Untranslatable German Words (11/18)

• Kehrwoche: Week of cleaning. Sort of a Spring Cleaning, but for Germans.
• Schnapsidee: An idea had while drunk.
• Drachenfutter: sort of a peace offering.
• Schadenfreude: Happiness at the misfortune of others.
• Knoblauchfahne: Breath that smells like garlic
• Fernweh: desire to see foreign places
• Warmduscher: a wimp

completed with Dalton S.

GERMAN FESTIVITIES AND FOOD

The German events and foods that interest us were:

• Oktoberfest
• Karneval
• Weihnachtsmarkt
• Currywurst
• Spaetzle
• Weisswurst mit Brezel
• Sauerkraut und Sauerbraten

Cultural Comparisons (11/16)

DRIVING

• It was surprising that gas is twice as much and that there are much fewer automatic transmission cars in Germany.
• We knew that there were no speed limits on the autobahn.
• I personally really like that there are more manuals in Germany.

DINING

• We were a little weirded out that it is common to share tables in busy restaurants.
• The drinking age is lower and they serve beer in McDonalds.

OTHER

• Church-sanctioned marriage is not legal in the eyes of the State ni Germany.
• Prostitution is tolerated in Germany, which was surprising.
• Americans address by first name when first introduced, often.
• No Gay marriage in Germany yet.
• When asked what their name is, Germans will usually respond with their last name.
• Germans rarely eat with their hands.
• Germans keep hands on table, but also no elbows.
• Germans don't drink tap water, which is strange.
• There will be an attendant (usually female) in public restrooms who expect tips for keeping the bathroom clean. This is rare in America.
• Bathrooms in general are just weird in Germany
• Americans don't like watching dubbed or subtitled movies.
• Germans are rarely religious
• Despite this, most German holidays are religious and there is no separation of church and state
• Shopping is a lot less of a fun thing to do in Germany.

We'd really like to go to Germany because we'd see dogs everywhere, even in restaurants. The autobahn would be cool to visit, and the beer and wine is supposedly better, regardless of how good the US beer has gotten. However, Americans seem to be more friendly and less blunt and straightforward, which is a good and a bad thing at the same time.

Completed with Kayley P.

Mein Weg Nach Deutschland Response (11/16)

1. The German Workplace
• In terms of what life is like in the German workplace once you get a job, it's very similar to how it is in America. You eventually talk to your coworkers in a much less formal sense, while still talking to your boss almost exclusively in a more formal way. The only difference that I saw was that the time you have to notify your boss is three months instead of two weeks. I also remember hearing that you get more paid vacation in Germany (and Europe in general), but that wasn't mentioned on this page.
2. Marriage
• Admittedly, I don't know a whole lot about marriage in Germany, but this also seems to be very similar to how marriage is done in the US. The page seems to place a lot more importance on getting the marriage officially and getting the paperwork, though. It seems that the German culture is less of a religious-minded culture than the US is.
3. Leisure
• Leisure time seems to be a bit more different than how it is in the United States. They have Adult Education Centers, which seem to be cheaper and more varied than US alternatives. They also have to register their TV and Radio. TV seems to be more like how the US treats Cable or Satellite TV, but having to pay a prescription fee for regular radio just seems so weird to me. I wouldn't pay anything for radio here. 
4. Civil Rights and Public Life
• Civil rights and public life, at least on paper, are exactly the same in the US and Germany. However, I know that there still is a lot of embedded racism and inequality that seem to have been embedded into our daily lives and seem next to impossible to change, regardless of how much we try. We still are fighting a very real fight against discrimination, and at least from what I read on Gastarbeiten, Germany may still be facing some similar problems as well.
5. Housing
• Again, the US and Germany are pretty similar here, but there still are a couple differences that I've noticed. One, that you have to pay for things left by previous tenants, like a fridge. I would hope it's cheaper than buying a fridge on your own, but that just seem strange to me. Another thing I noticed is that many housing places instill a form of quiet hours. I've only seen that in dorm life, and not in the real world. I'd be all for making quiet hours more common. I hate noisy neighbors.

