Discovering Germany
This is my final paper on my experience in Germany.
After much deliberating about participating in the Discover Germany Today program, my sister Sharon and I decided to seize the opportunity and get everything we could from it. Although only a two-week study abroad program, we experienced many things from the German culture and learned many valuable things from the Germans and the German way of life.
Crossing the line from being a tourist to actually participating in the culture was an amazing experience. One of the activities we did in which we actively participated in the culture was to visit a German vocational school and then interact with the students there. We met Markus Hoff, an English and social sciences teacher, prior to class, and he showed us around the school and ended by taking us to his classroom. The students were very receptive and did an amazing job of making us feel welcome.
After listening to a presentation on the European Union by two of Mr. Hoff’s students, we were all required to interact with each other in English. Two German students were assigned to one American student. We were surprised at how well they did with communicating in English; the students should be commended for being willing to communicate in a language that is not their first language. It was soon quite obvious, however, that the German students were much more fluent in English than we were in German. Germans obviously place much more emphasis on learning other languages than do Americans. They begin at a young age and continue learning languages all through their academic years. Mr. Hoff’s personal opinion is that a person should have no less than seven years of English. The Germans’ learning of languages is not limited to English, however, and it is nothing for a German to know up to four different languages, including English, French, Italian, and Spanish. This emphasis on the learning of languages is certainly a strength of the German culture and is one that will surely serve them well.
After observing this in the German people, it was hard to not be embarrassed at my own ineptness with the German language. I very much disliked having to ask almost every person if they spoke English prior to nearly every transaction or encounter with the Germans. How much better and empowering it would be for Americans to start learning languages as young children rather than waiting to be introduced to a foreign language either when in high school or in college!
Another highlight of this trip was the time we spent with Mr. Hans-Ulrich Klose at the Reichstag. The more than two hour encounter with the Deputy Chairman Foreign Policy Committee of the German Bundestag was both humbling and exhilarating. From Mr. Klose, we learned so much more than just the things we chatted about regarding the German way of life. The way we were treated by Mr. Klose and his assistant Judith was nothing short of amazing and went far beyond our expectations. The time that such an important and busy man spent with us was a good lesson simply in how to treat others. He had nothing to gain from the time spent with us, and yet, it did not seem to matter. He actually seemed to enjoy spending time with us and thought nothing of giving us a personal tour through the Reichstag. Although our brief time together is probably already forgotten by Mr. Klose, his kindness to six American strangers will undoubtedly stick in our minds for a long, long time to come.
One of the practical things I learned how to do by participating in this course was simply to navigate the methods of foreign travel. From trains to trams to buses to bicycles, I am now much more comfortable both with utilizing public transport in a foreign country and with being resourceful when the unexpected happens. Sharon and I traveled to Lübeck on our own on the day when we were to pursue a personal interest. We had train troubles on both legs of our journey, and being forced to deal with the unexpected proved to be great experience for us and one that I am sure will prove useful should we ever be in that situation again.
Another thing I am much more comfortable doing is simply being willing to use the little bit of the German language that I have managed to acquire. Our visit and subsequent talk with Patrick and Manuela in Dresden proved to be somewhat liberating for both Sharon and me. Patrick, an American and former WKU student who married a German girl, did much to relax our fears of looking stupid while navigating through the language. Patrick talked about how, even five years after learning the language, he still manages to mess it up all the time. When he gets into a situation where he is floundering for the German word, he simply throws the English word in—and doesn’t apologize for it. The key to learning the language, according to Patrick, is being willing to look stupid while using it. More often than not, the Germans will be delighted to help out, and it is by making these mistakes that one learns.
For all the things one learns by foreign travel, it turns out to be much more a journey about learning of one’s own self and culture than it is learning about a foreign culture. This journey to Germany indeed proved to be a learning experience about myself and my own culture. When comparing the culture of America’s South, from whence I come, to that of the culture of Berlin, the primary thing that comes to mind is simply the value of friendliness and a smile, something that I often take for granted. When in Berlin, I missed the friendliness that I have always associated with customer service. It is not that friendliness is missing from the Berlin culture, however; it’s just that if you want it, you have to initiate it and seek it out. Once you step beyond the surface encounters of customer surface, however, be it in a restaurant or in a shop or on a train, the people of Berlin could not be nicer. But as Mr. Hoff puts it, “Berliners are mean to each other—that’s just how they are.” It was surprising, and somewhat alarming, how quickly I learned to acclimate to this method of communication. When returning to the Nashville airport, however, and upon being greeted by airport personnel with a friendly smile, I had to resist the impulse to bestow a hug upon the unsuspecting individual.
