Kapitel 11 Jason Bui

Who would have guessed that even though the Berlin Wall was knocked down in 1989, that German is still "divided" to this day? The reading from kapitel 11 explained how there are still tensions between those in East and West Germany and North and South Germany. Although the country has been united for about 14 years, Germany is still separated in many other aspects.

The first article that I read was "Breaking Down the Wall in the Head." This article explains that to this day, differences between East Germany and West Germany still stand. In fact, a recent poll showed that "a quarter of West Germans wished the Berlin Wall could be rebuilt, while 12 percent of East Germans said they didn't want to live in a united Germany." This is attributed to the fact that many previous East Germans do not believe that they are truly free in this united Germany, but on the other hand, many West Germans feel like they are even more free without being confined by the wall. Personally, I do not really understand why East Germans would feel any less free in a united Germany. One previous East German's argument was that he lived with the fear of getting fired, rather than living without that fear in East Germany, where he was prohibited to speak badly about the government. This logic is not sound at all. His freedom of speech is taken away in East Germany and the fact that he could not be fired most likely interfered with the freedoms of some one else.

The next article I read was "Ostalgie." This article explained how most of Germany adopted things from West Germany, rather than East Germany. The only notable thing that remains from East Germany is the "Eastern Crosswalk Man." I do not really think that this is a big deal, seeing that most of East Germany was under communist rule and united Germany followed a more East Germany republic government.

The last article that I read was "Backward Southerners, Frigid Northerners: Germany's Real Divide." This article explains how the real divide in Germany was in between the North and the South. Apparently North Germany and South Germany are very different from each other. They both have different cultures and even different accents. Many North Germans tend to think that South Germans are stupid, dumb and lazy, whereas many South Germans think that North Germans are just boring. This is kind of like how in the United States, North and South are seen as being quite different from each other. Many people in the South have southern accents, as those in South Germany have an accent. Also, many people in the northern part of the United States tend to think that there are a lot of hicks in the South, like it is in Germany and the south tends to think of the northern states as boring and stuck up. I think that in every country, different regions of the countries tend to have their differences, but it should not stop them from sharing the same patriotism. Germans should be proud of united Germany.

AMD 6 Jason Bui

Für mein AMD 6, ich sah South Park auf Deutsch. Die Folge, die ich sah, war "Insheeption." In die Folge hatte Stan ein 'hoarding disorder.' Er hielt viele Dinge in seinem Spind und er verweigerte die Dinge wegzuwerfen. Stan ging zu einem Berater, der Mr. Mackey heißen, aber Mr. Mackey war auch ein Hamsterer. Stan und Mr. Mackey suchte Hilfe von 'hoarding' Fachleute. Die Fachleute nahm Stan und Mr. Mackey in Mr. Mackeys Traum. In der Traum fand sie die Antwort auf das Problem.

Diese Folge von South Park war sehr lustig. Sie sprach sehr schnell, aber es war leicht zu verstehen. Ich genoss diese Folge.

Ich liebe South Park. South Park is a very entertaining show and watching it in German makes it both enjoyable and educational. Watching the show is a great way to hone your skill of listening in German and even if you do not know all of the vocab, there are subtitles to help you through the episodes. It is an overall great learning tool.

Kapitel 10

Reading these articles that reflect on German culture are always interesting. After reading the articles: "'Dinner for Who?': Germany's New Year 'Procedure'," "Sorry, We're Closed: The Challenge of Spending Money in Germany," and "Booze Brothers: Father's Day Debauchery in Deutschland," it really made me realize how different Germany is from the US.

The first article that I read was "'Dinner for Who?': Germany's New Year 'Procedure.'" The article is about a German tradition of watching a British comedy skit, 'Dinner for Who?.' It explains how Germans watch this skit every new year and how they find it just as hilarious every time they watch it. The article then goes about describing the plot of the skit, while highlighting the key parts of the skit and noting they 'funny' parts of the clip. After reading the skit's summary, I was so confused on how the German's found this short skit funny. I had to watch it myself. I then pulled the clip up onto Youtube and realized that it was actually quite humorous. But although I found the film to be a little funny, I could not see how one could put up with watching this year after year. Honestly, it is not that special.

