As someone who voluntarily left "Germany" four years ago, I am constantly in awe when I encounter people from other countries who think so highly of Germany as a place to live. And for all the wrong reasons really. They marvel at me with a look on their face: "You are from Germany, why do you want to live in Albania?!"
Here in Albania there is an almost creepy tendency to love Germany (which is something quite odd for Germans to come across). But if you are German, people will generally respond favorably to you. Part of it may be historic, which I will not get into here, but the other part of it is the sheer force and persistence of Western marketing. It has reached far and wide!
The modern propaganda efforts of the system never cease to amaze me and I can feel its effects here on the other end of "Europe", Albania, Greece, even Bulgaria. This advertisement the system airs is an image of a "rich and modern country" called "Germany". None of these labels are really accurate any longer but I know what people mean when they use them.
Yes! On the surface everything is freaking peachy in Germany isn't it?! There are just tons of money somehow, lots of of it, everywhere! Life is easier because of it, people really thrive! The population enjoys enjoys high standards of living! And a good medicine system! And so on and so forth.
Or so the locals here tell me. People who have never lived there.
The issue of course is that the majority of that fairytale is blatantly false, and incepted from the external over decades with a lot of effort. It is not a result of observation, nor experimentation, nor critical thinking. It is propaganda, the propaganda that many (if not most) Germans themselves believe unquestioningly. "We are such a rich country" blablabla. "We are a real democracy" bla. It's just word gymnastics but has zero to do with actuality.
Well, what is wealth then? Is it true that being paid wages in Germany is more profitable than in Albania? For sure! German wages are much higher. But what people seem to forget or never consider here is that recurring living expenses are way higher as well. Like, WAY!
If we could work a fiat-paying job in Germany and the agreement would stop at payday that would be great. But somehow we are then forced to spend the vast majority of our income for frivolous and dumb things, like stupidly high electricity and gas bills (that in themselves have been jacked up on purpose); things "the government" decides about and makes rules for which we have no say in.
So yes, you do earn a lot more money if you find a high paying job in Germany, but you also spend a lot more by having that life. You are also so much more busy and preoccupied with constant attempts on your livelihood by the same system you are feeding every day. It's paradoxical, but somehow disguised and difficult to see for people who never actually paid rent for their "home" ever.
You see, the other thing most people seem not to consider is that wealth comes in many forms. And having lots of Euros or Dollars in a system that is increasingly accelerating towards a brick wall... might not be the wealth people actually want.
What people in Albania, Montenegro, Bulgaria and Greece (also Italy) DO HAVE ALREADY is property! Lots and lots of property, meaning a house. Or rather: houses.
Yes what a concept! Property! People and families still own houses themselves here. And garden. Often times they own multiple as many of the family have gone to "richer places" like Germany. Lol. I guess it's just people who want the modern life and I won't blame them for their choice. But when I make clear to an Albanian or Greek that "Look, most people I know in Germany do not actually own a house. They rent. And the ones I know who do "own" a house technically still have to pay for it for 3 decades until it is "really" theirs." Then people look at me funny. And I can see them processing what that might mean for them.
What do you mean the rich Germans don't own anything?
Well it's true. Much like in "rich USA" and other advertised places of the 9-5 lifestyle in the West, most things people "own" are bought on borrowed money and therefore not property strictly speaking. The things are leased. And people pay interest on those deals - for a long time.
It's a plastic existence with a biting dog at your heels constantly.
Whereas here, people could just go to one of their family's old properties around the country and live there... for free. Think of crazy "corona" times, people had a place to go. Places where fruit trees have grown naturally for decades - (sometimes centuries), where even a garden might be taken care of regularly. True wealth. Tangible. Actual.
What of Germany? People were forced to stay inside their rental places with little opportunity to feed themselves. Because in modernity, food comes from the supermarket. *eyeroll
Mere packaging and propaganda, the legend of modern rich Germany continues.
Now that is the majority, I have also met a few who saw through the false image by sheer experience.
I remember a farmer we met in Bulgaria who had worked in Germany for a while, and a taxi driver from Albania who had worked in the UK. Both happy to talk to us and more ready to speak in a non-native tongue. And both readily agreed to what I mentioned above. "I make more money in Germany. But bad life! Work, supermarket, sleep! Work, supermarket, sleep! And food not good! And everything expensive! And I come back here!"
And I get that.
The slow mode of life here, the closeness to nature and the drastic reduction in "civilization noise" like advertisements and billboards are a treat for the soul. And anybody who has gone to Germany to earn a lot will know what I mean. It is an ideal that has little to do with actuality. I really wish it weren't so, but the system is the west is so utterly corrupt and rotten to the core that no shiny facade or packaging can make up for it.