In addition to learning how our cultures differ in the foods we eat and in the services we receive, it was quickly quite obvious how much better the Germans are at conserving energy and at recycling. Germans separate their trash into plastics, papers, and metals. Public trash cans are often found in a grouping of three, and people do quite well in disposing of their trash correctly. When we visited Patrick and Manuela in their home in Dresden, we found them to be no different. Plastics, papers, and even batteries are disposed of in an environmentally-friendly way. What was the most outstanding, however, is that some of it took extra effort to dispose of, e.g., taking batteries to a separate location. And yet, it is so much a part of their way of living, they are not only glad to do it, but they do so without thinking about it. Even toilets in Germany conserve water in that there are two sizes of flushes available—a small and a large. Americans could learn much from the Germans in this area.
But for all the differences we observe between Germans and Americans, from the water we drink to the toilets we use to the foods we eat to the languages we speak, the people themselves are not so very different after all. Every person from Germany whom we were privileged to get to know beyond surface relationships proved to be an outstanding individual whom we enjoyed very much getting to know. And just what can be more valuable than the capacity of one individual to enjoy the company of another? It is these encounters, however brief they may have been, that I shall treasure far more than any souvenir I could have picked up—even chocolate. So to you, Markus, Birte, Patrick, Manuela, Manfred, Elene, Ulrich, Stefan, Herr Klose, Judith, Michael, Susanne, Spencer, and Daniela, and to my traveling companions, Dr. McGee, Sharon, Derek, George, and Thom, I propose a toast to you—mit Leitungswasser (tap water), of course. And I echo the words of Tim Cahill who once said, “A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.” Without a doubt, the time and money invested in my journey to Germany has been well worth it, and I am all the richer for it.
After much deliberating about participating in the Discover Germany Today program, my sister Sharon and I decided to seize the opportunity and get everything we could from it. Although only a two-week study abroad program, we experienced many things from the German culture and learned many valuable things from the Germans and the German way of life.
Crossing the line from being a tourist to actually participating in the culture was an amazing experience. One of the activities we did in which we actively participated in the culture was to visit a German vocational school and then interact with the students there. We met Markus Hoff, an English and social sciences teacher, prior to class, and he showed us around the school and ended by taking us to his classroom. The students were very receptive and did an amazing job of making us feel welcome.
After listening to a presentation on the European Union by two of Mr. Hoff’s students, we were all required to interact with each other in English. Two German students were assigned to one American student. We were surprised at how well they did with communicating in English; the students should be commended for being willing to communicate in a language that is not their first language. It was soon quite obvious, however, that the German students were much more fluent in English than we were in German. Germans obviously place much more emphasis on learning other languages than do Americans. They begin at a young age and continue learning languages all through their academic years. Mr. Hoff’s personal opinion is that a person should have no less than seven years of English. The Germans’ learning of languages is not limited to English, however, and it is nothing for a German to know up to four different languages, including English, French, Italian, and Spanish. This emphasis on the learning of languages is certainly a strength of the German culture and is one that will surely serve them well.
After observing this in the German people, it was hard to not be embarrassed at my own ineptness with the German language. I very much disliked having to ask almost every person if they spoke English prior to nearly every transaction or encounter with the Germans. How much better and empowering it would be for Americans to start learning languages as young children rather than waiting to be introduced to a foreign language either when in high school or in college!
Another highlight of this trip was the time we spent with Mr. Hans-Ulrich Klose at the Reichstag. The more than two hour encounter with the Deputy Chairman Foreign Policy Committee of the German Bundestag was both humbling and exhilarating. From Mr. Klose, we learned so much more than just the things we chatted about regarding the German way of life. The way we were treated by Mr. Klose and his assistant Judith was nothing short of amazing and went far beyond our expectations. The time that such an important and busy man spent with us was a good lesson simply in how to treat others. He had nothing to gain from the time spent with us, and yet, it did not seem to matter. He actually seemed to enjoy spending time with us and thought nothing of giving us a personal tour through the Reichstag. Although our brief time together is probably already forgotten by Mr. Klose, his kindness to six American strangers will undoubtedly stick in our minds for a long, long time to come.