The next article I read was "Sorry, We're Closed: The Challenge of Spending Money in Germany." After reading this article I was in awe. I honestly do not know how people can actually survive living in Germany. Back home I find myself going to the 24/7 Meijer, or Taco Bell late in the night several time in the week. I could not image living somewhere without a store being open 24/7, let alone image a store being only open 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. In fact, I only go to the store when it's late into the night. My life would be so much different living in a world where everything convenient was closed by 7. Before reading this article I was growing fond of the country, but now I'm reconsidering how great Germany actually really is.   

The last article that I read was "Booze Brothers: Father's Day Debauchery in Deutschland." This article was by far my favorite. It explained how on father's day, the men get drunk (more than usual) and just have a fun time. It seems like a great time, and it's kind of like a St. Patty's day exclusively to men. Personally, I would love to participate in German Father's Day one day. In fact, the US should just adopt this German tradition and celebrate it along with the Germans. It would make Father's day more fun and it may even allow for closer bonding with the old man.

AMD 5 Jason Bui

Für mein AMD 5, ich sprach mit meinem deutschen Freund. Er heißt Jann Ubrig-Veit. Er besuchte die Universität von Alabama. Ich kannte ihn nicht so gesund, weil wir nach der Highschool trafen, aber wir sind ziemlich gute Freunde. Letzte Woche rief ich ihn auf skype und wir sprachen.

Er war aus Deutschland adoptierten und er ist fließend in der deutschen Sprache. Er half mir mit meiner deutschen Aussprache wie wir sprachen auf Skype. Er sagte, dass meine Aussprache von "ich" schlecht war, aber er sagte, dass die Aussprache von "ch" Geräusch die schwierigste für Amerikaner war.

Wir sprachen über das Leben in der Schule und das Wetter in Alabama und Michigan. Wir sprachen auch über Videospiele.

Talking to my friend was a fun experience. I really learned a lot about how well I spoke in German. I definitely plan on talking with him again in German.

AMD 4 Jason Bui

Für mein AMD 4, ich habe The Book Thief gesehen. Der Film ist spielt in zweiten Weltkrieges Deutschland. Der Film handelt von einem Mädchen, das Liesel Meminger heißt, dass Bücher lesen liebt. Liesel Meminger ändert sich die Leben von jeder um sie mit ihrer Liebe für Bücher. Sie ist sehr intelligent und außergewöhnlich. Ich habe den Film genossen. Der Film lohnt sich.

Der Film war meistens in Englisch, aber es gab auch viel deutsche. Ich habe alle Deutschen, die im Film gesprochen wurde verstanden. Es war eigentlich ziemlich einfach. Der Deutsche in dem Film war ziemlich leicht zu verstehen.

Overall, the movie was a good benchmark to see how I am progressing in learning German. I was able to pick up practically every line that was spoken in German, which shows that I am doing quite well. Also, it is very fun to be able to apply the German learned in real life.

Kultur 9 Jason Bui

Reading the articles, "Bureaucracy Gone Awry: The German Certificate Fetish," "Love Thy Neighbor: German Law Tells You How," "Germany's Patriotism Problem: Just Do not Fly the Flag," and various excerpts from the 365 Things  book, were Actually quite interesting and fairly informative.

The first article, "Bureaucracy Gone Awry: The German Certificate Fetish," is about how Germans keep binders of certificates, documenting almost everything in Their Lives. Although it is quite peculiar, the concept of keeping records, documenting everything you do, can be quite useful. Speaking as a student applying to different schools and programs, the concept of owning a binder with all of your life accomplishments would not only save you a lot of time, but it would so help make a compelling application. In my opinion, everybody shouldhave a "Leitz - the German two-ring equivalent of the three-ring binder -. Holding documentary evidence of Virtually every bill ever paid, every official step taken" With a binder like this, the Entire world would be much more organized and the amount of time saved going through old documentations and certificates would be greatly minimized.

The article, "Love Thy Neighbor: German Law Tells You How," is about how Germans are very wary When it comes to Their neighbors. In Germany, theyhave something called "sleep time" or quiet time. This time is from 8 pm to 7 am, and all day Sunday and holidays. Usually, "a little quiet snoring is allowed, but house and garden appliances and machinery are off limits. No. midnight clothes washing or Sunday afternoon lawn mowing." Washing your car is gene rally not allowed. So, parties and barbecues are limited to only several times a year. In Germany, you are therefore responsible for your street and your sidewalk. Overall, I think I did Germans are too uptight When it comes to Their neighbors. I am not saying you Should not respect your neighbors, but a specified quiettime Seems to be a bit extreme.

