On arrival in more distant lands Germans are often disappointed when they see these countries are just not run efficiently. Their disapproval will manifest in sentences like ‹They said the bus would leave at 6 p. m. It’s 6:15 p. m. already. Typisch!›, ‹A bathroom this badly ventilated is just a magnet for mould›, or ‹Is a simple split bill just too much to ask from these people?› Germans abroad are part traveller, part Techniküberprüfungs-employee, tallying health and safety violations with their eyes, marking off locations of emergency exits and toilets.
