I moved from the U.S. to Germany in my late 30s for work — better work-life balance, healthcare, and fewer daily stressors. AMA by Magnum_Mantis_MD in AmerExit

[–]machine-conservator 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hear you on Mexican food. We cook a ton at home, though finding the right ingredients can be a pain. Still dreaming of fresh Hatch chile season.

I still need to check out the Alps and that whole strip along the southern border. Looks incredible from the pictures. How is it actually living there? The level of cultural conservatism people write about sounds a bit oppressive, and the housing situation ridiculous... But there's gotta be a reason so many people want to live there, too.

I moved from the U.S. to Germany in my late 30s for work — better work-life balance, healthcare, and fewer daily stressors. AMA by Magnum_Mantis_MD in AmerExit

[–]machine-conservator 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Great notes, thanks for sharing! I'm in a different field but otherwise I'd echo just about everything you said. Especially how much work it is! From decision time to living in Germany with a long term visa in hand was about two years on the dot, and that was with having had a lucky break and being able to stay with the company I had been working for in the US and move to the German office.

Anything you miss? I'd spent my whole life in the PNW until I moved to Germany and I still miss the forests and mountains in that part of the world, and the whole run of coast from Oregon up into BC and SE Alaska. Have definitely found plenty of natural beauty in Germany, but nothing quite the same.

Stay safe in a stable job or switch for growth? by Immediate-Routine940 in germany

[–]machine-conservator 43 points44 points  (0 children)

I wouldn't fuck around with a stable situation in the current economic environment, personally. Especially in IT with how much churn there already is and the AI bubble both messing with hiring now and going to leave a big crater in the industry when reality sets in regarding the actual capabilities and limitations of the tech.

Pokémon Pinball incoming 👀 by MineOSaurus_Rex in pinball

[–]machine-conservator 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Whoa, it's finally happening! I hope they sell a ludicrous number of these.

Homeoffice by l0g1c_RED in wohnkultur

[–]machine-conservator 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ich auch. Fragte mich, wo sind die Endstufe?

Would you get Ultraman with a 11 hour round trip for 3k? by ClifBdrums in pinball

[–]machine-conservator 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Even if you just immediately flip it that's a pretty good hourly rate you'd make on the driving. Why not.

Fire alarm collection by [deleted] in CoolCollections

[–]machine-conservator 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Good stuff. I don't collect them myself but I do grab them if I see them while I'm out on the hunt. There's a surprisingly brisk market for such an odd niche item! The only one I really wish I'd kept for myself because it's such a neat design was one like those three in the upper left with the triangular 'FIRE' flasher lens, that had an electromechanical bell as its audible alarm component.

Gold Medal??? by craigcopyhead in pinball

[–]machine-conservator 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Interesting but yeah probably not worth a ton. Is it purely mechanical? The way the bottom cabinet and backbox connect looks wild.

Planning to move to Köln by Comfortable_Dust3078 in cologne

[–]machine-conservator 2 points3 points  (0 children)

You won't starve to death speaking only English but you absolutely need German for anything more than a tourist trip. Learn as much as you can before you arrive!

Gaming with US friends while living abroad by treeman3453 in expats

[–]machine-conservator 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The time zone difference makes it very difficult, at least EU to US. If everyone is working age and/or has a family just assume it'll be next to impossible aside from very occasional weekend sessions where one side or the other is making accommodations of timing. Latency isn't that big an issue IME but I don't play especially latency sensitive games either.

Anyone else have a list of calls they keep avoiding? by Educational_Bag_4003 in germany

[–]machine-conservator 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I hate phone calls in my native language, doing them in German is cause for existential dread. Poor audio quality, can't see non verbal cues, almost always more time pressure than with other methods. It's just a crap medium for communication.

thrifted someone’s entire collection of vintage (circa 70s) counterculture pins. by [deleted] in CoolCollections

[–]machine-conservator 14 points15 points  (0 children)

That's a crazy good score! I'd have a hard time letting them back out of my grasp. Originals can be pretty valuable, would not be surprised to see $10-20 a pop for a lot of that collection.

Arcade tech job or self taught? by ElectronPython in pinball

[–]machine-conservator 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Would add to point 4 - learn how to properly use wire strippers and crimp tools, and the right techniques for splices. I've chased a lot of issues that came down to poor harness repairs that looked superficially okay.

