Kultur 8, Michael Nizinski

Die ernst Artikel finde ich sehr lustig. Warum würde sie wehende Wind ist ein Problem glauben. I love the wind. I have the window open all the time. Even now in the winter. It can be two degrees outside and it will still be open. My girlfriend will sit there and complain wrapped in blankets about the window being open. I am surprised that these studies done in German about the danger of drafts isn't spread around here in the US. Die zweite Artikel habe ich nicht zu sagen. Ich bin ähnlich die Deutsch. Ich mag nicht Medizin. An die dritte Artikel bin ich die Deutsch weider. Ich mag Sauna. Ich will ein Sauna jetzt. Sie sind gut für man.  

Kultur 8, Yuntao Chen

Among all the articles that I read in this week's Kultur, the article about "draftphobia" is the most interesting one to me.

I was aware of the love of German people towards nature. The German friends that I have are usually among the most adamant cyclists, who will cycle to work in rain or snow. Germans are also famous for their passion towards hiking, mountain climbing, and in general outdoor sports. Hence it surprised me a lot when I read that Germans believe that wind will bring illness and are generally afraid to be blown by a breeze. How can you avoid the flow of air when you do all these activities? And if it is safe when you are doing sports, how is it dangerous when you are in your office or home. This is one thing that I was not able to comprehend.

Another article talks about "mysterious illness in Germany". It says that German may have more names for their illness than other nations can image. This reminds me that in a Kultur article that I read in last semester, the author said that Germans are generally more likely to complain about things and are usually very skeptical about their surroundings. This may also apply to the attitude they have over their own bodies, in a way that they pay more attention so that they are able to pick up the minute details of "illness". The dislike of any medicine also falls in the same logic.

The other articles about the German educational system were also quite informative. Overall I enjoyed reading them a lot.

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.

Kultur 8

Draftophobia: Blown Away by the Fear of Air
Why are Germans so afraid of moving air? I mean, obviously nobody WANTS to get sick, but I think your chances become exponentially higher when you're sitting in a congested room with a bunch of other people all breathing the same air. There's not much logic to their fear of drafts. I suppose that's why the author called it irrational...because it is. This article made me chuckle a few times. I truly admire the writer's sarcasm.

You Have What? Mysterious Illness in Germany
Germans are much smarter than Americans when it comes to being sick and having a choice to take antibiotics or not. The main causes of antibiotic-resistant strains are because we have been taught to load up on meds at the first sign of illness. Of course, in dire need, they are necessary, but kudos to the Germans for fighting the good fight. I think it's quite odd that acute hearing loss and circulatory collapse are "illnesses" that exist in Germany, but not really anywhere else. Why? Is it genetic? That's so strange to me. I'm going to have to look further into this whole phenomenon.

Germany's Sauna Obsession: Expose Yourself to the Culture
Reading about these differences between American and German culture is always bewildering to me. At first I'm always appalled at the things Germans are okay with. Then I sit back and think about it and it's not terrible. Yet, baring all in front of a bunch of strangers and sweating it out together really isn't my thing. Don't get me wrong, I find saunas quite enjoyable and relaxing, but not so much with a bunch of men and women that I don't know from the man on the moon. And naked? I'm okay with a bathing suit, but not naked. That's just way too awkward.

kultur 8, Ian Propper

Germans are afraid of drafts, it’s really strange and doesn't make any sense. Germans are also anti-medicine (for certain medicines). It seems like they dislike aspirin, which generally doesn't cure, but reduce, pain, and anti-biotics, which are dangerous in mass quantities. So their dislike drugs isn't entirely irrational because they are not always necessary. 

Germans really like saunas and getting naked, nothing new.

German Universities seem similar to Michigan with large seminars and difficult graduate exams. However, they are different from American Liberal arts universities which are usually much smaller. German admission is very different because, in addition to choosing students based on grade, they also take into account total semesters one has been waiting to be admitted. The most striking difference between our universities and theirs is: Germans do not need to pay as much.  Which I am supremely envious of. 

One thing that I did not like about the German schooling system was the placement exams. I feel like there are not many students who show serious academic interest in 5^th-6^th grade so how can you place them at that age? Is there room to transition between schools?  

