American was Shocked by The Things That Only European Knows (Reaction)
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 14 ม.ค. 2025
- More Content: dub.sh/kmMIqgK
Check out my gear and support the channel*: dub.sh/LozHXOi
My name is Sean Huggins, I am just a simple American looking to learn more about life in Europe! Everything related to the European Union, or even just countries in Europe. Let's learn some things and have some fun along the way!
In this video an American reacts to life in Europe and how it's different than life in USA. Ladies from Spain, Italy, Germany, Belgium, The Netherlands and France talk with an American about cultural differences that they have.
➖ Made with Huggs Media ➖
• Website: dub.sh/kmMIqgK
• Discord: dub.sh/CN3V3qE
• Twitter: dub.sh/pIFxOxk
• Instagram: dub.sh/ttb56cF
• Shop: dub.sh/tueDOj6
Original video: • American was Shocked b...
Anything listed as Affiliate Links or marked with an (*) may result in me earning a small commission from your purchase with that link. I only link items I actually own and/or use. If you choose to use any of my links I would like to thank you for helping support my channel!
Copyright Disclaimer Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976, allowance is made for "fair use" for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use. No copyright infringement intended. ALL RIGHTS BELONG TO THEIR RESPECTIVE OWNERS
#reaction #europe #americanreacts #europeanreaction
I found it a bit odd that in the "Land of the Free" you can't even cross the road wherever you want.
may be because it's a matter of life and death... 😧
@@thierryf67 You know what people in other countries do? They look to see if a car is coming.
"Freedom" is different than Anarchy, meaning, having freedoms is not the same as having no rules or laws. Hope this helps 😁👍
@@EuropeWithHuggs How would you define freedom?
@@EuropeWithHuggs
Watch Strong Towns by Not Just Bikes. He’s from Canada, which has similar infrastructure to the US. He’s also lived in the US and Asia too. Currently he lives in the Netherlands. The mini series playlist he did called Strong Towns is based on a book of the same name, written by a civil engineer from MN. The video series, which the author also loved, compares and contrasts what the book is talking about but in video form with real video examples. NJB shows how parts of Europe handles infrastructure vs North America. Things like roads, mass transit, stop lights, buildings etc. It doesn’t necessarily sound interesting. My bf was a bit apprehensive to watch it because infrastructure wasn’t an interest to him. But NJB presents things so well, with a little bit of snark, that even my bf fell down the rabbit hole of his videos lol. We marathoned most of his videos and not even at my suggestion. He just kept clicking on more of his videos. He’s actually developed an interest in infrastructure as a result. These videos also made us see our city differently. Not in a bad way, but just in a way where we notice the things he’s talking about and can actually identify and discuss it.
Plus I think NJB brings an interesting perspective as an expat who’s lived in the US, Canada and Asia, now living in Europe.
3 miles is NOTHING to walk in the UK !! That's my grandkids round trip everyday to and from school !!
" legally walk across streets " !? That's one difference in the USA and Europe ! WE can walk across the street were WE want to !
In the UK a woman can get 12 months maternity leave AND her job is guaranteed on her return to work.
No one calls it " stick shift" outside of the USA. We call it driving a MANUAL . In the UK, if you take your test in a manual car you can drive BOTH. If you take your test in an automatic you can ONLY drive an automatic. You will have to retake your test if you want to change to a manual car in the future.
Why would you tip 10% or 20% if you had bed service !?
Lots of ice means LESS drink !!
That’s what I was thinking mostly normal for many kids! Low key dangerous ?
Freedom comes in different forms and shapes. In Europe we value freedom for kids to develope, be educated and move about. In the US it's different.
I said the same thing… we could walk three miles then turn back and walk back three miles lol
Maternity leave - can't remember how long but at least 6 months - was a basic human right in NZ back in the the 1970s, same when I was working in England in the 1980s. It existed, it wasn't a benefit [and as a temp I often covered for someone out on maternity] but a simple basic human right.
The thing about room temperature water is that if water comes directly from the tap, it's quite chill. Not ice cold of course but still not "room temperature". I personally prefer somewhat cool temperature, so I keep my beer and soda in the fridge, but never add ice because to cold just numbs my tooth, is generally an unpleasant feeling and hides the taste of the beverage. I like to taste what I drink.
