An American woman named Lanna got a part-time job in Germany, where she is currently living, and she was shocked by the benefits that came with it.

In the U.S., part-time workers traditionally get few to no benefits from the company they work for, so she assumed things would be the same in another country. Instead, the perks that came with Lanna’s new job forced her to confront what she had been “socialized” to believe as an American.

Lanna was surprised by how different the hiring process felt in Germany.

Each country has its own cultural differences, but the process was such a night-and-day difference from what she was used to that she didn’t quite know what to make of it. Lanna shared that she got a part-time job as a barista “to make some extra cash on the side” and will work 20 hours a week.

When she applied for the job, she thought she would be expected to complete a traditional job interview, but the boss told her she would actually have a “tryout day.” This was framed as a chance for her to see if she enjoyed the work instead of a way to evaluate her skills.

Admittedly, applying for barista jobs is probably not as intense as something highly specialized like a software analyst. However, the U.S. job market has become so competitive that even people with impressive resumes are used to being turned down for entry-level positions. It’s no wonder that Lanna’s experience was a breath of fresh air.

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She also discovered that she gets great benefits even though she’s just a part-time employee.

The very first question Lanna was asked when signing on for the barista job was something that usually isn’t even an option for several months in the U.S.: “When do you want to take your vacation days this year?”

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She was pretty flabbergasted when they told her that she would get six weeks of vacation time, which is unheard of in the U.S. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that most full-time American employees are offered 11 vacation days after being on the job for a year.

“But the thing that broke me today,” she said, “was an email from my boss telling me that not only is it possible for me to go on the public healthcare system, but it’s literally required for me to.” For 80 euros a month, Lanna will be able to “see pretty much any doctor that I want to, as long as they have an available appointment, for free or pretty much free.”

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This is absolutely unheard of in America, and it raises some questions about what the government prioritizes.

According to Lanna, the only requirement to qualify for the public health insurance program in Germany is earning at least 600 euros each month. “I’m used to a part-time job giving you nothing,” she said. “I’m used to public healthcare not even really existing.”

The closest thing to government-sponsored health coverage in the U.S. is Medicaid, which is reserved for low-income citizens. To qualify, you must meet your state’s requirement for earning a certain percentage of the federal poverty level, which is currently set at $15,650.

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If you don’t qualify for Medicaid and you don’t have a health insurance plan through your employer, your only other option in the U.S. is to pay for a plan through the Affordable Care Act, which averages about $540 per month. And, of course, having an insurance plan doesn’t mean it will cover all of your medical costs, so you’re usually left with some additional bills you have to pay.

People have vastly different opinions on whether or not healthcare is something that the government should pay for, especially in a country where that’s not the norm. Still, Lanna couldn’t help but feel “so angry and full of grief that our government and our society and media and whoever else has convinced us that the way we live is normal.”

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Mary-Faith Martinez is a writer with a bachelor’s degree in English and Journalism who covers news, psychology, lifestyle, and human interest topics.