Comments on: Culture Shock in American Suburbs

By: Melanie

Melanie — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 01:57:13 +0000

I am German and I live in Florida. I agree with you on most point but 4 and 5 are not necessarily true. I guess it depends on your kind of relationship with the visitor. Good friends/family will offer you help and you might accept it but from 1st time visitors I would never expect help in the kitchen.

By: Sarah

Sarah — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 15:58:28 +0000

Very enjoyable blog!
When we lived in Idar-Oberstein, DE we noticed some similar things. The complete lack of closets always threw me a bit, though from what I understand it’s due to their tax laws. I wouldn’t have closets either if they were considered a room and I paid tax based on the number of rooms!
I also got so used to, and enjoyed, some cultural norms there that I had a few humorous experiences when I came home to TX. I Still get irritated with people hanging out in the left lane of the highway. And I’ve noticed that when I go out to eat here I find the servers constant interruptions quite tiresome.
I went to a Hibachi Resturaunt a couple weeks after coming home and I couldn’t seem to speak to the servers in anything but Deutsch.
I also got so in the habit of ignoring people around me that when I returned to my southern state I was regularly harumphed at in grocery stores for walking past people and not saying excuse me. Good times.

By: soh

soh — Tue, 06 Jul 2010 03:25:03 +0000

I am (very) Polish Canadian and feel the same way as your German guests about everything you mentioned! I am especially horrified by wearing shoes in the house and do not want any help in the kitchen at all! I only shut the windows due to the weather or allergies, and I also think that many homes are too large with too much wasted space. I like a small house with a large yard, myself, to grow vegetables.

Goodness, I also agree with the commenter above with the German husband who wants to grocery shop frequently for small amounts. My American husband would rather shop twice a month but I cannot stand to do it that way!

And his American relatives walk right into my house wearing their shoes, because that’s just how they do things. I must point out where the shoes are to be put when they arrive. Please don’t track dirt all over my hardwood! (Hate carpet, tore it all out when we moved in here.) My Polish relatives say that if you wear your shoes into someone’s house, you’re telling them that you think they are such filthy housekeepers that you’ll stain your socks by walking on their floors. So it’s insulting to wear shoes in someone’s house.

Also, we Poles have a thing about curtains/drapes. There must be lace curtains on the windows, and heavy drapes for the winter. So many people have blinds, instead, and I’ll never get used to them, ever.

By: Keld Fink

Keld Fink — Sun, 27 Dec 2009 22:20:41 +0000

LOL it sounds a lot like how we danes would be, but, of course, Denmark and Germany share the same border;-)

By: robert

robert — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:22:43 +0000

mexico
when talking to someone, whether or not what you say true is not considered. the reqiurement is that the exchange ends amicably for all, so you say what will acomplish that.
vicks vapor rub. used same as u.s. but, you can not take a bath for 24 hours or the area treated will get very sore.

By: jja

jja — Wed, 29 Jul 2009 11:50:42 +0000

” Germans hate the idea of all the dust and grime that can build up in carpeting, so homes are never carpeted.”

They are carpetedd very oft. I do dislike this much – dirt and so on, but my current apartment: I had to remove Teppichboden ;-) and put some wood on the fllor.

” When the wind starts blowing really hard, the heating system has to work really hard as all the heat blows out of the house. ”

How bad for the ecology!

” The first thing Americans do when a guest comes to visit is give a tour of their homes; Germans never do”
Really? I saw almost every flat I visited, maybe young people tend more to show their apartments here?
Also we do have rondo rolladen everywhere so private stay private.:-))
http://www.rollorieper.de/typo3/uploads/pics/RolladenEydner_01.jpg
But apartments are very small, yes. And expensive.

“Names: Here in the uk you introduce yourself on the phone by your last name so ‘This is Mrs. So ad so’ where as in the states, they only care about your first name:)”

In Germany too. Except you talk to your close friend.
And yes, we always cook together, many Germans in one kitchen :-)