The last article, "Germany's Patriotism Problem: Just Do not Fly the Flag," discusses how Germans do not fly Their flag much. After the world wars, Germans are very hesitant to express Their love and pride For their country. Germany's patriotism what almost non-existent. Personally, I find this to be very bizarre. Germans are the type of people did you would think had a lot of pride, but unfortunately did not Necessarily is the case when it comes to Their homeland. To be honest, Germany Has forgone a lot of change recently and deserves more credit than the German people are giving it.

The 365 things  book had many interesting excerpts, but most of them consisted of familiar cuisines and activities. Some interesting excerpts were the "Trabi Safari" and "Kuhlbutz tomb Kampehl."

AMD 3 Jason Bui

Für mein AMD 3, ich habe das 365 Dinge Buch gelesen. Hindurch das vollständig Buch, ich habe viele interessante Auszüge gefunden. Zum Beispiel, das Buch habe viel verschied Lebensmitteln in Deutschland und den USA erwähnt. Auch habe das Buch über viel lustig Aktivitäten gesprochen. Einige Aktivitäten umfasst ins Casino gehen oder unter Wasser in U-Booten gehen.

Gemäß dem Buch, man kann der besten American Diners in Berlin finden. In den Restaurants in Berlin wird alles frisch zubereitet. “Fleisch kommt direkt aus den USA, die Pommes werden von Hand geschnitzt und der Cheesecake nach altem Familienrezept gebacken. Sehr spannend: Die Bedienung spricht teils Deutsch, teils Englisch, und ist bestens um das Wohl der Gaste bemuht.”

In Berlin kann man unter Wasser in U-Booten gehen. Es ist eine der viele Attraktionen in Berlin.

Kultur 8 Jason Bui

I found all of the Kultur 8 material to be very interesting. Every time I read an article online or a passage in the Vorsprung text, I learn something new about German culture.

Of the three articles, the first article that I read was titled: "Draftophobia: Blown Away by the Fear of Air." In general, I found this particular article to be quite enthralling. I had no idea that Germans were so meticulous when it came to a windy draft. I mean, from what I gleaned from the article, Germans do not mess around when it comes to an airy draft. The article makes it seems as if Germans go out of their way to protect themselves from a draft, even at someone else's expense. And the sole reason why they are so afraid is because they are convinced that "drafts are responsible for pneumonia, flu, colds, clogged arteries and just about every malady imaginable." Although the article explains that Germans enjoy fresh air, their fear of getting sick from a draft prevent them from doing so in most situations (i.e. when driving on a hot day). Personally, I think that this fear is quite irrational because a draft cannot directly cause sickness (at least I do not believe so). Either way, the risk of getting sick does not outweigh the feeling of a nice, satisfying breeze on a hot day.

The second article that I read was titled: "You Have What? Mysterious Illness in Germany." This article discusses the bizarre illnesses that some Germans come down with. For example, many Germans will take a day off of work because they have a Kreislaufzusammenbruch, commonly known as a circulatory collapse in English. Although this may seem like a fatal thing to come down with, it is not quite as extreme in Germany. But it has been known for many people to retire or take a day off of work because they have come down with a case of 'Kreislaufzusammenbruch'. Another illness that is quite common in Germany is Hörsturz, or acute hearing loss. Although this does not seem so bad, the illness has actually caused "Germany's leading center-left political party to swap leaders because party chairman Matthias Platzeck suffered a Hörsturz." In addition to all of these illnesses, many Germans also refuse to take any prescription drugs when they are sick, as they are afraid of their chemical contents. In my opinion, I think that it is quite foolish for Germans to not take medications that may be needed. Most medications are tested and are proven to work before they are released for public consumption, so there is no need to be afraid. 

The third article I read was "Germany's Sauna Obsession: Expose Yourself to the Culture." This article talked about German's love for saunas. I myself actually enjoy sitting and relaxing in saunas, so I completely understand why Germans adore the saunas. One thing that I found interesting was that the saunas are unisex and most people go in the nude. I am actually surprised that of all the things German's fear, they are not afraid to get close and personal with other fellow sauna-goers. 

