Kultur 2

The articles I just read paint the German people in a less then flattering light. They are direct to the point of rudeness, stair uncomfortably and are huge documentary nerds. But for some reason I like that. It is kind of refreshing to see a culture with such different social norms then my own. The only thing I would say that Germans and Americans have in common is our love of complaining. As the writer of that article points out though Americans do seem to have some legitimate gripes. Germans complaining about their shiny new trains and free healthcare does seem at least a little ludicrous to me. I liked all of these articles though, they definitely have made me even more excited to delve into German culture and see what makes them tick. I guess that would be their love of numbers and watching people park illegally but I'm sure there is more to it then that. I learned a lot from these articles, but they are just a primer, a brief sketch of the true cultural knowledge I hope to one day attain. Until then I can be happy in knowing that Germans are brief and direct and that if they invite me to tea they must really like me.