Pros and cons of living in Germany

I'm Indian national working in Germany for 4 years. here are the pros and cons of being here:

PROS

1. GREAT, EASY, AFFORDABLE Public transportation is an exaggeration. It's amazing and fast. No need for cars.
2. NO RACISM -I'm a man of colour and thick accent so far I've never faced any discrimination. It's advisable though to stay clear of seedy bars -any area where losers and louts hang out should be avoided in general. Why invite trouble when you can avoid it safely? There is also no discrimination in workplace. I was just promoted twice so far based on merit alone.
3. Many Germans speak English -if not fluently, they wouldn't ostracize you for not being able to speak German fluently. Most of them are "kool". In fact, it pays to be a perpetual foreigner - people are always considerate and understanding.
4. Great place for research and career development -Germany has produced 76 Noble Prize winners. It is the R&D capital of All Europe. Anyone with the remotest interest in Science and Technology would find Germany is heaven, just after the USA.
5. Work culture is fast, efficient and creative.
6. People are friendly and not cold and distant as someone mentioned. Well, it may depend on your own individual attitudes. I never felt shunned by anyone because of cultural differences. Most Germans seem much more polite, considerate and proper in comparison to my own Indians who claim to be warm but are usually rude and intrusive.
7. People are very understanding of my own dietary preferences: As an Indian Hindu, I'm a vegetarian who doesn't smoke, drink alcohol and rather a puritaniacal lifestyle. It does not prevent me from socializing with those who indulge in things. Most people I meet have shown an inclination to be vegetarian. I'm also a member at ISKCON Krishna worshipping mission and a majority of our members are Germans and other Europeans.

CONS OF LIVING IN GERMANY

None. And I am being very serious. Germany is the best country to live in Europe followed by Italy (which I also like very much because of its unique culture).

Crawling Insect 23 Feb 2008, 08:38 - Report