In Germany you have „Mutterschutz“, maternity protection, which is 6 weeks before and 8 weeks after due date. The healthcare company will pay this. Then there is parental leave, which is 14 months both sharing the time the way they want to. This is paid by the company.
It’s 70 % of the salary, but you don’t pay taxes. And if you want to stay home longer, your work place is protected, they can’t fire you.
The biggest missconception is that all public restrooms are paid ones.
Thats untrue for 2 major reasons:
First if you eat at a resturant the toilets are never paid ones!!!! If they want to charge you or have the old lady in front trick you do not have to pay anything it is simply a method to trick you into paying. The law in Germany itself states that any resturant offering indoor food have to grant people permission to use a toilet.
So MCDonalds for example is the best option if you really do need to go to the bathroom unless it is just a small franchise member in a big mall than because the mall provides restrooms they can determine if they use a pay to use policy or not.
Also most supermarkets also have free public restrooms unless they are in a big mall complex where it is more common that you have to pay to use the bathrooms.
Sanifair itself is mostly seen for highway stops as they monopolize the service there and their mother corporation also owns the franchise for most of Europeans highway stops including most of the gas stations there as well. Thats basically about loopholes in the law that allowed them to own most distribution rights for supplys there.
Therefore the dumbest decission you can make is to rest on a highway stop while it is the most common way to rather go to a nearby city for example using the next exit or look out for a MCDonalds or Burgerking (however there might be tied Sanifair toilets as well if the MC Donalds for example is only part of a complex with a gas station involved.
However if you are no costumer of the resturants they can charge you a fee for using their toilets or even deny you access so instead of beeing polite by buing something small it is actually the better option most of the time.
If you only want to go to the toilet I highly recommend you to search for a building that mainly contain one big supermarket theese normally have a public toilet you can use for free and provide you with cheap drinks and food as well. In our region for example each "Kaufland" , "Globus" and some other big ones have free to use toilets. Theese supermarkets are basically the owner of the buildings. (Fun fact "Globus" also offers free bus rides to major busstations in the area including my hometown which is arround 15 miles away from their store as they are outside of a bigger town)
If you are custom to how things work here you paying for the use of toilets is rather unusual for you ;)
I walk my dog usually about 8 miles a day, I don't drive due to being disabled and the type of disability I have prevents me from being able to drive, so walking is essential for me, because I'm not able to drive I get a free bus pass and also reduced price rail fares and free use of trains within the county where I live (this extends into surrounding counties if the journey is not broken), this means that many more people regardless of ability can travel when and where they like/want, my dog also goes free too.
"literally there's not even options for people to LEGALLY walk across streets" is THE most American defense.
Jaywalking is an American law that makes no sense in most other places. In the UK I don't need a pedestrian crossing to go over to the other side of the road. I just cross the street. Why would that be illegal?
Here in Portugal you only pay to use a bathroom at train stations, bus stations or if they're accessible from the outside of a building. In petrol stations, motorway services or shopping centres, they're always free but still kept very clean. If none of these is close by, you just go to a café or restaurant and ask if you can use the bathroom. Most places will let you use it without having to consume anything to pay to keep it clean because generally they have a cleaning schedule that they must follow or they risk being fined if they have a surprise inspection from the HST (HSW in English). The cleaning can be done by the employees or by a especialised firm.
In the UK, if you pass your car test in a manual car, you can drive both a manual or automatic but if you pass your test in an automatic, then automatic is the only trasmission car you can drive.
When I was on leave, I went to Oregon around Crater Lake with some friends I made on exercises. I was amazed at how big the whole state was and the distance between everything. Being from the UK, of course we use cars, but I could make any journey by public transport I needed. There's a reason Walmart didn't last in Europe, they thought they could get away with what they do in the US.
If I'm not mistaken, you don't have forever in a restaurant in the USA either. In Europe, it's not unusual to go to dinner at 7pm and not leave the restaurant until 1am, or later...
It is interesting to note that all of the European girls are speaking to each other and the American girl in what is to them a foreign language (English)
I often think English is a foreign language to Americans too. 😂
In the U.K., toilets in public buildings are usually free but some places charge. So for instance, in my home town, I can go to the toilets for free in the shopping arcades (mall) but at the bus interchange, I’d be expected to pay. But as a disabled person, I get to use a disabled accessible toilet which is separate and always free as it can only be accessed with a special key that disabled people can get.
