Kultur 6

The Bild Zeitung article didn't shock me too much; I imagine that almost every developed nation has a similar periodical. It is somewhat surprising that such a large part of the German population seems to follow it so closely, but the previous Kultur articles have prepared me pretty well for this. "Sex is no big deal in Germany" is all but burnt into my memory. I did find the Angela Merkel story pretty humorous. It's funny how defensive most people will get when somebody offends their nation. That's definitely something that every culture has in common.

I found the "Come On In, My Door is Always Closed" article to be pretty interesting. The concept, to me, is nerve-wracking. I have a tendency to knock very softly on doors, wait the minimum time necessary, and see it as an opportunity to get the heck out of dodge. I'm always afraid of intruding, and I often find open doors as little beacons of hope. That being said, I do imagine it's something that a person gets used to. If you really need something that badly, you won't be too afraid to barge in. Also, if it's the norm, I can't imagine people getting too upset with someone for storming in on something embarrassing or inconvenient, but rather being uncomfortable with the timing.

The intricate and rather intense sounding German waste program seems fitting with the rest of their society. I personally don't see much wrong with it: it's environmentally friendly and probably keeps everything a lot cleaner and more pleasant to look at. This article did, however, serve to remind me of the "Germans are always watching you" stereotype. I can't imagine what might happen if I threw something into the wrong bin or, God forbid, threw everything into the "trash" bin.

AMD 6

For my final AMD I decided to get in the Christmas spirit by researching Weihnachten in Germany.

Christmas day used to be January 6. One fascinating thing many Germans do is to write the initials of the Three Kings C,M,B plus the year above their doors on January 5 to protect their homes. Christmas celebrations do not end until January 6, because many germans believe this was the arrival time of the Three Kings. So Christmas in Germany lasts from December 1 through January 6!

On December 6 it is Nikolaustag or the Day of St, Nicholas. (who is not Santa Claus) The night before Sankt Nikolaus comes with gifts for children. You leave out a shoe where the presents are placed.

On Christmas Eve they children receive presents from Christkindl (the christ child) not Santa Claus. They leave letters for Christkindl on their windowsills. They believe the Christ Child sends a messenger to deliver presents. The messenger is an angel.

New Year's Day many people give gifts to people who help them during the year like the mailman, or garbage man.

Another huge tradition are the German Christmas Markets. They are the equivalent to farmers markets here selling homemade christmas goods and gifts. They sound wonderful!

I was surprised to learn that our tradition of a Christmas Tree or (O Tannenbaum) and the Carol Silent night (Stille Nacht) came from Germany!

Every year my family listens to the Nat King Cole Christmas album and he has two German songs on there. I never made the connection until now! Germans also began the advent calendar tradition.

Here is his version of O Tannenbaum. I know all the words and never knew I was singing in German !

http://youtu.be/o9TGU1QZywc

Frohe Weihnachten! (Merry Christmas:)

AMD 6

Für meine letzte AMD habe ich "Britt Deckt Auf" gesehen. Das ist ein TV show that I would equate to America's "Dr. Phil." Ich habe das gemacht, weil ich für meine erste AMD das gemacht haben, und I wanted to see if there was any improvement in mein Hörverständnis. Turns out there was a lot! Apparently Germans do, in fact, use the past tense! (Crazy, I know!) Needless to say, it was much easier to follow along.

This episode featured Christina, Monika, und Tomek. Monika ist Christinas (former) Tochter-in-Law, und wann Monikas Mann Tomek committed Selbstmord (=suicide) she blamed Christina for it. Monika war sehr traurig. Monika hat einen Brief zu Christina geschriben. Sie hat gesagt: "Ich weiβ nicht, warum du das gemacht hast." In the beginning of the episode, you only see Christina and get her viewpoint on the situation. She had no idea why Monika blamed her for everything. It turns out that Monika was upset because she had thought that Tomeks mother (Christina) had cheated on his father, und dass alle seine Geschwistern andere Väter gehabt haben.

