#23 Travelogue Germany: What’s a village?
It bothers me sometimes that in Uzbekistan I cannot proudly say that I come from a village because people have their own Uzbek idea of what a village is. So, what makes a village a village? Let me compare it with some aspects of Uzbek village life:
Farming
2% of Germans work in the agricultural sector compared to 28% of Uzbeks. German villages often have industrial zones and hardly anyone works in agriculture. Germany imports a lot of food.
Unpaved roads
Such roads are hard to find in German villages, only really between fields or in the forest.
Economy
People in a German village usually own cars, many families have two cars. This is different from cities where people can live without owning a car. In Germany it’s the richer and the poorer people living in cities. Villages are home to the country’s middle class.
---Vocab---
📍sth bothers sb = sth annoys sb 📍hardly anyone = almost no one
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
It bothers me sometimes that in Uzbekistan I cannot proudly say that I come from a village because people have their own Uzbek idea of what a village is. So, what makes a village a village? Let me compare it with some aspects of Uzbek village life:
Farming
2% of Germans work in the agricultural sector compared to 28% of Uzbeks. German villages often have industrial zones and hardly anyone works in agriculture. Germany imports a lot of food.
Unpaved roads
Such roads are hard to find in German villages, only really between fields or in the forest.
Economy
People in a German village usually own cars, many families have two cars. This is different from cities where people can live without owning a car. In Germany it’s the richer and the poorer people living in cities. Villages are home to the country’s middle class.
---Vocab---
📍sth bothers sb = sth annoys sb 📍hardly anyone = almost no one
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
#24 Travelogue Germany: Pet Republic
Germans love their pets so dearly that they are ready to buy anything for them. Go to any supermarket and you’ll find some weird stuff. Let’s take a look at three noteworthy products:
1) Heart- and Christmas-tree-shaped bird food
Do you pity our feathered friends who can’t fly to southern skies? Then hang some bird food in the trees. Let them feel your love with bird food pressed in heart-warming shapes.
2) Dog snack belt pouch
Do you educate your dog with little treats? Then keep your dog snacks handy in a belt pouch that’s easy to open and easy to clean!
3) Pet feeding machine
Do you worry about your lonely pet at home? Then get a feeding machine that you control with an app. Set the feeding time, the size of the portion and watch your pet enjoy via inbuilt camera (and mic!). 😜
---Vocab---
📍noteworthy = should be paid attention to 📍feathered = having feathers 📍pouch = small bag 📍treat (n) = delicious snack
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
Germans love their pets so dearly that they are ready to buy anything for them. Go to any supermarket and you’ll find some weird stuff. Let’s take a look at three noteworthy products:
1) Heart- and Christmas-tree-shaped bird food
Do you pity our feathered friends who can’t fly to southern skies? Then hang some bird food in the trees. Let them feel your love with bird food pressed in heart-warming shapes.
2) Dog snack belt pouch
Do you educate your dog with little treats? Then keep your dog snacks handy in a belt pouch that’s easy to open and easy to clean!
3) Pet feeding machine
Do you worry about your lonely pet at home? Then get a feeding machine that you control with an app. Set the feeding time, the size of the portion and watch your pet enjoy via inbuilt camera (and mic!). 😜
---Vocab---
📍noteworthy = should be paid attention to 📍feathered = having feathers 📍pouch = small bag 📍treat (n) = delicious snack
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
#25 Travelogue Germany: What a waste!
Waste management is a national obsession in Germany. Wherever you go in Germany, rubbish is never just rubbish. Throw your rubbish into the wrong bin and you may face some serious criticism.
What’s behind all this?
Moralism: Separating rubbish is like saying sorry for producing rubbish. Germans are good at saying sorry, for starting two world wars and everything else, too. They never want to be evil again and polluting the world makes them feel very guilty.
Precision: What kind of rubbish are used paper tissues? Paper and cardboard or general waste? Germans love discussing details and try to follow rules 100% correctly. Separating waste is done with engineering precision.
---Vocab---
📍obsession = craziness 📍bin = waste basket, trash can 📍guilty = having done sth bad 📍paper tissue = napkin 📍cardboard = strong, thick paper
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
Waste management is a national obsession in Germany. Wherever you go in Germany, rubbish is never just rubbish. Throw your rubbish into the wrong bin and you may face some serious criticism.
