Kultur 11

I was very surprised when I read the article, "Breaking Down the Wall in the Head". I naively assumed that ever resident of Germany was extremely happy with the fact that their country was no longer divided. The people of the East view those in Western Germany as privileged, while the people of the West view those in Eastern Germany as lazy. I also couldn't believe that one of the men quoted in this article believed he was more free before the wall was torn down. I understand why the people who feel this way do, I just find it extremely surprising. There is even a word to describe the nostalgia of living in East Germany, "Ostalgie".  Many German businesses cater to the people feeling this way by providing them with things that are reminiscent of the GDR.

Not only is there this divide between East and West, there is also a divide between the North and South. The Northerners view themselves as more civilized, and view the Southerners as backward and racist. The Southerners think of themselves as more easy-going and hospitable, and the Northerners as boring and arrogant. I don't think the divide in America is as intense, but I do believe that some of these stereotypes are present in American culture. The south has a lot of farmland, while the north tends to be more developed. I wouldn't classify it as a real divide, however, as it seems to be in Germany.

There were some things in "365 Dinge" that definitely interested me. Number 301 is a Jazzkeller. It is the original Jazz club of Berlin. I think it would be fun to go there and listen to some music. Number 307 also seemed cool. It's a "Sonnenblumen-Labyrinth". It is home to over 100,000 sunflowers. 347 is a place where you can make your own Tea. That sounds really cool to me, because I love tea. They have 100 different kinds of tea for you to choose from.

I think its really cool that a lot of creativity has come from Dresden. I've played music from all of the composers that were listed. I would love to visit there to see some of the creativity, as well as the beautiful architecture. Der Zwinger is definitely one of the places I would want to visit.