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.