Now these special locks and their keys are on every disabled toilet in the whole of the U.K. meaning they are accessible for disabled people whenever needed, because if your disabled, you might have a problem with your bladder, bowels etc or need to sit down just to pass urine, or need the extra help of handrails to get yourself to a sitting position on the toilet.
Now, disabled toilets are made for people in wheelchairs, but not every disabled person is in a wheelchair !
I walk using crutches, and being so tall, I have trouble getting down to lower levels, low seating, low toilets etc.
I can’t use a normal toilet because I need handrails to grab on to which are only installed on disabled toilets, but those are low so that a wheelchair user can move easily from one to the other, which means that even I struggle to get on them and that’s with handrails.
I try as much as possible to not get ‘caught out’ whilst in town. At home, my special toilet is raised to 2 Feet off the floor and I have handrails on both sides. My toilet also has a douche and dry function on it, so that it cleans and dries my rear end for me.
This also means that I don’t go on holiday (vacation) very often, as most hotels or guesthouses don’t cater for my needs.
Welll... Everything is different. Because, America is America, Italy is Italy, The Netherlands are the Netherlands etc. Everything is different. Thats the beauty of it all.❤😊
Parental leave in Germany is 2 years with full protection against dismissal. This time can be divided between mother and father as desired. A neighbor of ours became pregnant again during this time and has now been absent from her company for almost 4 years and cannot be dismissed.
Small correction: you can apply for 3 years* of parental leave per child, but only up to two years of parental allowance will be paid (1 year = full amount, 2 years = halved amount* different combinations in 3 variants are possible).
*You can also split parental leave into different sections, but you will only receive parental allowance until the child is 32 months old.
Remember that for these young ladies, English is their second or even third language.
Parental leave in Germany works like this: One person gets 70% of their income for 1 year or 35% for 2 years. In addition, the other partner gets 70% of his or her income for another three months. And that's the clue: It is up to each family to decide who takes the 12 months and who the three months. And you don't have to take the time right from the start. This means, for example, that a mother can take the first 12 months and the father can take one month at the beginning and the other two at the end of parental leave, i.e. months 23 and 24.
It sounds complicated, but it's not, and it gives families flexibility.
I think that this "ridiculous" 3 mile distance would be much shorter if all US towns had decent sidewalks and street crossings.
The funny thing about my town is that I can get to my town's shopping street faster on foot or by bike than by car.
With a car you automatically have to take detours and also look for a parking space.
Re driving, manual cars are still more prevalent in the UK, but all electric cars are automatic gearbox.
Re learning you have to decide which to do - if you do the automatic license you cannot drive a manual car. I have a full licence but due to my disability now I have to drive an automatic.
I. Miss. Gears.
Tho it still has Tipton type gears available which is great here in cornwall because we have some incredibly steep hills! Being able to control the car using gears is so helpful.
And yeah, we don’t get done for crossing the road. There are crossings but we can cross anywhere that’s essentially safe.
EVs don't have a gearbox... 😉
@ EVs have a simplified automatic transmission… the trouble is the one pedal drive system… christ
Sanifair bathrooms are not public restrooms, they're owned and run by the companies managing the properties they're on. You'll find those types of pay to pee bathrooms in train stations and on highway rest areas.
Public restrooms in cities, parks and wherever are free to use. Even on the highway, if there's no restaurant/shop/gas station, then there'll still be a restroom which is free.
But, you don't necessarily wanna have to do a number two there. If you have to take a dump you'll need to build a toilet paper nest to sit down on.
It's the same as far as driving tests go in the UK....if you take the manual test, you can drive both manual and automatic cars. If you pass using an automatic, you can only drive automatic cars.
It’s now 12 years since my massive stroke. I had to go through brain surgery and rehab. I still can’t work but thanks to mandatory insurance which takes a part of everyone’s salary, I still get enough money to have a decent life. This is the legal minimum
10% tip if was bad service? Or i should get 10% off from my bill, because the service was bad.
The car thing is a bit of a generalisation. I’ve been to the USA and there are definitely cities where you can walk to most of the places you want to go, or get public transport.
