Kultur 5

Hahaha I love the article about Germans not being inclined to say "entschuldigung" when running into someone while walking or whatever. This is such a contrast to pretty much anywhere I've lived, and in most countries I've been in it is quite the opposite. When I was in Italy I accidentally bumped into someone and he got positively pissed when I didn't apologize right away. In also in contrast to both, while I was in Austria, it was pretty normal to say entschuldigung as far as I could tell. Perhaps I said it more than most Austrians but I think on the whole, Austrians are more apt to say "entschuldigung" than most Germans.

Regarding the German sex store article, I have to say that I really love the sex positiveness that Germany seems to have, and the lack of censorship for sexual things. Sex positivity is something that I wish the US had more of. It definitely shows how open and practical Germans are, because let's face it: everyone has watched porn. In America we try to hide it, but in Germany it seems they're just super honest about it, as with most things it seems. The one thing I didn't like was the tone of the article. I think the author must have been going for shock effect, but it came across a little harsh.

Um wow. The article about the Klofrau is kind of sad. I've experienced this kind of thing in France before, but you have to pay before you enter, and not when you leave, and there wasn't necessarily a particular person in the bathroom, except one time I can recall. I'm glad I read this, because I won't feel so cantankerous leaving the Klofrau a tip.

The flirting article is super interesting to me. I've heard people say that Germans are not romantically inclined, but reading this article puts a different perspective on it, which I appreciate. It seems that Germans, as we've come to know, are just honest. They won't flirt unless they really want to, and flirting isn't just about pleasing someone else, it's about trying to find a real connection with someone, which is super admirable. That said though, that's also really frustrating to not be able to read someone else if you're trying to flirt with them. Le sigh.

The "Women in Germany" article basically translates to me that women in Germany are super awesome and that Germany has a lot of gender equality. The few exceptions that I saw definitely surprised me, like how the kinds of jobs men and women have are pretty separate, and the lack of female professors, but I think a lot of countries have that problems as well. Sehr interessant.