Kultur 11

The first article I read was called "Breaking Down the Wall in the Head." In the second paragraph it says "A recent poll conducted by the Forsa research institute found that a quarter of West Germans wished the Berlin Wall could be rebuilt, while 12 percent of East Germans said they didn't want to live in a united Germany" and I found this very interesting. I guess I just assumed that everyone was happier when the wall came down and that all was better. There are also many stereotypes between the east and west Berliners. The East Germans think of westerners as "Besser-Wessies," or arrogant know-it-alls and the West Germans think of the easterners as "Jammer Ossies," or whining easterners. Many people think that the cost of this reunification is being hidden from them. The best hope for breaking down the "wall in the head" lies in its young people. This youth sees the Cold War as just a childhood memory and the future lies in its hands to hopefully decrease the tension and become one.
The next thing I read was the "Ostalgie" wikipedia page. This term refers to the aspects of life in East Germany. This term can also be used to refer to nostalgia for life under the socialist system in other former communist countries of Eastern Europe, most notably Poland and the Soviet Union. After the fall of the Berlin wall in 1989 and the German reunification that followed a year later, many of the symbols of the German Democratic Republic were swept away.
The last article I read was called "Germany's Real Divide." I had no idea about this but this article is about how the divide between Germany is not East and West, rather between North and South. The divide between north and south has some do to with religion while south is mostly Catholic and north are mostly Protestant but the main issue is prejudice. I found this article the most interesting because I think I learned the most. It was funny how they ended the article by saying, "had the Allies split up Germany between north and south after World War II, the Wall might very well still be standing."
These Kultur articles were quite informing about some of the interesting history between not only east and west germany but north and south too of which I didn't know much about.

AMD 6

Für meinen neuen AMD habe ich recherchiert, die besten Attraktionen in Deutschland. Sie waren sehr interessant und ich möchte es eines Tages gehen. The article talks about 10 attractions in no certain order of what the best attraction in Germany is but here are a few that sounded very interesting to me:

Neuschwanstein, Bavaria - This hold the world's most famous castle, Neuschwanstein, and is in the Alps. Walt Disney was inspired by this and made Sleeping Beauty. This is the most photographed building in Germany. I would love to visit something like this, I feel like it is something you have to see to believe because it is so remarkable.

Brandenburg Gate, Berlin - Here they have the Brandenburg Gate which is the national symbol for Germany built in 1791 as a symbol of peace. It stood between East and West Berlin and this is where President Reagan stood and said "“Mr. Gorbatschow, tear down this wall, Mr. Gorbatschow, open this Gate.” It was torn down and became a symbol of Germany's reunification.

The City of Weimar - This is basically said to be the heart of German culture and would be very cool to experience if in Germany.

The Romantic Road - When I think of Germany, and Germany cities or towns in Germany, I think of something like the way this one is defined. It is a very scenic route that boasts Germany scenery and culture with medieval towns surrounded by walls and towers, historic hotels, castles, and restaurants with great food and beer.

Oktoberfest, Munich - I know in earlier AMDs I have expressed my interest in going to Oktoberfest and I definitely want to try and do this is some point in my life. The world's largest fair and drinking beer, sounds good to me.

The Black Forest - AKA Schwarzwald, this is something I would definitely like to see. This is the nice scenic rolling hills, small villages, and lush forests side of Germany. This covers an area of 4,600 square miles. Walking, biking or driving is an adventure in itself and you can go wherever you want finding and experiencing tiny villages, wineries and old monasteries. There are 2 highly recommended tours called the Wine Route and the German Clock Road. And it says remember "No visit to the Black Forest is complete without a piece of Black Forest Cake, with chocolate, cherries, cream and a good dash of cherry schnapps."

Ich fand das so toll! There are so many things that I want to do in my life and reading articles like this about main attractions in Germany just adds to the list. I love history and Germany is full of it so it would be so cool to one day experience a few of these great places.

