My cultural identity
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 ต.ค. 2024
- Am I more British or German? And why do I feel as if this is the zombie apocalypse?
Music:
"Style Funk" and "Hot Swing"
by Kevin MacLeod incompetech.com/
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My experience at German Passport Control was quite pleasant - he looked for a long time at my passport and then said - "Don't worry there's nothing wrong it's just that this is the first Icelandic Passport I've seen".
+Örn Leifsson Your name is extremely stereotypical xD
+tmaster7331 What ??? - Hm what on earth do you mean - firstly we Icelanders are very few only about 320.000 so on a world scale it can hardly be typical and secondly the name Örn while not rare is not that common in Iceland.
Örn Leifsson Well, either you're a viking or Icelandic. At least for my German ears. Although it may not be common, "Örn" sounds extremely Northern Germanic to me. Maybe because of Björn? And Leifsson? Son of "Leif"? Everybody knows of Leif Eriksson...
And I said stereotypical, not typical, that's a difference. You won't find many Adolfs for example xD
+tmaster7331 Yes I see what you mean it's a very Icelandic sounding name, Örn means Eagle and yes the last name means son of Leifur and that's the Icelandic name tradition, we have no family names we are always the son or daughter of our father and since the 70's with women's lib some have started to be called the son or daughter of the Mother but the fathers name is still the most common.
Örn Leifsson I'm already familiar with that, but thanks for the explanation :D
Home is where Wifi connects automatically.
I love how my English vocabulary has been constantly increasing since I have started watching your videos. Thank you.
Great Video. I love your sense of humour.
Eine kurze Frage auf deutsch, falls es Dir nichts ausmacht. Wie spreche ich in Enland jemanden korrekt an? Zwischen "Sie" und "Du" wird ja nicht unterschieden.
Muss ich am Satzende ein Mister oder Ma'am anhängen oder ist das zu förmlich oder vielleicht sogar einfach nur doof? Amerikanische Spielfilme haben mich was das angeht, glaube ich, ziemlich verblödet.
+danieldaniel
Ich weiß nicht, ob es heute noch so ist, und ob man es vo Dir erwartet, aber ich erinnere mich an eine Zeit, da hängte man noch ein 'Sir' (bei Männern) hinten dran.
Das 'you' ist kein 'du' wie man das gerne so im deutschen Unterricht suggeriert bekommt. Es ist eher ein 'sie' als alles andere.
+Karsten Meyer oh ja, das "Du" ist fast schon eine deutsche Erfindung ... kommt aber aus dem lateinischen "tu".
Die Briten haben das wohltuenderweise abgeschafft!
Ich würde in GB ein "Madam" hintendran setzen, keinesfalls ein "Ma'am", das fände ich extrem unhöflich.
Und das "Sir" nur deshalb, weil Du ja nie weisst, ob Du wirklich einen "Sir" (Anrede für Adelsmitglieder oder "knights" = Ritter) vor Dir hast.
Sollte ich mich in einer britischen Schlange wirklich mal falsch anstellen und meine Mitmenschen dieses Fehlverhalten bemerken, dann werde ich dieses ins Lächerliche ziehen, die Hand parallel zu meinen Augenbrauen (Suchgeste) legen und das Ende dieser Institution suchen wollen. So weit kommt es noch, das ich aufgrund eines Fehlverhaltens, das immer wieder vorkommen kann, auch noch beleidigt bin. Nicht mit mir!
+danieldaniel Hängt sehr davon ab, wo und warum du jemanden ansprichst, schätze ich. Meine Wegfindungsversuche nach dem Schema "excuse me please, could I bother you for a moment? We're looking for ..." traf jedenfalls immer auf ausgesprochene Freundlichkeit und Hilfsbereitschaft, ganz ohne sir und madam. Aber Experte auf dem Gebiet bin ich nicht.
+metalpit1000
>>das "Du" ist fast schon eine deutsche Erfindung ... kommt aber aus dem lateinischen "tu".
Make a tutorial about how to stand in a queue and how to find the end of it! ;D
I remember when I was at the airport last time, amd they dropped someone in the pool of sharks and it turned out all the sharks are vegans now. That was an akward moment.
hahhaaa this was amazing to watch :) Definitely have similar feelings and questions about where is home. Passing this video along to the Young Germany site!