What’s behind all this?
Moralism: Separating rubbish is like saying sorry for producing rubbish. Germans are good at saying sorry, for starting two world wars and everything else, too. They never want to be evil again and polluting the world makes them feel very guilty.
Precision: What kind of rubbish are used paper tissues? Paper and cardboard or general waste? Germans love discussing details and try to follow rules 100% correctly. Separating waste is done with engineering precision.
---Vocab---
📍obsession = craziness 📍bin = waste basket, trash can 📍guilty = having done sth bad 📍paper tissue = napkin 📍cardboard = strong, thick paper
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
#26 Travelogue Germany: Vegans
Vegetarianism is big in Germany (close to 10% of the population), and 1.6% are vegans. Go to any supermarket and you’ll find a range of meatless meat products, like sausages, burger patties, chicken nuggets and lots more. They are usually made of soya beans. How come?
🔘 Health
The meat industry is a very dirty industry. Nobody keeps cows or sheep at home but meat comes from factories, from unhappy animals fed with hormones.
🔘 Environmentalism
People are also worried about their “carbon footprint”, i.e. how much their own behaviour leads to climate change, and meat production is top of the list.
🔘 Individualism
Try to cook a meal for any Westerner and you will find that they can’t eat this and can’t eat that. They will tell you all kinds of reasons, real or imagined, and that makes them feel special and unique. Plov for everyone? Forget about it.
---Vocab---
📍vegans = people who don’t eat any animal products, including eggs and milk
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
Vegetarianism is big in Germany (close to 10% of the population), and 1.6% are vegans. Go to any supermarket and you’ll find a range of meatless meat products, like sausages, burger patties, chicken nuggets and lots more. They are usually made of soya beans. How come?
🔘 Health
The meat industry is a very dirty industry. Nobody keeps cows or sheep at home but meat comes from factories, from unhappy animals fed with hormones.
🔘 Environmentalism
People are also worried about their “carbon footprint”, i.e. how much their own behaviour leads to climate change, and meat production is top of the list.
🔘 Individualism
Try to cook a meal for any Westerner and you will find that they can’t eat this and can’t eat that. They will tell you all kinds of reasons, real or imagined, and that makes them feel special and unique. Plov for everyone? Forget about it.
---Vocab---
📍vegans = people who don’t eat any animal products, including eggs and milk
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
#28 Travelogue Germany vs Uzbekistan: Graffiti
Graffiti belongs to urban landscapes in Europe. You can find it on walls, on buildings, in staircases and lifts, on trains and on billboards, really everywhere. Liberal cities like Berlin and Hamburg have lots of it, conservative cities like Munich have less.
The good kind
Good graffiti is when you make a boring place more beautiful or have a good message that inspires people. It brings a smile to their face and makes life better, even if just a little bit.
The bad kind
Bad graffiti is basically selfish. You just want to share your unimportant message or untalented art. Or worse, society neglects you and you take revenge for it by vandalising the public space. Ouch.
---Vocab---
📍urban = of cities 📍billboard = a big sign for advertising 📍inspire sb = give sb good new ideas 📍neglect sb/sth = not care about sb/sth 📍take revenge = do sth bad in return 📍vandalise sth = purposely destroy sth
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany #uzbekistan
Graffiti belongs to urban landscapes in Europe. You can find it on walls, on buildings, in staircases and lifts, on trains and on billboards, really everywhere. Liberal cities like Berlin and Hamburg have lots of it, conservative cities like Munich have less.
The good kind
Good graffiti is when you make a boring place more beautiful or have a good message that inspires people. It brings a smile to their face and makes life better, even if just a little bit.
The bad kind
Bad graffiti is basically selfish. You just want to share your unimportant message or untalented art. Or worse, society neglects you and you take revenge for it by vandalising the public space. Ouch.
---Vocab---
📍urban = of cities 📍billboard = a big sign for advertising 📍inspire sb = give sb good new ideas 📍neglect sb/sth = not care about sb/sth 📍take revenge = do sth bad in return 📍vandalise sth = purposely destroy sth
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany #uzbekistan
#29 Travelogue Germany: Corona, corona, corona
The virus is back in Uzbekistan and the question is how crazy do we want to be. As crazy as Germany? Read this for a comparison.