The article I read is: http://gogermany.about.com/od/sightsandattractions/tp/mustseesgermany.htm

AMD 5

For my AMD 5, I went to the "Step Into German" website. The first thing that caught my eye was the Soccer tab. My biggest hobby is playing and following sports. I already knew that soccer is by far the most popular sport in Germany but they confirmed it with, "Let us take you on a tour through a country where soccer is truly king" so I was really interested on reading up on it. I went to the "Soccer Cities" tab and went to a few of the cities that I have heard of before. I checked out some really cool pictures of Soccer stadiums they have and other famous/main attractions each city might have to offer. I think if I had to pick a place to visit, it would either be Berlin or München. Berlin has so much history behind it and I am really interested in that, also the pictures from there look really cool with lots going on in a big city like that. Then, München also looks really nice with the scenery. Both cities would have good soccer teams to watch and I'm sure with cities like that they are really into their teams. Then after that I listened to a soccer podcast that talked about the different teams and soccer info which I somewhat understood. Lastly, I went to the "Soccer in the Movies" tab. This was by far my favorite thing I found on the website because it had video trailers for movies dealing with German soccer. I watched all of the trailers they had and I had 2 clear favorites. First off, "Deutschland. Ein Sommermärchen" looked really good. It showed the significance of German soccer, and all of the hype behind the sport. The soccer players are treated like the top celebrities in the country and obviously in the specific city they play in. The shots they got inside the stadium during games looked so awesome with the crowd so into it. I never have been to any pro or meaningful soccer game of any sort because it is not as big in the US. It is something I would really like to do someday. I think I understood most of the trailer and from the title, I think it's about an underdog team who wins the championship of some sort because märchen means "fairy tale." I might even decide to watch this one. Then my other favorite was "Das Wunder von Bern" and I actually totally forgot about this movie until I started watching the trailer for it because we watched it in my high school German class! I really enjoyed the movie, and I thought it had a good story behind it dealing with soccer. I really enjoyed doing this AMD because the website was very good and had a topic that I am interested in.

Kultur 10

The first article I read was called "Dinner for Who?" This is about what all the Germans do every single new year. And the article was right, because I have never heard of this "Dinner for One" skit. In the beginning of the article I thought it was being quite opionated when talking about how "all" Germans will react to an English speaking visitor. They say some very random questions that all Germans would ask, in their opinion, but everyone is different so I don't think this is all correct.
The next article I read was called "The Challenge of Spending Money in Germany." I found this one very interesting due to the fact that it is so completely different from the US. In the US you can find a Walgreens, CVS, or Rite-Aid on every corner which are open very late, if not all night. Not to mention, I believe Meijer is also open 24 hrs where you can find/buy anything you need. I guess what they do in Germany has its goods and bads because I like the fact that Sundays are relaxing days where there is not a lot of trucks and stuff on the roads and everyone can enjoy a day off.
The third article I read was called "A Visit to Germany's Christmas Markets." I thought this was pretty cool because Christmas is a really festive time of the year and to have so much going on would be something to see.
Then I read up on Bern, Switzerland. There are very nice mountains there and that would be a really cool experience with a bunch of other things to do also. I read a few blogs of people visiting there and it sounded like a very nice place to visit.
I enjoyed reading these Kultur 10 articles, I always learn new interesting things that I didn't know before.

