Kultur 6

Once again the Germans have blown me away with how friendly they are to the environment. I wish the way we sorted our recyclables were something we would discuss more. Really though, it's seems like the Germans have it close enough to being figured out, so does recycling really have to get more complicated? Don't they have other things to worry about than what's the best way to recycle? Regardless, I'm still impressed. It's also very interesting how important their newspapers are, and what a wide range of information these newspapers cover. Most importantly though were the other two readings, since if I'm going to Germany this summer those will be good things to know. I think I already knew about Uni housing being hard to find and Uni Campuses being spaced out thanks to my chat with Karl-Georg. He admittedly advised me to avoid the bigger cities where I wouldn't be able to stay in dorms.

AMD 6

     By accident I actually stumbled upon what I was going to do for this AMD. Earlier today I was watching interviews with Tom Hiddleson (Loki from the Avengers) and found this interview. In the beginning I recognized the word Superheld. The main interview portion is in English, but I could see some of the German culture we read about, for example the host had no problem saying Tom Hiddleson had a poor body, while the British, American, and Australian (Tom Hiddleson, Mark Ruffalo, and Chris Hemsworth) thought that was a little rude and seemed surprised but laughed it off. At another point during the interview the host started talking about pony ad's which I and the actors were very confused about. I googled pony ads looking for an exclamation, and eventually I found this on a blog.
     "I too had to google that pony advertising thing, it was just too confusing. And somewhat intriguing. So, what actually happened, is that the Green Party wants to stop pony riding at fairs, etc. During a speech, the leader of the Liberal Party criticized the Green for wanting to ban so many things, like cigarette advertising for example. Then he was supposed to mention the pony rides, but accidentally said pony advertising, which has caused a wave of jokes on Twitter and so on. That's all. And apparently, before the guys showed up on the show, Stefan Raab had presented a few clips that showed what pony advertising could look like."
    Overall though I did like this interview, and while the host seemed kind of ill-informed, it was still fun to watch and maybe even makes me believe that Germans do have a sense of humor.

Kultur 5

Once again I found these articles quite interesting. I have no idea what to make out of the Klofrau. I truthfully think it would be annoying to have to pay for public restrooms whether they might be clean or not. On the other hand though I can see how even though it's a lowly job, its still a job and they are still making money. I don't know what jobs these bathroom attendants would be doing other wise. Though if I lived in Germany I would not want to be a Kolfrau and spend my whole day in a bathroom. Also I do find it odd that sex shops are just a normal thing for Germans. I just find the whole idea kind of odd because it is completely the opposite of what we do here. Even talking about sex shops is weird. It makes me wonder how Germans respond when their small children ask about these shops. I suppose they are pushed into have a birds and the bees talk just a bit early! The other article I read that really struck me the most was what comes off to tourists as rude, but is actually a comfortableness with lack or personal space. I find it interesting because I've heard stories of in Japan people will cram onto trains until they are completely full, but this seems to be a different kind of closeness. Germans are just very blunt and have things to do, and I think quite literally, they don't let anyone stand in their way.

AMD5

I actually found my Adventure mitt Deutsch this week to be quite challenging. I went to the German Clubs game night, and while it was really fun it was kind of daunting when we played Tabboo auf Deutsch. I am proud because I got 2 points for my team! It was just difficult because some of the words I have no clue what they were and the other ones I did know, you couldn't use the basic obvious words to describe it. The first card I got was Millionär to which I said Bill Gates (it also helped because the song Millionär was playing in the background). Next I tried to get Spider-Man, and I used my vocab from when we brought in show and tell objects -- Die Superheld! They didn't figure it out but now I suppose I could have also said Grün Goblin. The other card I got a point for was The Simpsons so I said Lisa und Marge und Flanders und Doh!! Overall I had lots of fun, though I wish we would have played Settles of Catan, Ich liebe das Spiel!

Kultur 4

Once again I believe the Germans have a few things right that many other places in the world do not. For example having a huge network of bike lanes that most people use. It is so amazing and green that so many people take part in it, just like here in Ann Arbor in a certain sense. The main difference is that bike riders have the right-of-way. Another thing Germans have right is their views that jaywalking is socially unacceptable. I came from a very busy tourist town and many of the people who would around downtown were terrible. Driving in that area was already bad enough with the traffic with out having to worry about hitting people so I really like the way German drivers speed up and narrowly avoid hitting jaywalkers. That'll teach 'em! Anyways, as for the other articles I found them not nearly as interesting, though I did like how German works on the honor system for trains and are usually very organized.

AMD 4

This weekend was actually quite interesting because I had originally planned to watch a movie with the German Club, that is until the malfunctioning DVD-Spieler attacked! Instead I ended up going to the Heidelberg with a friend to eat, and I have to say I was thoroughly impressed! The atmosphere of the restaurant was very rustic and from the moment you stepped in the door it was completely different from any place I had been to. I was very thrilled when the waitor sat us in front of the big Bavarain crest. At first I was a little iffy since truthfully the descriptions under the food didn't sound too appealing, but it was actually turned out to be very good. I had the Wurstwich with the Boar and Apple wurst and Spaetzle on the side and it was delicious! My friend let me sample her Rouladen and potato cakes which were both amazing. Overall I was very pleased with my experience at the Heidelburg and I can't wait to go back for more yummy German food!