I live in America and I loved your TSA jab. It was so spot on I started cracking up. Please never stop being amazing.
This was funny, I was really laughing.
a German friend of mine went to the US some weeks ago and she didn't feel like they would welcome her at all as they were instantly asking what she'd want there and when she'd go back again. in fact, she told me, she was already half on the Way to swimming back to Europe because of the unpleasant welcome by the US - Passport Control...
You didn't pay a bill in 2003?! Das BKA ist informiert!
I totaly LOVE your humor and acting :3
Wonderful, thank you for your humour. This had me laughing. I'm in a similar situation. Born in England but lived in South Africa all my life. Now I'm back in England but it just doesn't seem like home to me at all
This guy is soooo amazing! I really enjoy watching his videos sooo much that I sometimes wish I could send him a parcel with a lovely gift in it to say "thank you" for entertaining me!
I hear you.
Even though my cultural conflict is not as evenly distributed as yours, I feel somewhat split down the middle ever since I lived in New Zealand for a while.
There are some concepts over there that I don't get or are still oblivious to, but there are others over here that have become foreign to me ever since my stay abroad.
I would call both places home, but usually I refer to where I live at the time as "home" specifically.
The difference between "Zuhause" and "Heimat" is also an interesting one that might apply to this problem.
:-)
When I arrive at the German passport control I feel always "at home". The stong eyes of the German officer make me feel sure and protected by a well working system. Am I masochistic?
Well, as a foreigner living in London, I can say, it's a mixture of the two. I mean they do queue _outside_ of the bus/train, but as soon as they get in, all hell is loose: Pushing, yelling, elbows, etc.
Regarding the immigration officers, well, depends on the office himself, I guess. Had been stared upon the german way, and been greeted with much cheerfulness. Although never had to confess to anything... :)
Good acting, thank you for this hilarious video.
But fyi, there can't be any trap doors with sharks underneath, because German animal protection law forbids having sharks in a closed space. I don't know, however, how that would be if you're on a ferry.
+Eisi Kater Sea Life Germany doesn't have heard of this law, as they have sharks in pools.
I was born in England and then moved overseas when I was about a week old. At school I was always the foreigner and I've never felt like I belong to any particular country. My cousin, who is not English, has lived in England longer than me and I've lived longer in his native country. Yet I'm the Englishman (at least my English is better, but still).
It really drives home the tribal stupidity behind the idea of countries, borders and "belonging" to a place just because you where born there.
LOL, your queue story was hilarious! Very funny today. I like your kind of humour. MORE!
I have a problem with my origins. I'm German. In sum, I've lived in Germany for 16 years but moved about 3 times within Germany. I have no real connection to where my parents come from, because I never lived there. I was born in the North and moved to the south at a young age, not many years later I spend 12 years in Austria, and I assimilated my dialect to that of the Austrian area I had lived. Today I'm back in Southern Germany. So I have absolutely no idea who I really am. Where I was born? Where I lived the most time, which dialect I speak, where I liked it the best? I consider myself a nomad. At least Bavaria and Austria have similar languages and the cultures are not really so different like between England and Germany. That helps.
+technologywontsaveus I'm from Hamburg and i'm in Mannheim right now. Here building a que will set you behind, because other people just ignore it (that really pissed me off so many times). He lives close to here, so i assume that people in his area also dont understand the que system that the north has. I really wish that people wouldnt fight for beeing the first all the time.. it takes so much of my energy to fight to not be the last all the time.
You shot the sheriff, you let the dogs out... Aber hast du auch die Kokosnuss geklaut?
LargeStupidity what does the German part mean?
The trapdoor with the sharks is real btw.
You've created a masterpiece with this video. Thanks for the laughs!
In the Republic of Ireland, a queue jumper is usually greeted by the phrase "Would you take my grave so quick?"
Haha I think it happened to me twice in Britain that once I stopped somewhere a queue formed immediately behind me.
Nice video. It was really interesting and funny!
I totally agree that living abroad for a long time messes with your brain. In good and bad ways.
During my exchange year I realized that wherever you go you make youself a home. But on the other side you always loose a bit of home somewhere else. A man or woman can only have so much home. As for the passport control: When I came back to Germany after the exchange I was confronted with these kind of policemen. And when flying to Japan people searched for explosives in my notebook. o.O
They really make you wonder if you forgot something really important and are now considered a criminal. But most of them are really kind. They just want law and order around them.
