So I've been in Germany for over a year now. I know it's not all that long a time, but still an opinion can form within seconds so a year is not that impulsive. What I like and dislike about Germany. Actually more like what I like & dislike about the place in Germany where I stay and work.
Obviously none of these would be applicable to other parts of Germany or to anyone else besides me.
Likes:
Climate - After staying in an extremely hot and humid climate for years, the climate and weather in Germany is way more than just a welcome change. Yes, I like rain, overcast, cloudy, windy, snowy. Winter is refreshing. Why and when the hell did "bright and sunny" became the definition of 'beautiful weather? Rain is serene. And I couldn't care less if you can't go out when it rains. I can.
Autobahn - No :( I've not yet driven on it. But I will. I will... Einige Teil in der Autobahn haben keine Geschwindigkeitsbegrenzung. Achtung Baby! And yes I constructed that sentence myself... with help from the teacher :P But wait.. I got only "haben" and "der" wrong.
Trees - Yes not a big deal you may think. But in Chennai and many other cities in India they replace trees with concrete or tar. I hate it so much I cannot express what I want to do those who cut trees here. There is lots of greenery here.
Cars - :D Can't stop grinning. Porsche, Mercedes, Audi, Volkswagen, BMW as common almost as common as Santro in India!! Didn't see any Bugatti Veyron though :P and missing is the Corvette ZR1 for eye candy.
Public Transport - Sure they tax about 50% of what you earn, and the trains are pretty expensive but still I don't mind. They have pretty good local trains, buses and trams. The taxis are expensive but for an emergency it's a reassuring backup. One can get along pretty well without a car here. The place where I like is very conveniently placed: supermarket, bus stop, train station, post office, the Rathaus and Auslaenderamt (local authority office and foreigner office), haircut saloon, bank, everything within a 10 or 12 minute walking distance and _yet_ it's not all that heavily populated.
Rooftops - Well they all over Europe, but these pointy roofed houses are a lot more interesting and uniform than flat tops.
Work - I really enjoy working here, no cubicles! Plus people here don't ask irrelevant questions at work (well or anywhere else for that matter). The exact opposite of 99% of Indian IT work places.
Credit cards - Unlike the US, credit cards here are not forced on you.
Dislikes:
Some of the things I dislike about Germany so far.
Food - Being a vegetarian here isn't that much fun. A couple of the vegetarian meals I get at work are pretty nice but for the most part even the Indian run restaurant and pizza places are by no means anywhere close to retaining the Indian taste. To be completely honest the food in Lufthansa was more enjoyable than the Biryani here (despite asking persistently to make it spicy/hot). I could probably travel for a couple of hours and find a more authentic Indian restaurant but clearly Germany isn't the best place for vegetarians unless maybe you're in some city like Frankfurt.
Sundays - As boring as Germany on a Sunday. Open the shops! I work on weekdays. I need food when I oversleep on Saturday and cannot buy grocery before you wonderful folks close up on Saturday afternoons. I also would like to relax at home on Saturday and shop on Sunday. But no I can't. The joy of weekend is completely sucked out. Everything must be done on Saturday :( The gas stations are open on Sundays but all you can get there are former pigs and cows sandwiches.
Houses without lights - I just don't get this. Houses here are rented without any lights with gaping holes in the ceiling with live wires hanging out. Seriously who the heck cares about fancy lighting? The few that do would know how to replace them. Please rent houses with lights. It's a real pain when you move in.
Cut! Take Pizza - Does anyone ever eat pizza without cutting it? I have to spend 10 minutes sawing my pizza with the shitty sorry excuse of a "knife" that you give me while it becomes cold. Even in the pizza places they give pizza without cutting it.
Garbage disposal - Unlimited internet, limited garbage disposal. Well locally. Eight Households, one paper disposal bin. Thanks. Disposal _is_ really efficient and orderly here and people are very disciplined in disposing garbage. But if you're without a car I'm stuck with the elaborate moving & IKEA packaging. I cannot just keep them outside the house and expect the truck would pick it up. I need to take it to some local recycling plant and put it there or take the effort to shred them into tiny pieces and sneak them into the paper disposal. Also disposing glass can't be put in the bins nearby. Yeah I can be lazy sometimes.
Conclusion:
Overall it's pretty good here. The complaints and dislikes are more of pet peeves and personal gripes.
Hmm.. Home sweet home! Can't wait to visit India :)
