So this is Part 2 of my post on my experience of German culture, or at least southwestern German culture. In the previous post I talked about German-English language barriers, attitudes toward smoking and beer, graffiti, and cars/racing.
As some may be aware (but perhaps not in the United States…), the World Cup was held this year in Brazil. And, as some of you may also know, the German national football team won the World Cup this year. Before I came to Europe I had never really followed football/soccer that much, but I’m certainly glad I got to experience the hype, drama, and excitement surrounding the tournament while living in Germany. Three instances in particular stick out in my mind: First, while I was visiting Amsterdam I was able to watch the Netherlands beat Costa Rica in an amazingly close match, promptly followed by intense celebrations throughout Amsterdam which lasted all night. Second, I watched Germany devastate Brazil in a 7-1 match that seemed completely unreal. I watched the game at home, and you could hear the cheers from other flats after every German goal or save. Finally, I was able to see the final match between Germany and Argentina, in which Germany won.
Transportation is interesting in Germany, to say the least. I admire and appreciate their train/rail system for its convenience and efficiency (even though I really, really miss driving my Subaru every day). However, I think it’s kind of ridiculous that you have to pay money to use the restroom in a train station. As far as roadway transportation goes, that’s a little wonky. In urbanized areas like Stuttgart (or even more specifically Zuffenhausen, where I’m living), there are many two-way streets that are only wide enough for one car to pass due to parallel parking on both sides of the street. This leads to cars facing each other in the middle of the road and one waiting for the other to pass so they don’t collide face-to-face. I’m very, very excited and pleased to see roadway construction workers wearing full-fledged dayglow-orange retroreflective biomotion suits when they’re working on or near the road. It makes me feel more confident about the research that we do back in the lab at Clemson.
Recycling is also very common and convenient in this part of the world. Glass, paper, aluminum, you name it. There are also more incentives to recycle as well, since most grocery stores near campus have machines that will give you money in exchange for an empty drink bottle, for example. I’ve gotten into the habit of doing this at least once a week.
Finally, I think I should comment a little bit about my take on German food. In short, I don’t miss traditional American cuisine at all. Döner, currywurst, schnitzel, you name it. I love the “typical” German food that they have here, even if it makes me sound like a tourist. Also, I like the trend of having ice cream (sorry…. “frozen yogurt”) as a mid-day snack.