Fun fact: If its hot outside and you drink or eat something cold you will just sweat more then before cause your body tries to match the temperature outside and therefor needs to use energy to raise your bodys temperatur again. Rather drink a warm tea or coffee (not hot). I know that in some arabian countrys its very common to drink black tea when its hot outside.
"What we call benefits, is basic human rights in Europe" isn’t that such a sad statement?
Walking 3 miles is not a big deal 😂😂😂
I accidentally ended up on a French nude beach with my family when I was a teen, we were with another family who had younger kids who I was babysitting and we had took a wrong turn. Say going right was the nude side and left was the family friendly side…. It was sooo awkward as it was very unexpected and the little girls height as she was running was just not in the right place, me and my brother chased after her and ran her round into the sea but bless her she still saw stuff a little British girl will never have seen before. And her older sister was just asking questions the rest of the time at the beach…..
I wish they had been fenced off better so the family friendly beach was fenced off one way and the nude beach the other way with signs in basic graphics or a few different languages maybe
I’m writing this maybe 20 years later so it really did impact me seeing these little girls reactions
We can watch everywhere every violence and killing but a nude person is shocking. I don't get it.
Some things are culture specific, others apply to most of Europe. In Spain, for instance, lunch is the main meal of the day and is usually eaten around 2PM. Many (most) businesses, schools, etc. close 2-5 in the afternoon for lunch and then resume work and school after, around 5. Dinner is light and usually after 8PM, mostly around 9. It is not unusual to see entire families, complete with babies and small children out in restaruants, bars, fiestas 11-midnight. Santa does not bring Christmas presents the night of the 24th-25 in most of Spain. The 3 kings bring the presents and candy on January 6. Drinking age in just about all of Europe is 18 and not adhered to with American strictness. Younger drinking with their parents is completely acceptable. It's a different world.
That sounds so crazy: maybe it was not possible to "legally" cross the street. So in the US - the land of the free - you can't croos the street if you want to?
It's called jaywalking and you can get a ticket from the police for that. But if there is no traffic I cross wherever i Iwant even on red lignts. I live in Montréal, Canada and eveybody does it here.
The history of jaywalking is crazy tho. "Jay" was an insult (iirc a slur agains Jewish people) and the car lobby wanted to get people to not be mad at drivers but at the pedestrian when they got hit by a car, so they started a campaign that being a "Jaywalker" is a bad thing and then it became a law...
Ermm Hi, well Just want to share a thing, for me 3 Miles is Just a walk. When I go to The Park the wal to and from The park is around 4 km = 2.48. Miles, and the walk i the park, or aroud it its 2km =1,24 mile xD so going to shop 3 Miles away is actually something we do, maybe not for BIG/heavy shoping, but still. I m from Poland, sorry for any mistakes I made :)
Men kiss each other two in France, but only if they are close friends or family
Payed maternity leave is common across the globe but in Europe they tend to be long. In Sweden its 420 days (14 month) for example. In Europe it's also common for dads to take "Paternity" leave.
2:12 - Americans don’t have to drive everywhere, they can catch public transport to go shopping, they just choose not to, because the actual act of WALKING is too stressful for most, and they wouldn’t be able to cope with having to stand in a queue with God forbid, OTHER PEOPLE !
I wouldn't dare to go to a restaurant in America anymore. I don't want to be forced to give a tip, it's your own money that you're in charge of and not that of the restaurant. Pay the staff normal, it's hard work and I saw that the prices were almost the same in the videos as with us, so it should be possible.
normally?
@@jandamskier6510 Aangepast.
@@jandamskier6510 Aangepast, ik heb dit niet gezien, mijn autocorrectie heeft het denk ik aangepast.
And why Americans calls it bathroom or restroom when it's only a toilet.
That is why you have the Jaywalking law which was demanded by the auto lobby saying that only motor vehicles should use the road and people shouldnt be able to. We in the UK dont have such a law because they trust adults to have enough intelligence and common sense to work out how to cross a road, however, it is illegal for Brits to cross motorways (freeways) in Britain but its the only type of road we arnt allowed to cross.
What l always found odd in the US is that the general workforce can get really treated like crap by their companies, yet without that same workforce, you dont have a business to begin with, do you know what l mean? Some companies (not many) treat their employees really well and it saves them money mid to long term as looking after your workers gets you a loyal, dependable trustworthy and very productive workforce.
