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These are both very cool and developed countries, but for some reason not my favourite ones.
I prefer neither.
That being said, I've been to Germany 6 or 7 times, while I have never been to the UK. Maybe I would love it, who knows.
I made the move, I live now in Africa and I love it (I am in Namibia)
Ive been here two weeks and it's the therapy I needed... I am was so sick of being Europe (no offense to Europeans)
things I love
1. No selfies, no iphones, people make eye contact (In Europe you went out and almost everyone was absorbed into their phones, starting a conversation with a stranger is completely awkward, not welcome.... Europeans only exclusively interact with the people they know, if they don't know you good luck trying to make friends with them.
Africa on the other hand is different, you go out and everyone smiles... people live like life was meant to be lived meaning (I was at a bar and the girl next to me started to talk to me, eventually the whole bar was laughing and talking with each other, I left that night with seven different phone numbers from seven different people)
2. No USA talk... I was exhausted of European non-stop USA talk, in Africa people see the US as a very distant place, most imagine cliches like michael jackson, hollywood and that is it.... in Europe you get constantly bombarded by pseudo-intellectuals trying to have a conversation with you about something meaningful, and meaningful to them is bashing the US and comparing Europe with the US and then telling you how much better they are because Europe has this and the US doesn't. (I don't care, honestly I am not interested)
3. Art is alive, is community, is local color... in Europe art is snobby, only for those who think of themselves sophisticated enough to be artsy, while in Africa even the fisherman who lives from the sea is art!
4. life is about living, life is not about working and trying to be skinny and going on holidays and then coming back to work for another year.... life in Africa is to be lived 24/7!!! you wake up to the sound of chickens, cows, children laughing on their way to school!!! in Europe you wake up to the sound of traffic jams, everyone going to work in the dark gloomy weather that depressed me so much
5. African men are gentlemen, courteous, I have never been called Lady so much in my life, holding doors, allowing me to go first!! In Europe men don't hold doors, don't have chivalry (It probably comes from european women being so much into feminism and all those "isms" europeans love to be part of)
6. People are authentic.... a smile is truly a smile, a hello lady is truly a hello lady.... no rudeness, no snotty attitudes, no I am wearing prada so I am better than you
7. Food is healthy and organic and 100% locally grown.... in Europe food has additives not to the extent it does in the US but it does!!!
8. your neighbors care about you, I moved in and suddenly I had a surprise party, the community I moved into welcomed me immediately!! they baked, cooked and made all kind of meals to welcome me!! In Europe my neighbors wouldn't even say bonjour despite living next to me for 3 long years!
9. bad weather means some rain in the afternoon hours!! and then back to blue skies!!! In europe bad weather means gloomy dark rainy 8 months of the year!!! (I was so pale, I think I was vitamin D defficient at the end)
10. going out is a community affair, you go out and they have a bonfire with music and everyone from the community is dancing and sharing... in Europe going out means wearing your zara dress, make up and go out to see if some douchebag approves of you and buys you a drink!!
AFRICA IS SO AMAZING!! I am inlove with this place!
Tie, am/ would be happy live in either. I have been living in Germany for 15 years now and it feels like home. I was in England only once (Not counting a day trip to Folkstone with the ferry while in France) for 6 weeks and really liked it.
I spent 3 weeks in a small town near Gosport on the Solent for a sailing championship in 99 and then had plans to hitchhike around and head up to the Peak or Lake district to climb Gritstone but ended up meeting my German now ex wife. She was touring England on her motorcycle and we spent a couple of weeks camping and touring Wales.
Loved it there and the ocean is a big plus. However I would miss the central location of Germany, being able to go lot´s of places cheaply and Germany has done a lot for me, I consider changing my citizenship, dunno maybe I will one day.
Then again I could imagine to live in most European countries as long as I could find work and get along ok there.
No hate for the US but no desire to live there again.
I made the move, I live now in Africa and I love it (I am in Namibia)
Ive been here two weeks and it's the therapy I needed... I am was so sick of being Europe (no offense to Europeans)
things I love
1. No selfies, no iphones, people make eye contact (In Europe you went out and almost everyone was absorbed into their phones, starting a conversation with a stranger is completely awkward, not welcome.... Europeans only exclusively interact with the people they know, if they don't know you good luck trying to make friends with them.