Wunderbar, hab Tränen gelacht.. auf den Punkt getroffen.. DANKE..
I drove across East Germany in 1986. You did a perfect impression of the East German border guards.
Diesen genervten Blick gepaart mit übertrieben lautem Ausatmen kenn ich von meinem ehemaligen Englischlehrer auch. xD Aber ich dachte, das wäre nur eine Angewohnheit von ihm und hatte bisher keine Ahnung, dass das typisch britisch ist. xDDD
This makes me wonder.. Do you then miss the feeling of a clear national identity or is it no great loss? :)
Oh and btw.. Isn't it simply a matter of who you support during a football match? I thought that was how *real* identity was decided in England/Germany. ;)
I laughed at that comment. Yes I think that would be a great way to decide :D
The Oranje is the last team you want to support if you want to remain neutral.
I tell people England against Germany is a game where I cannot lose. I do have mixed feelings. What irritates me, is since I have become German, Germany play like England, and England like Germany. I have this feeling, it is all my fault!
Today England has won against Germany in the womens european championchip final
We had a German student staying with us. He would sometimes ask about some aspect of British life that he didn't get. We would explain it, there would be a little pause, and he would say "of course, in Tchermany,...." and go on to explain how this aspect of life was handled so much better at home.
There is always that extra little something which I enjoy to learn from your videos.
This time, it was the snoot by which the English express their utmost displeasure on something. During my business life, I was travelling a lot to Coventry and other places, but it was not before your video that I remember that expression occasionaly on Englishmen faces, and not just for not queuing (my god, 4 consecutive vowels in a 7-letter word). Now I have seen the light :-)
Thank you very much for helping me to learn, and thank you for being gentle with my English.
Love your channel, mate. I am in the same boat as you. I am originally from London but now I live in Germany with my wife and it never Ceases to amaze me how crappie German traffic lights are one second its red all of a sudden its green stays green for 3 seconds then goes back red they drive me mad and I am always complaining to my wife why it doesn't annoy the Germans probley because they don't know the difference between uk traffic lights and there's have your ever noticed this in your travels back to the UK
You are talking from my heart. I was brought up in schools with hot puddings every day, and in Germany there is Apfelstrudel, and that practically speaking is the end of the list of hot puddings.
On the other hand, in the UK, every time I go there is a new food fad, for something, I have no idea what it is. Now because of covid, I have not been to the UK for nearly 3 years. I wonder whether I still speak the language. I am aware my English has become old fashioned.
Since I'm a foreign german, have family ind the USA and lived for about 1 yeah in the Uk near bristol this whole vid made ma laugh my ass of, since it just reflects what I experienced on my own :D
I did once see an immigration officer tell a British businessman his passport was damaged and if he didn't get a new one they wouldn't let him in next time. The businessman moved on and the immigration officer chuckled to himself.
have you ever gone through us customs? i certainly cannot recall any smiles, only long waits and rude officials. but as a german who has lived abroad the last 20 odd years (uk, us, netherlands and estonia) and wholeheartedly agree with all you have said about the 'home' issue.
It probably depends on the airport. I found them very friendly at Detroit. In San Francisco I got the impression they were stressed from being overworked and understaffed.
I mostly went in and out of Boston, but had similar experiences at Miami and Atlanta (all this was in the early 2000's though, maybe things have changed). They always made me feel unwelcome and under general suspicion. But, granted, German customs official tend to be rather stern faced, but at least I never had to wait 1 hour plus after a long flight to get my passport looked at in Germany.
You should do a video one day why most channels with foreigners talking about living in Germany in english have a large proportion of German viewers, such as myself, and do nationals of other countries also have such an obsession with hearing other's thoughts and opinions about their nation.
Thanks for all the great videos!
This year I went back to my native country Colombia and well leaving towards my destination was a bit of a hazel at La Guardia, they don't want you to have more then two carry-ons so if you do they take then while offering to put it bellow the plane. In Colombia it was long lines at immigration everyone was friendly. Coming back to Miami airport Homeland Security was stern but fast as we did immigration on an automatic system and personnel would later get the paper after the long lines. Other than that it was nice.
