A couple days ago, Michelle posted a link on her blog. I found this link highly entertaining and very spot on, and since I had been meaning to made a list of cultural observations on my own... well this one is just so all encompassing and contained so many things that I was planning on saying I'm just going to pick out my favorites my favorites and adapt them to my experiences. Deal? Deal.
My spin on the 'What I Know About Germans' list...
6) Their babies are particularly beautiful - And their babies all speak better German than me. Very frustrating.
13) They speak English better than most English people I know - Especially my roomie Franzi, she is an English Lit major and has better English grammar than I do.
21) Germans simply do not understand thongs/flip flops/jandals as viable footwear. Even when it’s warm and sunny. And a boot is impractical, or too warm for the feet to be comfortable. They will stare, bewildered, at thonged feet and quietly wonder if the wearer is mad - I wear sandals to work a lot. I like my feet to breathe. Almost every day someone makes a comment about my Sandalen. I think this is especially bizarre because Germany is home to Birkenstocks, the mother of all sandals! But apparently Birkenstocks are just "house shoes". When I told people how much Birkenstocks sell for in the USA they laughed! They're only about 40 euros here!
24) Germans are always prepared for the rain - This is no joke. It rains ALL THE TIME here. Sadly I lost my rain jacket so I've been really soggy lately.
27) German clubs routinely remind the world of the universality of 90s pop - And not just 90's pop, but all sorts of the most random music imaginable. Some of my favorite randoms include "You're the One That I Want", weird techno mixes of "Country Roads", and about every N*SYNC and BSB song imaginable. It's wonderful!
32) Germans don’t tend to jay-walk. And they judge those who do - I really struggle with this one. Especially if it's raining and I'm standing rainjacketless in the rain.
52) Germans seem to really enjoy How I Met Your Mother, Two and a Half Men and crime fiction - This is so true and just cracks me uppp!
53) They love their dogs. Often their dogs catch the bus with them and sometimes their dogs even dine with them in restaurants - Speaking of German dogs... I'm not allowed to pet them and it makes me really sad. Germans are very particular about their pets and according to Franzi they don't even like it when you make googly-eyes at their dogs, let alone touch them!
87) Germans can’t queue. Full stop, the end. They don’t know how, they have no interest in trying. This is the one time Germans embrace a lack of system and what happens when a queue is called for is the unfortunate culmination of Germanic forcefulness and uncertainty in the face of a system-less world. Take, for example, what happens in a supermarket when another check out line opens. Instead of calmly indicating the person at the top of the queue, yet to unload their basket onto the conveyor belt, should head up the new checkout line, there is this mad dash like a scattered flock of sheep, and your standing in the original queue becomes completely irrelevant. If you are fast enough, you can theoretically come from well behind and end up getting served before the person five people in front of you, who has been patiently waiting for 10 minutes. And no one thinks anything of it - This is THE MOST frustrating thing. Ever.
88) Germans can open a beer bottle with anything. The couch, a coffee mug, a banana. Body parts. It’s like they all secretly take a class at school when they’re eleven, in preparation for a life time of beer consumption. Next time you are with a German, hide the bottle opener and casually hand them your beer. They will flick off the top using a toothpick as if it is the most normal thing in the world - This is THE COOLEST thing. Ever. I'm trying to learn but the one time I tried with a lighter I cut my finger. Oww.
96) Germans love Spargel. They love Spargel and anything to do with Spargel, like Spargel peelers and Spargel steamers and Spargel platters. Forget Christmas or Easter or any other notable markers, the German year revolves around Spargelsaison - Sadly, I'm not a fan of the creepy whitish asparagus.
My spin on the 'What I Know About Germans' list...
6) Their babies are particularly beautiful - And their babies all speak better German than me. Very frustrating.
32) Germans don’t tend to jay-walk. And they judge those who do - I really struggle with this one. Especially if it's raining and I'm standing rainjacketless in the rain.
67) Germany loves a public holiday. Bavaria in particular - Thank goodness for this because it has afforded me lots of opportunities to travel! Wheeee!
So there you have it, my take on the 'What I Know About Germans' list! Look forward to a couple more culture posts like this before I leave. Less than a month here in Germany - I can't believe it!
No comments:
Post a Comment