🇺🇸 ~> 🇩🇪

I mentioned in a prior cast that it has been rough, going back from the western centers (SF, NYC) to Berlin, Germany. 

Some of you asked why and what has been rough, so here are some observations

🧵

Founder /kiwi-news, a decentralized Hacker News

Coming from a village, my take had always been that Berlin is a huge and stressful city. But stepping out of the plane after a month of being in SF, Denver and NYC, Berlin felt like a town. People walk slowly, it‘s green, clean, safe and less noisy than I remembered. I‘m ngl, it felt a bit stale at first.

Bringing some American attitude with me, I noticed that it is possible to have some German small talk with strangers too. But people here are less nice (or respectful?) and they don‘t mind being direct when they notice something about you. They‘ll mock you a little and I need to grow thicker skin again.

☀️⛅️ Tangentially, Berlin is still fucking cold and the weather is awful. NY, Boston, Denver and SF all seemed to have really great weather and lots of sun.

I mean I can now literally tell that there is MUCH less sun by the „blueness of the light“ it is fucking nuts. https://i.imgur.com/1KLkVvB.jpg

The above map is so crazy, I can barely believe it. 
But anyways, a big reason why I spent a month in the US for the second winter in a row is that I felt quite sun deprived. 
So it doesn‘t surprise me that many major cities in the US are far more southern than Berlin. I literally felt it on my skin.

Then, I mean there are some more subtle changes. While traveling, I obviously was light on responsibility. E.g. no filing of taxes, no mandatory taking care of property, no conflicts, etc. 
I felt more free and light. 
Coming back home, the rigid structures that bring stability can also feel a bit oppressive.

Another thing I immediately noticed is the difference in European/German attitudes. Germans aren‘t used to striking up conversations with strangers in public and there is no stigma with „being yourself“ in service. It can feel quite depressing when you‘re not constantly treated nicely in shops.

Hmm, Berlin never felt stressful to me, and I grew up in a village of 15 people in Eastern Europe 😀 Maybe not speaking German saved me from feeling stressed. I fell in love in Berlin during my 2 week holidays and moved there as soon I could, and loved it for almost 5 years, then Covid killed the city IMO.