Tomeks brother then came on the show and expressed his feelings towards his sister-in-law. He was very upset with how much she had hurt his mother, and said that Tomek was a Schläger (=Thug). Christinas kids ended up taking "Geschwister Tests" und they were 99.9% sure that they (they being Tomek, the brother, and other sister whose name I couldn't catch) all had the same father. The end of the show was pretty awkward, in that Monika didn't really know what to say. It made a pretty quick transition to a Gewinnspiele! Everyone could enter to win ein neue Sony Erickson Handy und 2.000 Euro! (I looked this up and it was filmed in 2009.)

I learned quite a few new words, such as:

Schläger - thug

Selbstmord - suicide

deckt auf - reveals

Gewinnspiele - sweepstakes

and quite a few more. It was a pretty interesting experience. It's also nice to feel like you're making some improvement!

AMD 6

Hallo!

Ich habe für diesen AMD eine Youtube Video gesehen. Der Video heißt "All German Scrubs Scenes." Scrubs ist ein sehr lustig Program. Sehen sie das video hier:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zfo1rjHUrKc

The video is a few scenes from an episode involving a German patient. Each scene features some very basic German which was easy to understand without subtitles for the most part. In one clip Deutsch gets made fun of for being an "ugly" language. I tend to agree with this. A lot of German phonetics are very throaty and sound very strange compared to English. German just doesn't sound quite as flattering as Romantic languages like French or Italian. With that being said, Listening to a native German speaker is very different than listening to an English speaker attempting to pronounce German words like "achtung" or "vorsichtig".

After watching this video I naturally ventured on to a few related videos like this one:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cg-vUGFz9Jk&feature=related

These clips feature people dancing to the song "99 Luftballoons" which bedeutet 99 Balloons. This is probably the most well known German song out there. Most people may be more familiar with Goldfinger's English version:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5QYIlgRg9TY

Which is quite a Jam. While there are successful Deutsch Bands out there, they still play mostly English music on radios overseas. The German language just doesn't lend itself well to music in my opinion. Unless it's in the form of classic Christmas music like this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfcS19rielo&feature=related

Wie Wunderbar. Frohe Weihnachten!

-Lukas

Kultur 6

OK, I absolutely don't understand why the recycle bins/trash cans have a Sunday limitation. That literally makes no sense to me. It's a place to put trash. Why would it close? It's great that Germany is so excited about environmentalism, and I love that there are more receptacles for recyclables, but that also sounds incredibly terrifying if you got it wrong...which I probably would. Reading this makes me think that there are many, many things that I would get wrong in Germany, if I can screw up throwing away my Currywurst waste.

Regarding the article about closed doors: SCARY! I really don't know how I would handle having to simply walk into someone's office after knocking once. I would be petrified of being yelled at in loud, fast German that I wouldn't know how to respond to with enough grace. It also makes me wonder what their reaction would be to an open door. Is that considered rude? What does it mean? What they be offended if I left my door open to my room while I studied? So many questions!

The article about 'Bild Zeitung' is really weird, but simultaneously uninteresting to me. I really don't care about newspapers like that, or the people that read them. The only thing that irks me about the article is that it makes it seem like all of Germany is dependent on this newspaper. I'm really not sure if I believe that. It seems like a generalization made by the author of the article, like we've seen in a few of the other articles. Even if it was true, I still wouldn't care about something so trivial as a tabloid.

AMD 6

Diese Freitag, ich bin mit vielle Freunden nach Weihnachtsmarkt aus Kerrytown gegangen. Ich habe viel Spaß gehabt, obwohl ein bisschen kalt für meinen Freunden. Wann ich bin erste gekommen, ich habe vielle Befeurung gesehen, und ich hat nach der Glühwein Stand schnell gelaufen. Aber leider, ich habe kein Wein gefindet! 

