Kultur 6, Kevin Hergenreder

Sex, Smut and Shock: Bild Zeitung Rules in Germany

Bild newspaper files are widely successful with a mix of sex and scandal. The newspaper goes on crusades against the European Union, politicians and foreign workers. An especially famous case is an attack on Jurgen Klinsmann for smiling after a German loss in a friendly soccer match against Italy. Compared to the Brittish tabloids they have values, and are often sickened at what those tabloids do.

German Privacy: Come on In, My Door Is Always Closed

In Germany doors are always closed, which can be quite awkward when trying to chase someone down. In the US an open door is an open invitation and a closed door signals not to disturb. In Germany you must knock loudly to get the person's attention. Your best bet is to knock once very loudly and then open the door.

Division Hell: Worshipping the Garbage Gods

Throwing away your trash can be very confusing in Germany, there are many bins for everything possible. One for white glass, one for paper, one for packaging, one for organic waste, one for metal. There is also typically a bin for leftovers. The country leads the way in environmentalism with commitment to wind and solar energy.

AMD 6 Kevin Hergenreder

Following Borussia Dortmund on twitter (@BVB)

Ich habe Dortmund gefolgen auf Twitter. Es war sehr schwierig, aber sehr interessant. Ich mag Dortmund. 

In an attempt to learn some slang and about how people actually talk. Here are some tweets below:

Translation: If you want to beat Leverkusen you have to be really good. We weren't today.

Translation: It doesn't look good with Nuri. There have been light movement. We are waiting for the diagnoses from the guys.

Kultur 5

Rules of the Street: No Blood, No Entshuldigung

One of the first words that most people will look up in a foreign language when visiting a new country is "excuse me." In German this is "Entschuldigung" but this article claims that it is not a necessary word to learn as no one uses it. The article goes on to explain that you must be ready for more physical contact in Germany while simply walking than in other countries. The author even goes so far as to compare it to a rugby scrum - a little extreme if you ask me. His argument is simply that Germans are not intrinsically rude, but they have simply come to terms with more day-to-day contact than the rest of us.

German Erotica: The Land of Beer, Sausage and Sex Shops

This article is slightly on the racy-side and talks about the existence of sex shops throughout Germany. In the United States there are sex shops as well as in Germany, but the placement and advertisement of the shops varies greatly between the two nations. In the States such stores are normally very unassuming buildings with a simple "Adult Book Store" sign at the front located in a part of town with little foot-traffic. However, in Germany these same stores are located in town squares, next to a local supermarket or butcher. The stores have a glass front as any other store typically would have, making window-shopping quite easy. The attitudes toward German sex-shops are very nonchalant. 

 Scoring a German: Flirting with Fräuleins, Hunting for Herren

This article talks about the difference in flirting styles in Germany versus the United States. The article claims that the art is much more subtle in German that in other parts of the world. The author claims that all a man can do to make a first look in Germany is have a certain stare towards a woman and the rest is up to her, where in the US a man must be much more forward. The article even claims that going so far as to say hello to a German woman is considered rude - which sounds absurd to me.

AMD 5

Für AMD5 ich habe ein Gedicht (poem) gelesen. Das Gedicht ist 'Frühlingsglaube' von Ludwig Uhland. Unten, du kann lese das Gedicht.

Frühlingsglaube 

Die linden Lüfte sind erwacht,
Sie säuseln und wehen    Tag und Nacht,
Sie schaffen an allen Enden.
O frischer Duft, o neuer Klang!
Nun, armes Herze, sei nicht bang!
Nun muss sich alles, alles wenden.
Die Welt wird schöner    mit jedem Tag,
Man weiß nicht,    was noch werden mag,
Das Blühen will nicht enden.
Es blüht das fernste, tiefste Tal:
Nun, armes Herz, vergiss der Qual!
Nun muss sich alles, alles wenden.

Was bedeutet 'Frühlingsglaube' du frage? In Englisch das Gedicht ist 'Faith in Spring.' Ich habe Frühlingsglaube lesen in Deutch geversuchen. Sie war sehr schwierig. I first only read the poem in German and tried to make sense of it as I read it three or four times. I came to the conclusion that this poem is about the winter coming to an end and spring coming into bloom. I found the following words from the poem quite easy to translate even though I had never seen them before.

