Kultur 6

In Germany, unlike America, doors always stay closed.  It doesn't matter if the person inside is available to talk or not, it will always be closed.  In America it is considered rude to "barge in"on a closed door but in Germany it is the norm to knock once and walk right in.

The Germans take garbage much more seriously than America and the rest of Europe.  Everywhere there are multiple waste baskets, color-coated for different kinds of garbage.  Not following the correct method of garbage disposal is considered a small act of "rebellion.  This concern for proper garbage disposal goes along with Germanys concern for the environment.

AMD 6

For this AMD, I changed the language for Siri on my iPhone and had it give me directions in German.  I was driving to my friends house and I hadn't been there in a long time so I thought I should use my GPS.  The directions weren't too hard to understand but it helped a lot to have the visual part of the GPS.  I kept it in German for driving back to my house and tried to get used to following commands in German.  Overall it was a fun thing to do and a good way to be thinking in German over break! Although I probably would have gotten lost if I wasn't able to see where to go.

Kultur 5

Germany is much more open about sex than America.  Just like how nude sunbathing is a normal thing, sex shops are not frowned upon like they are in the States.  A sex shop is just as normal as a children's toy store and they are not disguised as "adult book stores" like they are here.  They are a normal part of the marketplace and of German society.

I also read about flirting in Germany and how it differs from America.  To German women, American men are considered "very forward" and when they go up to the women to actually say hi, the german ladies consider it almost creepy and too much.  I find this very funny because in America it is expected that the guy initiates things with the girl.  Shy is considered not interested and a subtle gesture comes off as jerky or too high of an ego.  Men are expected to make the first move.  

AMD 4

I read the article about how many english words have been added to the German dictionary.  Some people think it helps because the words are "global" usually having something to do technology. They are mostly words that have been made up for new technological things like "apps" or "blog".  Some linguistic conservatives are outraged that so many english words have been added to their dictionary.

"Most Germans are more liberal in their linguistic views and generally agree that the idea of protecting a country’s language is as megalomaniacal as it is futile.

It certainly doesn’t represent the view of the majority of my generation, the 20- and 30-somethings, who generally have a relaxed relationship with both languages."

It seems like the younger generations who are more involved with technology are fine with english words being used and added to the dictionary but the older generations think it will ruin their culture.  They do not want to accept the internationalization of Germany. 

The author used humor to show that we have many useful but also weird words but so does German:

"Again, English, thanks for “digital natives.” In return, you can have “Zeitgenossen.” It’s yours. Take it. It is a wonderful linguistic paradox that one of the nations that currently struggle with the idea of cosmopolitanism should be able to express it best."

Kultur 4

The article, "Illogical Logic" seemed very in character with the German culture.  It totally seems like something a german would do, say the cheapest ticket is X amount and the next train leaves in so many minutes and not bother to tell you the ticket you have just purchased is not right for the train you are boarding.

I enjoyed reading, "Fare-Dodgers Beware".  I think its really funny that the public transportation system runs on the "trust system" but for those who abuse this, they are bound to get caught by the normal looking people who ask for tickets as soon as the doors close and there is no escape.

I also thought the "Baring It All" article was very entertaining.  It's always interesting to read how different cultures view things us Americans think are inappropriate.  We view the Germans as mean up tight people but they share Europe's relaxed view of nudity.

AMD 4

For this AMD i wanted to watch something in German. I looked at other blogs and many people were watching South Park.  I thought about watching that but I have never seen South Park in English so I thought I would watch something that I had seen in English before to give me some context.  I watched the trailer for The Notebook in German.  It's my favorite movie and I've seen it so many times I probably have it memorized so I knew about what they were saying in the trailer from context!  It didn't sound as romantic in German...  I watched it twice, first to just listen to it, then to try and understand the words and what they were actually saying.  It was a fun activity and I enjoyed watching Ryan Gosling no matter what language he is speaking :)

AMD 3 Sarah van der Walde

For my AMD 3 I talked to my German friend in German.  He was a foreign exchange student at my high school when we were in 11th grade.  We've stayed in touch since he went back to Germany and so I asked him to Skype with me so I could practice my conversation skills.

It was a lot harder than I thought it would be.  Max laughed at me a few times because of how "american" I sounded when I pronounced things but we had fun talking and it was really good to catch up!

After we (I) ran out of things I could say in German we talked about Germany and its differences and similarities and what it was like to come here for a year.  I told him how I wanted to study abroad and he assured me it was a great experience and I had to do it!  Skyping with him was really fun and a great way to practice my German.  His laughing at me showed me that I still have a long way to go with pronunciation but he was impressed that I knew as much as I did!

Kultur 3- Sarah van der Walde

I really enjoyed reading the "An Obsession Explained: Beer, Brewskies, and Liquid Bread".  The humorous take on German stereotypes showed they they are not actually always pessimistic and humorless.  I enjoyed reading about all the different types of beers and thought it was really funny how they were judged by the "hangover risk".  Radler and Russn sound so good!!

I thought it was really interesting that Germany is putting policies in place to fix the public drinking and the problems that come with it.  The way they are putting the laws in place seem like a really good idea; to let cities and towns put bans on public drinking in certain places.  That way each town can have its own rules which suit it according to its own wants and needs.  The idea of a drinking room was really funny to me.  I don't know why, maybe it is my American point of view, but it seemed kind of crazy to have a room dedicated to alcoholics.


I also read the article about Germans' obsession with naturally grown food.  I thought it was really interesting as most of our food is genetically modified somehow.  I think it's great that Germans are so conscientious of the environment and their own health.  I think America is following in Germany's foot steps with organic food becoming more normal.

