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Female Dr.
I am trying to learn about Germany and am wondering what is the biggest hidden thing about the culture that no one knows, and what would I do to fit into the German culture, act like aa German etc.
I am trying to learn how to act like a native German, what are the norms that are known by only the natives?
Answer
Well, there are the cultural stereotypes and the cultural customs -- and of course, just like in the USA or UK, customs may have some radical differences depending on which region you're in. You're more likely to encounter these broad generalizations in Germany than wherever you are now, but they are not blanket truths.
If you want to pass for a German, you should:
-- Be conscious of your energy usage, and care about Efficiency. Turn off lights and keep doors closed in rooms when you are not using them. Pull the metal shade down over your windows when it's cold or cloudy or nighttime to keep the heat from escaping. Use the train or rideshare (carpool with paying passengers) instead of driving your car alone. Install solar panels on your roof, like your neighbors. Hang dry your clothes instead of tossing them in a (wasteful!) electric dryer.
-- Be timely, and expect others to be timely too. Fashionably late is not fashionable. Trains run on time. Tap your foot and get grumpy when the train pulls into the station 4 minutes after its scheduled/posted time.
-- In social situations, greet every person individually. For those you have not yet been introduced to, you are responsible for politely introducing yourself by saying your name and giving them a handshake. A general wave hello or goodbye to the group/room is impolite. When you leave, you should say individual goodbyes to each person. Even the people you didn't really talk to or spend much time with.
-- Be cynical when talking about politics and politicians. Be comfortable taking plainly, openly, and knowledgeably about your own personal finances and money. Be rather ignorant about religious customs outside your own or your own community, assume that the White people you interact with are all either Lutheran, Catholic, Atheist, or lapsed, but that they are all familiar with Christian holidays and traditions.
-- Don't get squeamish when you go to the spa/sauna or beach and all the men and women and children are walking around naked together, and not having any problems or displaying embarrassment/shame. Relax. See that your bodies are just as similar or different as your faces. Be comfortable with your body and nudity. And note that Speedo-style swimsuits (for men) is the typical alternative.
-- Don't wear baggy clothes or sweats unless you're actually going for a jog or to the gym or laying about in your own home. Germans may not generally wear flashy clothes like Italians or French, but they do take care with what they wear. White sneakers? No. Baggy pants than hang over their asses? No. Capris with socks and nice sandals? Yes. Hmm...
-- Prefer foreign movies and tv dubbed into German instead of subtitled.
-- Be hyper vigilant about sorting your trash and recycling. Return your bottles to the store. Keep your yard and garden tidy. Address people formally unless they have given you permission to use their first name and address them in the familiar. Don't be shy about demanding and expecting quality, returning things to the store, or approaching clerks and customer service folks about getting something your way -- it's not perceived as rude, but rather sensible.
-- Be comfortable eating bread and coldcuts, cheeses, and various spreads for breakfast and/or dinner. If you prefer cereal for breakfast, expect it to be chocolaty. Get used to eating pig, potatoes, cabbage, pasta, and mixing your beer with soda-pop (Radler, Diesel, etc.) Get excited about white asparagus coming into season, milky lattes in tall glasses, spicy Turkish fast food, and snail-shaped pastries. Feel comfortable drinking alcohol in public, at parks, with friends, on the subway, on the street, at the bar/pub/restaurant with your kids.
What am I missing?
Well, there are the cultural stereotypes and the cultural customs -- and of course, just like in the USA or UK, customs may have some radical differences depending on which region you're in. You're more likely to encounter these broad generalizations in Germany than wherever you are now, but they are not blanket truths.
If you want to pass for a German, you should:
-- Be conscious of your energy usage, and care about Efficiency. Turn off lights and keep doors closed in rooms when you are not using them. Pull the metal shade down over your windows when it's cold or cloudy or nighttime to keep the heat from escaping. Use the train or rideshare (carpool with paying passengers) instead of driving your car alone. Install solar panels on your roof, like your neighbors. Hang dry your clothes instead of tossing them in a (wasteful!) electric dryer.