Blühen - to bloom

Herze - heart

schöner - more beautiful

Welt - world

Nun - now

I then found an English version of the poem and read it as well. After reading the poem in both English and German I was able to understand many German phrases in the poem that I did not understand before. 

Tag und Nacht - Day and night

Nun muss sich alles, alles wenden - Now everything, everything must change

Nun, armes Herz, vergiss der Qual! - Now poor dear, forget the pain!

Mit jedem Tag - with each day

Man weiß nicht - one does not know

was noch werden mag - what may yet happen

This exercise was extremely helpful for me to  expand my very basic understanding of German, exposing me to new words and phrases. I have attached the full English version of the poem below for reference.

Faith in Spring

	They murmur and waft    day and night,
	They create in every corner.
	Oh fresh scent, oh new sound!
	Now, poor dear [heart], fear not!
	Now everything, everything must change.
	The world becomes more beautiful    with each day,
	One does not know    what may yet happen,
	The blooming doesn't want to end.
	The farthest, deepest valley blooms:
	Now, poor dear, forget the pain!
	Now everything, everything must change.

AMD4 Kevin Hergenreder

Nena - 99 Luftballoons

99 Luftballoons, uda 99 Balloons in Englisch ist ein popular Song in Deutschland. I tried to listen (hören) zu das Song and verstehen. I first listened to the song without looking up the songtexte (lyrics) in Deutsch or Englisch. I found that I was able to understand wenig von das Song. I think listened to the song while reading the songtexte in Deutsch. Ich verstehe mehr songtexte. 

Songtexte:

Hast du etwas Zeit für mich
Dann singe ich ein Lied für dich
Von 99 Luftballons
Auf ihrem Weg zum Horizont
Denkst du vielleicht g'rad an mich
Dann singe ich ein Lied für dich
Von 99 Luftballons
Und dass so was von so was kommt

99 Luftballons
Auf ihrem Weg zum Horizont
Hielt man für Ufos aus dem All
Darum schickte ein General
'ne Fliegerstaffel hinterher
Alarm zu geben, wenn es so wär
Dabei war'n da am Horizont
Nur 99 Luftballons

99 Düsenjäger
Jeder war ein großer Krieger
Hielten sich für Captain Kirk
Das gab ein großes Feuerwerk
Die Nachbarn haben nichts gerafft
Und fühlten sich gleich angemacht
Dabei schoss man am Horizont
Auf 99 Luftballons

99 Kriegsminister -
Streichholz und Benzinkanister -
Hielten sich für schlaue Leute
Witterten schon fette Beute
Riefen Krieg und wollten Macht
Mann, wer hätte das gedacht
Dass es einmal soweit kommt
Wegen 99 Luftballons

99 Jahre Krieg
Ließen keinen Platz für Sieger
Kriegsminister gibt's nicht mehr
Und auch keine Düsenflieger
Heute zieh' ich meine Runden
Seh' die Welt in Trümmern liegen
Hab' 'nen Luftballon gefunden
Denk' an dich und lass' ihn fliegen

As mentioned earlier, I found it very helpful to read the lyrics while listening to the song. The first verse discusses "99 Luftballoons, Auf ihrem Weg zum Horizont" - 99 balloons, on their way to the horizon. The next few lines then go on to say that people look at the balloons as if they are UFOs from space. Fighter jets are sent up to attack - but they are only 99 balloons.

The next verse discusses "99 Düsenjäger" - 99 Fighter Jets (I had to use the internet to figure this one out.) After this "99 Kriegsminister" - 99 War Ministers (also had to use the internet for this) and then "99 Jahre Krieg" - 99 Years War (I was able to figure this one out all by myself!).

"99 Red Balloons" was later released in English by Kevin McAlea and became very popular, however the lyrics are not a direct translation. I did some research on the original version of the song and found that the band, Nena, released as an anti-nuclear protest around the time that Berlin was divided into East Germany and West Germany. Between the Deutsch and Englisch version the song has been number one in the charts in over ten countries.

Link for the Song:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQYQTFudrqc

Kultur4, Kevin Hergenreder

Two-Wheeled Teutons: Stay Off the Bike Path!

