The typical challenges of living in Germany

The constant pressure of having to lead a perfect life:

Germans’ love for discipline and a well-structured life is well-known. It is also generally very practical and a convenient to live by that standard.

But the constant pressure to be part of this process can be a stressful thing. Every little situation and process in life is broken down into smaller parts and a brainstorming is done on it, so that you can structure it and define a process on how to manage it. This is stressful as you are never ever relaxed. This is one of the reasons Germans themselves love to spend their vacations in relaxing countries that have a laid-back attitude.

Driving, in general:

Having a driver's license in Germany opens doors to enjoy our Autobahns. Yes, driving fast is arguably a lot of fun and an awesome feeling.

But that also comes with a great deal of stuff, which you need to cope up with:

Even at 250 km/h you are under constant pressure to see whether someone might overtake you. So, drive with high concentration and perfection.

On a Landstraße/Bundestrasse, the driving limit is max. 100 km/h. If you are driving at 90 km/h, be prepared to find that there might be irritated drivers behind you. You are not violating any rule by driving 90 km/h, but you are irritating a handful of drivers behind you because you are not using the road efficiently. You are expected to drive at maximum speed limit all the time.

Yes, the pressure for max. efficiency in every part of life is real— and unavoidable. So much, that it can be tedious!

Formal language and people:

In the initial days of my learning German, when my teacher used to teach me a normal conversation, I would constantly ask him, "Why are you teaching German out of a book? Can't you teach me a conversation which is useful to me in real life?" His answer was, "This is how a regular conversation takes place in Germany."

This stems from the fact that, although in many countries there is a huge gap between written and spoken language, whereby the written language is generally formal and the spoken is informal, and despite German does have "Sie" and "du" distinctions, the whole of German society is extremely formal anyway.

This can be a real pressure as you are constantly forced to focus on the conversation and adhere to the underlying rhetoric of conversing in the German way.

Baby friendly environment:

This is a huge topic in on itself.

Does Germany have baby friendly laws for new parents? Yes, indeed.

Does Germany have baby friendly parks/playgrounds? Yes.

Does Germany have baby friendly toilets/diaper rooms everywhere? Yes, it does.

Does Germany have baby friendly people? Well, now this is quite debatable!

Although nothing is outspoken against crying or loud babies, you do get constant rude looks from strangers, especially from older women. This is quite visible in all public places like trains, restaurants, etc. Sometimes even in few residential buildings. I have seen couples vacating houses because they had a neighbour with a crying baby.

Of course, babies cry: that's the only way they know how to verbally communicate their needs (before formal language sets in, of course).

This is a widely acknowledged problem even from German colleagues, as all the new parents including Germans seek out a house in a neighbourhood which is specifically baby-friendly.

This is a cultural upbringing difference where Germans encourage babies to soothe themselves by not consoling them, whereas in few countries it is quite unimaginable to let the baby cry on its own, even though the parents might be around. In some countries, even strangers try to help the crying baby by distracting/any other means possible. In Germany new (less experienced) parents are left on their own to deal with the situation all by themselves when the whole surroundings are frightfully calm.

Informing early on of any change of plans:

Late for an appointment because of a traffic jam? Inform others early!

Can't make it on time for a hotel check-in? Inform others early enough!

Early warning for anything that doesn't go according to plan is expected so that others are made aware of your predicament, and so that they can adjust their schedules, or in order to meet your changes.

Yes, this helps 90 percent of the time, and it does admittedly make life easier for all! I agree.

But we are discussing the challenges here! Yes, the dark side on this point is that it is technically impossible to stick to this rule 100 per cent of the time, and you still need a touch of human emotion to understand the rest (the other 10 percent, per se).

I shall explain what I mean with a firsthand example:

A couple of years ago, my wife and I went to Venice (Italy) for a vacation and the flight got delayed. The airport where Ryanair could land was also far away. By the time we had landed, the hotel was about to close; except, I couldn't reach anyone by phone to inform them that I was coming late.

It was midnight when we reached our hotel. Nobody was around. We had to wait until a few people came (who already had key to their rooms) and could get in through the front door with permission. Still no room. I looked around the reception table, verified my name, noted down the room number, found our keys, and did a self-check-in.

The next day, early morning, I went to reception and explained the situation, and they had no issues with it. They were fine with what I had done.

Now, even after living 14 years in Germany, I can't imagine this situation happening in Germany. I would get scorned if I did the same here.

Guys, stop trying to make sure you have absolutely every life situation under your control! Have some understanding for unpredictability— and see things for which you don't have control humanely. And no, not everyone wants to rob or cheat you, not everyone acts irrationality, either. Give it some thought first; if the reason for changes is genuine, just accept it!