Social distancing …
… is everywhere and you notice people almost jumping away from you. I got shouted at by a lady for jumping the queue in a post office. Actually I just didn’t notice any queue because people were standing two metres apart. Supermarkets and shops can only take in a certain number of customers, based on the floor area.
Masks …
… are worn inside public places. Outside it’s okay not to wear a mask unless it’s in a busy city centre where signs tell you to wear one. Even if you pull your mask down just a little bit under your nose you’re in trouble.
Disinfectant …
… is provided everywhere. People use it when entering supermarkets, almost like holy water in a church.
---Vocab---
📍jump the queue = not waiting till it’s your turn but push in before others
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
The virus is back in Uzbekistan and the question is how crazy do we want to be. As crazy as Germany? Read this for a comparison.
Social distancing …
… is everywhere and you notice people almost jumping away from you. I got shouted at by a lady for jumping the queue in a post office. Actually I just didn’t notice any queue because people were standing two metres apart. Supermarkets and shops can only take in a certain number of customers, based on the floor area.
Masks …
… are worn inside public places. Outside it’s okay not to wear a mask unless it’s in a busy city centre where signs tell you to wear one. Even if you pull your mask down just a little bit under your nose you’re in trouble.
Disinfectant …
… is provided everywhere. People use it when entering supermarkets, almost like holy water in a church.
---Vocab---
📍jump the queue = not waiting till it’s your turn but push in before others
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
#30 Travelogue Germany: m/w/d
I saw this truck in Berlin. Someone was delivering parcels. So far so good. But then I saw “Colleagues wanted”, encouraging people to apply for a job with DHL. It took me a long second to realise what “(m/w/d)” stood for – it’s “männlich/weiblich/divers”, i.e. “male/female/diverse”.
Diverse. Who is diverse? Besides men and women who else is there to apply for a job? Animals? No, it’s people with gender issues who feel that they are neither a man nor a woman or both or changed or changing or changeable or… It’s complicated!
Why?
Choice
Westerners accept nothing as fate and want to choose everything. Some of them not only their lifestyle but even their gender.
Pluralism
Minorities of any kind should be respected and never discriminated against.
Decadence
Life in the West is comfortable and people don’t struggle for survival. They have time to think about their gender.
---Vocab---
📍diverse = different from each other
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
I saw this truck in Berlin. Someone was delivering parcels. So far so good. But then I saw “Colleagues wanted”, encouraging people to apply for a job with DHL. It took me a long second to realise what “(m/w/d)” stood for – it’s “männlich/weiblich/divers”, i.e. “male/female/diverse”.
Diverse. Who is diverse? Besides men and women who else is there to apply for a job? Animals? No, it’s people with gender issues who feel that they are neither a man nor a woman or both or changed or changing or changeable or… It’s complicated!
Why?
Choice
Westerners accept nothing as fate and want to choose everything. Some of them not only their lifestyle but even their gender.
Pluralism
Minorities of any kind should be respected and never discriminated against.
Decadence
Life in the West is comfortable and people don’t struggle for survival. They have time to think about their gender.
---Vocab---
📍diverse = different from each other
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
#31 Travelogue Germany: Berlin
Berlin has changed a lot over the years as it became the capital of reunified Germany. It’s a very creative city (see the pictures).
1990-2000: The wild years
The economy of ex-communist East Germany collapsed and many Easterners went to the West for work. East Berlin was full of abandoned houses and life was cheap. Subcultures thrived in squatted houses and hidden, illegal bars.
2000-2010: “Poor but sexy”…
… is how the mayor famously described Berlin. The city’s easygoing atmosphere had become very popular. It was the “party capital” and Berlin set new trends in art, music and film.
2010-2020: Gentrification
One district after the other became more expensive and less exciting. Investors bought up lots of houses and ordinary people could no longer pay the high rents.
---Vocab---
📍reunified = together again 📍subculture = culture of one group in society 📍thrive = be strong and healthy 📍squat = illegally occupy a house
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
Berlin has changed a lot over the years as it became the capital of reunified Germany. It’s a very creative city (see the pictures).