Kultur 8 - Jenna Malzahn

For Kultur 8 I started out by reading "Draftophobia: Blown Away by the Fear of Air" article, which was focused on the German population's concern of drafts and their affect on their personal health. I found this article really interesting because it shows the vast differences that can exist between the German and American culture. While it may only seem like such a small difference it conveys the underlying differentiation between the two countries that still continues, even through the mass globalization and integration that has been occurring in recent years. What really surprised me though was how adamant the German population was in their belief that a draft will cause sickness. They would rather suffer in the sweltering heat of a train car than merely crack the windows open to allow for air circulation. Also the fact that it's the German doctors who validate this information is quite shocking because I would have assumed that this idea would have been contradicted from other countries findings, but it's permanent presence might be because of a long standing tradition or belief that's just passed on through generations.

I also read the "You Have What? Mysterious Illness in Germany" article, which was extremely revealing about common diseases in Germany and expanded upon why their fear of drafts exist. Their fear of drafts now makes more sense to me because they explain, culturally, how these diseases and illnesses are transferred. What I found really interesting was the sheer amount of illnesses that seem to be present in only Germany and to such a large amount too. Yet it all appears to be so under control even though  majority of Germans refuse to use medication like what is used in America. I would suggest maybe following in Germany's footsteps on this one but I think medication is too embedded in American culture for that to really have any effect on the majority of the population. Overall, I think that these differences arise mostly from the geographic differentiation between the two countries and how over the years it has evolved into varied consequences.

Kultur 8

Meine blog fur dies Woche consist von funf artikles.

Die ersten Artikle es uber was Deutschen call "Luften" oder airng out.
Deutschen hat viel Angst fur drafts dass durch der Fenster kommen. Ob Sie es ist fur eine viele Zeit, oder eine kurz Zeit, Deutsche Leute hat Angst fur "Luften." Ich verstehe nicht. Ich will blowing air im meine Zimmer immer, es ist soothing.

Die zweiten artikle ist uber Deutschen Leute und their refusal to nehmen modern Medizine. Deutschen Leute apparently nicht gern Aspirin, welche war invented im Deutschland, und gleich mit ander modern medicines. Die artikle also mentioned the rare diseases dass Sie konnen geht wenn im Deutschland. Es ist odd dass these diseases ist nicht in andere Countries.

Die dreiten artikel ist uber Deutschen liebe fur die Sauna. Ich also liebe die Sauna, aber es seems as though Deutschen leute lieben es mehr. Deutschen even machen ein Film von es. Ich would sein interessant however, to enter ein co-ed Sauna.

Ich will besuchen numer 82, Wolfsnacht in der Schorfheide. Es war sein interessant und ich denke mich sein hat fun. Ich will also besuchen numer 85. Ich trinke gern Bier, und dies Bar seems to sein ein gut place to Party und geht blau.

Dass ist meine Blog fur die Woche1
Tschuss!

Kultur 8 - Alex Gamso

German's have some weird quirks when it comes to being sick, getting sick, and just relaxing.

Drafts mean death, at least according to Germans. This concept really surprised me when I initially read it, then I began seeing some of their logic, but have now denounced it all. The belief that drafts bring causes of the cold, flu, and other illnesses just doesn't make sense. These everyday threats are caused not by moving air, but surfaces contaminated with germs and viruses. If anything, having a draft would prevent stagnant air that could contain this little devils. The concept of sweating is our natural way of cooling by allowing heat to evaporate off. This process can be sped up by having more air moving around us. Our natural instinct is to surround ourselves with moving air to cool us down. I wholeheartedly look forward to testing these beliefs, and finding a more insightful reasoning behind them, this summer.

Medicines probably equate to death. I do completely agree with Germans' lacking desire to take medicines and pills, however. I too do not like how dependent we as Americans have become on them. Methods of sick Germans just make sense. Time, enough tea and honey, and other natural remedies take less of chance of wrecking your liver than that of Aspirin and other drugs. Rarely do I take any medicines, at max cough syrup during peak times with a cold. Statistics in the article even point to the effectiveness of such methods.

