Language is always the key to get closer to people. If you know how to communicate, you are a part of the community. You found a new home.

Little hint for you guys from me as a librarian. Go to (smaller) public libraries to make contact. Libraries are open spaces for every one, it's mostly a relaxed situation, even with other customers, and the staff is used to people who has any kind of questions and is willing to help, if they're able to (language barrier). Many of them offer nowadays a little reading cafe section. So, give it a try 😉 Greetings from a small town near Berlin 😎

About getting closer to the germans and maybe making friends. Dear foreigners, please make the first step. Just ask for help for example. Most germans don't like to talk to strangers in a deeper way without a good reason. But we're very open about helping someone, so this could be a good first step. And maybe choose a relaxed situation, like in a cafe instead of a busy street. Because maybe the people are just in a rush. And if you really met someone, who isn't willing to talk to you, don't think immediately that it is your fault. Maybe they just don't feel comfortable to talk in a foreign language. Cause we don't like to do stuff, when we're not good at it 😉 Greetings from a small town near Berlin 😎

As a German I can confirm that I don't feel welcomed in Germany.

It is a complex situation and can't be adequately discussed in a few words of a short interview. A couple of factors not mentioned in this video are the economic and social order situations of the country. I went to Germany, Switzerland, and Austria for work in law and medicine during a time of economic anxiety after the reunification. I spoke German adequately (C1 level) and was culturally savvy for the most part. I knew the poetry of Goethe and Schiller and the music of Schubert better than some Germans. I had an American passport, but I am Taiwanese, i.e., genetically Asian and Austronesian, and looked Asian, foreign, and to the minds of many Germans, definitely like a criminal asylum seeker trying to take advantage of their welfare system. In more than one instance, I heard their economic anxiety transformed into xenophobic paranoia. The hostility I encountered was shocking at times. I was physically attacked and slightly injured a couple of times: completely unjustified random attacks with no provocation on my part. I have revisited Germany again more recently right before Trump's presidency and found the atmosphere completely changed. It was almost as if America and Germany had switched with each other, that the Germans had become tolerant, liberal Americans, and that the Americans had become xenophobic Germans. The state of the economy and social order and stability cannot be the only factors, but they should not be discounted. The current debate on immigration needs to take into account both the moral need for tolerance and the realistic need for social order and economic well-being. In general, all human beings could be less racist in speech, manners, and actions, but at the same time, national policies need to be practical and take into consideration crime, unemployment, and poverty figures. Ideally, we should all try to be tolerant. But you cannot ask a society anxious over economy and stability to pay attention only to morality. Immigration needs to be carefully controlled, orderly, and practical. At the same time, people need to learn to treat each individual as an individual and not treat all foreigners as criminals.

thank you for doing this!! very insightful

Maybe try and go to other cities other than Munich. It would be interesting to see what people have to say elsewhere. The title does say “do foreigners feel welcomed in Germany?” Not just Munich

I welcome those friendly and well educated people in Germany. Sure, it takes time to get used to the culture and language is key so I would recommend everyone to learn German as fast as possible. Otherwise you end up like some people from Turkey who have been living in Germany for 2 or 3 generations but are still not well integrated. The other day I went to the opera and there were Turkish subtitles. Shocking.

In my opinion- I and the other foreigners i talk to seem to share the same sentiment. Foreigners feel "welcomed" in germany...but not "welcome" (the physical act vs. the attitude). if youre in higher education or high up STEM jobs, you will not have a bad experience. but foreigners of mid to low socioeconomic classes and men especially have a much harder time here. germans strongly prefer to keep circles, company and association of only other german friends(usually long term ones from childhood OR germans from same region), and those who are willing to make friends with foreigners have fully multiculti circles. so you end up seeing either fully german or multiculti groups, this doesnt help pull foreigners into the german culture. you really feel this unwelcomeness when you "infiltrate" a german space😆 germans also have a tendency to explore other cultures in a very superficial/safe way- germany LOVES italian food. but when germans say they love exploring the foreign italian culture, they mean that they like 1) the food 2) the men/women 3) the language the dating stuff for foreigner (men) is a dumpster fire, nothing needs to be said

I get that it can be difficult to integrate into a new country but as German I‘m asking myself if the “feeling unwelcome“ part is really our fault or just an assumption from foreigners who come from different cultures who either are not able to integrate or refuse to integrate bc it’s more comfortable to live among their own peers in Germany (which I understand). I don’t really care what every individual is doing as long as they’re working and following our laws. But people who choose to live in a parallel society (like they already exist in Germany) should not complain about it.