Kultur 9

The first article I read was called "The German Certificate Fetish." I found this very very interesting because I had no clue about any of this. The kind of system they talk about seems very strict and very different from the USA. In the US while applying for a job you just give them your simple 1 page resume and maybe meet them and if you meet their standards then they will call you back for interviewing processes. I have obviously never experienced the German way of getting all these documents proving certain things about what you did in your life but I am leaning towards liking the US way better. I feel like there are definitely weaknesses in both systems. In the German system, if you lose or damage you binder in anyway, it would be so much work to try and get it all back together because it is just a lot of papers. Also, I feel like it is a really big hassle to get all these papers signed and authenticated after you do certain things. Now, weaknesses in the US system is that people can easily fake, or mislead someone by putting false things on their resume with no authorization that it is true. This is where the German system is better because you know everything they have authenticated in the binder is true and that they actually did do it.
The next article I read was called "German Law Tells You How." I think after reading this article that there may be a lot more mean or grouchy people in Germany if all these conflicts with neighbors are coming up in courts and such. All of the rules listed were pretty common sense besides the specific times when you must shovel, be able to make noise, ect. I'm not positive on this but I do not really know any rules about neighboring, I think the subdivisions in the US makes specific rules for things like if your are allowed to have a fence or not, and what kind of mailbox you need to have...at least in my sub I think they make these rules. Usually, I think that if you are nice to your neighbors and respect their presence, then they will also respect yours and there won't be many problems.
The last article I read was "Don't Fly the Flag." I didn't know that German's had such little patriotism but it kind of makes sense due to their past with Hitler, the Berlin Wall, ect. It is very different than the United States because here in the US at sports games, or parties, or even other random events the crowd will sometimes just start chanting "USA! USA! USA!" for a certain reason because they are proud to live here and be an American. I am one of those people. Also, before I even started reading this it made me think of the World Cup because the Germans have been known to put some pretty good teams together and from what I know the whole country is behind them, and later in the article they talk about this.
I really enjoyed reading these culture articles about Germany and I actually learned quite a bit of interesting things that I had no idea about.
(Sorry this is so late by the way. I think I was home sick the day we did this and when I was catching up on the homework, I must of missed this assignment, but here it is!)

AMD 4: Berlin

For my AMD 4 I read a blog called "Travel Guide: Berlin, Germany." It was written by a girl named Victoria on December 23, 2011. She said that walking down the streets of Berlin gave her mixed feelings because she could notice the modern and liberal type city it is but also that it has a very "tumultuous" past. She said "everywhere you turn, there is evidence of a much darker history" and that it is strange that until the 80s, it was divided by one big wall. Berlin has many vintage shops with a lot of great restaurants and a good party scene, she said. You can explore the city's museums, take a boat cruise along the river, or walk down the remaining sections of the Berlin Wall at the East Side Gallery during the day and come night you can go to one of its cool techno clubs and have a tasty kebab on your way home.
She talks about getting around Berlin: It has really good public transportation such as buses, tram, and train services. You can save money by purchasing day or weekly passes in certain zones for U-Bahn or S-Bahn tickets. Also, tourists can purchase cards that allow unlimited travel and discounted access to some of Berlin's attractions. Where to stay in Berlin: Berlin's hotels are rather cheap compared to other European cities she said. Popular hotels include The Circus Hostel and Wombats City Hostel. The apartments are also a good value for your money and offer more space than a hotel. The food: It has plenty of different kinds of food due to being so multicultural and can be very affordable. Things to do in Berlin: Go to the East Side Gallery which is a section of the Berlin Wall painted with artwork from artists all over the globe. This is a memorial for freedom and the largest open air gallery in the world. Also, you can go to the Brandenburg Gate. It is a symbol of a divided Germany but after the wall came down it represented the unification of East and West Berlin. And you could go to the Alexanderplatz which is a public square in Berlin which has the TV tower and other major monuments such as the World Time Clock and the Fountain of International Friendship. Most buildings here were destroyed in bombings in WW2 and after the war the square was filled with socialists architecture. She also lists other places to visit such as Checkpoint Charlie, the Holocaust Memorial, and the Berliner Dom. Nightlife: It is known for its all-night partying and being one of the hippest cities in the world. It is particularly known for its techno clubs and Watergate was the most talked about while she was there she said. The district of Mitte is also a popular hotspot offering a variety of good restaurants, bars, and clubs.
I really enjoyed reading this blog because I liked reading about the first person opinion on what to do and what it is like in the city of Berlin. Since she has been there and experienced it, she provides some good information on the things listed above.

