Kultur 8

I read the first 4 articles posted for the Kultur 8 readings. I found all of these articles qutie interesting and very different from a lot of things we do here in America.
First, I real the article called "Draftophobia: Blown Away by the Fear of Air" which I found quite ridiculous. It is about how Germans are scared of drafts and flowing air throughout a room. And if one feels a draft the will say "es zieht" meaning there is a draft and isntantly shut the windows or turn off the fans from wherever the draft is coming from. There is no way I would be able to handle this. Even in the Winter I like having the air moving through the room at night. Especially in summer when it is really hot it will be either air conditioning or windows down, definitely one or the other. But in the articlehe said " I have endured many hot and sweaty drives with my German friends who lacked air-conditioning. At first, I thought, "well they are just waiting for the air-conditioner to kick-in." Finally, we stopped at a red light and the windows went down in unison. Ahhh, fresh air! Then the light turned green and the windows went back up, trapping in the hot air until the next red light. If you are unlucky enough to be stuck driving on the autobahn, you might have to endure hours without moving air." This is ridiculous! I wouldn't be able to handle that.
The next article I read was "You Have What? Mysterious Illness in Germany." They think drafts are dangerous and could result in a serious flu, and also when one has a sore throat you must wrap your neck with a scarf even in the summer when it's really hot. I guess it helps. Germans also do not like to use modern day medicine. They just like to cure overtime and not use medicine. Then after they are done being sick they go celebrate in a bar and drink and smoke...ok?
Then I read "Germany's Sauna Obsession: Expose Yourself to the Culture." This is about how the going to the sauna is a ritual in many German's lives. The Finns still largely hold the lead with this ritual but more and more German's are giving it a go. I however, personally, do not really like sitting in a sauna or anything. This is funny how the ritual started: quoted from the article "The breakthrough came in 1936 when Finnish sportsmen participating in the Berlin Olympic Games insisted on having a "saunahaus" built in the Olympic village, arguing that their physical prowess would otherwise be undermined. German newspaper reports on this strange phenomenon led to the start of the nation's love affair with heat and sweat."
Lastly, I read about the "Philologus Ad Nauseaum: Germany's Aged Students." This article is about how Germans who actually go to college, stay there a long time, some even up to 7 and 1/2 years. Also for college, students won't even start until they are 23! Wow, that is so much different than here in the US. Then they get settled in and stay there until they are 30 or so. I think this a complete waste of time and that school system in Germany is terrible. They have a lot of work to do. I really like how our colleges are set up in the US. You go, get a good education in a good compact amount of time and then go find a job or do whatever you want with your life. It just sounds so unorganized in Germany.
I enjoyed reading these articles! Very informational and it's nice to learn about the different culture in Germany.