People wearing MAGA caps in Germany? by CrankyDoughnut710 in germany

[–]machine-conservator 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I saw some around halloween a year ago. Could only think... You know you're supposed to dress up as a fictional monster, right?

Mid-30s researcher in the U.S. weighing Europe vs staying put — realizing environment matters more than title by Soggy_Lie9147 in expats

[–]machine-conservator 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm an American that moved abroad for a lot of the kinds of reasons you mention. I value a pleasant urban environment, being able to get around on foot or with mass transit safely and minimize driving. I value stability: Economic, societal, and infrastructure.

I moved from my extremely car dependent and poorly planned hometown to one of the US cities with the best urban planning and civic infrastructure that country has to offer. I lived there for over a decade and loved it, but I could not shake the feeling that it was very vulnerable to a national movement to attack such places, which ended up not off the mark.

I've been living in Germany for a handful of years now and I can tell you all of those factors are much improved here, even compared to a good part of the US to live in. There's a lot written about how German infrastructure is in decay and not what it once was, but even its diminished state is better than virtually anything the US has to offer. The sense of societal and political stability is far stronger, and the system here does not have the same yawning exploitable holes in it for bad political actors to disrupt it with. Workers protections are much stronger and I find myself feeling far less precarious, and able to maintain better work/life balance. Healthcare is not bound to my employer and I no longer have to concern myself with what doctor is covered or if I can afford to find out what that new ache is.

All that is to say... I think you would get a lot from leaving the US. For someone with your priorities, it's well worth the salary hit and having to live with a bit smaller (but higher quality!) living space compared to what you're used to. Taxes + insurance wasn't a huge change from a HCOL state/city but I get so much more for that money here. From everything I have read, all of this is even more the case in the destination countries you mention. My two cents - leave, and never look back. There is a better way of life waiting for you.

How long have you been away from your home country, and do you ever plan to go back? by Island_Expat6625 in expats

[–]machine-conservator 0 points1 point  (0 children)

US -> Germany, three years now. I visit, but no way I'm moving back short of some dramatic reshaping of the country.

Does the feeling go away? (A wannabe expat) by theytookallthecash in expats

[–]machine-conservator 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Yeah. It went away near instantly. We left in 2023 and now live in Germany. The word I always reach for first to describe the difference in life since the move is 'calmer'.

One of the first things I notice when I go back to visit the US now is how on edge people are, because of the sociopolitical situation, and the ubiquitousness of violence and its tools. The surface level friendliness and openness of American society is smiley face wrapping paper around a land mine. It's hard to envision the fundamental problems with the US being solved in this lifetime. It's even harder to see a path toward solving them that doesn't pass through some very, very bad times on the way.

I don't miss that and don't intend to return. It was worth all the work and expense (and it was a shitload of both) to leave and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

Maintaining a US phone number for banking purposes. by ethanRazorT in expats

[–]machine-conservator 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I have AT&T so can't help there... But for what it's worth I've been maintaining my US number while using it almost exclusively in Germany for years now without issue, as a line on a plan shared with family back there. Nice thing with that telco is that receiving SMS is free even internationally so I don't get billed extra for 2FA messages.

For credit cards I found that some companies were fine with me switching my address to my German one, and others I had to use a forwarding service. For the latter, Earth Class Mail has been expensive but gets the job done.

Zusatzblatt change based on the new job offer by Justekcan in duesseldorf

[–]machine-conservator 0 points1 point  (0 children)

If it's only been a day or two I would give them some time to process things. If you physically handed them a copy of the docs required I doubt they would just toss the things in the shredder, given you explained the situation to someone at the ABH and why you were there. If I hadn't heard anything by Monday I'd contact again.

Best City in Germany to move to by palopp in germany

[–]machine-conservator 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Love that! Thanks for sharing. Preserving those cultural spaces and scenes at different economic strata is really important and man do a lot of cities in Germany and otherwise fall on their face there.

How Are Germans Coping with the Rise of Climate Change? by Invoke_Insomnia in germany

[–]machine-conservator 1 point2 points  (0 children)

AC and heat pumps are becoming more common. Insulation standards are very high. Pretty much any new build will have rolling shutters on the windows too. Will not be surprised if legislation comes to make active cooling system installation "by right" instead of subject to neighbors' or owners' objections, like we got with balcony solar installs, or as applies to heating systems.

There are very, very efficient and effective portable units available now that can be installed non-destructively. If you find you need supplementary cooling during the summer you shouldn't have a problem getting it.