Blog URL: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/travelblogs/145/140660/Travel+Guide%3A+Berlin%2C+Germany?destId=359343

AMD 3

For my AMD 3, I spent a lot of time looking for a good blog/article that I would be interested in reading. I tried looking up German soccer/German World Cup experiences and didn't get much which I was really disappointed about because I really wanted to read about this. I also tried looking up German driving experiences but also didn't find much. Then I came across a blog from a while ago, November 22, of 2006 written by a guy maybe 19 or 20 who took a trip to Germany and explained his opinion of differences between Germany and the US. He pointed out 8 differences that caught his eye: 1.) Speed Limit 2.) Beer 3.) Coins 4.) Sex & Nudity 5.) Cars 6.) Cell Phones 7.) Smoking 8.) Casinos. I will try and give a little description of what he thought was different about all these things. First he talked about the speed limit and how he thought the driving was much more respectful in Germany and people were just better drivers than here in the US. Then after I read some of the comments on it, someone from Germany said that they liked the driving better in the US and people are very rude drivers in Germany so I guess it's just one's opinion. Then he talked about beer and drinking. He liked how the drinking was much more casual and the drinking age was lower than the drinking age in the US and that he could drink without worrying in Germany. Also he talked about how the foam at the top of the beer is like an art in Germany and once you get your beer you let it sit and settle, then drink, which is different from here in the US because people serve it with as little foam as possible so you can drink it right away. Then he went on to Coins. He thinks the way they use coins in Germany is much more efficient than here in America because they have a two dollar coin as their largest and here our largest is only 25 cents. I would agree with this. I think that coin system would be more efficient. Next is sex and nudity. He just said that people are just much more open about their sexuality and being nude. He said that you will come across many commercials with nude girls and when going to a pool you will find people just changing wherever they want and they don't wear the big long short type bathing suits like most wear here in the US, they wear speedos. Then he talked about cars, saying that people drive much more fuel efficient cars in Germany/Europe in general. He also said that the cars are made with more quality. After that he talked about cell phones, and how he thought they were a year more advanced than here in the US, but this was back in 2006 so I'm sure the US has caught up or ahead. Then he said Europeans love their cigarettes and it is very common to see cigarette vending machines but also the warnings are much more clear saying "Smoking is/can be deadly" right on the pack. Finally he talked about casinos and that they were the opposite to casinos here in the US. Here casinos are loud, energetic, fun where as in Germany they are quiet and you must dress in very nice clothes such as a tux or suit and tie and when people win they just keep to themselves and are not loud about it. I really enjoyed reading his blog even though it is a little outdated. I enjoy reading about people's experiences because I hope that maybe I can make a trip out to Europe someday and see things for myself.

The link to the blog I read is: http://www.kendallschoenrock.com/blog/2006/11/22/8-differences-between-germany-and-the-us/

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.

AMD 2

For my AMD 2, I read Rebecca's blog about her 5 day trip to the Oktoberfest. This post can be found in her 2006 posts under October called "welcome to Bavaria." I thoroughly enjoyed reading her blog. The entire time I was reading, I felt like I was right there with her because she was very good at explaining the atmosphere she was in and giving all the details about what was going on. After reading this I found a few interesting things that she pointed out in her writings.
One was the ICE train, it's one of those slick fast trains and I feel like we don't have too many of those here in America but I could be wrong. Another thing was when she had a conversation with a German named Christoph whom she talked to about visiting America to which he replied "No and I have no interest to do so." I think this was pretty wrong, with him not knowing much of anything about our country. I guess she talked to him about what he thought and what he has heard about the US and he thinks American's are very ignorant, which I somewhat take offense to. After reading our Kultur 7 articles on German roads, German grocery markets, ect. I could say the same thing about Germany and that I think the people there and what they do is very unfriendly and stand-offish without actually experiencing anything for myself. You will get ignorant people anywhere you go in this world, and some may have more than others and but to paint a picture of the USA, to which he has never gone or experienced, made me a little disappointed. Anyways, she said how there was a parking lot in Danube with "Frauenparkplaetze" which are parking spots in the front of the parking lot that are for women driving alone so they are closer to where they need to be so they don't have to walk alone in the dark at night. This is pretty interesting and I've never heard of anything like it but there must have been instances where problems occurred so this must have been implemented, who knows. Then she got to the good part, traveling to Munich and going to the Oktoberfest! It sounded amazing. It sounded like such a great time where everyone was just having a great time listening to music and enjoying life. She described the atmosphere really well and I could picture it in my head. I thought it was funny that she had to stay at a frat house when she was there though because I didn't even know they had fraternities in Germany. This is cool because I am a pledge at a fraternity here but I wonder if it is way different in Germany. This is because the school system in Germany is different in a way that it's not like in the US where mostly everyone goes to college here. Lastly, I thought it was funny when they were driving with Juergen and Christian to take them home and Christian stopped to grab a 6 pack of beer and then proceeded to hold the beer out the window while being drove down the autobahn...not something you see everyday.
Like I said I really enjoyed reading her blog and it definitely made me want to try and eventually make a trip over to Germany. It sounds like there are many differences between cultures but I am always open for trying new things and meeting new people. If I went, I would definitely want to experience the craziness of Oktoberfest! Sounds like a great time and she is very lucky!

