You know, it can be a bit odd when you tell someone you like living in Germany. The person cocks his head, and either says it outright or visibly thinks, ‘But you could live in Spain or Italy…or anywhere. Why Germany?’
Then you admit that you actually enjoy speaking the German language…oh, and that you genuinely like the people.
The person you’re talking to cannot fathom that last bit. It is simply unfathomable.
Germans are boring. Everyone knows that (they’re not boring, but stereotypes are persistent). Actually, some Germans are painfully dull. However, I’ve met some Brits and dare I say even more Americans who’ve got the personality of drying paint. Every culture has its share of the socially inept. The comically uncurious.
Germans are humourless (aside from slapstick – many Germans adore Mr Bean, after all – the German sense of humour is utterly language dependent…you’ve got to know the parlance to get the jokes). They’ve got a sense of humour. Do some individuals take themselves too seriously? Well, sure. Of course. I avoid those. I seek out the ones who see the lighter side of life here. The ones who can laugh at themselves.
And finally? Germans are orderly rule followers. Well, this one’s kind of true. It is true. There are exceptions, but on the whole there is a social order here. People do what they’re expected. They break rules and sometimes they lie, but for the most part rules are there to be adhered to.
Is that so horrible?
It’s rather good for someone of my ilk (a bit whimsical) to live in a society where things are reliable. If a German tells you he’s going to do something, generally that something gets done. It’s sort of refreshing.
What got me thinking about all of this? Well, I read this very funny page by Ed M Wood:
My Favorite German Words, My Barber and I
Go ahead. Click on the link above. It’s not going to hurt you.
There’s so much in here I can relate to. The words he chooses are some of my favourite. The way he winds the story of him and his barber through the list of words? Yes, I like that, as well.
My friend Amy has one of those calendars where you learn a little bit of German everyday, and she regularly regales me with the more ridiculous things that the damned thing is trying to teach her. If you think Ed M Wood‘s article is funny, you should hear Amy arguing with her German calendar.
Here’s the one from yesterday:
The German calendar told me a whole story about an opera house in Vienna today. The story was in English. I feel as if the German calendar has gotten off track and should just stick to teaching me about how to say things like “Does your son play for the team?” because you KNOW I’m going to need to know how to say that someday in the future. It’s always coming up in conversation. (What team? NO ONE KNOWS. The German calendar didn’t specify.)