Kurz danach ich hat Sonya und ihren Freund gefindet, aber meine andere Freunden verloren. Alles, ich hat neun Freunden mitgekommen, aber ich hat nur mit Sonya, ihren Freund, und mein gut Freund Josh geblieben. Wir haben Nüsse gegessen, und Bier von süß "Kindlefest" Krüge getrunken, weil den Wein war nicht. So vielle Stände waren! Nüsse, Bier, Wein, Brot, Brezeln, Kunstgewerbe, Kaffee, Gebäck, und mehr! Dort war auch vielle Freundenfeuer für die Leute zustehen in der Nähe. 

Es war sehr süß, und ich war sehr aufgeregt die ganze Nacht! 

Something I thought was really interesting was to note the kinds of things that made it a "German" market in particular, and what German Christmas might be like, in comparison to how an American Christmas might be. In general, they seem very similar, but I think that's because the celebration of Christmas as we know it really started as a German tradition, if I'm not mistaken. Roasted nuts, mulled wine, and the decorating of a Christmas tree are all German traditions, and Santa himself was influenced by German pagan traditions. 

All of that aside, I really enjoyed myself at the market with my friends, and it made me SO HAPPY to have so many German things in one place, I thought I might explode. 

Ein Schöner Wei(h)nachtsmarkt

Gestern nacht, wie Heidi und ihre Freunde, ich habe mit einer Freundin von mir, Stephanie (die spricht Deutsch auch), auf den Weinachtsmarkt in Kerrytown gegangen. Nur fünf Minuten von Kerrytown wohne ich -- über die Straße von Jake!

Ich gehe fast jedes Wochenende auf den Bauernmarkt [= farmers' market] in Kerrytown, aber letzte Nacht war ganz anders. Ich habe viel Deutsch und viele deutsch Akzente gehört, und ein Stand hat Glühwein verkauft. Glühwein finde ich sehr stark, aber das Getränk war warme und würzige. A really fun way to bring in Christmas, I felt.

And the best part was, I seemed to arrive everywhere right before Heidi, whom I ran into at the market, and stole the last of everything. Most importantly I beat her to the Brezeln und free Brezelbrötchen.

Given a choice between giving up oxygen or pretzel rolls, I'd have to think about it.

The big find of the night, though, was a woman selling foreign coins on necklaces. I was a little bit of a foreign-coin nerd as a kid and still have quite a few left over from my collecting days. Much of the woman's currency came from individual European countries before the Euro. Deutsche Marke, Italian lire, French francs... plus currency still in use like the Russian ruble and some Ukrainian hryvnia from when they were first printed, in 1992. I am 25% Ukrainian and had no Slavic currency from childhood. The 50-kopiyok coin I ended up with is worth a whole 6 US cents these days. :)

I'm munching that Brezelbrötchen as I type this and it definitely absorbed the flavor of the Glühwein from the air. Strong stuff indeed.

"The Land of Beer, Sausage, and Sex Shops" reminds me of just how sexaphobic (yes, I made up a word. I think it's genophobia...) the US can be. I suppose it's not all of the United States though, because there's a pretty well-known sex store on South U. that people use as a point of reference all the time.

"Toilet Training for Visitors" was an interesting read because it seems that sanitary assistants are more popular in Germany than here. Lord knows we need assistance in that area, I can't tell how many times I've left the bathroom w/ out using it because the conditions were...unsatisfactory. I would rather pay a little pocket change to have the bathrooms in decent condition than not, personally.

Honestly, it's articles like "No Blood, No Entschuldigung"that make me wonder if I was really meant to be born as a German. Aside from the bitter old lady trying to let her grandson see the parade, physical contact (without harassment) seems completely fine to me. It always amazes me how much Americans value their personal space. Some circumstances seem odd to me, like people will actually go out of their way (stop in their tracks to wait the 15 seconds for you to pass through a narrow hallway) to avoid close or actual physical contact. What are we afraid of? Personally I think it's soothing to have some kind of contact with another being. Yes, the truth comes out; I'm that girl the article was referring to when it stated that Germans (or German's-to-be) will actually seek out physical contact, so watch out!

