So the first few days have past after arriving at Frankfurt airport on January 5th, at 7:20am. Not only was the plane ride rough being crammed between two people on an 8.5 hour flight, but I experienced all of the cliches; crying baby, person kicking my seat, guy in front of me reclining and refusing to ever sit up, weird neighbors, you know, the whole shabang.
After arriving in Frankfurt, I rushed to get to baggage claim in order to receive my bags asap. That was no use as I ended up standing there for a half hour anyways.
After collecting my luggage, I made my way to customs where a blonde haired man asked me to "remove my hat" in German. I did just that and he compared me to my passport for a good minute before grilling me with questions about my stay.
Soon I was making my way to the concourse where I was to meet my driver. After a while of waiting, two other girls showed up who were also in the program and we compared our experiences on our flights, which coincidentally were the same! Our driver eventually showed up and we got on our way. In our van, we also had a Chinese family who lived in Heidelberg who were going home after two weeks in the Sahara and Dubai. They were lovely to talk to.
We eventually made it to our school/dorm/house/mansion about an hour later. It's a beautiful estate built in 1914, just before WWI. My room was nice and the facilities were pretty similar to those in the US.
Our study group eventually all met up and we took a tour of the city. It was amazing and beautiful. I was pretty overwhelmed with the amount of information they were giving us about trams, buses, shops, restaurants, and the like. Something I did notice and already had an idea about from learning about Germany before hand was that many shops weren't open everyday and there is pretty much no such thing as a "24-hour" shop. Seeing that we have to buy all of our own groceries and cook our own food, this was going to be interesting.
The next day (yesterday) was filled with orientation stuff; signing papers, release forms, and visa/housing applications. All in German of course which was fun.
That night, the school took us out for a traditional German three course meal. Salad, pork and red cabbage, and a strudel for dessert, at a restaurant that has been there since early 1700. It was delicious! Here I delved into the nectar of the Rhineland; bier. I chose a local brewery and it was as great as you'd expect from a traditional German bier!
Later that night, I went out with a couple of friends to some local bars (or tried to at least as Friday is pretty dead in Germany as Thursdays are the nights when most students get #turnt). We ended up at a lounge bar where I spoke with a couple younger locals about Germany and our bar tender about their bier selections. I had fun, especially when it came to watching my new friend from Mexico try to ask where the bathroom was; funny enough, she was quite good at it. We sat and talked for a few hours, soaking in the nightlife of one of Germany's oldest cities.
We eventually made our way back to school using the tram. Most locals are asleep at the hour we returned at so the tram was only filled with drunk students (except us of course) so it was cool to experience a different side of the city's people as we've only rode the tram during the day when the older folk were riding home from work or going out to the shops.
When we got back to school, we rang ourselves in and proceeded to our rooms.
Today, the 7th, we are touring Heidelberg's most treasured relic, Schloss Heidelberg, or Heidelberg Castle. It's gonna be dope.
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Update!!! 01/08/2017
We toured the city's universityplatz or university square. Filled with history and stellar architecture. We had an awesome guide named "Christian" who loved his job...very much so. He was very informative and gave us many historical insights on things such as the "student jail" which was created as a way to calm locals down in the 1700-1920's when it came to university students taking over the city. It was almost a right of passage, Christian says, to be brought to the jail, and because of this, most students left their mark through way of art. A common form was with the classic "selfie". They did this by shining a light at their profile and tracing the shadow on the wall. Check out the video below I shot for some examples and the interior of the jail. (The video may be too big, so I'll add some photos just in case)
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| That's Christian :) |
A cool fact about the jail is that foreign students were put into a "solitude" room which is filled with artwork from France, America, and other foreign countries. It was pretty unique!
After that, Christian led us to Schloss Heidelberg. It was beautiful! He led us around the "touristy" parts of the castle such as the bridge (to which a very unique love story is attached between a prince in Germany and the princess of Great Britain), the wine cellar (home of the world's largest wine barrel), and the terrace; the most photographed area in Heidelberg. This is where Christian left us to fend for ourselves and for the girls to take selfies for the #gram.
After the terrace, my friends Matt, Derreck, Teresa, and myself adventured around the castle to a couple locations that were not on the tour and not popular with tourists, such as the English garden (this is involved in the love story, hence it not being a Bavarian or German garden), and the fallen tower, which was the most beautiful thing I saw. I'll add some of those pictures below.
