Kultur 2

I absolutely love the brutal honest of the German culture from what I read of the article, and it's something that I've picked up on from interacting with German speakers, or friends that enjoy German culture as well. Honesty is something that I really value as a person, so I highly identify with this part of German culture. It kind of pains me when people are polite rather than just speaking their mind, and I'd always rather have an honest, negative interaction with someone than a dishonest, boiling interaction with someone. When I was visiting France, I actually talked to a German couple (albeit in English) after a recital, and I was so refreshed by the way we carried on a conversation. They asked me my plans and how I felt about the performance and such, and how I felt about being in France. I think that the article about Germans complaining ties into their blunt honesty as well.

The article about German stare downs brought back a lot of memories for me from when I was in Graz, Austria, because this is something that I felt particularly well. Simply walking down the street was enough to be looked at, and sometimes it can be very jarring, because you wonder, "What are they looking at? Do I have something on my face? Can they tell I'm American?" But then I realized all I had to do was stare back, and they don't get offended either. I thought it was interesting to know that it came from the post-war sentiments though.

Hearing that Germans are obsessed with statistics is pretty funny because it goes with the stereotype of Germans being very exacting...which is kind of true...and something that I really like about German culture anyway. Haha. Statistics isn't something I generally think about as far as where I'm from, and when friends as I usually compare my town to another town or this and that. Very inexact. I also found it interesting that Germans have a love of documentaries. It's funny how an aspect of the culture (watching documentaries) can tie into another aspect of the culture in an abstract sort of way (knowing statistics and facts). This is also very good to know if/when I visit Germany in the future, because I absolutely wouldn't want to disappoint new German friends/families with a lack of knowledge on my part. Just knowing that small aspect of the culture can improve first impressions dramatically as well I think.

From these articles I can also see why some people might think that Germans/Germany can be a stressful experience, but I think simply reading these very short articles gives me much greater preparation and insight.

Kultur2

Hey all!

I found myself comparing the German cultural comments to my feelings on Chinese culture. I'm half Chinese, and both my parents speak Mandarin, so I grew up surrounded by Chinese international students and families. Reading about the Germans' love of whining reminded me quite strongly of the way my grandfather carries on. He'll complain about everything, mostly that it's too expensive. But, unlike Germans, you cannot tell meinen Grossvater that he complains too much.

Which brings me to the article about honesty. You can always trust what a German person says to you. There is no beating around the bush or saying nice complimentary things just to make you feel good. They will simply state the truth. This is nicht richtig in Chinese culture. A conversation between two adults might go something like this:

A1: Your shirt is so pretty, it must have been quite expensive!

A2: No, no, this old thing. It makes me look overweight and pretentious.

A1: no no no!

A2: Yes, well.... your son is doing really well in his math class, isn't he?

A1: Oh no, little Bobby is a stupid boy. He's uncharacteristically lazy for my family. I really think he should be put in the slow class.

A2: Of course not, he's brilliant!

Mind you, neither of the two adults in this conversation believe ANYTHING they just said. The shirt is not that good looking, but it isn't hideous either, and poor Bobby is probably a bit above average, but nothing that would merit being singled out like that. I think in the long run I prefer the German way of saying exactly what you think and mean. It sounds a little exhausting, but so is the run-around of Chinese culture.

Truthfully, and I want to be as truthful as Deutsch kultur, I have NO interest in the statistics of the places where I have lived. I wouldn't have much to say, unless it was about the university. I suppose that I would be able to speak about my hometown as it relates to Virginia Tech (ich komme auf Blacksburg, Virginia), and then I could talk about my undergraduate experience at USC. I would, however, be perfectly glucklich zu horen about some Deutsch statistiks.

I wasn't surprised about the Germanic stare-down article. I had a similar feeling when I was traveling in Frankfurt. I wondered what was so note-worthy about me, that in public places like grocery stores and post offices the older generation would stare a bit. And not just at me, but everyone! It made me feel a bit eerie, like I had been cast in the beginning of a film about zombies. (They're not zombies yet, but they'll be the first to go!)

Well, that's about all I had for these. I hope we get to see more of Lola Rennt!

-Sonya

Kultur 2

I loved the first, third, and fourth articles. I feel like the first article is very revealing of German ideology: a sort of pessimistic, perfectionist ideology that is always striving for improvement and sees satisfaction as detrimental. The “Brutally Honest” article, specifically the quote “How is it rude to be truthful?”, also is an indicator of German philosophy, although an elaboration is beyond this blog. That is something that I ran into over and over in my family of German background. The final article, about obsession with statistics, also describes my family and was interesting. I do feel this highlights an important emphasis of German ideology, especially contrasted with say French, or even Eastern, philosophy. The Kultur texts in the book were not as engaging. I wish the German university section would have been more detailed as they did not really go into the specifics of what degrees are common in Germany or how many students attend what sorts of Universities, etc. I would also have liked to know what exactly a typical program entails and what instructors and universities are looking for. I am not sure exactly what to make of the staring article, possibly a curious observation? It seems greatly exaggerated, more so than the others.
Sam Engel
http://www.destatis.de/jetspeed/portal/cms/Sites/destatis/Internet/EN/Navigation/Statistics/Internationales/Internationales.psml
http://www.nationmaster.com/country/gm-germany

Rummeckern

Yes, the title does mean "to bitch." (According to my all-knowing dict.cc, that is.)