One of the practical things I learned how to do by participating in this course was simply to navigate the methods of foreign travel. From trains to trams to buses to bicycles, I am now much more comfortable both with utilizing public transport in a foreign country and with being resourceful when the unexpected happens. Sharon and I traveled to Lübeck on our own on the day when we were to pursue a personal interest. We had train troubles on both legs of our journey, and being forced to deal with the unexpected proved to be great experience for us and one that I am sure will prove useful should we ever be in that situation again.
Another thing I am much more comfortable doing is simply being willing to use the little bit of the German language that I have managed to acquire. Our visit and subsequent talk with Patrick and Manuela in Dresden proved to be somewhat liberating for both Sharon and me. Patrick, an American and former WKU student who married a German girl, did much to relax our fears of looking stupid while navigating through the language. Patrick talked about how, even five years after learning the language, he still manages to mess it up all the time. When he gets into a situation where he is floundering for the German word, he simply throws the English word in—and doesn’t apologize for it. The key to learning the language, according to Patrick, is being willing to look stupid while using it. More often than not, the Germans will be delighted to help out, and it is by making these mistakes that one learns.
For all the things one learns by foreign travel, it turns out to be much more a journey about learning of one’s own self and culture than it is learning about a foreign culture. This journey to Germany indeed proved to be a learning experience about myself and my own culture. When comparing the culture of America’s South, from whence I come, to that of the culture of Berlin, the primary thing that comes to mind is simply the value of friendliness and a smile, something that I often take for granted. When in Berlin, I missed the friendliness that I have always associated with customer service. It is not that friendliness is missing from the Berlin culture, however; it’s just that if you want it, you have to initiate it and seek it out. Once you step beyond the surface encounters of customer surface, however, be it in a restaurant or in a shop or on a train, the people of Berlin could not be nicer. But as Mr. Hoff puts it, “Berliners are mean to each other—that’s just how they are.” It was surprising, and somewhat alarming, how quickly I learned to acclimate to this method of communication. When returning to the Nashville airport, however, and upon being greeted by airport personnel with a friendly smile, I had to resist the impulse to bestow a hug upon the unsuspecting individual.
In addition to learning how our cultures differ in the foods we eat and in the services we receive, it was quickly quite obvious how much better the Germans are at conserving energy and at recycling. Germans separate their trash into plastics, papers, and metals. Public trash cans are often found in a grouping of three, and people do quite well in disposing of their trash correctly. When we visited Patrick and Manuela in their home in Dresden, we found them to be no different. Plastics, papers, and even batteries are disposed of in an environmentally-friendly way. What was the most outstanding, however, is that some of it took extra effort to dispose of, e.g., taking batteries to a separate location. And yet, it is so much a part of their way of living, they are not only glad to do it, but they do so without thinking about it. Even toilets in Germany conserve water in that there are two sizes of flushes available—a small and a large. Americans could learn much from the Germans in this area.
But for all the differences we observe between Germans and Americans, from the water we drink to the toilets we use to the foods we eat to the languages we speak, the people themselves are not so very different after all. Every person from Germany whom we were privileged to get to know beyond surface relationships proved to be an outstanding individual whom we enjoyed very much getting to know. And just what can be more valuable than the capacity of one individual to enjoy the company of another? It is these encounters, however brief they may have been, that I shall treasure far more than any souvenir I could have picked up—even chocolate. So to you, Markus, Birte, Patrick, Manuela, Manfred, Elene, Ulrich, Stefan, Herr Klose, Judith, Michael, Susanne, Spencer, and Daniela, and to my traveling companions, Dr. McGee, Sharon, Derek, George, and Thom, I propose a toast to you—mit Leitungswasser (tap water), of course. And I echo the words of Tim Cahill who once said, “A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles.” Without a doubt, the time and money invested in my journey to Germany has been well worth it, and I am all the richer for it.
posted by Kris at 6/05/2006 11:27:00 PM
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