American Girl Living In Germany Post Things She Finds Unintentionally Funny And Here Are 42 Of The Best
Living abroad is amazing for so many reasons - it opens your heart and mind to new people and different cultures, languages, climate, food... the list goes on. The things that seem mundane at home, going to work or running errands, for example, take on a whole new meaning as you have to figure them out from a fresh and exciting perspective.
Getting used to local customs as a foreigner is not only a fun challenge, but it can also be a good laugh too. Misunderstandings and funny things are bound to occur as you try to get to grips with a complicated new language and way of doing things, and the best way to deal with them is to try not to take yourself too seriously!
American English teacher and blogger Jessie Meier knows this all too well. Her witty and erudite observations about life in Germany encompass things like the endless joy and beauty of the German language, some lighthearted complaining about slightly odd local habits and the German culture, and the funny everyday sightings and occurrences that living as an 'expat' can throw up sometimes.
Scroll down below to see what we mean for yourself, and let us know what you think in the comments!
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But you do need a lot more education to be a busdriver then to be a blogger.
Der Hinweis ist für die Amerikaner gedacht. Die könnten darauf kommen.
I can't get past that face... the other 2 the eyes are just kinda cute but THAT one creeps me out.
I immediately thought of dank in another context... I guess this business is fine while people ar high?
... But even in America "bang" has other, more dominant, meanings than "f*****g", right?
I think it's the red text above the word BANG that she means
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We have exactly the same product here in the UK, complete with hilarious TV commercials starring "HI I'M BARRY SCOTT!!!"
Yes, you were. It's just a cleaning product that you can buy in Europe.
NC 17 is another expression for x rated... had to google it too, though.
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Seriously, Americans, look up the adverts for this from Britain. Barry Scott and his dirty penny is an absolute legend! Bang and the dirt is gone!
Nah, nothing wrong with this one Brilliant limescale and grime cleaner ;)
We have them in Spain too. The "motto" goes like that "Cillit Bang, and the dirt goes away with a BANG". Bad dad joke at best. But it works wonders so..
Well, I really need glasses because I thought it said C**t Bang! I just couldn't figure out how a spray bottle would achieve it!!
I know "schmutz" comes from German origins, but I never imagined I would see a bottle of real-life schmutz cleaner! Maybe I'm alone here, but this is hilarious.
The grammar is humerus but let's take a second to appreciate the punctuation.
Some kids play firefighter because they are big fans, some play family because they repeat their experienced family life, some play nurse or doctor because themselves or a kindergarden fellow is sick, there's nothing wrong with giving your kids (non-functional childproof) doctor toys.
I'm a non-German living in Germany. Some of these were mildly amusing, most are just flat. And some so stupid, only an American would find them hilarious. Like the one with Balzac Coffee, which is named after a French writer, however Jessy finds it funny probably because it sound like "ballsack". That's just plain ignorant. Sorry Jessy
Possibly because I am not American or German i didn't see anything very funny here.
I am German and can't find anything funny... Must be funny then only for Americans...
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The worst part is she seems really to believe she's witty or funny... The most bowring blog about living in a foreign country ever.
And some English words sound NSFW in other languages... If I ever go to Italy, I'll have to change my last name.
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This is probably one of the shittest lists I've ever read on here.
To be fair, every country sticks a US flag on large portion food items
Hmm, my funny bone must be switched off today. Normally i love a good chuckle at mis-translations and whatnot, but these just kind of seem dumb and almost ignorant although I know that’s not the intent.
Not even a little bit funny. "Oh, other languages have different words!" was the summary version. Yawn.
Most of these are just language ignorant. Winder how good (or bad) her German is.
and many of them have a dirty mind and their mind in the gutter
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None of these are funny..most are amusing to ignorant people. Making fun of a culture because of their language or advertising is disrespectful in my mind. Like the fancy toilet lids..I can guarantee there is someplace in the USA where you can find them. Weird lawn ornaments? Have you ever driven through a neighborhood occupied by retired seniors? And we put plastic pink flamingos and fake plants in our front yards. So what's the difference? It just seems like the poster was searching for things to make fun of. Try again.
