's still a vital part of my exchange year...and y'all know what else is vital? Food. oh yea.

Breakfast in the cafeteria for a dollar thirtyfive, including sugared but fatfree milk and fried chicken...and everything else what pretends to be or used to be food.

I'll miss it anyway.

Lunch for two twentyfive: Pizza, Nachos, and more fried feathered animal (do penguins actually have feathers? Not that they're offering penguins...at least I hope so, I like penguins.) Since we're already talking about penguins: Prom was awesome. What does prom have to do with penguins except the P at the beginning? The tuxedo.

Reading what I just wrote, I'm realizing that my head is really full of very weird stuff, which might be caused by my increasing drug use. Completely legal of course. Swallowing disgusting "Corticosteroids' to fight a reappearing sinusinfection is about as much fun as 

Speechless - Das absurde Theater

Da mich das Gefühl einer Schreibblockade jedes mal ergraf (ergriffen hat ?!) sobald ich mich an den Laptop oder ans Handy (...iPhone) gesessen habe um ein paar Zeilen zu schreiben, habe ich diesmal anstelle des kontinuierlichen Prokrastinierens (kann immer noch schlaue deutsche Wörter) einfach mal mein Schreibgerät unterm Bett hervorgezogen, um spontan meine Gedanken niederzuschreiben.

In letzter Zeit ist mein Kopf voller Ideen worüber ich schreiben könnte (alles in feinstsäuberlichem Denglish wohlgemerkt, know what I'm saying?!). Ratgeber für zukünftige Austauschschüler, einen Essay über die Vielschichtigkeit des Wortes Perspektive/Perspective, oder etwas was ich das Jonsche 3-Phasen Schreibphenomenon nenne. Gedichte, oder ganze Bücher könnte ich schreiben, doch sobald ich denke: So, hab Zeit, sollte was schreiben, ist es einfach schneller verschwunden als die Piratenpartei (oder hoffentlich bald die AFD und diese ganzen anderen Scheissvereine).

Es fühlt sich befreiend an, gerade einfach mal komplett jegliche grammatikalischen Grundregeln der Sprache der Dichter und Denker zu ignorieren, und einfach mal völlig ohne Plan loszuschreiben. Ist zwar nicht sonderlich qualitativ, aber macht Spaß. Einfach mal die geistliche Sau rauslassen.Yo.


Anyway, 50 Tage noch ehe ich wiederkomme. 50 Tage, 1 1/2 Wochen davon in der Schule, der Ort in dem man in meinem Alter (hach, back in the day..) einen Großteil seiner Zeit verbringt. Dadurch dass Fußball nun vorbei ist verringert sich die Zeit zwar, aber dennoch stellt die Schule eine Art Lebensmittelpunkt da. Hat aber nix mit Lebensmitteln zu tun, obwohl...Frühstück in der Kantine, für $1.35, inklusive gezuckerte aber dafür fettfreie Milch und frittiertem Hühnchen...oder alles was sich dafür hält.
Werde es trotzdem vermissen.
Lunch ist dann noch so ne andere Sache. $2.25 für Pizza, Nachos, und noch mehr frittiertem Federvieh (haben Pinguine eigentlich Federn? Nicht dass die dort Pinguine servieren...hoffe ich jedenfalls, ich mag Pinguine.) Wenn wir schon bei Pinguinen sind, Prom war awesome. (Prom = Abschlussball). Wie ich von Pinguinen zu Prom komme? Nicht nur wegen dem P (ok, wegen des Ps), sondern weil es ja immer so aussieht als ob die nen Anzug tragen. Adorable.

Beim Überfliegen dieses nächtlichen "Logbucheintrages" könnte man meinen dass mein Drogenkonsum stark zugenommen hat....stimmt auch. Alles ganz legal natürlich. Eklige Steroide (keine Sorge, nicht die zum Muskeln kriegen, sondern "Corticosteroide") um ne wiederkehrende Sinusinfektion (hat nix mit Mathe zu tun, Nasennebenhöhlenentzündung klingt aber einfach nur widerlich. Wie Wurzelbehandlung. Oder Werder Bremen.) Naja, werds überleben.

Basierend auf den Dingen die ich hier angesprochen habe, werde ich womöglich bald mal wieder einen komplett durchstrukturierten Artikel formulieren, zum Beispiel über das Jonsche 3-Phasen Schreibphenomenon. Gibts wirklich. Will nur mal gucken wie euch Einträge wie dieser hier gefallen, würde mich interessieren. Und keine Sorge, ich kann noch seriös und lehrreich und inspirierend (falls ich das je konnte)..hoffe ich jedenfalls. Either Way: Authentisch :)

Oh und bevor ichs vergesse: Für diejenigen die eh nur für die Bilder hier sind, nur für euch vom Georgia Aquarium:

Ist zwar kein Pinugin, aber dieser kleine Genosse ist dennoch auf der Niedlichkeitsskala ganz weit oben. 

too tired to have a title. I - the missing link from BUBW to NVA

Time is an important factor of an exchange year. You know that your time in another country is limited. There are moments where you wish that time passes by faster because you miss someone at home, have trouble, or just feel uncomfortable in your new, foreign environment. It feels like an eternity, and you think when you'll come home, everything has changed and you missed all of it.

There are also moments where you totally forget about the time. You experience something new, try out new things, or some event is going on. It can be hanging out with new friends for the first time, homecoming, or your first american football match. You just enjoy the moment.

And then, there are moments when you realize: WHAT THE HECK I HAVE TO GO HOME IN 60 DAYS?!?! 

Guess which one I am experience right now :)

It is crazy, for me it still feels like the year just started, like christmas was a week ago, and I just turned 18. I'm still waiting for some snow, but actually it's going to be 31° Celsius (88°F) next week.

It is may, the last full month I'll spend in Atlanta, and I have only 15 days of school left. Didn't I just come back from the BUBW ? Oh, it's also almost a quarter-year ago.  

Why does time suddenly pass by faster than Gareth Bale against Barcelona? What happened between now and then?! Well, actually a lot...

I guess I mentioned that I didn't make the Boys Varsity Soccer Team, but became the manager. And do you know what? The whole season ended 2 weeks ago, with a victory against the Region-champions. It was not the most successful season, many people got injured, including a broken knee cap of one of my best american friends (get well soon Jordan!) at a game against our biggest rival.

I probably carried arounds a hundred liter of water (or some weird odd number of fluid ounces), and caught 5820439 soccer balls. Doesn't sound that exciting, but it was just great fun to support and spend time with an awesome team! (Best way to collect 100h community hours. )If one of you will read this: I won't forget you guys, thanks for everything! 1 2 3 BULLDOGS! <3

at the end-of-season banquette

Soccer was not the only thing that was going on, I also got visited by two of my brothers! It is a very weird feeling, like two worlds crashing together. People from my "old" life in my "new" life? Bizaaaaaarre.
However, it was exciting to see them again and do some sightseeing with them, from CNN and the     Georgia Aquarium to Martin Luther King Jr. Graveside and Birthhouse.

Well, and then there was spring break and it was legen....wait for it....:)