Kultur 5

I especially enjoyed reading about the physical toughness it takes to walk the streets of Deutschland. Whenever I bump into anyone I'm always quick to apologize, but I like the idea of just ignoring it too. To me, it's a sign of not really giving a scheise and feeling like you have to suck up to people after accidentally bumping into them rather than just being rude about it. It seems like the accidental bump doesn't require an apology because it is just implied. I think Americans can sometimes be overly sensitive to apologizing about trivial things. Most of the time, when two strangers even slightly bump into each other here in the States, they will both apologize to each other like three or four times in a row - as if it's some kind of contest to see who can be the most apologetic and get the last apology in (in my experience, women tend to do this more than men).

I also enjoyed reading the article about Deutsch Rock-chasing. Sehr interessant! I can hardly imagine a world where it's up to the women to make the first advance - what a huge difference from the United States. Here, the guys are always the predators. I wouldn't doubt for a second that some American women have gone their whole lives without ever having to buy their own drinks. It seems almost more respectful in a way to leave it up to the girls to make the first move. It's kind of a mindset of "If she wants to talk to you, she will. So give her some space." Whereas, American guys (and definitely Italian guys) are absolutely relentless in trying to win over a girl's attention. I wonder if it's the opposite in Deutschland, where the girls are that aggressive. You definitely don't see that kind of aggression in American girls - unless she's an ex. After reading this article, my chances of moving to Germany after I graduate are pretty high. Watch out, Madchen.

Auf wiedersehen!