AMD3

For my AMD3 I decided to watch all the Harry Potter Trailers in German and then watch them in English with German Subtitles. Through out all the trailers I recognized a few words such as Schule, Guten Tag, and other vocabulary words we have covered. I noticed though that the magical words such as Hogwarts and Spells like Petrificus Totalus were the same. As the trailers progressed it was interesting hearing the German voice overs, towards the more recent movies it sounds as if the voice actor for Harry hadn't quite hit puberty yet, and it didn't quite match. Other times the trailers were narrator and I didn't get to hear the actors voices. I have to admit that German did make the trailers seem much more intense. During the first trailer when Quirrell screams "Troll im den Kerker!!!" I laughed so hard! One thing I found very interesting was how the names of the movies were translated, for example Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets was Harry potter und die Kummer des Schreckens. One thing that watch the trailers really made me wonder was how they managed to translate Tom Marvolo Riddle into the anagram I AM LORD VOLDEMORT. It turns out that they changed Tom's name to Tom Vorlost Riddle which would understandably anagram to Ist Lord Voldemort. I find this extremely clever because I would have never thought about how difficult it would be to make all the anagrams work for every language the Harry Potter Books have been translated into.

Kapital 3 Kultur

For the three articles of choice I decided to read an Obsession Explained, Capping the Bottle, and Eco-Centric Germans. I knew Bier played a big part in Deutsch Kultur but I had no idea there were certain niceties to be observed before drinking or so many different breweries and types of Bier in Deutschland. I skimmed of the list of Biers since I do not plan on drinking any. After reading the first article I thought it would be interesting to see how they could possibly be trying to ban public drinking. It seems impossible since Bier plays such a big part in the Kultur, but it was interesting to discover that not everyone in Deutschland drinks. A stereotype got to me there! The last article I actually found the most interesting because I believe that the Germans have this right. I wish that America was set up more like Deutschland and that organic foods were readily available and eaten by everyone. Actually I'm quite jealous of them, though it was sad finding out the other options are often moldy. Yuck!

AMD2

Mittwoch Abend my friend Samantha and I went to the Berlin There, Done That event hosted by the Max Kade House. I truthfully think it would be scary to live in a place that's dedicated to speaking only German, but my friend doesn't. I do suppose if I were to become better at speaking German it wouldn't be as scary. The food that they had at the event was some of the best food I've had since I've been at U of M. The mac and cheese was delicious and the potato cakes were amazing. I'm not really a sauerkraut person but the bratwurst in it was really good. We had to go around to different stations, I found the tie-dying fun and interestingly enough I found out that I've been pronouncing "Tschüss" with too much a "T" sound. There was one station that involved trivia about many famous German people, and surprisingly I recognized a lot of them from class! Overall I had a lot of fun at the event and I learned not only more about German, but German here at U of M.

Kapitel 2 Kultur

While the quirks of Deutsch Kultur may seem odd to Americans, I actually find them quite interesting and smart. I do admit it would be creepy to have an elderly person watch me from their apartment or having staring contests with random strangers. I, like many Germans, have bad habit of constantly complaining about things. Many people find it annoying but I only do it as a form of venting; a way of making myself feel better about what's going on. Such as the "Art of Complaining" article said, complaining is a way of pointing out what needs to be improved and is a way flat out saying the truth. This was another thing I found I liked about the Deutsch Kultur. They are matter-of-fact about things and the quote "Bluntness saves time." which has stuck with me since my 11th grade English class, pops into my head now. I do not see why for only the sake of politeness people do not just say what they mean. For these reasons I think Germans have many things right, except the "widespread belief that all Americans eat burgers all the time -- and that they all carry guns".

AMD1

 Donnerstag Abend I went to see Europa Europa at the Michigan Theater with a few friends from German Club. Check it out on IMDB! I was able to understand what was being said in the movie thanks to subtitles, but in the end I actually ended up forgetting it was a foreign film! Over all I found it to be quite an interesting movie; most Holocaust movies being completely from a Jewish perspective and this one being a bit more behind the German lines. It was also a little humorous, which is strange to admit since it deals with the Holocaust. On a scale to 1-10 and based on other Holocaust movies, I would give this one an 8. German club over all has been fun, though I am a bit worried since only one other person is 101. Regardless it's great exposure to other speakers and the culture!

Kultur 1 Assignment

Kultur 1 Assignment                                                                                             Chelsey Lang 9-12-12

     Right from the beginning the How German is American article caught my attention. Many relatives on my father's side of the family have wondered if we've come from German descent. My last name Lang at one point very well could have had an "e" at the end, that was dropped during World War 1. Unfortunately no one has been able to trace my family's ancestry back far enough.
     Even though I did not make it through the whole article, the impression I got from it was how willing German immigrants were to embrace the American idea of freedom. While they did hang on to some of their roots they tried new things that they wouldn't be able to in Europe such as different religions. They also brought with them change for the better; supporting reform and improvement and even creating winning gymnastic teams. While German ancestry may not be so apparent now days it still has played an important role in America.
      In our book I found the Kultur segments to be very informative and helpful. I think it is not only good to be able to learn German, but also to be able to use it in the right context as native Germans do.

Mein Lieblingswort ist Schadenfreude!