Saunas in America are usually male or female only. This stems from our rather conservative views on the body. Such trends are also visible in cities where most sculptures and other art pieces are fully clothed. However, in Germany, and most of Europe for that matter, has no fear of bearing all. While here a unisex sauna would be awkward, uncomfortable, and the complete opposite of relaxing in my opinion, it is completely acceptable there. Most of these unisex saunas are also completely nude beyond a small towel. Germans became interested in them after Berlin hosted the Olympics in 1936. They were requested to help relax muscles after performing in competition.

The German university system has similar aspects to that of here. For example, there are big lectures accompanied by smaller break out session along with specialized classes in each discipline. To get into each university and discipline, an entry exam must be taken and a certain time at the university are taken into consideration. There a maximum numbers set for each discipline. Paying for school is similar as well, although most schools are tuition free. People studying still have to pay for their living expenses and supplies. But those expenses can also be paid for by the German government in the form of half loan and half grant. This, in my opinion, is a good method of increasing the number of families in the middle class while reducing those close or below the poverty line.

Before even making it to the university level, German students complete a similar grade school, middle school, and high school to those here. The main variation is high school where students take three main paths. While here in America everyone is given the same basic education when in public schools giving everyone an equal opportunity to attend higher education at a college or university. Only those above average Germans who attend Gymnasium can level up to the university. Germans who are average attend Hauptschüler and usually end up as tradesmen. Those that attend Realschüler learn skills for practical uses in the work environment. The timing for starting and ending school is about the same as it is here in America as well.

Kultur 8 - Tim

With such a sophisticated health care system, ad generally educated populace it surprises me how fearful Germans are of a simple draft.  The phrase "es zieht" I find very amusingly German.  Stating the obvious and waiting for the implicit understanding, "Halt vor wir alles erkälten!"  This is however very consistent with what I have experienced, though I find it curious, since Germans are so found of outdoors -wandern, outdoor cafes, usw.

The pertinacity of Germans to prefer homeopathic remedies definitely rings true.  Meine Großmama was trained and worked in a classic little Apotheke.  Diesen Sommer my knee was aching after some of our hiking in the Alps (I had completed a 270km backpacking trek a week before), and my Tante Erne had just the thing.  A big jar of sickly-sweet smelling, bright blue horse liniment, whose primary ingredient was eucalyptus extract.  Certainly did the trick, though.

Kultur 8 Amanda Victory

I normally enjoy reading the kultur articles because they are useful if you planned to visit Germany. However, it is usually obvious that they exaggerate, sometimes more than others. In the first article titled Draftophobia they talked about how Germans hate feeling a draft from the window being open. In fact they fear them because they are convinced drafts cause serious illness, and some not so serious. This sounds absolutely absurd until you continue reading into the next article called You Have What? Mysterious Illness in Germany and learn that it is common for Germans to suffer from circulatory collapse. This is especially odd because any other person in another country would die from this, which is why I am not sure whether or not this kultur text is exaggerating or not. It was also said that Germans tend to be diagnosed with illnesses that don't exist anywhere else. Considering Germany is not North Korea and interacts with the rest of the world, I'm not entirely convinced that this isn't just paranoia.
The last article was about their obsession with saunas. I find this ironic because they think that a breeze will give them pneumonia but when it comes to sitting naked in a sweaty room full of strangers and their germs they are all for it. I guess that's just my germophobic-american side showing. On the contrary I do agree that saunas offer stress relief to some extent. The fact that Finland culture so strongly influenced this trend is sehr interessant to me! A lot of my classes this semester focus on cultural influences so to see an example were it is so apparent is useful. After reading these articles I'm very curious to experience this for myself and see just how popular the phrase "Es zieht" really is.

Kultur 8 Allison Gohl

The Draftophobia article war interessant. Ich denke nie  drafts were a big deal and it seems ridiculous that they participate in lüften or "airing out". Ich kann nicht heiß sein. Kreislaufzusammenbruch or a circulatory collapse is sehr common in Deutschland. Warum hat Deutschland so viel diseases? Ich habe Angst für krank wenn werde ich Deutschland gehen. Wow, ich wiesß nicht daß Deutschland ist zwei für Nummer of Saunas in Europa. I don't think I could go into a unisex sauna naked. Ich will zu dem Belferte. Es sieht sehr schön. The Park Sanssouci looks interessant. Haha Boulevard der Stars would be spaß. Das Doms at Spree ist sehr schön. Kahnfahrt und Sea Life would be so viel spaß. Ich will an U-Bahn fahren. Christopher Street Day looks like fun. Is that the holiday that was mentioned in the Lernen to Talk videos we watched the first time. Das Chamäleon Theater would be so cool! Vorlesung don't have Prüfung? That would be nett. Deutschland has a lot of requirements to graduate mit eine Bachelorarbeit. That would be cool to not have to take an Englisch class for a science major like they do in Deutschland. Tuition free colleges in Deutschland. Kann ich in Deutschland wohnen? That's weird that public school doesn't start until fourth grade. Ich glaube I would be take das Gymnasium track. 