There are bike paths woven throughout mostly all cities in Germany, and the population of these cities take these paths very seriously. Bike paths are for bikes, NOT pedestrians. Everyone is expected to respect these bike paths and stay off of them if you are not on a bike. If you make the mistake of walking on a bike path be prepared for pain. In many major cities you can even rent a bike for a journey of your own. A short phone call and your credit card are all that it takes and you are off! I found this particularly interesting because I am currently working on an extensive report in another class with a start-up local company called "A2B Bikeshare" that currently offers bike-sharing services to the city of Lansing, Michigan and is looking to expand. So, for me it was very interesting reading that these systems are already in place in Germany.

Illogical Logic: The Right Answer in Germany May Be the Wrong One

Germans are known for being logical people, and this article goes on to discuss how this can sometimes be a problem for tourists and non-Germans while trying to collect information from Germans. This article describes a situation where an individual is attempting to purchase a train-ticket. He initially asks for the cheapest ticket and then asks when the next train is. Unfortunately, the cheapest ticket may not give you access to this train. I can understand how this could be confusing, and at times could be very frustrating. If I asked someone for the cheapest ticket and then asked when the next train was I would assume that my ticket could gain me access to that ride. 

Fare-Dodgers Beware: There's No Such Thing as a Free Ride

German public transportation operates on the honor system. There is no gate stopping you from getting onto the subway and no check-in before you get on the bus. But this does not mean that this is a free ride. You are still expected you pay for your ticket and if you fail to do so there is a chance that you will get caught. Undercover officers dressed in street clothes often board to check for tickets, and if you haven't purchased a ticket or a pass you will get a fine. I have dealt with this firsthand, as I was recently in Hungary and was on the way to the airport. I purchased my ticket but failed to activate it when I boarded the bus. There were officers in civilian clothes that asked to see my ticket and when I showed them they were not happy. I didn't speak Hungarian and they didn't speak English, and I had no idea what was going on. As we pulled to the airport I was taken to the police station and was not allowed to leave until I paid a $40 fine, for a ticket that I purchased but failed to 'activate,' needless to say I was not very happy!

The Red Dictator: Crossing the Strasse

Apparently, jaywalking is not done in Germany. Even if there are no cars in sight, this article claims that no one ever jaywalks. If you do, the article goes on the say that cars will try to hit you and fellow pedestrians will scold you. I am not sure if I believe this at all. But, living in Ann Arbor my view may be tainted. EVERYONE in Ann Arbor jaywalks without thinking twice. This is a city dominated by pedestrians and everyone knows it. I jaywalk like crazy, and don't think twice about it, EVERYONE DOES.

Kultur 3 - Kevin Hergenreder

An Obsession Explained: Beer, Brewskies, and Liquid Bread

I found this article to be particularly interesting. Germany is home to 1,274 breweries that brew 5,000 different beers, all within the confines of the first German food quality law ever past which limits beer ingredients to water, hops, malt and yeast. I was also pleased to learn the phrase that Germans say while toasting with friends - "Prost!" I found it hilarious that if you forego this tradition you will be cursed with seven years of bad sex. The article then goes on to describe the different types of beer in the country and the associated hangover possibilities. I plan to keep this in mind the next time I drink!

Capping the Bottle: Germany Looks to Tighten Up Public Drinking

Public intoxication has long been widespread in Germany, and is in fact practically a requirement for any tourist visiting the country. However, many political figures claim that the country has a problem with alcohol consumption in public places and with people who drink too much and cause disturbances. Although large numbers within the government are in agreement on the subject banning public drinking is not as easy as it sounds and local governments do not have the authority to change these laws. This issue has sparked debate throughout the country and I personally am compelled by the situation. As a college student I know many who would love public alcohol consumption to be made legal, but surely my mother would be outraged. I can see both sides of the argument. 

Yo Dude, What about the Turks? An Introduction to Germany's Real Fast Food Joints

As soon as I saw the title of this article my eyes lit up. KEBABS ARE MY FAVORITE FOOD ON THE PLANET! The Döner is quickly becoming the most popular fast food item in the nation although there are just 2.3 million Turks in the entire country. Personally I like my Döner with sharf and Knoblauch sauce. I am anxiously waiting for this fast food craze to catch on here in the states.

