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| *Travel Tips>>>General - Germany Travel Tips |
What are some German culture differences from the US? |
Travel Info I am working on a college paper about the culture of Germany. I would love as many stories or resources about major culture differences. Are they very expressive? Do they drink to get drunk like most Americans? How is the family system viewed? How important is education? Is higher education free? Is something specific served with every meal? How open to strangers are they? How is the relationship between the different states? How are social taboo issue in America seen, i.e. homosexuality, abortions, women leadership, racism? I would love to have email contact with someone there up until my visit to Heidelburg in May...any takers??? :) Travel Tips Just to correct some stuff that annoyed me when I read it: "There is a very high rate of alchoholism in Germany." Half-true. Alcoholism is a problem, true. But compared to Russia and Poland, Germany has a very low alcoholism problem. (You can't run an industry like the German when you tolerate excess drinking.) Also since the national drink is beer, Germans consume on the whole a lot more alcohol than average. That doesn't mean that every German spends his days drunk. Compared to what Brits can drink or US kids pack away on spring break, German drinking is really very moderate. You have a bottle of beer for dinner and that's it. "Children actually take beer to school for their lunch." Utter rubbish. Drinking age for beer and wine is sixteen, but just because nobody frowns when a few teens sit and drink beer on the street doesn't mean the above is true. "The water there is nonpotable which probably accounts for the high consumption of beer," Huh? Non-potable water only occurs in wine-growing regions due to heavy fertilising. Contrary to popular opion you actually need good water to make good beer, as 98% of beer is water! "There are no different states as we know it." Rubbish too. Germany is a federation just like the U.S., there are 16 states. They are just smaller, giving the central government more leverage. "The Police are actually part of the army, and they have total and unquestioned authority to do *** they please, including killing someone." NOT TRUE! The state police, the federal police and the army are quite seperate, thank you very much! What is true is that prior to 1994 the Federal Police had combat status because they were and are the border patrol and thus were first in line in case of a Russian invasion. (Think National Guard.) But they were never part fof the army. In dire emergencies and matters of federal security they are called in to maintain law and order or to support the state police. The law allowing the police to kill was the result of several severe hostage situations. It is the ultimate weapon that is only applied when the last possible way to rescue a hostage is a sniper's bullet or to prevent a terrorist attack. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/german_fede... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/gsg9... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/landespoliz... http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/finaler_ret... "If you are stopped for some rreason and the police tell you not to move...you had better not even breathe too heavily or you will most likely get shot." I got similar advice about driving in the US. I got told, "when the sheriff tells you to stop, don't reach towards your papers, or he will assume you are going to grab a gun and shoot you." Go figure. "Volks marches (Pronounced Folks marches) are a popular past time," Duh, not among the young! "and the language is relatively easy to learn." Biggest understatement ever. Vocabulary might be easy for an English speaker, but the grammar is a royal pain. Ok, finished with the rant. For us Germans who have never been to the US it is difficult to figure out what is different to US culture. But you might want to check out: CultureShock!Germany, available from Amazon or similar books. I've found the CultureShock! series to be very reliable for in-depth information on countries. You can also visit the following site for more info on Germany: http://www.toytowngermany.com Source(s): I am German. Other Travel Tips AT EVERYTHING!!!!!!LIKE MARCE AND EARTH..... I am a German American and most Germans think they know better than other people and are slightly suspicious. They think they know about everything. But I suppose I would rather be German than any other type of European despite their recent-last century psychotic behavior. You may find there are many similarities between American and German culture. There are differences, though. Yes, Germans sometimes drink to get drunk. In Hamburg, there is a street, the Reeperbahn, or mile of sin. It's sort of like New Orleans on Friday and Saturday nights. You can drink in the streets, see a band, see a sex show or go from club to club. It's pretty packed until almost 4am in summer. Hamburg is a major port and industrial city in the north. Munich, in the south, has the beer gardens and Alpine feel to it. It's home to BMW, Siemens, the Alps, castles, Oktoberfest,and much more. They can make fun of themselves, as we do, with differences between the North and South, but it's