I am from the UK (also half italian) and I have been living in germany for 4 years now in Bodensee. I would say people are generally welcoming but at a distance. They will not make an effort to be your friend or help you integrate. Having said that, I have never felt unwelcome. The biggest difficulty is the cultural change. There are many but I would say germans are very quiet people. An example for me was when I came back to germany after 2 weeks of seeing family in london. I was in a restaurant in germany and suddenly became very conscious about how quiet it was. There were groups of friends together but no one really made a sound ! I have even been told to be quiet many times in public places in germany which I still find strange (I am a bit loud but it has never happened to me before in any other country).

If you're a foreigner having problems making friends, try going into free time activity groups (Vereine) like sport clubs, musical groups (ochestra, bands) and so on. If you're studying at a university, there should be several university clubs (like sport clubs, bands, reading circles etc.). Cities often also have a list of "eingetragene Vereine" on their home pages. If you have problems with your health or face certain hardships in life, there are even "Selbthilfegruppen" in which you can talk about your problem among people who share it. Those groups also can be a great way to make friends. Other than that, online dating apps or "Sprachtendem Gruppen" are also a good way to get to know people. Going into a bar and talking with strangers isn't really a thing here in Germany.

all my friendships when they understand that I won't date them. About "kindergarten / school / university" friends, its often over after this stage is over

I think that the German state gives you a lot of opportunities to integrate yourself especially if you're willing to learn this extremely tough language.

it would be a good social experiment if you also talked to a middle eastern guy with beard! Or Indian Guy about making friends in Germany! (and I am not talking about dating life, but pure friendship and being in a same group like other humans with different looks.) they are part of society!

Alle, die du heute interviewt hast, sind eine Bereicherung für unser Land und werden (wenn sie bleiben) ihren Weg hier machen. Vielleicht können nicht alle Wünsche der Integration erfüllt werden (da sind wir Deutschen ein wenig steif) aber diese coolen und intelligenten Menschen werden sich trotzdem viele sehr positive Chancen erarbeiten und nutzen. Tolles Video, you true Brit, du bist immer welcome!

It's especially hard in Munich to make friends.

I like you, you're so friendly. It is more interesting for me to hear the opinion of Germany from people who have immigrated than from Germans. Germans often forget what they really have and what “luxuries” they enjoy compared to other countries. Diversity is beautiful 🙏🏼

Hamburg! 🎤📽

As an English person who has lived in Spain and Germany, I definitely found it easier to make friends in Spain (Barcelona). I have made almost completely foreign friends in Germany, despite speaking completely accent-free, fluent German.

Germany is the fourth preferred country for students from abroad, and the first one, that is not an English speaking country. And as Germany also never was an English colony, English is a second language and you will not find it in public besides touristic places. Every Germany learns English in school as a main subject for almost six years or more, but in the past, many Germans didn't need to speak English besides the holiday. So like in other European countries (France, Spain, Poland, ...) the national language is the key for understanding. And the second thing is, to have a bit of preparation, like a knowledge of the main bureaucracy (Anmeldung, Visa, Aufenthaltsgenhemigung, ...). But I think that would be the same, for someone wants to start studying in the UK (after Brexit), in Saudi Arabia or Vietnam. But many documents and official websides are provided in more an more languages.