Kultur 8

This was sehr interessant. Germans, I will admit have very weird pet peeves, but I actually think we all do. I am pretty sicher that there are many Americans that hate to ride with the windows down. I know a person in particular. Meine Oma hasst air blowing in her face, and rolls the window up, especially on the freeway. But as soon as we hit a stoplight, she rolls the window down. As soon as the light turns red, she rolls the window up. As far as the illness thing goes, I will admit that there is nothing wrong with being too safe. If a person feels as though too much air will get them sick, by all means they should do whatever they have to do. Ich finde crazy dass Deutschen keine Medicine benutzen. Medicine is a part of what helps us fight diseases and things like that, so I really do not understand the mindset they have towards that. I like the fact that there are viele saunas in Deutschland. I honestly have never been to a sauna, aber ob ich Deutschland besucht, ich wurde Sauna gehen. The school system in Germany seem to be very efficient and helpful. Es ist sehr organized and obviously constructed to benefit die Kinder that are enrolled.

Kultur 8 by Josh Crane

Kultur 8 Blog

Germans do not like drafts. They severely dislike the movement or circulation of air, and it is thought to be the cause of anything from pneumonia, flu, and colds, to clogged arteries. Germans can open their houses, trains, and cars, a short time but will not leave them open for the day. When they do air out their homes, it can be in winter or summer: there is no correlation. The author said that even a fan in an office will “land them in the hospital.” This is not in contrast, however, to riding bikes around cities, or a simple blowing wind.

In the same spirit, the next article spoke about German specific diseases. Because of such an aversion to medicine, more illnesses have made their home in Germany. An acute loss in hearing does not exist in America, but it recently forced the Social Democrat’s party chairman to retire. When they do get sick, they refuse medicine, and wait it out even if it means multiple weeks of suffering. When they do come back to health, they usually pack some tobacco and beer in at the local spot.

The last article is about saunas in Germany. The locals love their sauna, and Angela Merkal was there when the Berlin Wall came down. “Over 30 million are regular sauna-goers, while nationwide there are an impressive 2,300 public saunas, 3,800 sweat rooms in sport and fitness clubs, 5,100 more in hotels and around 1.5 million in private homes.” The sauna came in 1936, and has since given the Germans another excuse to be naked. Of the sauna, it is said, “Wrapped in tiny towels, the successful businessman and the welfare recipient are indistinguishable from each other. In the microcosm of the steam room, all worlds come together -- the frustrated intellectual, the esoteric do-gooder, the would-be entrepreneur, the overworked boss, the bureaucrat and the long-term unemployed.”

Kultur 8- Callie Chappell

Die Kultur texts diese Woche war sehr interessant. Normalweise, sind sie nicht so verbunden (related) zu die Vokabeln. Ich denke Draftophobia war richtig. Deutscher nie die Fensters geschlossen. I have been in a hot car with all of the windows up, in situations where opening a window would have been perfectly fine! Über Germany's Sauna Obsession, bin ich nicht überrascht. Nach Hause, habe ich ein grosses Sauna und sie sind sehr cool! (Oder heiss....) From my American perspective, I think the fact that they are unisex is a bit odd, but then again, this is Germany.. home of nude beaches and sex stores galore.... 

Finally, Mysterious Illness in Germany. I thought this article was the most interesting. Meine Familie glauben in "alternative medicine" so ich bin nicht so überrascht. Sometimes, I think people think too little of their immune systems. Even though Germans complain about having seemingly improbable illnesses, perhaps that compels them to take better care of themselves, it may allow their immune systems time to return (naturally) to homeostasis, before larger symptoms develop. 

