Kultur 3

Bureaucracy Gone Awry: I did not find it all that surprising that Germans keep every document that they receive. Personally, I prefer to have paperwork instead of keeping my documents on the computer. I did find it surprising that you need documents for every aspect of life in Germany. It makes sense that you would need a lot of paperwork to obtain things like a visa, but it seems kind of silly to require documents to get something as simple as a library card. It makes sense to want to know who someone is, but to require a stack of paperwork to get a library card is overkill.

Love Thy Neighbor: I think the rules for neighborhoods are a little strict. I don't live in a neighborhood, so a lot of the things that I take for granted are against the rules in Germany. I think the mandated quiet hours are strange. I think that your lawn is your property and you should be able to make noise pretty much whenever you want. Obviously, you shouldn't blare music at 3 a.m. but you should be able to mow your grass whenever you want. The fact you can't wash your car is odd too. If you want to wash your car in your driveway, I think that's your business. I understand that Germans live in tighter quarters, but I think their laws are a tad excessive.

Patriotism Problem: I thought it was quite strange that the Germans don't fly the flag. In the US, it is common place for large institutions to fly the stars and stripes to support our country. The fact that Germans don't have a sense of national belonging is weird for me to understand. I did know however that Germans feel a stronger connection to their individual state than the entire country. In Munich, if you say the Bavarian colors in the wrong order, you will be heckled and quickly corrected. I just think it's strange that Germans can feel such a strong connection to their state, but not to the country as a whole.