I pray that a free life, decency and truth will return to all places in the West so that anyone who chooses it may live his full potential. Since the Western structures have lost most of these virtues in actuality, I feel Westerners are the real poor people on Earth. The people may still hold these virtues to be important but the system has long nullified them and is selling decay and deterioration with values as mere packaging. And people buy it. The crime is that THE PEOPLE all mean so well but are being lied to every day. We are being taken advantage of, but we just don't see it for what it is. And so the con continues.
I feel it will also show in terms of economics sooner or later. I have the utmost respect for anyone managing their increasingly costly lives in the West against all the extortion and government cruelty. I draw my hat! But for me that is no way to live. Not a frontline soldier I guess.
A golden heart will outweigh a million Euros with ease. And for me, that choice has long been made. Let's see if it was the right call ;)
You're the first person I've ever come across who's emigrated to Albania. It can only have been for love:)
We have a severe housing shortage here in Ireland which is being exacerbated by tens of thousands of immigrants being shipped in. Not only can people not afford to own, but they can no longer afford to rent as every available property is snapped up by the government to house IPAs. Of course all we need to do is change the government. That always works!🙃
ouch. and then you are somehow the hater for saying so. ahahaha.
it just gives me a lot to know you people are out there. guess we will witness this lifetime how crazy it all can get...
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=O237jkoxbXg
Storytelling is very powerful in shaping reality. In North America, Western Europe, Japan, South Korea and Australia they told good stories and worked towards them until they built something that was much better than before. Then instead of continuing to improve on those things and find the faults and the inconsistencies with the story and nourish the things that made these places strong (the desire to improve, ideals like freedom and creativity), our parents generation decided they had reached the end of history and started to borrow from future generations to keep a status quo. Everything rot from the inside.
There were still tons of problems that we could have fixed but after 2-3 generations of denial and focusing on how much better these places were than the other 4/5ths of the world (instead of continuing to improve), it’s all started falling apart now, because your story falls apart if you don’t continue to use it to build the reality you want, eventually denial catches up to you.
man you really have a way of nailing concepts succinctly in words. so well put!!!!
"our parents' generation decided they had reached the end of history..." <<<----- THIS
Awesome read, now I would never move to Germany TBH because it´s even worse than the Country I left. I left the Netherlands 12 years ago for Spain, not Albania but most things you mention are similar here. Many families still own multiple properties, the pace is slower, but I am seeing the Western influences grow here as well. Hence I am planning to leave again.
What I have seen over time is that if you really look for an opportunity to make money it does matter where you start from. It´s easier starting up from a wealthy country but you need to work hard for it, and long.
Most people want to work to live they don´t live to work, for those with that mentality I suggest moving out of the Western Europe Rat Race, many places are way better balanced.
My plan was/is working hard for a couple of years, saving and investing and then moving to a place where my euros matter, buy property and take it slow because I can. Lets see if that works out for me, or if the bastards will catch up with me before I can get out! !PIMP
we all have the same plan ahahaha.
i have a good feeling about your plan there.
family is on travels in spain right now and they sort of mention what you did, the western influence has become huge and a bit weird therefore. when the public face of countries and cities become indistinguishable from other places. malls and mcdonalds everywhere ahaha.
well dude, best of luck to you. my lady and i have had great experiences in albania. turkey was also a great place to be, as well as northern greece. when it comes to hospitality and slow life enjoyment, those three countries i can definitely recommend.
i keep writing this to others in this little tribe we have going here but: really good to know you are out there. a pleasure to meet you!
Same here, very nice meeting you.
And even though Spain is not there yet, I do see the cracks growing.
Albania sounds like an option, although I am also looking at the Caribbean and the Philipines.
Not sure where I will lay my hat next time, but I do know I will do my research before leaving. South of Spain still has it´s own feel if you don't go coastal but as it´s only 20 years behind the northern Europe countries and I have been here for 16 my time is running out !LOLZ .
hehe maybe the system will come down until then, no idea.
i feel we can solely rely on our inner compass these days. it will tell you when and where.
blessings to spain
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I think it is not propaganda, in the past Germany indeed was a rich and stable country. That things have changed dramatically in the meantime (basically since 2015) people from abroad can´t know. The reputation takes some time to fade off.
ye, it always feels like 'wisdom handed down' from the previous generation here. time has this overall lag to it now that you mention it.
they often play 90s pop and electro pop music in some bars and places too. i hate to be the one to break the news to the people here sometimes
thanks!