By the time Germany rolled around I think we were all over what jet lag we had were more amenable to what Europe had to offer. The soccer game on the first day was unique to me as I am not a sports fan. Still, it did go faster than I thought it would have and I’m glad that the team we were supposed to be rooting for was victorious. Also, the curry wursts were amazing-- it was the first time I had them and the idea of putting curry on a sausage had never occurred to me. I think would like to try to make something similar at home.
Much of Germany was spent with the German students (naturally): exploring the town of Marburg, and working on the presentation, which centered around the group activity. Marburg is such a quaint little town, with a good mix of the old and the new. It gave me a sense that the inhabitants there looked forward to the future while embracing their past simultaneously. The crown jewel of the castle-turned-university was also impressive, and the stairs leading up to it are certainly a good workout.
Although I would have liked to be in the climbing group, I suppose that as I had never been canoeing it was something to check off on the list of things I can now say I’ve done. Perhaps it will inspire me to partake of more maritime activities here in Wisconsin; there are certainly bodies of water available for it.
But what really caught my attention was the inherent nature of the German students. It was as if they had a switch that they could flip and go from party-hearty mode to full-on-work mode. During my canoeing trip Venus was very laid-back and smiley and even afterwards she took us around her town of Gießen and showed us the Mathematikum. Then when it came time for the power point presentation it was like she was a different person and was very particular about the order of the slides, the size of the pictures, and the format of the text. She basically spear-headed the entire presentation with a list of demands that I worked to make a reality. (Which is how I assume work goes-- someone comes up to you and says here’s what I want, and we go make it happen to their satisfaction).
Of course we as a group offered ideas, did research and all collaborated to agree on a final project, but I think the whole thing would have turned out very differently if not for Venus. The other German students: Martin and Ariane didn’t have as good a grasp of English, but they also worked at least as much as the American students.
This led into an observation about the general difference between the work ethic between America and Germany. No matter what it is that the Germans do, whether it’s cashier or wait staff, teacher, student, etc., they do it with pride and with passion. I feel that in America, many of these lower-status, minimum wage-type jobs are just a means to an end. Many people have that whole, “well it’s a paycheck” attitude, where they show up, punch in and just get through it and go home. They don’t really care too much about it, as it pays the bills, so to speak. I never got that impression in Germany no matter where I went. In the stores, the sales staff and cashiers were smiling and helpful. They offered us samples if available and tried to communicate with us in English if they could. I felt that was different from America, which kind of rushes the experience. Sure there are places that require employees to attempt an upsell, or at least offer a greeting and farewell, but a lot of the time you can tell that it’s just something that they are doing because they have to. Germany never quite felt forced, but was more natural, more affable.
The people in Germany (and Paris) were also relatively in shape. They’re a bunch of good-looking, hard-working people. They also largely ignore you. Personally, I feel that people in America are always watching everyone else for various reasons, but I suspect it’s because there’s a “keeping up with the Jones” mentality. They’re always comparing themselves to others, perhaps to place them along a ranking order of wealth, status, and/or intelligence. I feel as though we’re a nation that’s built on a network of connections to other people-- who do I know and what can they do for me? As such, appearances are everything, and making sure that we’re in line with the rest is important. I’ve often felt that in America, “The squeaky wheel gets the grease.” Yet in Asia, at least, “The nail that stands out gets hammered down.”
I mentioned something of this to Sarah once-- that a lot of people in America, myself included, ask, “What is the minimum? That is what I will shoot for. If the minimum wasn’t good enough, it wouldn’t be the minimum.” I feel that many Americans are hoping for the get-rich-quick scheme to fall into their laps and let them maximize wealth with minimal effort.
The feeling I got from Germany was something like, “I do my work. I like my work. I get paid for my work. I am happy.” It was interesting (and sometimes frustrating) to see that a lot of their businesses like banks, pharmacies and stores, are only open about 8 hours every day. It felt eerie almost to walk through an outdoor mall and see all the shops locking up at 6 pm. In America that is when most people would be going to the mall-- after work, right?
There’s sort of a joke that the Germans work a standard day and then go home to play games about working. I always used to wonder who bought games like, Truck Driving Simulator, Forklift Operator, Bus Driver, Train Operator, Farming Simulation, and other things that people do for a living... it’s the Europeans mostly... Work isn’t something they have to do, it’s something that they want to do apparently.
At any rate, it was a different experience and something that was foreign to me, literally and figuratively. Looking back at my #triprep posts I can see how... neurotic I was about a lot of things and how I was waffling on even going on the trip. Now that I’ve gone I feel that the whole thing has become a part of me that I can be proud of.
I hope that the bonds I’ve forged will last as long as the memories of the trip... and that even if I never travel again in an official/academic capacity, I’ll still be able to meet my friends again one day.
