Differences between Germany and the United States
After my last week of classes, my mom and my sister flew to Germany to visit me and our German family and to travel a bit of Europe for vacation. As I previously mentioned, my “German parents” speak almost no English and my sister and mother speak almost no German. Even with this barrier, we are able to relate to each other like almost any other family, and, for me, this is really beautiful. Just as any American family would do during a reunion, we spent the weekend eating delicious food and talking. Throughout these conversations, I was inevitably posed the question, “Wie hast du Deutschland gefunden?” “What did you think of Germany?” While my first response was to share my enthusiasm for how many ways Germany had offered me to experience and learn new things, this question also prompted me to consider how my experiences of Germany and the United States compare. After taking time to really think about this question, I have created a list of five ways the United States and Germany differ.
- Language
I know what you’re thinking – duh, obviously they speak different languages. However, I think the nuances of the ways in which both of these languages are spoken may explain a lot of the differences between the ways in which Germans and Americans behave. Throughout high school, and especially in college, Americans students are taught not to use the passive voice. Rather, professors prefer students to write their papers in the active voice. However, in Germany, it is the opposite. In writing and in conversation, Germans use the passive voice very often. In my opinion, this choice of active versus passive voice is quite telling. Of course, this characterization does not fit every American or every German, but I think it explains a general attitude that many people in each of these nations embody. At least the stereotypical American lifestyle or attitude is that of non-stop work and actively defying expectations to build success. However, in Germany, the obsession with success found in the U.S. is much more tame. Having a happy life and being satisfied with one’s career is important, but having free-time to relax and spend time with family is just as important if not more so. In my opinion, it is a lot less of an aggressive “dog-eat-dog” society.
- Small Talk
At the supermarket, with work colleagues, acquaintances, and in countless other situations, small talk dominates. Whether or not you enjoy this form of conversation, small talk plays a large role in our daily lives as Americans and as English speakers. This fact is obvious even in our form of greeting – “Hi. How are you?” We use this greeting at least once every day, but, in most cases, we really don’t care about the answer. So, why have such a pointless conversation? In Germany, most people just don’t. When I went to the grocery store during my first week in Dresden, I instinctively greeted the cashier with “Hallo. Wie geht’s?” – “Hi. How are you?” Of course, she sort of looked at me strangely and didn’t respond, so I quickly learned that this is not part of the normal interaction between cashier and customer.
- Rule-Following
How many times have you jay-walked or crossed the street at a crosswalk even when the sign
was red? Even though it’s illegal, most people in the United States think nothing of this. However in Germany, it’s the opposite – especially with older generation individuals. Almost no one in Germany crosses at a crosswalk until the walk sign is shown. For me this was somewhat annoying – if there are no cars in sight, why should I wait? I have places to be! But in Germany, rules are not made to be broken, rather they help society to function, and by not following these rules, one brings disorder.
- Recycling
Recycling in the United States is pretty irregular. Most people have the proper bin in order to
recycle, but not everyone chooses to separate their trash, even though we have only one category for this material. Unlike this common American attitude towards recycling, for Germans, recycling is very important. They take recycling so seriously that there is not only one separate bin for recyclable waste but three – glass, plastic, and biodegradable material. As number 3 suggests, these recycling rules are not negotiable, and everyone just does it.
- Sundays
Despite the fact that the level of religiosity in Germany is decreasing and has been decreasing for a while, Sunday has kept its status as a day of rest for most businesses and individuals. In the United States, only religious-affiliated restaurants and stores, such as Chick-fil-a, are closed on Sunday. However, in Germany, almost all restaurants and shops are closed on Sundays – especially those outside of tourist locations. Though in my family, Sunday after church has always been a time for grocery shopping, during my two months in Germany I made Monday my shopping day because no stores were open near where I was staying.
Despite these differences, I am so grateful for the time I got to spend and for the learning I was able to do throughout my summer in Germany. I hope that I will find my way back to my second home soon!