4 Things You Will Find Ugly About Expat Life In Germany

1.Smoking. 

As I pointed out in part one, Germany has actually improved in this area. An American expat who recently moved from Spain to Germany (jobs!) also reminded me how much worse the smoking situation is in Spain, compared to Germany. (I remember travelling in a 'non-smoking' car on a Spanish train and being choked by all the cigarette smoke.) Austria is also worse than Germany when it comes to smoking. However, smoking is one area in which Germany still has a lot of room for improvement. 

2.Subscriptions. 

In the US, if you want to cancel a magazine subscription or a service, you just let the publisher or provider know, or just don't renew. That doesn't work in Germany! A subscriber has the obligation to cancel, and it better be in writing! Otherwise the subscription continues, even if you don't want it to – and by law you have to pay! You also have to give enough advance notice. If you miss the cancellation deadline, you can still get stuck with the bill. German law often favours a company over the consumer. Buyer beware! This ranks right up there with having to pay to call a business to solve a problem they caused!

3.Overregulation. 

Americans have no idea what real 'overregulation' is - unless they have spent some time in Germany. In Germany (and the EU), there are rules and regulations for almost anything. Designed to protect workers and consumers, this penchant for regulating almost every aspect of business and daily life can impact everything from when you're allowed to mow your lawn to the shape of bananas! In most of Germany (Berlin being a rare exception) it is almost impossible to buy anything on Sunday. You have to go to a train station, airport or a gas station mini-mart to shop on Sunday. The idea to is protect family life and workers, but most Germans would prefer fewer restrictions in this area. Neighbouring France has no such Sunday restrictions, but the German-speaking countries all do. Regulation in Germany also affects the color of the roof on your house and what kind of light bulb you can use in your house. But I admit I have mixed feelings about all this. Sometimes in the US we go too far in the other direction. Do we really need to turn Thanksgiving into a shopping day? Nothing is sacred anymore. And the recent US presidential election campaign definitely exposed the downside of too little regulation!

4.Dog poop. 

For a country that puts great emphasis on cleanliness, it can be a very unpleasant surprise to see how much dog doo-doo there is on sidewalks and in parks in Germany. Yes, there are regulations and laws calling for owners to clean up after their pets, but most owners ignore the law, and there is little if any enforcement.

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