15:30 Depending on the region and if you're friends, you can greet other men with kisses. The varying number of kisses depending on the region is annoying when you have a family living in different regions with different amounts... My region does 3, my grandma region does 4, my cousins do 2. It gets confusing during family gatherings.
Never heard of more than 4 kisses though.
You also don't kiss strangers, usually.
You do understand that the vast majority of us watch this vid to see your reactions to how we live, we already know how the U.S. works, no further education needed from a guy learning about Europe as a grown man, comment about the things that are new to you, not old news for us😉
2:00 Even if you WANT and would be ABLE to walk the 3 miles ... there are no sidewalks for pedestrians.
It depends where you are in the USA. In many cities there are and you can walk places.
2 weeks for new fathers + the option to replace the mother, PML is 1 year + 1 year in Bulgaria, the 2nd year you don't get your full salary, just like 70% or sm. th. - as for leaving earlier, it's generally ok but most people i worked with stay well into the 7-8th month just to be with their co-workers and it's something that elevates the mood most of the time... it's nice, people give/receive help worth 1-2-3 salaries in baby stuff, like baby carriage, clothing, toys and so on
one big difference is/has always been loud talking, in Bulgaria only wannabe gangsters talk loudly in public, it's a demand for stature, so i always get annoyed with tourists for their lack of harmony and rudeness, especially in the public transport
15:26 In belgium (at least the frenhspeaking side) it is just one.
Don't want to stoke up things but yuore two party system just isn't undetsood by mosy europeans and wspecially the tribalisme that comes with it.
My biggest complaint about Europe is the bathroom situation. Like, that is a normal body function! If healthcare is a right, so should being able to go to the bathroom for free. You can’t control when you need to go! I’d do it because I’d have to, but still guys, there has to be a better way.
In many places you can. I’ve certainly never had to pay in a restaurant, it’s usually just at train stations.
You were right at 14:01
Germans can get up to 2 years maternity leave (with lower pay than if you would take 1 year, which is the normal length)
The german girl is not that informed about that topic
Es gibt den Mutterschutz und die Erziehungszeit, das sind 2 Paar Schuhe. Die Erziehungszeit beginnt immer mit der Geburt, beim Mutterschutz ( der beginnt immer 6 Wochen vor und geht 8 bis 12 Wochen nach der Geburt) wird das volle Netto-Gehalt gezahlt.
You can tell he's talking to foreigners, It's the toilets not bathroom.
Crossing the streets in the usa....you can't, and they don't even think about putting a pedestrian bridge there, they prefer to take the car....yes the usa (and canada) are carcentric...
100 meters is a long way, be careful not to wear out the soles!
In Sweden we have more than a year of with 80% pay when having a baby. Some reserved for the father.
No UK representation? 🤔 We're part of Europe too! 🤨
People don't really care that much about your political stance, religion or ethnicity.
If I'm in a city in the UK and I don't have cash for a public toilet? McPiss
F1 cars are driving semi automatic without the clutch
New York City is different, In Italy is the same
Where is Britain in this conversation
Unfortunately we opted out.
I can think of one big difference ! How many Americans can speak more than one language ?
She never paid herself for a restaurant
Those basic human rights are not just in Germany but across Europe, and actually if anything the rights and social programs Germans have not that great (minimum salary, healthcare etc.), France is great but it’s ruining us, though if you consider productivity per capita (and per hours worked), we are on par with the US
Though French maternity leave is not the best, Nordic countries do much better
Maybe Sean you maybe interesting the view of a very tall Korean visiting the Netherlands: th-cam.com/video/_pcuU7j12pE/w-d-xo.html
I'm just wondering the entire time what kind of footwear the American girl has on her feet.
They all wear white slippers- she has just funny socks on.
0:30 As always ... not a single male "contestant" on this panel.
And?
The original name for America is turtle island 🐢 and America is anglicized from the Italian explorer Amerigo Vespucci the country was named after the man by a German map maker Amerigo meaning work ruler home ruler but of course we know the country was founded by UK and Europe that's who you are so stop thinking your something different 🙄
So America and Europe are the same thing? Interesting, I'm not sure I've heard that opinion yet before 🤔 Thanks for the comment
USA = 💵💵💵
FIRST
Keep it up! You should get more subs in no time!