Kultur 8, Gabrielle Spickard

     I usually enjoy reading the Kultur articles for each chapter in my German classes, I find them interesting and I also think that it's important to learn about the culture of the language that you're studying. For the first article about the "Draftophobia," I think that it's very strange. I don't really know about the legitimacy of German doctors' claims that drafts cause all sorts of illnesses, much like I don't know about the reasoning behind many German cultural practices. It just seems like they're making Summers unnecessarily uncomfortable for themselves. I did think that the image presented in the article of drivers in a car lowering the windows at a red light and closing them as soon as the car starts moving to be pretty funny, though.

     The next article about disease in Germany was also interesting. The possibility of contracting a uniquely German illness and Germans' attitudes towards illness continue to make me mildly uneasy about going to Germany (but not enough to make me not want to go). I feel like resistance towards doctors and medical care isn't really a German thing, though. I know many Americans here who share similar sentiments. My grandpa who is nearly deaf refuses to get a hearing aid because he insists that he can hear fine on his own, my other grandpa didn't want to go to the hospital even for a kidney stone, etc. The list continues. Maybe it's a stubborn-ness thing more than a German thing.

     Saunas seem nice in Germany. However, I'm not sure about the idea of a unisex sauna, but that may be my prudish American cultural expectations talking (compared to those of Germany). I've only been in a sauna once and I didn't see too much of the hype behind them, but maybe it's one of those things that takes repeated exposure and time to appreciate. 

     From the 365 Dinge... book, I found number 108, or the Kunsthalle Deutsche Bank, to be very interesting. First off, it's in Berlin, where I would very much like to go if I make it to Germany. Second, I find the idea of a well-curated contemporary art museum within a high-powered bank to be a very novel and curious idea. I'd like very much to see it! I like art, not so much banks, so that would be the main appeal to me, but still I'm curious.

     I like how the Kultur texts in the textbook had the central theme of the German education system. German universities seem great, for the most part! It seems like a university education in Germany is much more accessible due to the lower tuition fees, but there are probably other factors that affect accessibility that aren't addressed in the articles. The tiered system towards obtaining an undergraduate degree seemed interesting as well, I'm not sure if I'd prefer that to the system that most American universities use. It's also interesting that they don't focus that much on a liberal arts education. I guess that means that most students already have an idea for what they want to study by the time they get to university. However, one thing that I read that was kind of concerning was the fact that in the fifth or sixth grade most German students are evaluated and have educational tracks recommended for them. I think that it's a bit early for instructors and administrators to be playing a part in determining the overall path of their life at that point, but maybe that's just me.  

Carolyn Kodis, Kultur 8

When I started reading "You Have What?: Mysterious Illness in Germany" I laughed.  These Germans are so ridiculous.  But then, as I kept reading, I realized: I'm just like the Germans.  I refuse to get a flu shot every season.  Whenever I have a headache, nine out of ten times I'll take a pass on taking aspirin.  I'd much rather wander the Earth while sick than confront a doctor or go to a pharmacy.  And I'm not the only one in my family like this.  My father is the exact same way, as is my 90-something-year-old great grandmother.  Why?  Part of me thinks that aspirin and flu shots don't work.  Another part believes that if you overuse these things, your body builds a resistance which means you'll have to continue increasing your dosage until you eventually overdose.  But I guess it's also some good ol' German stubbornness too.

Kultur 3, Emily Maggioncalda

Ich kann nicht in Deutschland wohnen. Ich liebe es zieht. Ich fahre immer mit meinem Fenster unten. Ich verstehe nicht diese Geheimniskrankheiten (mystery diseases). Ich mag nicht Medizin nehmen, aber ich werde, ob ich krank sein. Ich werde nicht in ein Saunahaus gehen, weil ich nackt sein mag nicht. Ich mag Wärme sein, aber ich werde nach Hause bleiben.

In Berlin will ich zum Nivea-Haus gehen. Ich liebe Massage und Maniküre erhalten. Auch, das Grillparty mitten auf dem Wasser klingt mir gut. Ich finde es sehr interessant. Ich will zum Sea Life gehen, weil ich Fisch sehen liebe.

Ich bin unsicher über die Deutsche Schulsystem. Ich mag die Idee, aber ich bin unsicher über Regierungschulen.