Kultur 7

The first article that I read was the "How Not to Die on German Roads." I found this article quite funny. With this sense of humor in the article though, I wonder how much of that stuff actually happens. I bet most of the things on the roads do happen but the one about your car being kicked if you leave it running?? Come on. I think someone would have to go pretty low to do such a thing and if the author really means that all these things do happen, then there is no way I would want to attempt to drive in Deutschland. Although, I think it would have a great deal based off of where you live. Such as crossing the street or going through an almost red would definitely apply in a big city but not so much in a more rural area.

The next one I read was "No-Frills Shopping, German Style." Now this definitely paints a bad picture of German supermarkets and German people in general. After reading this I realized how thankful I am for the supermarkets here in the US such as Meijer. Wow. Although I am not in them that often, I know that they are way better than the description I just read of these German ones. Again, I believe this very much relates to where you live. In a more busy/urban area I bet you find more people who will cut and be rushed for time rather than in a more rural area. I think this would be true for most highly populated cities wherever you go, you will get these kinds of people and workers.
 
And the last article I read was "Of German Lines and Pythons." This one is also pretty funny. It seems like you really have to be aware of your surroundings and stay on your toes if you want to get through these horrendous shopping experiences. I like the line system we have here in the US.

After reading all these articles, I have quite a bad picture painted of German people in general. It sounds like most, as they described, can be quite rude and mindless of others interests. I think I would struggle in Germany for at least little bit after hearing these things. I wouldn't consider myself a patient person but I am not one to run to a newly opened register, or cut in front of someone in line to possibly save 5 minutes. It's just not worth it and it sounds like it would cause a scene. I did find these articles interesting though and something one would have to experience for themselves to really know what goes on.

AMD 1

For my AMD 1, I decided to continue watching Bella Martha. After doing the worksheet on the first 25 minutes of the movie, I was very interested to keep watching. I really enjoyed the rest of the movie and I think it definitely helped a lot by listening and hearing conversations in German. I understood the movie due to the subtitles but hearing how it is said in German and then reading it in English, I got more of a feel for what they are talking about and I found myself being able to understand a lot more than I usually would. With the movie, it was very clear as to what was happening and it moved right along in my opinion. Although, there were a few things that caught me off guard. One was towards the middle of the movie when it seemed that Martha and Lina were getting along just fine and then they got in a big fight. I'm talking about the part where Lina runs across the street and tells Martha she hates her. I thought this was pretty extreme and strange at this point in the movie but I understand why it happened because it set it up for rebuilding their relationship and obviously in the end they both love each other. Another thing that threw me off was the guy, Sam, that moved in by Martha. By the way he was set up I though he would of played a much larger role in the movie but he just kind of kept popping up and nothing important ever really happened with him. Lastly, when Mario and Martha first met I did not think they would like each other but I'm glad this happened in the movie. I thought Mario was a very good character, most importantly, in a way that he brought Martha and Lina together. He also really helped Martha develop as a person because at first she was very opposed at the idea of sharing her kitchen, and he also had a very strong affect on Lina and broke her out of her shell after the death of her mom, this is shown by him making pasta for her and Lina finally eats after she wouldn't eat for a long time. Overall, I really enjoyed watching this movie for my AMD, and I thought it was a great German learning experience.