I have definitely grown to appreciate certain aspects of German culture. Perhaps the part that I envy that Americans don’t have is the six weeks of vacation a year and the shorter work week. I feel that Germans have realized that materialism is everything. Unfortunately, Americans haven’t realized that.
I think that it’s interesting that Germans tend to have conversations with more substance. I appreciate that Germans tend to be more concerned when they greet and ask people how they are doing. I feel like that is something that Americans should adopt into our culture, although I know that generally we are too shallow to really care.
It was good to learn that Germans are culturally more “snobbish” by this I mean they don’t tend to speak to you if you are not friends with them. This has helped me to better understand the Germans I encounter in America. I considered it to be quite rude. I still don’t understand why saying hello to an acquaintance is uncommon. However, I will take these lessons with me the next time that I travel to Germany.
Another aspect of German culture that I think is interesting is the education system in Germany. Someone on the interactive did comment on how some of the college courses work. She said that a lot of courses in German colleges don't even give out grades. I thought that was interesting and something that maybe American colleges should look into. It would be nice to take classes, simply because you want to learn and not be pressured in every course.
1 comment:
Kissa,
It looks like you understand German culture better now after taking the German classes. That's a good thing.
I can see why Americans consider some Germans to be rude. However, it is not uncommon to say hello to an acquaintance in Germany. In fact, it's pretty common. It's uncommon to say hello to a stranger. You will figure these things out if you have the chance to go to Germany. And maybe you will then think about what you came across in German 1 and 2.
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