Life in Germany made the crew sigh that the real experience was extraordinary
I always thought that the German life was luxurious, with BMW and Mercedes in every household, but when I actually walked into their lives, I realized that German life is not as glamorous as we thought.
You know, Germany is an industrial power, but also a developed country. On the surface, the people here live well, but in reality, their lives are not so luxurious.
I often see Germans in Hamburg and Bremen, and I get to know them in depth each time. Although I don't know much about life in Germany, I at least know a lot more about it than the tourists who are on the go.
The real life of the Germans, sometimes makes me feel sad and even sympathize with them.
The longest period I've ever been in Germany was two and a half months in 2016. During that time, I gained a deeper understanding of Germany. There is a big gap between the description of reality and the web.
That year, our ship was repaired in Germany. For crews, repairing the ship is the last thing they want to do, especially in China. This will make you tired**.
In China, workers always want you to help, even if their work has nothing to do with you, they will still pull you along, this is the working style of Chinese workers.
In Germany, however, it was different, where local ship repairers came on board to make repairs, and there was no concern for our crews at all. They don't need our crew to help, and they don't need our crew to supervise them.
When we repair a ship in Germany, it was as if we were in a holiday resort. Many colleagues even choose to stay in local hotels to enjoy their time to the fullest. That holiday, I stayed in Germany for more than two months, playing, dining, and living with the locals.
I was impressed by the German way of life and it was a valuable life experience. In order to make it easier to travel in the local area, I asked the locals about how to get on the bus and how to apply for a bus card.
Unexpectedly, the fare in Germany is very cheap, and you only need to charge a 50 euro bus card, and you can use it for a year. I even suspected at first that I had misheard, that 50 euros would be worth a year?
When I saw the introduction of the bus card, I was even more surprised that there was a fare for one euro to fly.
I was amazed by the advertising of the whole trip to Greece on Saturday in Germany, which was like sitting from one province to another. I found that the Germans have a unique mode of transportation, where every family can afford a BMW, but chooses to ride a bicycle to work and get around.
Unlocked bicycles are everywhere on the roadside, as if they don't have owners, but in reality, thieves don't exist in Germany. I think if these bikes were in the country, they might have disappeared a long time ago.
Although the Germans lived a rich life, they were very frugal. It's not that they can't afford a BMW, but they find it more affordable to ride a bike. The German way of frugality is everywhere in life.
My colleague and I went to a local square to play, and around the corner, we also saw a large flea market, which is what we call a second-hand market in China.
The new copy retains the original core idea of frugality in the German mode of transportation and lifestyle. At the same time, the new copy is also smoother and easier to read.
There is a clear difference between the second-hand market in China and the second-hand market in Germany. In contrast, China's second-hand market is quieter and has fewer volumes. The second-hand market in Germany, on the other hand, is more like a lively market, where locals often bring valuable old items that they no longer need at home, ask the owner to estimate the price, and then exchange the goods on the grounds.
The way of exchange can be either equivalent to the exchange, or you can exchange for something you need and make up the difference. It is worth noting that the Germans traded on the second-hand market were all undamaged or still valuable.
This practice is similar to the trade-in of our domestic electric vehicles, mobile phones and other products. Although Germany is a moderately developed country, their practice fully reflects their clear thinking in life and the concept of material reuse, and truly realizes the use value of commodities.
Germany's free healthcare system is an enviable benefit, but the reality is that most Germans do not receive free medical care when they get sick with a cold. When locals get sick with a cold, they usually make an appointment with their family doctor on their mobile phones and wait at home.
This waiting time can be as long as a week, or even a month or two. This phenomenon puzzled me and made me see the regrets of the free medical system in Germany.
Although Germans have access to free medical care, this waiting time can worsen the condition.
If you are patient, perhaps while waiting, the body's self-healing power will bring you to a healthy state. If you are impatient, you may need to go to a private hospital.
While public hospitals in Germany are free, private hospitals are expensive. Private hospitals do not need to wait in line, they can go directly to the doctor, and they can recover two days after prescribing the medicine.
You may be surprised that in a country with a population of less than 100 million, there are so many hospitals, and they are slow to see patients. Therefore, I think that Germany has been able to develop to this point because it has really experienced human suffering, and the local residents may not be happy living in Germany.
In Germany, I met a German who works freely, which is difficult to do in Chinese companies and enterprises at the moment.
In Germany, employees are highly motivated to work, with a stable working time of 6-8 hours a day, and leaving work on time is the norm. Overtime is extremely rare here, and employees have the right to complain about mandatory overtime unless the company has unfinished work that requires you to voluntarily stay.
Moreover, if the employee voluntarily works overtime, in addition to paying high overtime pay, the company also needs to apply for a certificate to explain to the inspection agency that you voluntarily work overtime and pay overtime wages in accordance with the regulations.
In addition, Germany has a unique rule that if you voluntarily stay and work overtime, then your boss will also need to work overtime with you. Such a rule ensures that when employees work overtime voluntarily, the boss cannot force them to leave, and the employee can feel comfortable putting to work.