Some cracked me up, some didn't. Having read the comments, I've decided not to send the link to my friend Bert in Munich. He's already well aware that the word "bus" cracks up Japanese people and "fahrt" is hilarious to English speakers. Poor man, he taught German for 40 years so that we unwashed masses of anglophones would stop saying that germanophones named the middle of the week "meatloaf".
Well, I laughed a fair bit. I am German - and really tired, maybe that's why. Off to bed.
The weirdest things I found in Germany when I visited our twin town aged 14, were the teenage girl's magazines with full frontal naked pictures of boys, the unguarded cigarette vending machines outside of shops and the McDonalds serving beer. Blew my little British mind!
The unguarded cigarette vending machines are gone now. You need a card with your age verification on the chip to get access.
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Wow, commenters sure take themselves seriously around here... lighten the hell up, sorry about the death of your sense of humor...
As another American living in a foreign country (Japan for next few years ), I can absolutely appreciate and relate to these !!
Americans being Americans. Hope Trump wins again to confirm my theories:)))
What is funny is how many non-American readers were mildly offended.
Nobody's explaining the "jokes" rather than pointing out why they are, in fact, no jokes. Thinking "Balzac" is funny is just stupid
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You mean "jawohl" as in the normal German word for "yes"? Why would they not use that in everyday conversation? Man I'm not even German and I already feel insulted by your nazi remark.
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I'm a non-German living in Germany. Some of these were mildly amusing, most are just flat. And some so stupid, only an American would find them hilarious. Like the one with Balzac Coffee, which is named after a French writer, however Jessy finds it funny probably because it sound like "ballsack". That's just plain ignorant. Sorry Jessy
Possibly because I am not American or German i didn't see anything very funny here.
I am German and can't find anything funny... Must be funny then only for Americans...
Load More Replies... The worst part is she seems really to believe she's witty or funny... The most bowring blog about living in a foreign country ever.
And some English words sound NSFW in other languages... If I ever go to Italy, I'll have to change my last name.
Load More Replies... This is probably one of the shittest lists I've ever read on here.
To be fair, every country sticks a US flag on large portion food items
Hmm, my funny bone must be switched off today. Normally i love a good chuckle at mis-translations and whatnot, but these just kind of seem dumb and almost ignorant although I know that’s not the intent.
Not even a little bit funny. "Oh, other languages have different words!" was the summary version. Yawn.
Most of these are just language ignorant. Winder how good (or bad) her German is.
and many of them have a dirty mind and their mind in the gutter
Load More Replies... None of these are funny..most are amusing to ignorant people. Making fun of a culture because of their language or advertising is disrespectful in my mind. Like the fancy toilet lids..I can guarantee there is someplace in the USA where you can find them. Weird lawn ornaments? Have you ever driven through a neighborhood occupied by retired seniors? And we put plastic pink flamingos and fake plants in our front yards. So what's the difference? It just seems like the poster was searching for things to make fun of. Try again.
Some cracked me up, some didn't. Having read the comments, I've decided not to send the link to my friend Bert in Munich. He's already well aware that the word "bus" cracks up Japanese people and "fahrt" is hilarious to English speakers. Poor man, he taught German for 40 years so that we unwashed masses of anglophones would stop saying that germanophones named the middle of the week "meatloaf".
Well, I laughed a fair bit. I am German - and really tired, maybe that's why. Off to bed.
The weirdest things I found in Germany when I visited our twin town aged 14, were the teenage girl's magazines with full frontal naked pictures of boys, the unguarded cigarette vending machines outside of shops and the McDonalds serving beer. Blew my little British mind!
The unguarded cigarette vending machines are gone now. You need a card with your age verification on the chip to get access.
Load More Replies... Wow, commenters sure take themselves seriously around here... lighten the hell up, sorry about the death of your sense of humor...
As another American living in a foreign country (Japan for next few years ), I can absolutely appreciate and relate to these !!
Americans being Americans. Hope Trump wins again to confirm my theories:)))
What is funny is how many non-American readers were mildly offended.
Nobody's explaining the "jokes" rather than pointing out why they are, in fact, no jokes. Thinking "Balzac" is funny is just stupid
Load More Replies... You mean "jawohl" as in the normal German word for "yes"? Why would they not use that in everyday conversation? Man I'm not even German and I already feel insulted by your nazi remark.
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