This and the fact the peanut butter apparently doesn't really exist are two things that make me hesitant to just move to Germany and be done the US (other than the fact that I can't seem to form a decent german sentence.) The "Flirting with the Fräuleins, Hunting for Herren" article stated that the male-female interaction shabang is left in the hands of the women! What?! The only way it work in my brain is if the man does all the nervous talking. I suppose that's all I have to say about that.

tschüss!

Imani Mchunu

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!

Kulter 5

I learned in France that the french will not smile at you in casual passing, simply because they have no reason to. So wouldn't that be silly to acknowledge a complete stranger for no apparent reason. Similarly, I can understand the rude behavior exhibited by germans. Everyone has the common goal of a destination, and bystanders are more in your way than not. Similar conduct is seen in high traffic cities of America, such as Chicago and New York. Although I just think its the bitter cold that makes them so standoffish, because San Francisco will always offer a friendly hello, or oh I'm so sorry! Germans are also a bit bigger, in general, and I remember being a little overwhelmed in the subways with all tall, large pushing people, uninterested in your safety or, really, existence in general. It is very interesting and progressive that women hold all the power in flirtatious initiation. In america, men are trolling for a hottie and women lying in wait for a winner. But in upside down Deutchland, women are large and in charge, and I love it. Also, sex shops? Way to be loud and proud. In San Fran, you definitely see that wonderful embracement of sexuality, but even so Germany takes the cake with not subtly, but casually making sex accomadations available. Very impressive.

Cultural Differences

There seem to be two very distinct aspects of German culture that come out in this chapters readings.  Germans are seen as a xenophobic, closed off, cold, and calculating society by many outsiders.  This can be seen on the German flirting scene.  There are so many unwritten rules and ways to act.  If you don't have those rules down be ready to get shot down pretty regularly.  This mainly includes not coming on too strongly, which could ruin most American guys.  I have not been apart of the dating scene for sometime and am not too sure of the intricacies of the American style, but from what I have seen it mostly consists of drinking a lot and being a douche bag, lol.  This would be a big no no in Germany.  Another example of the closed aspect is on the subject of politeness.  As in the articles, the cold eyed stare as someone treads on your shoe would be a major Faux pas in most other cultures.  (Coincidentally Faux pas translates to false step... made me chuckle)  In Germany this seems to be a common theme. 

There is the other aspect to German culture, however, which greatly intrigues me.  That is the apparent openness of the general public to very private matters.  In the last chapter, the articles talked about the openness to nudism that most Deutscher displayed.  This seems to go completely against that cold, closed off attitude found in the first aspect of German culture.  It can be seen in this chapter when reading the article on "German Erotica".  The Germans are very open about their sexuality.  I both read this and have heard conversations on this in person.  My friend from Austria brought up the question of contraception one night during dinner.  He said that once a girl hit 16 in Austria, a good mother would immediately have her on some kind of contraception.  This was brought up in front of a very strict Catholic mother which made for a pretty funny conversation.  I find the difference in both German and American culture, and the split in German culture very interesting.

The Teutonic Knights

One of my major interests as far as I can remember is that of Medieval History.  I have always loved the romanticism that goes along with the Chivalric Code of the medieval knights and the tales of great honor and deeds.  I have a strong connection  to this myself because of a long family history with knighthood.  I am myself actually a living breathing knight.  Not the same kind of Chivalric Order once formed to go on Crusades to the Holy Land, but one that is based on the other aspect of knighthood, protecting and helping those in need.  If you have never heard of the Knights of Columbus, I would suggest exploring who they are and what they mean.

There were once hundreds of different orders during the medieval period that would go on different Crusades all over Europe and the Middle East.  These include Orders such as the Knights Templar, the Hospitallers, and Teutonic Knights.  The Teutonic Knights are to me one of the most interesting Chivalric Orders created.

