Monday, May 18, 2009

Cultural Differences

After arriving in Berlin only four days ago I’ve begun to feel like I’ve been here forever. All of us are familiar with the streets and with transportation. But there are so many new things to learn in this city, and everyday I’m constantly soaking in everything going on around me.

One thing I’ve observed is Americans tend to talk a LOT louder than the average German. While riding the U-bahn, I went silent for a moment and took in all the sights and sounds. I could hear every American conversation around me, but couldn’t hear any other conversation. All I got from peoples faces was, “yeah they’re Americans.”

What also struck me as interesting is that no one was using a cell phone, which I find is something I would never see someone without in the U.S. And what I’ve learned before coming on this trip is that Germans tend to keep their conversations a little more quiet in public—not broadcasting them to the whole world. I, being a naturally loud talker, have gotten a lot of stares while in Berlin.

Another cultural difference I’ve learned is Germans don’t tip their waiters like people in the U.S. do. In Germany you just round your bill to the closest dollar. For example if your bill was 2.50 Euros you would pay 3 Euros. It works out great for a poor college student, especially one travelling to Europe with a limited amount of money. Although waiters here make more an hour than do in the U.S., I still feel I’m always jipping the waiter.

1 comment:

rich said...

This is interesting, I've never been in a foreign country, although I sure would like to. Sounds like a great experiance.