As I've mentioned, my brother and I spent 8 and 7 years of our childhood, starting at birth, under the watchful eye of a German au pair named Birgit. She's in her forties now, married to a wonderful Turk, and since I've grown into some form of adult in the past few years, I've come to see her in a more analytic light.

Baby Taylor mit Teddybär "Freud." (Ich habe verschroben Eltern.)

For one, she is not afraid to tell you what she thinks. I never knew that characteristic was prevalent among Germans - then again, she may be outspoken even for a German. :)

Birgit an der Universität Michigan.

A couple of phrases really stood out to me, as someone who is decent at reading people and thus resents dancing around topics: "'Come over to my house and we'll have tea,' means that you should start planning a date and time for that pleasant event. It is not to be confused with the Anglo-American 'We should get together sometime,' which means 'I hope I never see you again.'" It would be super toll to say what you meant. Rings especially true for me since I've been trained in technical communication, in which you are expected to make your point and leave no room for surprises.

In general I fit in fine as eine Amerikanerin, but sometimes I wonder if I'd feel more comfortable in ein Land wo, it seems, the majority of the population thinks like I do and has the same Sinn für Humor.

Kultur 2

This week's culture readings were sehr interessant. I still cannot get over the similarities between the citizens of my town und die Personen in Deutschland. I'm very used to the blunt honesty that Germans are said to have; if one of meine Verwandten aren't fond of something, they don't hesitate to let you know it. It's definitely a little off-putting for people first meeting them, but they are still some of the most caring people I know... and that's easily recognizable once you get accustomed to their demeanor. I imagine there's a similar argument for Germans.

The staring in Deutschland, however, is not something I'm used to. While I can accommodate a normal level (...or at least normal to an Amerikaner) of eye contact, staring definitely creeps me out. The reference to a "messy homicide" in New York I think provides a good example to what most Americans might expect from a stranger eyeballing them for a few minutes. (Particularly from eine unheimliche Oma in das Fenster.)

I related a lot to the German obsession with statistics, simply because I share the same obsession. I never really considered it to be a cultural thing, but after reading the article I can see how it might be an outlet for German pride... or maybe just another way to complain? Either way, I think some of that transferred over to Americanker Kultur because no one ever seems to be happy with the direction our country is moving in. This is just an opinion, obviously, but the media tends to spend a lot of time projecting similar topics discussed in the "Whining, Bitching, Moaning" article.

Overall, it was nice to get a well-rounded view of a different country. Often the qualities that people might not want to be known are the ones that are the most endearing.

I greatly enjoyed all of the articles for this reading. I come from a very German family, so I was able to relate to many of the German quirks, especially the whining and directness. I don't think my family complains to the extend that the article seemed to imply, but there definitively is a lot of it in my extended family. I think it comes from the fact that Germans are never satisfied. However, the directness is something I greatly admire. I don't think of myself as a very direct individual, but other people in my family, especially my grandparents, can be very direct. It is a trait that I think is taken for granted by many people, even if it can lead to some awkward interactions. I don't think my family is obsessed with statistics, but we seem very interested in them. I always love get togethers with my mother's side of the family, because all of them work on a dairy farm. It's great to hear them talk about how many more cows they have and how many gallons of milk they got this year, and it's impressive they know all the numbers of the top of their heads. The only thing I don't notice with my family is the staring problem, maybe because all of my relatives have been in America since before WWI that trait was never passed down to us. For the most part, these articles seem to fairly represent some of the characteristics of German individuals.

Willkommen!!

Welcome to our class blog!

We will be using this blog throughout the semester for two kinds of assignments:

1. Once per chapter, the homework plan will direct you to post a response to the culture readings for the chapter on the blog.

2. Roughly every other week, the homework plan will direct you to post here for your Abenteuer mit Deutsch (AMD) assignment. First you do a fun activity that involves German, then you post about it. You should spend an hour total on this (maybe 45-55 minutes doing something, 5-15 minutes posting about it). See Was ist ein AMD, AMD Ideen and Beispiele for ideas. This should get you excited about the kinds of things you can do!

Whenever you post something, please include your name and the name of the assignment (e.g. AMD2, Kultur5) as labels. See "Blog: How To" for more details!

Throughout the semester, you will be posting here roughly every other week for your Abenteuer mit Deutsch (AMD) assignment. First you do a fun activity that involves German, then you post about it. You should spend an hour total on this (maybe 45-55 minutes doing something, 5-15 minutes posting about it). And make sure to add your name as one of the "Labels." See the links on AMD Ideen and Beispiele for ideas! This should get you excited about the kinds of things you can do!