Africa on the other hand is different, you go out and everyone smiles... people live like life was meant to be lived meaning (I was at a bar and the girl next to me started to talk to me, eventually the whole bar was laughing and talking with each other, I left that night with seven different phone numbers from seven different people)
2. No USA talk... I was exhausted of European non-stop USA talk, in Africa people see the US as a very distant place, most imagine cliches like michael jackson, hollywood and that is it.... in Europe you get constantly bombarded by pseudo-intellectuals trying to have a conversation with you about something meaningful, and meaningful to them is bashing the US and comparing Europe with the US and then telling you how much better they are because Europe has this and the US doesn't. (I don't care, honestly I am not interested)
3. Art is alive, is community, is local color... in Europe art is snobby, only for those who think of themselves sophisticated enough to be artsy, while in Africa even the fisherman who lives from the sea is art!
4. life is about living, life is not about working and trying to be skinny and going on holidays and then coming back to work for another year.... life in Africa is to be lived 24/7!!! you wake up to the sound of chickens, cows, children laughing on their way to school!!! in Europe you wake up to the sound of traffic jams, everyone going to work in the dark gloomy weather that depressed me so much
5. African men are gentlemen, courteous, I have never been called Lady so much in my life, holding doors, allowing me to go first!! In Europe men don't hold doors, don't have chivalry (It probably comes from european women being so much into feminism and all those "isms" europeans love to be part of)
6. People are authentic.... a smile is truly a smile, a hello lady is truly a hello lady.... no rudeness, no snotty attitudes, no I am wearing prada so I am better than you
7. Food is healthy and organic and 100% locally grown.... in Europe food has additives not to the extent it does in the US but it does!!!
8. your neighbors care about you, I moved in and suddenly I had a surprise party, the community I moved into welcomed me immediately!! they baked, cooked and made all kind of meals to welcome me!! In Europe my neighbors wouldn't even say bonjour despite living next to me for 3 long years!
9. bad weather means some rain in the afternoon hours!! and then back to blue skies!!! In europe bad weather means gloomy dark rainy 8 months of the year!!! (I was so pale, I think I was vitamin D defficient at the end)
10. going out is a community affair, you go out and they have a bonfire with music and everyone from the community is dancing and sharing... in Europe going out means wearing your zara dress, make up and go out to see if some douchebag approves of you and buys you a drink!!
AFRICA IS SO AMAZING!! I am inlove with this place!
I hope you can repost some of this on the Africa Forum, or a separate thread in the Europe forum!
I would like to talk a lot more about this, but it would quickly get buried in this very unrelated thread. Can you repost it, or parts of it, as another thread?
I hope you can repost some of this on the Africa Forum, or a separate thread in the Europe forum!
I would like to talk a lot more about this, but it would quickly get buried in this very unrelated thread. Can you repost it, or parts of it, as another thread?
I am was so sick of being Europe (no offense to Europeans)
So why then go on to list several offensive and stereotypical (ie way off mark) aspects of European culture?
Your experience and perception is ridiculously black and white, how about a few shades of grey? All Europe has gloomy weather when it's bad? We all wear Zara dresses when we go out? All African men are gentlemen? Really. Good job everyone on here is aware of your nonsense.
While I'm at it, it's great you're having a wonderful time in Namibia, but do you really need to be so negative about the UK and Germany (with some dubious and simplistic reasoning) in order to make your point? Whatever, I'm sure the negative aspects of staying in Namibia will bite you on the arse pretty soon...
Is sometimes something of bad taste in Uk (look at 2012 Olympics ceremonies or architecture of the stadium) that you won't see in Germany, which has a sense of moderation. This is one of the several reasons for which I prefer Germany.
Interesting, particularly coming from somebody from an ex Soviet state - care to elaborate?
Common language
Really cool history and historical sites
Beautiful villages and small towns
I really appreciate and enjoy British culture, humor, etc.
Mild climate with four seasons
Negatives - lots of rain, very crowded overall, sort of monotonous cuisine for my tastes (outside big metros)
Germany:
Lots of interesting history, great castle ruins
Beautiful natural scenery
I like the German people in general, especially those who live in the southern regions
I also like German food for the most part
Negatives - colder climate than I prefer, language difference, and I can't stand oompa oompa music! LOL
I wouldn't mind living in either country for awhile. Germany tugs at my heart and has a more melancholy feel to it - sort of "achingly beautiful" if that makes sense, while the UK seems more "like home" to me and is personally more invigorating, probably because I am more intrigued by it's history and culture.
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