2:47 HAHAHAHA! That was a very good accent! You made my ears perk up a bit.
I've not cracked up this hard for long time when you have the passport impression
I prefer the german spirit of being honest and direct^^ a lot of problems can be solved by this way of thinking. Just imagine your freshly married spouse made you cornflakes for breakfeast, you absolutely despise cornflakes but to be polite you don't mention it, your spouse thinks you like cornflakes and starts serving it to you every morning. every time it would be more awkward to mention that you don't like cornflakes and soon you are stuck with eating cornlakes for the rest of your life:P
+Sizano Green That would be japan. Coming to your home and you give them tee.. they tell you its great, but then they never come to your home again, because they are scared that you could give them that type tee again. If you ask, then they feel offended, because they told you that they liked it (even if it wasnt true). Go to their house and bring them a pack of the tee (that you think they liked) and they will never pick up the phone again and you will never find out why. Do not ask.. if you ask nothing will be wrong... just accept that you fucked it up at some point when a japanese person doesnt talk with you anymore. they will never tell you what you did wrong, because they pref to ignore you over facing a problem, because someone could lose her/his face.
DreaMeRHoLic wow, that sounds awfull :/ I have enough trouble trying to deal with social life here...
This is actually an awkward example. Why would you marry someone that you are afraid to talk to?
When I came back to Germany, I had the feeling , not being able to do anything right in my job. In Germany no one says Thank you after having finished a task.
my favorite video of yours yet!
Although as an American, I've not experienced any pleasant immigrations officials, as a matter of fact, I usually get the 3rd degree when returning to the US. I find US officials more scary than any country so far. I've only been through German immigration once, and yes, it was exactly like you described (Frankfort).
Keep up the good work, your video on German road signs helped a lot two weeks ago when I was driving through Bavaria!
:D I wanna live where you live. OUR busses stop working once there's an inch of snow on the road. Honestly, we have a bus line driving from Wolfsburg to Brunswick in ~54 minutes (if it's sunny but not too hot, not much traffic, no red traffic lines, not many people wanting to get in or out and the driver's in a good mood), at least that's what the schedule is saying. But actually there are times in winter, summer, and to any other time, you need 30 -90 minutes MORE. Especially in winter!
But I love your british punishment. Actually we TRY this as well. But it never works.
Haha, die Zombie Apocalypse bei der Passkontrolle. :D Du bist genial. Abonniert.
I travel almost 5 times a week in other countries.
//School in Luxembourg, work in Belgium, Friends in France and (Home) in Germany,...//
But the only time, when I got into a Passport-control was in GB. I was so afraid that something was wrong :`D
+airwater That's because Britain is not in the Schengen area: the other countries you mention are.
Have you ever thought about community theatre? That was brilliant!
I take it back, a full fledged acting career!
I absolutely love watching your videos
I always stay in the que even if there is none xD Especially at bus stops. Greetings from Hagen in NRW.
Well, your humor is definitely british, and i love it. 😁😁😁😁 About queueing: There's a swiss german word that sounds pretty similar: "qöie". It's a swearing word for standing around instead of getting in gear. I'm pretty sure it's just a false friend, but i like the idea, that the queuers should go on faster and the queue jumper has the right to do so. After all, the queuers can sleep behind you as well as in front of you, can't they? 😏😏 I hardly ever use public transport though, so the problem doesn't touch me anyway.
Haha! I haven't laughed this hard in a while :D "Yes, I shot the sheriff, I let the dogs out" :D
it's funny because we have bus queue in Canada too, and if you cut the queue, you're dead and will join the zombies in Germany.. ahah!
Oh YES it is so true!! I'm half Swiss and Austrian! I can feel you so much.
Very interesting to see your videos, even as a german.
So you are an englishman in Germany, a legal alien so to speak. Do you have a walking cane at your side? ;-)
Well... when long-haired me, dressed all in black, took a lot of short trips with a (much more normal looking) friend to Britain in the 90s, British customs didn't fail to pull over our car even once. Passport inspection took up to 10 minutes, and in the meantime our luggage and the car got thoroughly searched. On occasion they'd even bring over the sniffer dog.