AMD 2 - Bundesliga, Kevin Hergenreder

The Bundesliga is the top league in German professional Fußball. The league was founded in 1962 and the first season was played in 1963. 18 teams make up the top division and the league has a system of promotion and relegation with 2. Bundesliga. The league runs from August to May with each team playing all other teams twice, home and away.

Historically, FC Bayern Munich (Fußball Club Bayern München) is the most successful club. Bayern have won a Bundesliga-record 22 league titles. Borussia Dortmund (formerly Borussia Mönchengladbach) are second with five titles. Werder Bremin and Hamburger SV are tied for third with four titles.

 

FC Bayern are historically not only one of the most successful clubs in Germany, but in all of Europe. In addition to 22 Bundesliga titles the club have also won five UEFA Champions League (formerly the European Cup) titles, the top tournament in European competition. This is behind only Spanish Real Madrid with nine and Italian AC Milan with seven. The club is currently experiencing unprecedented success, last year winning the German treble. This means that the club won all three major competitions that a German club can win - the Bundesliga, DFB Pokal, and UEFA Champions League. In addition, the club is currently the eleventh most valuable sports franchise in the world, valued at $1.23 billion.

Kapitel 2 - Kevin Hergenreder

'By the Numbers: An Obsession with Statistics' was a very interesting read for me. German Engineering is known as the best in the world so it was no surprise to me that Germany is a numbers-crazed nation. The examples that the article went on to list were very telling as to just how far German's take their statistics. "What is the population of your city?" How many square kilometers is your country?" These are answers that I could not even take a stab at, and I consider myself to be a numbers guy myself.

'The German National Pastime: Whining, Bitching and Moaning' brought to light something that I have heard numerous times throughout my life. Germans are complainers, they are famous throughout the world for it. This article brings to light this phenomenon and goes into detail about the things that Germans like to complain about, which, according to the author is just about anything and everything. The article sheds a negative light on Germans in this regard. However, another article, 'German Culture - Art of Complaining.' This piece takes a different take on the phenomenon, looking at it from a positive perspective. The article claims that the complaining is due to a German desire for truth and continuous improvement. The article argues that complaining can often be a good thing and can be constructive.

AMD1 - Kevin Hergenreder

Oktoberfest München

Das datum 16. September and that means only one thing... Oktoberfest is fast approaching! Oktoberfest is a Bavarian tradition dating back to the beginning of das achtzehnten Jahrhunderts (18th century). Oktoberfest is a 16 day festival celebrating beer in München, Bayern, Deutschland. The festival runs from late September to the first Wochenende im Oktober (weekend in October). This event is the world's largest fair with more than six million visitors per year. In 2007 more than sieben Millionen liters of Oktoberfest Bier were served.

Oktoberfest Zinzinnatti

Oktoberfest Zinzinnatti - Oktoberfest Cincinnati is the largest Oktoberfest celebration in Amerika and the largest outside of München in the world. This celebration runs for one weekend in late September every year with approximately fünfhunderttausend (500.000) visitors each year. Oktoberfest Zinzinnatti holds the world record for the largest Chicken Dance ever recorded when 48.000 participated in 1994.

Kapital 1

For this assignment I was tasked with reading a dense brochure titled 'How German is American?" This writing is about how American and German culture are so tightly intertwined. More American's are of German descent than any other nation, and I myself am proof of this as both sides of my family are of German descent. I found it very interesting that when Germans emigration to American they moved to the upper Midwest because the region is the most similar to their home nation - thus earning the term as America's "German Belt." This fact is not surprising to me either as I grew up near Frankenmuth, Michigan - a German modeled town and grew up around many people of German descent. 

In total, in the year 200, 42.8 million Americans identified themselves as being o f German ancestry - roughly 15 percent of the total American population. Although in most cases Germans were not the first Europeans to settle on the American frontier. For example the French were the first to settle in Wisconsin, but the Germans quickly outnumbers these French settlers. All in all the sheer number of Germans in the U.S. is a huge reason as to why the two societies are so greatly entangled.