Germans have a good habit of automatically cutting off contact with the outside world and enjoying their own personal time as soon as it's time to get off work. In general, employees in Germany are highly motivated, but they attach great importance to work-life balance, and the company also pays attention to the protection of employees' rights and interests, encourages employees to complete tasks efficiently during working hours, and also respects employees' personal time.
In Germany, they have very clear boundaries between life and work. Once they get into the break, they leave their work behind them, and even the company's urgent projects don't go unnoticed by them.
This is because they want to be able to get rid of the stress of work and enjoy a quiet time during their usual breaks. While at work, Germans are usually efficient, they are able to complete tasks ahead of schedule, and they leave work early without interference.
In some projects, if you can complete the task within a week, you can even choose to rest at home for the rest of the time, but the salary will continue as usual. Regarding wages, although the salary level in Germany is relatively low, the salary of a project manager is about 2,000-3,000 euros, about 14,000-21,000 yuan, but this is enough to maintain their daily life.
Although in developed countries, the wages of Germans are in the middle or even lower middle level, through the past ten years of sailing experience, I found that the average income of ordinary employees in Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and France shows that the average income of a supermarket cashier is about 7,000 yuan in Germany, 7,500-8,200 yuan in the Netherlands, 8,600 yuan in the United Kingdom, and 8,000 yuan in France.
For bank workers, the income in Germany is about 15,000 yuan, the income in the Netherlands is about 21,000 yuan, the income in the United Kingdom is about 30,000 yuan, and the income in France is about 20,000-25,000 yuan.
Finally, the basic income of a port pilot is about 45,000 yuan in Germany, 49,000 yuan in the Netherlands, 58,000 yuan in the United Kingdom, and 52,000 yuan in France.
Overall, the data reveals the difference in salary levels between Germany and other developed countries.
Wages in Germany are relatively low in developed countries, but this does not mean that jobs are not secure. German trade unions provide strong protection for employees, if the company's wages are unfair, employees can immediately file a complaint with the union, and if they are discovered, the company will face serious fines or even closure.
Therefore, in Germany, companies must ensure that employees are paid adequate wages. While China's trade unions provide similar services, we still hope that bosses in China will respect and protect their workers from maliciously defaulting on wages.
In Germany, even if you are laid off, you will not be unemployed. This is because you have taken out insurance while you are in the company, and the company will pay you unemployment benefits for one year, also known as wage support.
The amount of the grant is half of your previous year's salary and needs to be paid each month. If you are still unemployed after a year, the local employer will help you find a suitable job.
If you are not willing to accept the job, they will continue to provide you with a basic living allowance, which is why it is difficult to see homeless people in Germany. During my time in Germany, I was particularly impressed by the shopping.
Even though people online have mixed reviews of shopping here, my real-life experience was fantastic.
Many bloggers claim that prices in Germany are cheap and of reliable quality, but I visited 11 supermarkets and didn't feel the obvious cheapness. For example, a kilogram of tomatoes costs 16 yuan, and a kilogram of grapes costs 22 yuan, which is even more expensive than our domestic **.
Cheap, really cheap? Then we have to mention German dairy products and wine. A liter of milk costs 15 yuan, a carton of cheese costs 10 yuan, and a can of Aptamil milk powder costs only 110 yuan, which is much cheaper than the domestic one.
A domestic can of the same number of Aptamil milk powder sells for 270-360 yuan. The same is true for wine, a 12-year-old bottle of Chivas Regal costs 140 yuan, while in China it costs about 210 yuan, not to mention the problem of the authenticity of domestic goods.
After spending some time in a German home, I realized that their level of consumption was not high. Compared to the Chinese, their purchasing power seems to be slightly insufficient. In addition, the Germans seem to lack some taste for life.
Their lives are relatively simple, and there are no common leisure activities such as late-night snacks and drinking parties. Most Germans go home after work and rarely go outside.
It's hard to see people on the streets of Germany. Except for the occasional vehicle on the outskirts, it's hard to see groups of people out for a walk at other times.
The pace of life in Germany is smooth and orderly, and the city streets are quiet and quiet at night. Even in the hotel, the number of nights is not large. Even on weekends, Germans prefer to stay at home, spend time with their families or go out together.
In Germany, local shops usually open late in the morning, close early in the afternoon, and there are almost no small shops open in the evening, with only a few supermarkets open 24 hours a day.
The young and the old live in relatively independent circles, with the elderly having their own way of life, while the younger ones are less likely to live with their parents, who also respect the independent life of the young.
Although they are separate families, this has not affected the family relationship between families. The experience of living in Germany is enjoyable overall, but there are some habits that can surprise people.
Although the Germans live in developed countries, their quality of life is not as good as that of the Chinese people, and their lives are dull and lacking in human feelings. Especially affected by Russian gas restrictions, prices have continued to increase in recent years, living pressure has increased significantly, and the quality of life has declined significantly.
In contrast, although the Chinese work hard, their hard-working characteristics are admirable. In China, people live a colorful life, enjoy good food and happy times, and live a prosperous life.