Kultur 6

I thought it was humorous, but not unexpected, that Germans typically knock loudly and assert themselves into a room.  I imagine that every door in Germany has some sort of locking mechanism in case privacy is a pertinent issue.  This information in this article probably coincides with the fact that most living spaces (or at least student dormitories) accommodate a single person.  I couldn't imagine the frustration I would have with a German roommate knocking persistently on my bedroom door whenever he needed me.

It's funny how the article mentions how complicated the German garbage disposal system is.  At the same time, I respect how seriously recycling is taken in Germany.  It's definitely a progressive step to implement environmental awareness.

Kultur 6

I think it's really nice to see how progressive Germany is in terms of recycling. Even having labels in four different languages on the recycling bins is very forward thinking. It really makes you put the recycling issue in the United States into perspective. I don't really know how the U.S. separates recycling, but the system in Germany seems highly efficient even though it is somewhat a task in discernment. 

I thought the article on knocking and entering was interesting yet not surprising. I am always in favor of keeping the door closed but I guess it is more efficient to just knock and enter. Those Germans and their efficiency!

Kultur 6

For the article about Germany's Bild newspaper, I was surprised to find out that it is much more common to read such a news source in Germany compared to in the USA. While in the USA most stories in such a news source are made up, I think that since the stories in the German Bild are based on actual events, this could be why it is more widely read. For the second article, I think it would be odd to always have my door closed but I can understand how this might be the Germans way of keeping a more professional appearance. In response to the last article, I am glad that Americans like to keep things as simple as possible most of the time (especially for every day tasks!).

Kultur6

The whole being idea of being assertive, knocking once, and just entering a room with a closed door literally sounds like the worst thing in the world to me.

Ich bin schüchtern und nicht selbstsicher.  I'm the type of person who, upon seeing a closed door, rather than knocking, lurks around the corner pretending to be on my phone until it opens.

Kultur 6

Every time I read the Kultur articles for this class I learn something new and useful regarding German Culture. This time, I read that Germany has a magazine similar to some of the gossip magazines in the United States. It puts news stories on the back burner, and focuses more on the gossip of celebrities and then elaborating on certain events. This came as no surprise to me as it is a magazine. The next article about the door closed policy, however, was very surprising. During high school, I could walk into any classroom at almost any time and not have an issue, as long as the door was open. In college, I can do the same thing for my professors office hours. It boggles my mind that in Germany the door is always closed and that knocking is expected, and also that if you do not here a response, the person you are visiting gets aggravated. Lastly, I was intrigued about the garbage article. I had no idea that Germans put so much care and effort into sorting their trash - I didn't even know that there were so many categories! I am only used to three; trash, glass/cans, and cardboard, but hey, good for the Germans for so environmentally friendly!

Kultur 6

I suppose that the article about garbage was most interesting to me because it's one of the things that I remember about Germany that I thought was really cool when I visited. At first I was bewildered, and I didn't really get it, but eventually I caught on. I wonder if that would ever work here in America. I think it would be good if it did, I mean, it seems pretty smart. At the same time though, I'm pretty lazy so sometimes I do just carelessly toss things. Germany seems so orderly. I really admire that. I wonder if I'd get tired of following all those rules though. But I do like rules. But not necessarily the knocking one. I'm a kind of person who almost needs permission in order to enter a room. One knock usually doesn't do it for me. But I suppose if they didn't really want you there they'd lock the door, right?