1990-2000: The wild years
The economy of ex-communist East Germany collapsed and many Easterners went to the West for work. East Berlin was full of abandoned houses and life was cheap. Subcultures thrived in squatted houses and hidden, illegal bars.
2000-2010: “Poor but sexy”…
… is how the mayor famously described Berlin. The city’s easygoing atmosphere had become very popular. It was the “party capital” and Berlin set new trends in art, music and film.
2010-2020: Gentrification
One district after the other became more expensive and less exciting. Investors bought up lots of houses and ordinary people could no longer pay the high rents.
---Vocab---
📍reunified = together again 📍subculture = culture of one group in society 📍thrive = be strong and healthy 📍squat = illegally occupy a house
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
#32 Travelogue Germany: Patriotism
Patriotism, or I should probably say the lack of it, is always an interesting topic when it comes to Germany. Interesting because Germans are so ambivalent about it. Let’s explore three German concepts:
“Erbsünde”
This means basically “inherited sin” – a sin that isn’t actually your own but your parents’ or grandparents’. What sin could that be? Of course it’s about Nazi Germany.
“Lokalpatriotismus”
“Local patriotism” can be the better kind of patriotism, at least for Germans. They can be very proud of their “Heimat”, i.e. hometown, and rarely try to hide their dialect.
“König Fußball”
“King Football” has proven to be an effective remedy for Germans’ lack of self-love. Especially since Germany’s 2006 World Cup it’s completely okay to wave German flags again, but for football only.
---Vocab---
📍ambivalent = unsure about one’s feelings 📍remedy = medicine 📍wave (verb) = move sth from side to side
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
Patriotism, or I should probably say the lack of it, is always an interesting topic when it comes to Germany. Interesting because Germans are so ambivalent about it. Let’s explore three German concepts:
“Erbsünde”
This means basically “inherited sin” – a sin that isn’t actually your own but your parents’ or grandparents’. What sin could that be? Of course it’s about Nazi Germany.
“Lokalpatriotismus”
“Local patriotism” can be the better kind of patriotism, at least for Germans. They can be very proud of their “Heimat”, i.e. hometown, and rarely try to hide their dialect.
“König Fußball”
“King Football” has proven to be an effective remedy for Germans’ lack of self-love. Especially since Germany’s 2006 World Cup it’s completely okay to wave German flags again, but for football only.
---Vocab---
📍ambivalent = unsure about one’s feelings 📍remedy = medicine 📍wave (verb) = move sth from side to side
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
#46 Travelogue Germany: Psychomarkets
When you go to the outdoor market you buy what you need, but when you go to a supermarket you somehow always buy more than you actually need. What’s going on there?
It's psychology. Here’s what German supermarkets do:
Braking zone
People want to save time. Some supermarkets put messy shelves full of special offers right at the entrance to slow customers down and make them forget what they wanted to buy.
Eye-level displays
People are lazy. They don’t want to stretch or bow down to the ground. As you can see, the products placed on our eye-level are more expensive.
Keep right
People usually keep right, not only when driving but also when walking. Most supermarkets make you move towards the checkout in an anti-clockwise direction so you need more time to find your way out.
They have more tricks, read about them here.
---Vocab---
📍stretch = make your arms/legs long 📍checkout = where you pay
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
When you go to the outdoor market you buy what you need, but when you go to a supermarket you somehow always buy more than you actually need. What’s going on there?
It's psychology. Here’s what German supermarkets do:
Braking zone
People want to save time. Some supermarkets put messy shelves full of special offers right at the entrance to slow customers down and make them forget what they wanted to buy.
Eye-level displays
People are lazy. They don’t want to stretch or bow down to the ground. As you can see, the products placed on our eye-level are more expensive.
Keep right
People usually keep right, not only when driving but also when walking. Most supermarkets make you move towards the checkout in an anti-clockwise direction so you need more time to find your way out.
They have more tricks, read about them here.
---Vocab---
📍stretch = make your arms/legs long 📍checkout = where you pay
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
#47 Travelogue Germany: Political stickers
Walk through any university town in Germany and you’ll find these little stickers on lamp-posts, traffic light poles, bus stops and so on. It’s a form of political activism. What are the messages? Mainly these three:
Anti-capitalism
Capitalism makes rich people richer and poor people poorer and is therefore the root of all injustice in the world. Bring back communism!
