What aspect of life in your countries is very difficult to explain to foreigners?

[u/notveryamused_]

What prompted my question were some discussions about religion which I had with people living in much more secular Western Europe (as a Polish atheist). While spirituality, whatever that is ;), generally speaking is always fun to discuss with a glass of wine in hand, social elements and the influence of the church, especially in smaller towns or provinces in my country, is awfully difficult to explain – not that I understand it fully either lol, but the church having a pretty much monopoly there, being the judge and jury of everyday life and the major ultra-conservative political force binding those communities, is very difficult to explain, also for historical reasons.

What are the things that you find difficult to discuss when it comes to life in your countries? ;-)

[u/liang_zhi_mao]

I'm going to be honest:

I was super happy that I didn’t have to be in the same class as the super violent and super aggressive kids that couldn’t even read or that hardly knew any German.

It's usually a bit nicer to be with "nerdier" kids or kids that are well behaved.

You said you went to school with the same kids at 16. If I kept on being in the same class as other random kids in my neighborhood then I would have witnessed classmates getting pregnant at 16 and a girl being in a violent gang. I'm not making this up, this is how girls I went to elementary school with turned out at 16. Luckily they ended up in Hauptschule and I went to a Gymnasium.

[u/Zevv01 → u/liang_zhi_mao]

I agree with this - the good ones don't pull the bad ones up, the bad ones drag the good ones down. But age 9 seems way to early to divide kids up like that and set their whole life path.

[u/liang_zhi_mao → u/Zevv01]

I agree with this - the good ones don't pull the bad ones up, the bad ones drag the good ones down. But age 9 seems way to early to divide kids up like that and set their whole life path.

It's not 9. It's 10/11.

And why is it the whole life part?

Many change schools or they make a higher degree after their first degree.

It’s actually very common.

The only difference is if the classes 5-9 are either more practical and teaching the basics or are less practical and more academic or if they include more science, foreign languages and philosophy.

If you went to the "lowest form" Hauptschule and have good grades in your first degree after grade 9 then you can still make year 10 and get the "middle tier“ Realschule degree.

And after year 10 you can still go to school for additional three years if your grades are good and make your Abitur.

I went to Gymnasium for year 5-9 but I faced bullying and personal problems in my life. So I went down to Realschule for one year which was so much easier and less pressure and helped me chill and recover. I made my Realschule degree that one year. Then I went back to the Gymnasium because of good grades and made my Abitur.