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| Christian made fun of us for all taking this "highly creative photo"; "so original, you don't look like tourists at all!", funny guy 😄 |
After our adventures around the castle grounds, we made our way back to town and shopped for groceries. Here is where I purchased my first things at a German grocer. Pretty intimidating. Everything is quick and you bag your own groceries. No small talk. Get in, pay, go; nothing more. It was interesting that they only played American music in English while I was there. That is something I have noticed; Germans only listen to American top hits it seems (even in the lounge I went to)
Fin.
Your trip sounds amazing so far, definitely making me want to travel to Germany at some point! In the last part of your post you mentioned the grocery was "get in, pay, go; nothing more." This reminds me of a very "transactional" process, is everything there this way? When we learned about transactional leadership it was a very quick and almost meaningless relationship; is that just their way of life and interacting with each other?
ReplyDeleteI love that someone is posting in the first week...but I don't know who to give credit (or feedback) to. Make sure you either login with a Google account, or include your name in your post!
DeleteYour trip sounds amazing so far, definitely making me want to travel to Germany at some point! In the last part of your post you mentioned the grocery was "get in, pay, go; nothing more." This reminds me of a very "transactional" process, is everything there this way? When we learned about transactional leadership it was a very quick and almost meaningless relationship; is that just their way of life and interacting with each other?
ReplyDeleteHmmm...that's tough to answer with 100% certainty at this point in my stay. I would say that overall, German culture is pretty transactional, though I've been in situations when this wasn't the case (which is the case for almost anything you try to pin a culture of exemplifying IMO).
DeleteSome other places I felt the transactional relationship was on the train to Stuttgart (watch for the post for that adventure) when it was time to have our tickets stamped by the railway worker. He came down the aisle without saying anything and it was expected that you knew what to do. Luckily, our guides took care of that for us, but observing him interacting with other riders, it seemed very to the point and get it done. No small talk. Another example would possibly be with my German language professor. She is very transactional. She gives us the lesson, we take notes and keep quite until "wir haben eine frage", or we have a question. She is VERY nice and I don't think the German culture acts this way to belittle anyone or to insult your intelligence or commitment to something; it's just more efficient.
On the other hand, I have experienced more of a personal atmosphere in local bars. I am not one to party so the bars I go to are the ones that the alt Manner (old men) frequent. I like this atmosphere more as the bar tenders tend to like to talk to me because I look very American (I guess because they all can tell), and I try to order in Deutsche. It may be because they respect the fact that I try to speak in their language that they tend to want to know more about me. The other bar goers seem to keep to themselves more often than not, but I have held conversations with some. So in this instance, I would say that it refutes the claim that Germany is 100% transactional 100% of the time.
I hope that helps you understand Germany a little bit more! I appreciate the comment!
Gabe, Your German adventures sound wonderful and I love hearing about the country and its culture through your perspective. I found it really interesting that you mentioned that the grocery store played American music and that you hear a lot of American top hits in other places. When I went to Thailand last May, I noticed anytime our group of American Students went anywhere the restaurant or place would change the music to American music when we entered. After talking to a local Thai guide on a bike tour, I asked him if Thai people actually like our music. He said that they preferred their own music but liked to listen to American music simply because it was popular and wanted to keep up with our culture. This reminded me of Dr. Perruci’s example of his hometown in Brazil getting a McDonalds. It was not as if McDonalds provided better quality food than the local restaurants, but more so how their town was gaining a popular item in progressive countries that made the locals desire it. Are the places you have visited that play American music tend to be tourist-y or where travelers visit? I challenge you to get to know a local around our age and see if they actually enjoy American music. Also, from your experiences or opinion, would you say that playing American music in foreign countries for Americans is a cultural norm that is expected? Do you believe Germany has bent or lost some of its cultural norms in order to fit in with Westernized customs or expectations? Emily Schemrich
ReplyDeleteHey, Emily! Long time, no see! First off, to give you an idea of what Heidelberg is like, it is around 20% students and international grad students so we make up a good portion of the community here. Although there are a lot of students, there are still a strong number of locals here who outnumber us, and considering this isn't tourist season, we don't see many, if any, tourists, which really changes things.
DeleteThe store I shop at is a nation-wide chain and is frequented by students and locals alike, so I wouldn't consider it touristy, more of a common place. When I go to the shops, I hardly ever see anyone from my school so it is mostly German-speaking locals. When it comes to the clubs, which are frequented by students as well as a strong number of younger locals, they play music from all around the world as along as it gets people moving! I've heard everything from Beyonce to Russian house music; so it's a good mix. A new development in this music observation occurred just last night when I went to a local bar filled with older gentleman, as I wanted to find somewhere quiet to enjoy a pint and talk to locals. Here, I found that they played a strong number of classic American rock with a mix of German "classics"; slower or remixed to be slower and more mood setting (if you get what I mean).