Back in the day, many of the knights spoke only the romantic languages, z.B. French, Italian, Spanish.  This was fine for those leaders that were from these different countries, because even if you second in command didn't come from where you were, at least you could kinda get the point across.  This however became a very big problem when the Deutsch Ritter finally entered the fight.  Battles were fought with half the army not having a clue what the plan was.  This needed to be changed.

At the end of the 12th Century, the Pope decided that he needed a Holy Order for the Germanic speaking knights.  In 1190 AD, the Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, or more simply, the Teutonic Knights were born.  These Catholic Knights fought in many conflicts ranging from the Holy Land to the Baltic.  They acted as both holy warriors and battle field hospitals during these different campaigns. 

Kultur 5

My interpretation of the most recent Kultur articles is that Germans are strange, oblivious semi-humans who lack empathy. (That seems to be the over arching theme of all the articles we've read.) To be honest, at this point the articles have become predictable. When I saw the first title, "Rules of the Street: No Blood, No Entschuldgung," I immediately though to myself, "This article will be about how Germans are strange and lack basic human emotions." Lo and behold, that was indeed what the article was about just that, so either the website's observations of the Germans are becoming redundant, or I've developed psychic powers. Now, to be fair, the articles are still well written and quirky, which makes them enjoyable to read, but I'm running out of things to say about them.

The articles about women in Germany and "Cliquen und Kneipen" to be a refreshing change of pace. The small part that said the EU prohibits women from being paid less than men for equivalent work was interesting, because in the very next paragraph it says that women still make less money than men. The article was especially interesting because it shows that Germany and America have some of the same problems with gender discrimination, but are taking steps to overcome it. The article "Cliquen und Kneipen" was nice because it describes Germans as *gasp!* normal human beings who enjoy the company of others and conversation.

Kultur 5

I'm not a fan of the Klofrau. Not one bit. Granted, I've never met one, or experienced the subtle grandeur that can be the German restroom, so this is probably horribly naive. I simply have no desire to pay to use the bathroom. Believe me, I hate public restrooms as much as the next person: they're always damp and dirty; and trying to cover up their smell more often than not makes it worse. This being said, I still appreciate the fact that a very primal part of my being is being nurtured for free--albeit in a rather unflattering manner. Maybe it's just another privilege that I take for granted in my life...

The "No Blood, No Enschuldigung" rule doesn't strike me as particularly odd. It seems to blend well with the German take on flirting. Interpersonal German encounters seem to focus more on the subtleties of the human experience. This comes as a stark contrast to the American culture that I'm used to. I personally find everything to be a tad caricatured here. You were in a hurry and accidentally bumped into someone? Jerk. You didn't outwardly fawn over every aspect of that girl? Offer to buy her 5 $15 drinks? You must not be interested. I believe that people can say and do a lot of things that they don't really mean, and that often the most charismatic, "friendly" person can really be the rudest, most self-involved. Judging character on more intricate qualities, and waiting a long time in a relationship to discover if someone is truly boring or not (as the article says) is usually a much better way to get to know a person.

While I have no qualms with the American style of flirting... I must admit that it would be nice to have the roles reversed for a while. To have woman approach you and try to impress you for once might be a nice change of pace.

Sex shops aplenty seemed to fit well with the German take on nudity. I'm not in any way equating nudity with sex, but it does seem that Germans are much more willing to embrace "natural" things that some cultures might want to hide. However, I did notice a contrast between this and the Klofrau, who's main purpose seems to be to hide an unavoidable human experience... although that's probably more means of comfort than denial.

Kultur 5

The no blood no foul rule strikes me as appropriate. I mean in a crowd you won't have enough time to say excuse me every time you bump into someone. They just all assume the crowd like attitude and plow on ahead. You have places to be and so does every one else. It reminds me of a survival of the fittest. The sex shop article made a chuckle a little at first. Then I thought about more and came to the conclusion. Germans accept that "Adult Book Stores" are apart of their society and instead of hiding them up they treat it like it's just another store. I admire that, sometimes I think America has too many prudes. We shouldn't treat it like some evil voodoo, just accept it and move on. When I read the flirting article it made me wish I lived in Germany. Men practically don't have to do anything just be there. Sounds like a great system to me.