Environmentalism
There are two ways to save the climate – back to nature or geoengineering. Let’s choose ‘back to nature’ and criticise consumers and governments!
Anarchism
Wouldn’t you like to live in a country without government or in a world without countries? Oh and no police either. Total freedom, that is!
---Vocab---
📍lamp-post = poles to hold street lights 📍pole = long stick made of metal or wood 📍activism = trying to change society for the better 📍geoengineering = changing the climate with technology
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
Walk through any university town in Germany and you’ll find these little stickers on lamp-posts, traffic light poles, bus stops and so on. It’s a form of political activism. What are the messages? Mainly these three:
Anti-capitalism
Capitalism makes rich people richer and poor people poorer and is therefore the root of all injustice in the world. Bring back communism!
Environmentalism
There are two ways to save the climate – back to nature or geoengineering. Let’s choose ‘back to nature’ and criticise consumers and governments!
Anarchism
Wouldn’t you like to live in a country without government or in a world without countries? Oh and no police either. Total freedom, that is!
---Vocab---
📍lamp-post = poles to hold street lights 📍pole = long stick made of metal or wood 📍activism = trying to change society for the better 📍geoengineering = changing the climate with technology
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
#48 Travelogue Germany: Berlin Airport
Germans are known for their punctuality and planning skills, or are they? The story of Berlin’s new airport is a different story:
Bureaucracy
Rules and standards above all else. In another country they might have just opened the airport anyway and solve the little problems later, but not so in Germany.
Cost explosion
The cost of the airport was three times higher than estimated. Some of the construction was of low quality and there were plenty of scandals.
Delays
Construction began in 2006 but it was opened in 2020. That’s fourteen years. By contrast, Beijing’s new airport is several times bigger than Berlin’s and was built in just five years.
In the end it’s still a beautiful, modern and much needed airport.
---Vocab---
📍estimate = guess 📍scandal = bad behaviour that shocks people
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
Germans are known for their punctuality and planning skills, or are they? The story of Berlin’s new airport is a different story:
Bureaucracy
Rules and standards above all else. In another country they might have just opened the airport anyway and solve the little problems later, but not so in Germany.
Cost explosion
The cost of the airport was three times higher than estimated. Some of the construction was of low quality and there were plenty of scandals.
Delays
Construction began in 2006 but it was opened in 2020. That’s fourteen years. By contrast, Beijing’s new airport is several times bigger than Berlin’s and was built in just five years.
In the end it’s still a beautiful, modern and much needed airport.
---Vocab---
📍estimate = guess 📍scandal = bad behaviour that shocks people
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
#55 Travelogue Germany: Election time
Tomorrow is Germany’s general election and chancellor Merkel will step down after 16 years in office. Which party would you vote for?
⚫️ The Christian Democrats (CDU)
Merkel’s conservative party – a symbol of stability and tradition but no vision for the future.
🔴 The Social Democrats (SPD)
The party that helped Merkel stay in power but actually wants more social justice for low-income citizens.
🟢 The Green Party (Grüne)
The party of environmentalists and climate activists. They’re big now and want to save the planet by starting in Germany.
🟡 The Liberal Democrats (FDP)
They want a small, business-friendly government.
🔵 The Alternative for Germany (AfD)
The populist anti-immigration party that wants to give Germany back to the German people.
🟣 The Left Party (Linke)
Diehard communists mostly from the former communist East.
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany
Tomorrow is Germany’s general election and chancellor Merkel will step down after 16 years in office. Which party would you vote for?
⚫️ The Christian Democrats (CDU)
Merkel’s conservative party – a symbol of stability and tradition but no vision for the future.
🔴 The Social Democrats (SPD)
The party that helped Merkel stay in power but actually wants more social justice for low-income citizens.
🟢 The Green Party (Grüne)
The party of environmentalists and climate activists. They’re big now and want to save the planet by starting in Germany.
🟡 The Liberal Democrats (FDP)
They want a small, business-friendly government.
🔵 The Alternative for Germany (AfD)
The populist anti-immigration party that wants to give Germany back to the German people.
🟣 The Left Party (Linke)
Diehard communists mostly from the former communist East.
👉@afandi_english👈 #travel #germany