not serious or common to do so. The family is similar to the US, but German children are, in my opinion, well educated and independant. Education is very important, and math/science are a big deal. Think German Engineering. I don't know how "free" the university system is, though. International travel is quite common and easy, considering how many different countries are so close. I believe this opens their minds to many different cultures and languages early, so they can be more "worldly" than many of us here. Beer is considered a basic food and is not taxed, as it is in the US. A glass or two of beer or wine is normal at dinner. The food is quite good and international. They seem to be more sophisticated than us when it comes to food and dress. fast food is present, but no common. They may not have as many clothes to wear as us, but they do know how to dress well and coordinate their outfits. They wear dress shoes where we wear tennis shoes. Like the U.S., many Germans are open to others. I have several friends there. Some are not, very open, like here. Their social structure, politically, is more liberal than ours. They pay quite a bit in taxes and petrol (it's benzine not gasoline) is quite high because it is taxed so much. In many ways, the Germans have more freedom than we do. The autobahn is one example. There are strict speed limits in places, and your car must me well maintained (no rust for example), but you can drive as fast as is safe. My personal best is 280KM/hr. Driving over posted limits is verboten, and you will get a ticket if you exceed the posted limit. There are also some quirky laws. You cannot name your child anything you'd like, for instance. It must be an approved name in a book. Homosexuality is no big deal, similar to larger American cities. I have found most Germans to be both more tolerant of others and, paradoxically, some are quite racist. I have found a great dislike of Russians, in some though. As far as women are concerned, they are very equal to men in the work place and politics. Just look who their leader is, Angela Merkel. You will have a wonderful time there. The country is beautiful, the people mostly terrific, history is amazing, and their values are quite similar to ours. Sorry, I don't know anyone in Heidelburg. Have a grand time! Most Germans are friendly. Smart, reading to much, cultural very interested. Traveling so much. Speaking different languages. Education is good, some places they need to pay for their university, some fees one time a year. They love to eat potato's, drink so much beer. They having good beer here. About homosexuality and women leadership, they are very cool and thinking cool. Abortions is not really free. Racism some areas in East.. there is not good, but the rest Germany are OK. We have many people living here from another countries. Family system is the same like in US. Some younger kids with 18 getting their own place. Everything in Germany is good organized and people are friendly you can make easy friends here. Night clubs, like Discos open until morning, Berlin is all night long you can go out and having fun. I hope that enough in formations for you. Good luck by your college paperwork. Not sure I can handle all your questions, but this is based on my being stationed (Army) in Germany. Germans are typically close knit families. Brochen (Bread) is served with all meals as well as some type of meat, usually Wurst, a type of sausage, Wurst is served from little snack wagons. You can find them literally everywhere. There is a very high rate of alchoholism in Germany. Children actually take beer to school for their lunch. The water there is nonpotable which probably accounts for the high consumption of beer, Racism, when I was there was all but non-existant. Social issues are much different. Homosexuality is not frowned upon, prostitution is legal, The government even controls prostitution and requires periodic health examanintions for prostitutes, then they are given a permit to practice their trade. Houses of prostitution are very common as are bars that constantly show porn movies. There are no different states as we know it. The Police are actually part of the army, and they have total and unquestioned authority to do *** they please, including killing someone. If you are stopped for some rreason and the police tell you not to move...you had better not even breathe too heavily or you will most likely get shot. Overall they are a very friendly people and while they may sometimes be amused at your attempt of their language, they very much appreciate your trying to speak the German language. The country is awesome, The sights to see are inexaustable, Volks marches (Pronounced Folks marches) are a popular past time, and the language is relatively easy to learn. So much more I could tell you. If you have other specific questions such as taxes, welfare system, health care, etc, email me and I'll be glad to answer them to the best of my knowledge.BTW, when you get there, don;t get snagged into one of the tourist type ventures. You can see much more of the real Germany on the back roads and in the small villages than from a tourist bus, Also, in rural Germany, houses are built on top of their barns. More if you want it.Sorry about all the typos. |
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