Kultur 5

Wie geht's!

After reading through this seemingly unrelated collection of articles I believe I have discovered a new candidate for world's worst job: the Llofrau. These poor women put Mike Rowe to shame. I nearly gag my way through the bicentennial chore of cleaning my own bathroom. These crazies do it for a living! And it's not much of one. They are paid in fractions of dollars and only get to keep a fraction of it (although working in a busy bar full of leaky drunks is probably quite lucrative). It's no wonder they are an endangered species.

I do not mean any disrespect towards these brave souls. I have tremendous admiration for anyone willing to clean up after drunk people with poor aim. As most of them are immigrants, they are unfortunately forced to start at the bottom rung of the corporate ladder. In the end they are doing a pretty tremendous service to the community. Public restrooms are some of the most unsanitary places in the world. Stopping for an emergency bathroom break on a roadtrip in the middle of Nowhere, Kentucky can lead to some pretty horrific encounters. Of all the great German traditions and customs passed on to American culture, why couldn't the Klofrau be one of them?

Kultur 5

I do not find that the lack of manners is used in the streets of Germany. It happens all the time in the major cities of the United States: New York, Chicago, etc. It just seems very typical of people to just turn heartless when there are more people in a city. But let's look at it this way. Do you know how many times you would have to say excuse me if you ran into someone in a major city. It would be a lot. Thus, people have grown accustom to it and take it as it is.

The article on the sex shops was really funny and interesting. The fact that when walking out of the gate from your plane the sight of sensual objects and other fetishes would be quite disturbing to an outsider, such as myself. We Americans make the sensual pleasures hushed and hidden away. We do not flaunt it out in public. I would not say we are embarrassed, but it would be very uncomfortable. Although, there is a sex store over by East Quad. Sex stores are few and far between in the United States though.

The toilet lady does not seem too different to those old men that sit in the corner of the bathroom and polish shoes or give you mouthwash at fancy country clubs. However, I would find it a nuisance that in the majority of bathrooms I would have to fork up some change. I am not going to the bathroom looking to buy something. I am going to bathroom to relieve myself. I just think that it is not the place to do, but I understand why: everyone has to use the bathroom at some point. It is inevitable.

Flirting quite shocked me considerably. I am used to having to be outgoing and smiling at a woman I am interested in. However, I applaud the German way because it is more genuine and not superficial like here in the United States. However, I imagine that flirting can be superficial at times in Germany. This article interests me because it makes me think what it would be like to be on the receiving end. It says that the flirting is done predominately by women in Germany. I would find it difficult to adapt because the man has to be the one to initiate in most cases in flirting here in the United States. However, the German way of flirting seems so langweilig. Where's the fun in a conversation about domestic policy with the opposite sex?

Kultur 5

This week's readings I found to be a seemingly arbitrary combination of articles. I am not sure that the article regarding public interactions/politeness has any actual meaning. Rather than something unique to German culture this seems to be something more unique to American culture as I am extremely doubtful that this phenomenon is unusual when compared to heavily populated Asian/South American/African areas. Likewise, for the article about dating norms; rather I feel that there are two norms of dating, one "American" and one for everywhere else. Again, my instinct is that undeveloped countries are better described by the German version than the American version. Even if German norms are extreme for Western European nations, I am not sure they are still not closer to them then to American openness. The argument, to a lesser degree, I would extend to the sex shop article. Save nations dominated by Islam I am not sure this would be startling in many places, although that doesn't imply it exists. I think that is the norm for areas of Western Europe, and I am sure you could find a similar principle, possibly in a different form, in Asia and underdeveloped areas. I think that these articles revealed more about American culture than they did about German cutlure. Sam Engel

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.