So, not only German customs can be... challenging ;)
I have the same problem, born in poland but moved with my parents to germany when i was 3. but still visiting poland every vacation, learned the language, having polish friends etc. makes me wonder what to answer if somebody asks me "where are you from?"
haha I have the same experience living in the South (Alabama), coming from Idaho but growing up in California. Not to the same degree, but yes it happens here too.
A lot od Brish firnd of me always ask to visit the local christmas market - i do not like Glühwein and Punch and hate Christams markets.But only my British friends insist on visitng one. As i discovered, there was only the intension to get closer to some drunken German gils.
Well, there is actually a queue for the bus. I think.
Brilliant! I love this video! Thanks a lot.
thatks very much for the laugh ^^ that video was much more funny as I expected it to be
I accidentally ignored the queue a couple of times in Glasgow but nothing happened, they smiled and gave way. When I asked later on, sitting in the bus to the lady who happened to be by my side, she said "well, you're not from here, are you?".
Great video! this is your best work yet!
2:56 Definitely relatable, you hand them your passport, they look at it and you for about 200 seconds and then say "here......." and give me back the passport. At least the queues are tiny, unlike Britain. But in Britain you don't even have to speak to a passport control officer anymore because of e-Passport stuff.
great vid, you took the words right out of my mouth...
Great video as always
Nice to see a german tell others about Germany! I like this stuff, and just that you know it: i'm a german.
I'm wondering why did you move to Germany if you don't like beer and also how did you survive in Britain if you don't wanna drink tea xD
+rewboss And since I have lived in 3 countries, the feeling of being nowhere and somewhere home plus multiple culture shock feels odd each time I travel around. I enjoyed this video!
Your Videos are amazing
I'm born in Poland but living now for years in Germany. And as soon as I got my German citizenship I defined myself as a German (Silesian for ever :P). When I'm in Poland and want to say something about Germany I say "back home" for Germany. But in Germany I say "Those in Poland" like I'm not related to that at all :). Well, everyone is unique.
Geniales Video hat mir sehr gefallen :)
Yeah the thing here is, that there isn’t such a unofficial ruel, that means you need to be kind while work. It is clear to everybody, they also have a life, maybe a hard one and yes I also maybe rant about some unkind workers but in the end it's just life and nobody want's to overplay it. Like you say in a diffrent video, it feeling fake then, and we don't like that. But in this case it feels very nice when you talk to a person you notice he/she is nice to you not 'cause he/she need it to be.
Well, you obviously still know how to tut! ;)
Nice American accent! Do you have trouble adjusting to driving on the left side of the road when you return to the UK?
Those eyebrow expressions
Great stuff!
Haha, this is too funny, they really look that way!
The cheery US persona is there only for foreigners. Once you enter the country, every civil service member with a desk basically turns into the sort of grumpy German you are describing. The DMV (to get your driver's license) is the most subject to lampooning in comedy bits.
Complicated issue very well illustrated. It's especially true that what you remember is not your "home country" as it is, but as it was X years ago, when you left.
Haha....I can totally relate to that. Just the other way round when I lived in Brighton. Although I never heard of "Spotted dick" and I am afraid to google it :)
I think you are more German, as that means we have one cool guy more. :-)
LOL. Genial. Absolutely genial!
The last time a had an inch of snow in England I was in a men's room in some shady club in Manchester
Bristol really hit you deep. #Bristols2015
2:45 telling me you've never been to America without telling me you've never been to America
Spot on about the German customs officials!!
I travelled to the USA twice and have never received a smile, fake or not.
Instead i got the impression that every foreigner is considered a terrorist until having successfully passed the immigration check.
That precise check of your biometric facial features can also be encountered throughout eastern europe, Asia ... it's pretty much universal.
+unci narynin It's terrific how America changed since 9/11... Regardless of that, never had a problem with INS and DHS either... We've traveled 10,000 mls from the early 90s to 2011.. I want to see America again...
***** That was on the exit from the 'international section' of the airport (after which I had to take a bus to another terminal and check in again). Detroit Airport is a depressing place. Of course you can only leave the airport after having passed "immigration check" which seems to be much stricter for some travellers on a random basis (or maybe because they don't travel with family, don't have a business partner to visit, or come from questionable places, who knows).