This made me wonder why there was such a big change and it really came down to taste after talking to a local law student who has lived here for many years, and is German. He told me that in clubs, they would rather play upbeat and dance-worthy songs in the clubs, and it just so happens that a lot of that music comes from America. He said they do listen to American music because it just fits their taste, not because they feel it brings a sense of "progression".
Over coffee today, I told him about my experience in the local pub and he said it didn't surprise him that the bar with the older gentlemen played classic rock and slower German songs. He mentioned most people here just like the music America produces as they are known more for entertainment than they are in Germany.
In my experience so far, I would disagree that, at least in Germany, they play American music as they feel they are expected to. I genueinely believe they enjoy what is produced in the US and aren't scared to express that opinion in any way; even the more conservative crowd. This makes me believe that they are not losing cultural norms or even bending them, as they tend to do things the way THEY want to here. Sure, Germany is much more "Westernized" than it was a century ago, but I feel like this development, though based off of possible Western ideals, is completely internal and they have developed the way they feel is best for their culture, making it less of an "Americanized" society, and more of a "neo-German" one, if that makes sense. There are still a lot of differences from the US here, especially in law education as I have spent time discussion curriculum with Jonas (the law student), and what is expected from Germany's students.
I hope I answered everything! If I need to clear something up, just let me know!
Tschuss!
That's good to hear that the American influence is due to their choice and not because of a progressive influence. I am glad you are getting to know locals and checking out new areas, definitely the best way to get a sense of the culture! - Emily Schemrich
DeleteHey Gabe, it sounds like you are having a lot of cool experiences in Germany. I was wondering about the structure of you classes. At Marietta College it seems that many of the professors teach in a participative manner, involving students in the learning process, rather than in a transactional manner of them feeding us information, especially in leadership classes. Are your classes structured in a participative manner, like they are here, or do your professors take a more of a transactional approach? This also ties in with the power continuum in which leaders can take a leader-centric or follower-centric approach when leading. Do you feel that there is a high power distance with your professors/authority, in which they are much "higher" than you? Or is there a low power distance in which students are able to be seen as more equal with the professors?
ReplyDelete-Emily Toppin
New phone. Who dis?
DeleteThanks for the comment! Haven't talked to you in forever! So, in short to answer your question, teaching style over here is very situational and varies in every one of my classes.
In my classes that have a lot of American students and that are with professors that are used to teaching them, it is more participative. Class sizes are even smaller than they were at Marietta so it is easy to have discussion-based classes. Our classes are no shorter than three hours so if it was all lecture based, that would suck. Professors usually still tend to be lecture-y but they seem to stop often and ask for our input, especially in my Nazi history class.
This is my favorite course and the professor is amazing. He's an old German with a heavy accent with a passion for history. He seems to be more authoratative, and demands respect, but he does so so the classroom remembers the solemness of what we are discussing, which I highly respect.
In my German language class, which is in a different school, is taught by a professor who doesn't speak English, only German, so classes are German intensive (not taught in English at all). In this setup, it is hard to truly interact with the teacher with anything other than questions (that we have to form in German). Like I mentioned in another reply, we usually don't speak unless we have a question or we are doing exercises.
The power distance here isn't as far as some may think though. The teachers are young and try to have fun with us. They sit down with us and they don't stand over us. It seems more like listening to a friend rather than a professor. And considering I have that class everyday for five hours, it's pretty nice!
So, in short;
-Every class except for my Nazi history class has a short power distance, while the Nazi history professor has a higher power distance for respect reasons.
-All of my classes are pretty participative, other than my German class, which has its language barriers.
-The entire school is pretty follower-centric; they want you to have fun while learning too so they adapt to your needs/wants (while staying on track of course)
Thanks for commenting.
Hope I answered everything.
XOXO,
Gossip Girl
Thanks for responding so quickly! I am glad you are enjoying your classes and I find it interesting that they teach in a way that is similar to the United States. Enjoy the rest of your trip! I will be in contact again soon!
DeleteXOXO,
Emily Toppin
Hey Gabe,
ReplyDeleteI hope that you are having an amazing experience abroad! I was reading your discussion with Jake Duvall about your new friend from Mexico and thought I might contribute to that conversation.
I am curious if you have seen your friend express any frustration or outwardly comment on the way business differs in Germany? Did she find the purely transactional nature of the grocery store strange and cold? I am lead to believe she might feel this way considering Mexico's much more relational perspective on leadership and life.