-- Be timely, and expect others to be timely too. Fashionably late is not fashionable. Trains run on time. Tap your foot and get grumpy when the train pulls into the station 4 minutes after its scheduled/posted time.
-- In social situations, greet every person individually. For those you have not yet been introduced to, you are responsible for politely introducing yourself by saying your name and giving them a handshake. A general wave hello or goodbye to the group/room is impolite. When you leave, you should say individual goodbyes to each person. Even the people you didn't really talk to or spend much time with.
-- Be cynical when talking about politics and politicians. Be comfortable taking plainly, openly, and knowledgeably about your own personal finances and money. Be rather ignorant about religious customs outside your own or your own community, assume that the White people you interact with are all either Lutheran, Catholic, Atheist, or lapsed, but that they are all familiar with Christian holidays and traditions.
-- Don't get squeamish when you go to the spa/sauna or beach and all the men and women and children are walking around naked together, and not having any problems or displaying embarrassment/shame. Relax. See that your bodies are just as similar or different as your faces. Be comfortable with your body and nudity. And note that Speedo-style swimsuits (for men) is the typical alternative.
-- Don't wear baggy clothes or sweats unless you're actually going for a jog or to the gym or laying about in your own home. Germans may not generally wear flashy clothes like Italians or French, but they do take care with what they wear. White sneakers? No. Baggy pants than hang over their asses? No. Capris with socks and nice sandals? Yes. Hmm...
-- Prefer foreign movies and tv dubbed into German instead of subtitled.
-- Be hyper vigilant about sorting your trash and recycling. Return your bottles to the store. Keep your yard and garden tidy. Address people formally unless they have given you permission to use their first name and address them in the familiar. Don't be shy about demanding and expecting quality, returning things to the store, or approaching clerks and customer service folks about getting something your way -- it's not perceived as rude, but rather sensible.
-- Be comfortable eating bread and coldcuts, cheeses, and various spreads for breakfast and/or dinner. If you prefer cereal for breakfast, expect it to be chocolaty. Get used to eating pig, potatoes, cabbage, pasta, and mixing your beer with soda-pop (Radler, Diesel, etc.) Get excited about white asparagus coming into season, milky lattes in tall glasses, spicy Turkish fast food, and snail-shaped pastries. Feel comfortable drinking alcohol in public, at parks, with friends, on the subway, on the street, at the bar/pub/restaurant with your kids.
What am I missing?
What would you change if you were President of the United States?
Mrs. Spock
Answer
1. Change the work week to only 4 hours per day.
2. Give school teachers pay increases.
3. Dismantle our military bases all over the world and focus on protecting our soil here. Keep our noses out of every other Countries business.
4. Bring home all of our military men & women immediately.
5. Let the car companies go bankrupt for selling us crappy cars and not giving us any REAL alternatives like TOTALLY electric cars.
6. Make chocolate the official food of the USA.
7. Put Ron Paul on my board of advisers.
8. Make them bring back the tv show Frasier.
9. HBO would be FREE to all citizens.
10. FREE health care for everyone.
11. I'd take some money from all of the richest billionaires and share it with everyone else. Nobody should have THAT much money while others have very little.
12. School would be K-7th grade and then College would start in 8th grade. We baby our kids WAY too much.
1. Change the work week to only 4 hours per day.
2. Give school teachers pay increases.
3. Dismantle our military bases all over the world and focus on protecting our soil here. Keep our noses out of every other Countries business.
4. Bring home all of our military men & women immediately.
5. Let the car companies go bankrupt for selling us crappy cars and not giving us any REAL alternatives like TOTALLY electric cars.
6. Make chocolate the official food of the USA.
7. Put Ron Paul on my board of advisers.
8. Make them bring back the tv show Frasier.
9. HBO would be FREE to all citizens.
10. FREE health care for everyone.
11. I'd take some money from all of the richest billionaires and share it with everyone else. Nobody should have THAT much money while others have very little.
12. School would be K-7th grade and then College would start in 8th grade. We baby our kids WAY too much.
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Title Post: What is the one biggest cultural thing in Germany?
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