Kultur 5

I found the article about Germans and 'entschuldigung' very interesting. It's not hard to imagine that an entire culture can less prone to apologizing for minor physical contact compared to another culture. That said I think it would be a major culture shock for an American to go to Germany and be constantly pushed around without so much as a 'entschuldigung'. On the flip side Germans might feel weird about an American constantly saying sorry for what they consider a negligible offence.

I wasn't at all surprised about the high volume of sex shops in Germany. The subject of sex is still considered taboo in America and that's why Americans are often stereotyped as prudish. I think there are many strong negative effects on society because our culture's aversion toward sex.

I found the whole 'toilet lady' concept bizarre. I understand that no one wants to use a dirty bathroom but I feel like most bathrooms remain fairly clean with only two to three cleans a day. Why don't these workers have additional responsibilities in their workplace besides siphoning money from people to corporations?

Unsurprisingly I found the most interesting article on 'flirting' in Germany and it seems like the odds are either extremely stacked in a foreigners favor or vice versa depending on the German woman. If the German lady is fed up with the boring flirtation offered by her natives then she may be attracted to Americans. However, it seems more likely that any sort of explicit flirtation will end up backfiring. I can just picture Americans in a bar or club flirtatiously smiling at every German women that walks by and every German women thinking "What a creep!"

After reading the article about cliques and Kneipe's I wondered if the divorce rate in Germany is lower than it is in the U.S. It most likely is because the United States' divorce rate is absurdly high but my thinking behind the idea is this: in Germany one's girlfriend has not only a relationship with their boyfriend, but with her boyfriends' friends too. So if the girl doesn't fit in with your friends then shes out! Huge time saver!

Kultur 5

For this chapters Kultur assignment we were tasked with reading articles that were all across the board in subject matter.

First we are given an understanding of bathroom etiquette and the centuries old tradition of the Klofrau. This article clearly gives insight into a very important aspect of life, which is what takes place in a bathroom. The system used to clean bathrooms in Germany is very different from that which is used in America-- where a bathroom can go uncleaned for months, maybe years, at a time. It would obviously seem to be common practice in my mind to keep these people happy, because then your bathroom experience will be as pleasurable as possible.

We are also given some insight into flirting etiquette and street etiquette. In respect to both situations more seems to be less. In the realm of flirting the U.S. style is a little too forward. And when walking through a crowd being overly aggressive is no reason to apologize!

And finally we are given the opportunity to talk about dildos and other various sex toys! Needless to say the lesson to be learned here is that Germany is very different from the United States. Does this make me a little scared to travel abroad, well yes it does. Of course new experiences are always welcome, which should make for my abroad experience slightly more interesting.

Kultur 5

The article about street behavior in Germany actually did not surprise me. I would say the Germans contact in the street is similar to how it is on black friday shopping in Chicago and daily life in New York City. I have been plowed over by many serious shoppers on black friday. Women more than men seem to assume people will move out of the way for them, so they never bother to move for anyone else.

The article about German sex shops was hilarious. I cannot believe they have one in an airport. I can just imagine how shocked visitors are when that is their first sight. It made me laugh to think about the 18 and up section in family video. It used to be a game with middle schoolers and high schoolers to see who could walk back their without getting caught. The local one was also shut down. German kids would clearly laugh at our immaturity since they have grown up with sex shops right next door to their favorite toy stores!

I found it very interesting to learn that men as well as women can get child-raising leave. I think that is a really nice concept. Here even the women do not get enough time or a part time option very often. I think it is wonderful that men can spend more time after their child is born. I also found it wonderful that more women are going to college and having careers and starting businesses. Good for German women to take a stand and demand equal pay and job opportunities! All the articles were really interesting this time!

Klotergeister

Disclaimer: I'm about to get political.

My first reaction to die Klofrauen was, I admit, that it's a pain having to keep change on hand for them. I've dealt with it before - they do it in France as well - but it always struck me as a little over the top that you have to pay someone just to deal with a biological necessity. What an excellent way to teach kids to 'go before they go.'