The sections from the Vorsprung text were also quite interesting. Most of them were related to the school systems and how a student progresses through his education. The one thing that I found surprising was that many college students have to pay little to no money for their tuition. I would love to get a free, or at least cheap education in Germany.

The 365 Dinge book was also fun to skim over. There were many activities that I enjoyed reading about and there were many that I recognized. For instance, the Blue Man Group and many of the restaurants and extracurricular activities.

AMD 2 Jason Bui

Für mein AMD 2, ich habe das zweite Blog von Allison McDonald gelesen. Das Blog wurde von einer Austauschschülerin geschrieben, die Deutschland besucht hat. Das Blog ist über Erfahrungen in Deutschland. Sie hat in Freiburg, Deutschland gelebt, als sie den Blog zu geschrieben hat. Sie hat auf die Albert-Ludwigs Universität in Freiburg studiert. Die Blog-Beiträge waren über ihren tägliche Routine und ihre Erfahrungen. Zum Beispiel, Sie hat über Essen in Deutschland und berühmten Sehenswürdigkeiten in die Stadt gepostet. Auch hat Sie über Deutsch lernen gepostet.

Das Blog war sehr interessant. Ich habe es zu lesen genossen. It is nice to see someone else’s prospective on traveling to Germany. I am very interested in traveling to Germany or other German speaking countries for business in the future and it is nice to know how another person’s experience went. Overall, I really enjoyed reading all of the blog posts and I would highly recommend others to read about her experiences also.

Kapitel 7 Kultur

After reading all of the Kapitel 7 Kultur texts, I became more cultivated in German culture. All of the readings were informative and added to my understanding and prospective of German culture.

The first link was to a website titled "USA kulinarisch" (http://www.usa-kulinarisch.de/). After browsing through and reading (or at least attempting to read) the articles, I recognized a common theme amongst them. All of the posts were about American holidays--Thanksgiving, Christmas, Halloween-- or about treats that are common in the US. Most of the text within the articles consisted of how to prepare certain meals or foods. I am actually surprised that Germans want to learn how to cook and prepare American foods in the first place. In the US we do not really go out of our way to make cuisines that are not already part of our culture (for instance: beer, sausages, breads, pretzels, etc). Overall, I found these articles to be very enlightening (and it's a good practice for reading German).

The next link was to an article titled "What Discipline? Of German Lines and Pythons." Reading this article really help me grasp an important part of German culture. Who knew that lines could be such a big issue in Germany. The article makes everyone in Germany seem like they are incredibly impatient as it explains how people creep up in lines and cut ahead or how they take the opportunity to go when you are not paying attention. The article states "Finally, keep in mind that Germans have grown up with such non-lines and you need to watch out for everybody. While the worst offenders tend to be impatient middle-aged men, you also have to watch out for old ladies who can be quite shameless in their queue-jumping." I can only assume that the urge to get ahead in lines is part of the German culture, which is reasonable. I mean, who really likes waiting in lines?

The last part of the assignment was to read some sections from the book 365 Dinge. Some of them were interesting and fun, while others seem like a waste of time. For instance, skydiving and paintballing seem rather fun, while listening to underwater music seems like a complete waste of time. But although some of the ideas seem a bit absurd, the book is a fun read overall.

AMD 1

Für mein AMD 1, ich habe Deutsch Musik gehört. Ich genieße deutsche Musik manchmal. In diesem Video, there is a rap battle between two rappers. Der erste Rapper heißt SpongeBOZZ und der andere Rapper heißt Ahmed. This rap battle event is hosted by JBB 2013, also know as 'JuliensBlogBattle' on Youtube. Der deutsche Rap ist schwer zu verstehen. Sie sprechen sehr schnell. In addition to talking too fast, I also don't understand most of the words they say anyways. If I had a better grasp on German vocabulary I might be able to somewhat understand their raps.

You can listen to the rap here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onfJIOEN1-k#t=57

Most of the page is in German, so you can also read the comments in German as well. Einige sind sehr interessant. I would not expect too much from the comment section because most comments are spam anyways.

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