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.

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