US and Europe

One of the benefits of living and working in Germany are the extra holidays one gets in comparison with the U.S.  I absolutely love it! This on top of six weeks of vacation instead of two or three is an absolute dream. It almost makes me never want to return to the States during my working life.

There was a time when I used to think all that Germans do is go on vacation. I asked myself, how can they possibly be productive? How can a company function? How can this be one of the strongest economies in the world? Now I see the light and I firmly believe that this is one of the keys to their success.

For example, I have observed how hard my German colleagues work. Yes, there are times when they play hard but when they are at work – they work and in general, they give what they owe to their employer in terms of time and results. Perhaps this is due in part to the fact that they know they can work hard because they have a vacation coming up. I think further to this is the that Germans know what it means to enjoy and savor life. This may come as a surprise and some may strongly disagree but I will stand by it – Germans are all about Genuß (enjoyment)! Whether it be a good book, a fine wine or coffee, a work of art, a play, music or food, Germans approach enjoyment in a way that other cultures do not. I find the difference to come from their logical, intellectual and even philosophical approach to life. It is an enjoyment that starts in the mind and goes down and ruminates in heart. This turns a wonderful dinner, a walk with dog/child (topic for another blog post), or a cup of coffee in the morning into a “vacational” experience. So really – Germans are on vacation literally and figuratively the majority of the time. We just need to learn to enjoy life in the quiet and stoically dignified way that my German friends do. Geniessen Sie es!