BUT.

Having read the article on die Klofrauen and their reputation in Germany, I'm leaning more on the side of sympathy. One healthy benefit of their strong presence is that it's much harder to say no to someone's face. In the US, custodians often remind me of poltergeists (he, ein deutsches Wort!) (ghostodians?) because they sort of float past with their yellow carts and dust mops and are far too easily overlooked.

Letting them pass unacknowledged is sad, because their jobs protect basic human health, and it's work that most people would avoid. I hope that in Europe, meeting eyes with the person who makes it safe for you to do your business levels the playing field a little bit. Extremely rich corporate officers in the US can get by without ever acknowledging a custodian's role in their success. Or, let's be honest, a wife's role (because they ARE chiefly male and conservatively expect women to fulfill more traditional roles - not all, but most).

I would be positively delighted to witness an American corporate bigwig having to plink a couple of quarters on the plate of a glaring Klofrau.

It's entirely possible that I'm doing more than my share of wishful thinking here - because die Klofrauen are indeed ridiculed in Germany, according to the article - but take my ideas with a whole salt lick if you must.

AMD 5

For this AMD I decided to watch a German movie. I browsed Netflix for a while then stumbled upon one called "Der Räuber" ("The Robber"). According to the opening credits, this film is nach einen wahren Begebenheit, based on a true story. The movie did have English subtitles for everything, so along with some German practice, I did get to actually watch and enjoy the movie.

The movie is about a bank robber, Johann Rettenberger, who also runs marathons. The movie begins with him in prison, running in his jail cell in preparation for another running. He then sets a national record at the Vienna City Marathon when he finally gets out. From there, the movie cuts to a scene of him robbing another bank. He then leaves and needs to steal a car. He talks to and gives commands to the driver of the car just like we learned in Kapitel 4!

"Wo ist dein Handy?"

"Aufsteht"

"(shut the) Tür" (i couldn't pick up the word for shut)

Whenever he walks into a bank for a robbery he shouts: "Geh mal", and this translates to "Let's go" in English. I know it's a little different, given that it is a du command, but maybe that's the German expression for something that we use quite often. People say "let's go" as a command all of the time here, even though it technically should refer to the subject "we".

Other than the times when he is robbing banks, the dialogue in the movie is really, really quiet and hard to understand. It seems like everyone is whispering the whole time. That's probably just because the movie has a somewhat dark, quiet tone to it. There is action in the scenes when he is running from the police after robbing a bank, but mostly this is just a somber movie. That quietness made it harder to follow the dialogue without relying on the subtitles.

Next time I see a German movie, I'd like to try to ignore the subtitles and just watch it through seeing how much I can pick up. I may even try watching an English movie that I am familiar with dubbed over in German.

Kultur 5

After reading these articles, I think America is culturally just too polite. We apologize for every little thing, are too conscientious about others' personal space, and are afraid of being rude. When I travel to India, no one holds the door for people. This is not because Indians are rude, but India is way too overcrowded. I remember one time my little sister was trying to be polite and held the door for some people behind us. However, more and more people kept walking and pushing through. She was stuck for a good five minutes holding the door for about 30 people who eventually got through. She learned fast that it's better just to hold the door open for herself and then just let it GO. In America though, she would have gotten glared at and it is very possible that most people would consider her actions to be incredibly rude.

I also got this mixed feeling about Americans. We are a very prude country in that sex shops are looked down upon and European countries are very free and open about sexual things in general. However, the article on flirting with Germans confused me. Flirting in America can be a VERY straightforward concept. It is not weird to be approached by a guy and hit on very obviously/bluntly. I find it strange that in Germany men just stare at you if they have strong feelings for you. That is kind of creepy. But it also could be very refreshing from the straight-forwardness of American men. I guess I'll just have to travel to Germany and hope to experience this to find out for myself!