Cultural Differences, Part 2

By Kelly Enright

As Tanner, Whitney and I were riding on the train to Neuschwanstein yesterday, we decided to update our list on some cultural differences between Germany and the United States. Here they are:

1.PDA’s: Anywhere we have walked in Munich, we see couples hanging onto each other, kissing, and basically letting everyone in the vicinity know they have feelings for each other. Although we have some people that do this in the states, because porn and sex are not as widely accepted, people tend to be a bit more conservative. But not here. I can’t help but be a little embarrassed as the couples play tongue hockey and seem to be cuffed to the belt loop on the other side of their significant other. They just can’t seem to let go, but nobody seems to care very much. This is just a small difference but it is there.

2.Honesty: Germans expect honesty out of everyone. They will leave bicycles lying around, leave windows and doors wide open, and we even learned on our bike tour that if they find something someone left somewhere, they will usually put it in a place the person can find it if they come looking. This is not so true in the states. We are all very suspicious, and I cannot imagine EVER leaving my front door open and unlocked. It is just not something I was raised to do, and I would not be comfortable. People steal all the time, and honesty definitely does not seem to be everyone’s policy. Now I’m not trying to bash Americans, but all of us know that one person can ruin an entire community’s trust.

3.Smoking: Everyone smokes. Everywhere. I haven’t been able to escape it. When Whitney and I venture off to find restaurants, the ones we usually end up eating at are empty. And this is because we just want to escape the smoke. Isn’t there enough pollution already, why can’t I just breathe the small amount of oxygen left for my lungs? People seem to smoke before, during and after meals. And every other second of the day. I don’t understand it because I don’t smoke, but why can’t you just chew gum? And if someone isn’t smoking, maybe it is because they don’t like the smell of smoke. Maybe you shouldn’t smoke next to them, because if they did like the smoke, they’d probably be SMOKING. Duh. So if everyone would just stop smoking I would be happy. But that doesn’t look like it will occur in the near future. So I will continue to rant in circles. And to make nasty faces at all you smokers.

4.Large People: The majority of people in Germany are of a healthy, proportionate body size. They are not obese, and I have only seen a few people that are overweight. This may have many factors. The immense amount of walking in addition to the healthier diet probably does wonders for the body. Perhaps everyone who says diets don’t work should move to Europe and try changing their lifestyle. Just an idea.

5.Air Conditioning: I’m a very cold-natured person, so I usually gripe about the AC. But these past two weeks have changed that opinion very quickly. I love the outside, and having windows open all the time allows the fresh air in. But when it is ninety degrees outside, the air is not so friendly. It attacks your lungs and smothers the pores in your skin. You simply feel like you are drowning in your own sweat. And sleeping? Not a chance. Imagine walking into the telephone store I have been frequenting and sitting inside a teeny little booth with a door. I called my boyfriend on his birthday and could only speak to him for 4 minutes because I thought I was going to fall over with heat stroke. Literally. So air conditioning isn’t so bad. And life in SC without it would be no life at all. We would look like the surface of Mars, I’m sure. Human life would not exist within our state lines from May through August.

6. International Politics: The German people seem to be very aware of what is going on in the world. They know much more about international politics than I could ever dream of, and I’ve even been in conversations with Germans that know more about the possible presidential candidates than I do. And I live in the US. One person put it into perspective for me, and if I remember correctly it is Mario, who is helping us with the exchange with HFF (film university in Munich). He said that Germans are so aware because they have to be. Whoever becomes the next US president will dictate how many countries react to us because of the war, and even the economy could be affected. The US is such a strong worldwide power, and political changes affect everyone around us.

Alright, that’s all for now. I’m sure I’ll more to update you with soon, as you can probably tell I’m rather observant and entertained by the differences surrounding me!!