Kapitel 6 Kultur-Texte

Make sure to knock loudly ONCE, and then walk right in. 

For Kapitel 6, I learned about the guide for navigating the German door, and how it is different then the American way of approaching the door.  In America, an open door is an invitation to come in while a closed door usually means "keep out." Yet in Germany it is typical that doors stay closed no matter what, even if the person inside is not busy.  So what you do is you go up to the door and knock once loudly, open the door and walk in with pride and a smile.  What you should not do in this situation is knock quietly, because in a potentially loud area you won't hear a response coming from the other side, and by not hearing that response, you will most likely think that the person inside didn't hear you, so you'll continue to knock several more times until you here a loud "Herein!", from the other side.  It is important to avoid this incident or else your meeting will be how you say beschißen.