When the Familiar Becomes Strange: A Visit to Germany
24.02.2026
I spent a few days in Germany, and what I saw has shaken me. It made me sad. It's a situation I simply didn't expect.
It's been exactly a year since I last visited my hometown. I couldn't have imagined how much could change in that time. Or perhaps it's simply that you only truly notice things when you've been away for a long while. Like the aunt from far away who visits and immediately sees how much the child has grown. Something the parents themselves never noticed. I can't really explain it any other way.
I've been away from Germany for two years now. In the first year, I went back two or three times, but then I didn't go for an entire year. During that time, I've grown quite accustomed to the calm, pleasant, respectful, and friendly way people interact here in Denmark. To the ease and peace that radiates from people here. To clear structures and a way of living together that has become natural to me.
When I arrived in Germany again, the atmosphere hit me immediately. Already at the train station, there was this underlying tension, this subtle aggression—so palpable in a way I simply no longer recognize. It really threw me off.
One thing that struck me particularly, and which I don't want to gloss over, is the topic of migration. I got the impression that the cityscape has changed significantly and the proportion of people with, let's say, an international background has become much more visibly present than before. This isn't a derogatory observation—I myself live abroad as a foreigner and know how important openness and integration are. But the speed and presence of this change surprised and unsettled me. It felt unfamiliar, and I had to reorient myself.
Here in Denmark, I experience everyday life as calm, orderly, and safe. In Germany this time, however, I had a very different feeling. It was hard to put into words, but I felt uncomfortable, tense, and insecure. I myself live in a foreign country as a foreigner and feel welcomed. I've adapted, accepted the structures, and found my place. All the more did what I experienced in Germany shake me internally.
The cityscape itself frightened me too. Cleanliness in many areas left much to be desired, and overall everything felt disorganized and hectic. All these impressions together made me sad. I didn't feel as safe on the streets as I used to.
Perhaps it's only a subjective impression. Perhaps they're just isolated moments. But the feeling that has stayed with me is a heavy one. I'm sad and shocked at how my perception of my old homeland has changed.