***** Inland flight? I thought you were free to come and go without check then.
I have never seen an open smile at border control anywhere in the world. It seems to be universal law that the first face we get to see upon entering a country is the somber expression of a very serious border guard. I wouldn't judge actual people from detroit for that because i don't know any. I'm aware of the economical hardships in the city/region.
it's just like this in the worst case! Today it's more casual and the german thoroughness is not, what it used to be, unfortunatly sometimes.
Have any seen the elbow Fights in indian trains?
3:00 - 3:09 absolutely hilarious!
Ich finde den bösen deutschen Zeigefinger schlimmer als da britische "Tssss"
I'm Romanian and I never had any bad experiences with the German customs official. It was quite pleasant actually.
I am vorn in Germany, but i dont consider me as german, but as European. Problem solved.
+Jaeckex Have you ever lived for more than three months in a different country?
#rekt
*****
When you try to integrate into a different society, even one close to you, you realise just how diverse we really are.
Actually, what I was arguing against was the assertion that by identifying as "European" I solve the issue of cultural differences.
To be sure, there are cultural differences within a country as well, often surprisingly large. But they're less of a problem, because usually the people within that country have been exposed to the same mass media, are governed by the same political system and have had the same (or very nearly the same) education.
+rewboss yeah, i was about to mention this. every european country is a bit different. probably why there are so many conflicts in europe in general.
Rewboss: My sincere and heartfelt apologies
Me: *remembers the video where Rewboss explains that British people usually say exactly the opposite of what they mean*
Me: 0.0
Nothing beats a British scowl.
I am German who lived in the United States for many years. In 2006, I repatriated myself to Germany because I got homesick every time I thought about Germany and when returning to the US after holidaying in Germany. I had completely forgotten about the American way of life until I flew to Texas for my late best friend's funeral. Even though I was 'away' for almost two years, I experienced a severe case of cultural shock once I alighted in Texas. I didn't realise how much it hurt to smile all the time and to greet back at the pathologically obsequious Americans. I felt annoyed when the waiters and sales associates helicoptered over me, asking me if I need anything and whether everything was all right. I forgot how bad the Americans, especially Texans, drove on the highways as if they are ultimately entitled to drive however and wherever they wanted.
Of course, I complained about some of things in Germany and about how Americans got it right, especially the customer service at the stores, three-month notice for moving out and cancelling contracts, 14-day return period, and, oh, my god, notorious Kafkaesque bureaucracy.
Granted, the past ten years have seen lot of changes here in Germany than the previous thirty years. For example, we now have 800 toll-free numbers, flat rate telephone calls and Internet access, coffee to go, ridiculous amount of television channels to choose from, air-conditioning in trains and public buses, widespread use of credit cards (Aldi, Lidl, Netto, etc.), and so forth.
+InTeCredo You must have a rather short memory. Seems to me that you guys have seen our less than obsequious side and didn't like it much.
+Scott Currier Nah, I guess you haven't moved or lived in other countries for more than six months then came back home. You'd be surprised at how much you 'forget' about the life back at home.
My friends, colleagues, and relatives who went to other countries for studies, job transfers, or whatever the reason told me the same thing when they visited or came back to their home countries after a long period of time away.
My close friend who's American travelled extensively in the southeastern Asia for more than a year, helping the deaf people. He came back to his hometown in Rochester, New York and experienced the same thing. It took him several months to settle back in his American life.
So there...
+InTeCredo Good afternoon, you're correct, I haven't lived in other countries so I can't appreciate culture shock or fully understand it. I don't think that we drive as bad as you describe or were are pathologically obsequious. On the highway we are not as good as you Germans in getting out of the way for fast traffic coming up behind us. As for friendliness, I think we are pretty good and friendliness in my view makes things more enjoyable. I'd have a hard time in a place where people were too business like and were not friendly. Have a nice weekend coming up.
+InTeCredo yup. I was stationed in Germany for three years, and when I got back home (in Rochester NY as well), it did seem a bit odd when I first got back. but being back stateside was odd enough already...you don't expect it when u get back "home". nothing like feeling like a foreigner in your hometown
+Kosch Koff when my sister took her driving test in Mississippi, all she had to do was drive around the block without scaring the inspector.....
its true, the german border police are pretty weird. However (I am underage) every time I go to britain the policemen interview me to check in case ive run away from home or smthing. It once caused me to miss my train in gatwick so i got really annoyed...