I’m a big fan of the sausage and kraut combo!
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I didn’t Like Frankfurt. Too big/modernism with all the problems of big cities. In that case I would choose Taipei. But I loved the area of the 3 country border (Germany, Belgium, and Netherlands)
The restrictions are the fundamental reason why I want to leave
Bread and cheese is fine. Even fine dining disappointed me.
For kids of foreigners too?
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The German forum is both in German, and currently quite dead. 
I only mentioned it as a proof that there are Germans on this site ^^
I mostly missed the things that I mentioned as better in Taipei: food, transportation and convenience. Oh, and the ocean nearby.
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Did you have better friendships with German or with Taiwanese? Friendship with western people in taiwan doesn’t count.
Yes. School is free for all children. There are some expenses like school trips, etc. but for all kids.
Higher education like University is not free for foreigners.
Check out
https://www.bamf.de/EN/Willkommen/Bildung/Schulsystem/schulsystem-node.html
https://www.bamf.de/EN/Willkommen/Bildung/Schulsystem/Schularten/schularten-node.html
Attendance at state-run schools is free .
There are also private schools in Germany, which generally charge parents a fee.
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I definitely stayed on the wrong side of Frankfurt am Main when I was there over CNY for work. Never experienced such a high concentration of pushers in such a public and open space.
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Had 2 guys following me in that area. Had to hide inside a fast food store and have a employee call the police
I was polite in declining and they didnt bother me any further. Usually it looks worse than it probably is, but you never know.
The hotel was cheap and decent though.
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It’s horrifically bad and I’ve seen junkies in cities since I was a kid. Some cities concentrate them in small areas.
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I’m not really a fan of Berlin. I found it to be such a try-hard hip town. I also know several Germans who used to live there/will be living there. The price of rent is exploding. They say flatsharing used to be €300 a few years ago and now it’s €450.
Property price is low because no one is buying shit. It’s a rent-oriented culture.
The job market is probably the strongest in Europe, though. Much better than Britain and France. German law firms actively reach out to German qualified practionners in London by inviting them to hotels in English countryside for a weekend, Swiss and Benelux law firms invite them to dinners, whereas French graduates have to send dozens of CVs to get an internship.
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Developers buying everything and build high priced condos that no one wants or can afford in Berlin.
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You can still find some cheap gems in Berlin:
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450 euro for a flat share, own room , in major European capital city …That is dirt cheap still !
You literally won’t get pot to piss in in Dublin for that.
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This is fast becoming almost every Western world city. London is a wretched hipster shithole, for example.
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I like living abroad. I love being a foreigner. So going back to Germany would not improve my life. It all depends on your preferences, your family situation, your work environment. Being used to life in faster-paced Asia, Germany strikes me as boring, painfully boring. But again, depends were you live and which people you surround yourself with. I sometimes like the braininess of the Germans, lot of interest in culture, politics, history, even philosophy and sh*t, but then, if you go to a party, and the Germans start debating Merkel’s latest policies, while you try to have a good time… painfully boring. It speaks volumes about the German food culture when considering that the best options for getting a bite are kebap shops, pizzerias, and Imbissbuden (fries and sausages). It’s a culinary wasteland, at least when it comes to street food. The correctness of Germans can be a blessing or a curse, depending on your standpoint. If you live in an apartment building and your neighbor makes noise, and another neighbor calls the cops straight away, you’ll love that. If you are the neighbor making the noise, you’ll hate it. Overall, I sense a lack of overall warmth in the German people I usually meet in Germany compared to people in Taiwan, but then there are very nice people too.
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Great post.
While some Germans can be a little reserved , sometimes a little gruff at first , I find them very nice people, liking football and beer helps !
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(stage whisper:)
DON’T MENTION THE WAR!
As a fan of the comic strip Alex (about British investment bankers), I am often mystified when they speak of being sent to Frankfurt as a fate terrible beyond description.
I have fond memories of eating potatoes with all three meals, but that does not mean that I should eat potatoes with all three meals!
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True for the culinary and the correctness. However in my many many years here I am still to find a Taiwanese person that goes beyond the superficial friendliness. All is fun and games until you need a real friend who you can expose your problems too. I have found such type of friends even just living for a few months in Germany, and still can’t find one in my long years in Taiwan.
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Ah I see. You may mark this post as the solution to your problem, then 
There are lots of Germans in Taiwan. And tons of great people from other countries. We can cover this one aspect for you, until you find the right local friends. The monthly “Austrian Stammtisch” ist a great place to meet nice people for example.
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