I chose this article because I am interested in how Germany is reacting to the events that occurred this past weekend in Paris. I was saddened but not surprised to see that the Islamic faith has taken a massive hit, and how the actions of a tiny group have affected the reputation of so many. However, it is i a relief to see that people like Hamideh Mohaghegi are peacefully calling for the world to still treat the greater, more peaceful people who share this faith with love and compassion.

11/11: German and Europe

I really liked the first article I read, because it provided two very well-polished arguments. I agree with the argument that German products are not being forced to be bought. While there is a distinct problem with German products getting bought constantly, I don't think that Germany should be forced to change anything with how they make and distribute their products. Apple seems to dominate the smartphone market, but no one is forced to buy an iPhone, so would it make sense if Apple stopped making products? If Germany is the same way with automobiles, appliances, and more, we should follow the same principle.

I do agree with the angle of the second article. Whether the German people like it or not, they have a lot more responsibility to the EU than they either think or feel they should have, and big changes need to happen with Germany and its infrastructure. 

11/11: Fictional Bio

On February 16, 1929, Anja Kraus was born to parents Ernst and Emma Kraus in southern Berlin. Her family was neither particularly rich or poor, but they survived pleasantly. As the Nazi Party rose to power and eventually started to threaten the world around them, the family did nothing out of fear. Ernst managed to avoid conscription into the Wehrmacht, but in 1943, he could no longer and was sent out to the Western Theatre, where he was killed by advancing Allied forces in late 1944. Anja and her mother managed to survive the war and bombings of Berlin, but once the war ended, both were asked to join the Trümmerfrauen. While both were not exactly eager to join, the Trümmerfrauen got the one of the highest-valued ration cards, and as there was no one at home anymore who could provide work, the two decided to join up with them.

Anja specifically worked in organizing the materials gathered by other Trümmerfrauen, separating piles of bricks and other building materials. It was rough work, but she was glad she didn't have to actually get the materials, which was her mother's duty. She worked to help rebuild the Southern parts of Germany for about nine years. During that time, the restrictions on women labor workers were lifted throughout Germany, allowing her to continue her work in the streets and even getting her more rights as a worker once she finally finished around age 25.

When she had finished, Anja was glad for the break, and while she never truly enjoyed her hard work in the rubble, and she was a little resentful that she lost the first half of her 20s for rebuilding, she still had a small sense of pride in knowing that what she did was for a great cause and that thanks to her and her fellow Trümmerfrauen, she would be able to secure a better job.

11/9 In-Class Work: Reunification

I chose to read the second link provided, the one about the rise and fall of the Berlin Wall.

• Here are five facts I learned from this article.
• In East Germany, citizens were promised a vote on a new, socialist constitution, but would not get a chance to vote in 40 years.
• Their focus on economic output was on steel and other heavy and chemical industries
• Ulbricht, the leader of the DDR at this time claimed that he had no intention of building a wall, when in actuality, they had, and would start in two weeks.
• Ulbricht was forced to "retire" because of "old age."
• The situation in traveling to East Germany is similar to the situation of traveling to West Germany.
• This article for sure puts a positive light on reunification. It described a lot of horrors that Easterners had to face, especially going into the reasoning behind the wall, description of some Stasi activities, and especially the before/after pictures in the bottom of the article.
• There is still a cultural divide between East and West, mostly in that there is still much less productivity in the East, a general mentality that "West is Best," or more accurately, Besserwessi. Then there is the term Ostalgie, which refers to a nostalgic feeling for life in East Germany. I can sort of see how one would look back fondly on those times. As bad as it was back then, it was still the way many people grew up and learned to live. The sudden change to life similar to how it was in the West would have been very jarring and difficult, especially for the people who had spent 20+ years in the DDR. A desire for things to be familiar again can easily be as strong as wishing you had the things you had as a child or other types of nostalgia.