On another note I am very curious about your interactions with foreigners on a political level. In the wake of Trump's election i have heard some people refer to Angela Merkel as the new "leader of the free world". Have you had any discussion with Germans or your friend from Mexico about our new President. I am interested to know how the historical influences of Claudio's and Dictators might shape her view as positive while Trump's rhetoric might render her view as negative.
Again, I hope that you have a lot of fun on your trip.
Calahan O'Connor
P.S. If you go to France visit the Musee d'Orsay. It is less crowded than the Louvre and just as amazing!
Hey Calahan, thanks for the input on France. I probably won't end up going, but I'll pass on the tip to a couple of my friends.
DeleteWhen it comes to my friend and her experiences with grocery stores here, I don't think she minds at all. We are both in German class so we try to use as much as possible so it makes going to the store a little more personable. They really won't talk to you in English unless they need to but I have found that if greet them in German, they will be a bit more personable in terms of flashing you a smile or a nod (that's a lot for them). We have also found that if we go to small restaurants and order in German with our very American and Mexican accents, shop owners will chat with us and are very polite. If you just walk in speaking English and order, I think they view it as ignorant so it's best to try. So, I don't think she finds the transactional style of grocery stores as putting off as before, if she had that notion in the first place. She mentioned today that Mexicans aren't really nice to each other unless they know each other, so maybe she's used to that type of thing.
One of the main things I wanted to avoid when coming here was politics. I wanted to learn about the German culture and stay out of politics because it can be a strenuous subject. Let me tell you, Germans, especially young ones, can't get enough of US politics.
A great example of this was last Friday when a couple of my friends and I went downtown for a couple biers and when we were waiting at the tram stop to go back to the school, we were greeted by a couple German students who heard our accents and wanted to know about the election. I talked to them in German a tiny bit to give my more simple opinions, but we switched to English to discuss in further detail about Trump. Merkel never came up, but he seemed to know an awful lot about America's President. He wanted to know if I was a Bernie or Hillary guy because he hated both of them. He continued on to say he was excited but anxious to see what Trump would do. He expressed that he was worried about Trump's persistence and quick-to-act mentality, but liked most of his policies. I asked him if he thought Trump embodied Americans in his eyes and he said no. He feels like Americans are more respected than they think in Germany and Trump is an oddity, and that's why it's interesting to watch. I never brought up WWII Germany (which is an absolute nogo) so I couldn't tell you exactly how he feels in those regard in comparison to Trump.
In regards to my friend, I haven't talked to her about Trump as I think we all just want a break from it for now, so we really don't discuss him. We're just here to have fun and watch from a far. We're more worried about experiencing this culture.
I hope that covers it all!
Ciao
Hello Gabe!
ReplyDeleteI have enjoyed reading your blog posts so far and it sounds like you are having a wonderful experience in Germany! It has been interesting to learn about the culture and atmosphere of the country through your posts. One topic that has come up a lot in our leadership class so far this semester is nationalism. Many people believe that nationalism is being replaced with globalism with the advancements in technology and communication in the 21st century. However, some citizens and world leaders, such as Donald Trump, are fighting against the movement towards globalism and believe that citizens should primarily have pride for their country. I was wondering if the German citizens you have met look at the world from more of a nationalistic or global perspective? I look forward to hearing back from you and reading more about your adventures soon!
Kate Ensinger
Hey Kate! It's great to hear from you! I'm counting down the days till the draft. It's gonna be lit in Cleveland!
DeleteWhat I have experienced so far is a mixed bad in some regards. I think their is a generational gap and on opposite ends of that gap, lies the perspectives of nationalism and globalism. The younger generation seems to hold globalism in a higher regard. If you read my response to Calahan about the young man who stopped me to ask about Trump, it is a great example as to how these German youth see the US. They feel that we're all in this together and the actions of our country effects everyone else so they should be informed and take stances on our national problems. I have found this with many young Germans not only globalism following the US, but heavy globalism within Europe. I'm not saying they think they are one country by any means, because they talk trash on other countries all the time, but they still support them. They are proud of their cultural differences and governments but they are not oblivious to what is happening to their neighbors. I've heard many say "I'm European. I live in Germany" or "I live in Europe, Italy" or things like that.
When it comes to the older generations, it seems like they are Germans first, Europeans second. They don't want to let go of old traditions and ways of life and they want to remain the proud country they are, like what the Donald is promising in the US. I think they would like Trump as president. I also think although there is a generational perspectives gap, the country is not split. They work together and whatever is best for the country in the end, they'll do.
Hope that helps, Kate!
#WarriorsBlewA3-1Lead