"All of which means that organic foods in Germany are no longer associated exclusively with Birkenstock-wearing hippies or overly protective mothers. Organic has gone mainstream. "


The article, "The Dark Side: Optimists are idiots" was really funny.  I think it is great how frank and to the point Germans are.  They say exactly what they are thinking without worrying about offending someone which is just about the complete opposite of Americans.  It reminded me of what we were talking about in class how most romance language have a work for the positive of something but German has a noch for the negative of stuff.

"The Awful German Language

I read "The Awful German Language" by Mark Twain for my activity.  It made me feel a little better about my struggle with the language when Mark Twain was also confused by separable verbs!  But the essay also made me a little worried about what is to come in the course.  I thought Twain was very funny in the way he made fun of how confusing it is for non-native speakers to try and understand the formation of sentences and the language itself.  But in his humor he was very accurate on all the things he talked about.  I also enjoyed when he talked about how silly the examples in the books are because that's so true!

I think it's funny how he talks about how terrible learning German is when English is regarded as the most difficult language to learn.  He discussed all the exceptions to grammar rules but it would seem english has even more.  And there are no tense endings for verbs in english which I'm sure is very difficult to understand from a non-native speakers point of view.  He points out that english is difficult when he says:
"Surely there is not another language that is so slipshod and system-less, and so slippery and elusive to the grasp,"

Overall, I really enjoyed reading "The Awful German language.  I thought it was humorous yet accurate and also drew parallels between how difficult German and English both are.

Kultur 2

I really enjoyed reading the articles on how blunt German culture is.  It's so different from American culture.  I thought it was really interesting how Germans have no problem staring at people openly where if you did that in America you would be considered creepy.  I also thought it was really funny how neighbors are so suspicious of each other and will call the police one another for parking illegally.  You can definitely tell from that article how Germany's political history has shaped the culture of the older generations.

At first these articles make Germany out as a country full of creepy mean people who are obsessed with the population sizes of places.  But I don't think that is actually the case.  These articles are exaggerations and meant to be funny.  They are truthful to an extent that these are some of the things Germans are known for doing but it is meant to be over dramatized for humor.

I really enjoyed the last part of the article, "By the Numbers: an obsession with statistics" where it jokingly said that you will be in trouble if you visit Germany not knowing everything about your geographical place of residence:

"So study up before you go. Discussions can sometimes feel like a test. And if you can't answer the first couple of questions, you will have failed. Time is running short, hit the books now."

I enjoyed all the articles and appreciate the humorous take they gave on German culture.  It makes me excited to one day visit the country obsessed with numbers!

AMD 1

For my AMD 1 i changed my Facebook to German for two days.  It was pretty difficult at first but as I got used to where everything was I was able to navigate Facebook easily.  When the two days were over I didn't feel like I needed to change it back to English.  I thought I would be lost when I changed it but it was pretty easy to use because I already knew where everything was.  Doing this helped me learn simple words like "like", "comment", "profile", and basic info on peoples profiles.  I think if I had to keep my Facebook as German I would be able to use it almost as easily as when it's in English.  I think I will change it to German more often to that I will be forced to think in German even when I'm not in class or doing my homework.  I go on Facebook on my phone a lot so I was seeing German quite often throughout the day.  Overall, it was a fun way to incorporate German into my daily life.

Sarah van der Walde Kultur1

I thought this part was really interesting "According to traditional accounts of immigration in places like rural Wisconsin, German settlers were drawn to landscapes that resembled the areas they came from in Europe, especially heavily wooded ones". I didn't know that there were "symbolic and practical importance of the forest in German culture".

I also really liked the quotes:  "A look at both secular and religious communi- ty institutions illustrates nicely the synthesis of Old and New World influences in the (post-)immigration context."

AND
"Freethinkers promoted an attitude of liberalism and rationality unencumbered by religious dogma, and many supported progressive ideas such as public education reform, improved work- ing conditions, voting rights for women, and the abolition of slavery."


I thought this part on religion was particularly interesting as I sort of assumed that most german immigrants were of the same religion: 
Religion was profoundly important to the majority of the German-speaking immi- grants, as it is today among their descendants, and the churches they built in America became important reflections of their origins and traditions.
Unlike other immigrant groups, German-speakers did not comprise a single, homogeneous religious group, and in America they were represented in numerous denominations.

I really liked the little section on the German-esqe postcards from Milwaukee. It helped add to the idea that Wisconsin was very much a German inhabited place, even if they were unaware of it.  I also liked reading about how Oktoberfests.  I also enjoyed reading the political views of the German immigrants as a whole and the explanation of why they voted the way they did. 

I thought this was an interesting part: "In addition to print media, education was an important vehicle for promoting a national identity that was fundamentally American, but strongly influenced by the German heritage."

The part of the article which talked about the German Jews who sought freedom and a place of reshape the traditional views was really interesting to me.  I was able to relate to the part of the article which discussed the German Jews who sought refuge against the Nazis because my grandfather and his family had their citizenships taken away and were forced the flee to America for being Jewish. 

This article gave me a lot more insight on the daily lives and struggles of German immigrants.  It also provided insight on the difference between Pennsylvania Dutch and Amish because I also always assumed that they were similar/the same.  I gained knowledge on the history of Wisconsin as a german center place in America. Overall, I enjoyed the article and I think it was useful in gaining knowledge of German culture.  I think it's sad that German culture has receded over time.