In Deutschland gibt es sehr viele sehr unterschiedliche Menschen. Ich würde nicht sagen, dass es "die deutschen sind so und so" wirklich gibt. Es gibt viele verschiedene Szenen, die untereinander niemals etwas miteinander zu tun haben würden. Aber das ist auf der ganzen Welt so. Ja es gibt offenere Gesellschaften, aber es gibt überall offenere und verschlossenere Menschen, man muss halt Glück haben. Auch als deutscher ist es in Deutschland nicht immer einfach. Spontanität ist hier leider sehr schwer, wenn man länger in anderen Ländern unterwegs war, dann ist das zurück kommen nach Deutschland auch oft ein Kulturschock. Das verreisen nicht so sehr. Hier muss man sich irgendwie in die Gesellschaft hineinarbeiten und wissen was man macht. Man muss Wege und Türen suchen, die sind nicht einfach überall immer offen und einfach zu finden, man muss die richtigen Orte für sich finden und sich selbst entwickeln. Und man kann froh sein, wenn man 1-2 Leute finden kann, auf die man sich verlassen kann. Ansonsten gibt es auch viele Veranstaltungen wo man flüchtige Bekanntschaften machen kann.

Deutschland hat ein ausgeprägtes Vereinswesen. Es gibt Vereine für alles. Dort kann man schnell Kontakte knüpfen, weil man mit Menschen, die ähnliche Interessen haben, zusammenkommt. Und, vor allem bei Sportvereinen, hydriert man häufig nach dem Training in der Kneipe um die Ecke mit einem Bier. Dort lernt man wiederum die lokale Kultur kennen.

My only german friend is my neighbor's cat 🐈

German here. I always hated the job center. I had a well paying job and was able to save some money. Then I was out of work for like 8 months, because I was not in a hurry. At the end the German government gave me a bill over 5000€ for not being insured during these 8 months. Insanity...

If you are cheap labour, they are going to treat you accordingly. Its always like that, anywhere you go. These people are not cheap labour, but they seem to have similar experiences. You can imagine then how is it at the bottom of the food chain.

thx for city they come from

the headline should have read: "Do foreigners feel welcomed in Bavaria", because not even Germans feel welcome in Bavaria

Hey, I really like your videos. Your such a nice and open minded person. Best example that foreigners make Germany just more colourful and interesting. Keep doing what you're doing and how you're do it❣️ Best wishes from a small town near Berlin 😎

you can live for 10 generations in this country, they always will look to you as a foreigner...

I always ask myself: How do you get rid of the Germans in your search for international interview partners? 😅

I don’t really get the young Spanish girl, is it really that difficult for young people?! I see people partying all time or people looking for company… maybe it’s the same as dating, You look for something that doesn’t want you, and you get something you don't want

The woman from Venezuela with the white scarf is so incredibly beautiful 😍

The Chinese girl is spitting bars

4:23 she lives there for 12 years and still very difficult to make German friends!? OMG i'm shocked

I'm not searching for a girlfriend but the spanish and chinese girl are very handsome. But the chinese woman speaks really good german and I love her expressions. I know, it's superfacial but I love faces ^^

Klasse die Chinesin und der Grieche

Imagine germans feel the same 😂

Average euro person whining, meanwhile the china girl completely crushing it with skills and attitude

Learn the language learn the customs, if you accept Germany Germany will accept you. Personally after living here for almost 50 years, my friends say that I am more German than most Germans. I could never return to live in the UK.

You've obviously succeeded in integrating it if you're already playing the former German national anthem "Heil dir im Siegerkranz" in the intro. A quick note: we now play the third verse of the Deutschlandlied! But except the little mistake with our anthem, it’s a good video😉

He said he looks german? How come in his case with blonde hair and blue eyes gets to look german but another person from Canada, U.S, Australia, NZ or even staying in intercontinental Europa somehow is suspicious? I dont even think he looks german...i see him and i see a Harry Potter character, especially when he laughs.

Unwelcome in Berlin forever

The question is more, if germans ARE welcomed by foreigners in germany. And i don't mean the minority of foreign students.

Passt cho

Well DON’T GO THERE THEN !!! And if you’re wishing you had not done THEM BLOODY LEAVE !!!

Speak German! That's all you must do.

Ask the Foreigners who were born in Germany. We're 2nd Class to the Germans... It's a whole different Experience.

Umsonst hier studieren kein Deutsch können aber sich beschweren jeder kann wieder gehen muss niemand hier sein