Obviously the grass is always greener on the other side - no matter what I do the other side always looks a little bit more spectacular.
Usually when I am in San Francisco I think back to Europe and compare California to Germany. And I can always find factors that I think are way better in Germany than in in the "Golden State": better healthcare, better glazing of windows, lower food prices, less synthetic growth hormones in food, more security, better banking system, better education, better beer ... just to name a few.
Usually I conduct this analysis in the typical rational German way - I notice drawbacks but do not really feel very emotional about them either.
Since the last 6 weeks I have been in Germany and... gosh - I miss a lot about San Francisco and the problem is: I REALLY long for San Francisco in an emotional way and it is actually not just a declarative statement about the shortcomings of the "other side".
So I went ahead and made a list of all the things I am missing while being far away from beloved San Francisco:
And then there are some more things I miss in a very practical sense:
And when I had listed the most important factors I miss about San Francisco (and still could go on for hours), I noticed: San Francisco - this is where I belong and stop complaining about "the other side"!
Cheers!
Usually when I am in San Francisco I think back to Europe and compare California to Germany. And I can always find factors that I think are way better in Germany than in in the "Golden State": better healthcare, better glazing of windows, lower food prices, less synthetic growth hormones in food, more security, better banking system, better education, better beer ... just to name a few.
Usually I conduct this analysis in the typical rational German way - I notice drawbacks but do not really feel very emotional about them either.
Since the last 6 weeks I have been in Germany and... gosh - I miss a lot about San Francisco and the problem is: I REALLY long for San Francisco in an emotional way and it is actually not just a declarative statement about the shortcomings of the "other side".
So I went ahead and made a list of all the things I am missing while being far away from beloved San Francisco:
- People in SF seem more optimistic and energetic to me
- The intensity of the San Francisco sun (even though fog is expelling the sun frequently in the summer)
- A true love for the country - I am not speaking about patriots, but I would love to see more "Heimatliebe" in Germany
- A stronger idealism and fight for new ideas & innovation (with people building way more appealing websites)
- The colorful mix of different cultures and ethnic groups living together on 49 square miles
- Hearing the cable car roaring and rattling up the hill
- So many opportunities to be active in and around San Francisco
- Much lower gasoline prices (although I don't even have a car - but zipcar and on-demand ridesharing lyft get me anywhere in San Francisco)
- Open shops on Sundays
- Wider streets in a very logical structure
- a lot more public wifi
- Free water refills in restaurants and lots of drinking fountains in public parks
- being able to use my credit card everywhere
- The genius of integrated closets
And when I had listed the most important factors I miss about San Francisco (and still could go on for hours), I noticed: San Francisco - this is where I belong and stop complaining about "the other side"!Cheers!
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