Kultur 8 Abilene

I really admired the communal feeling of saunas in Germany. The hotboxes remove the socioeconomic differences which stratify many countries, and celebrate a unified people. Germans are stripped down, free of clothing, relinquished of the observable categories which signify the poor, the middle class or the rich. There are people among people in the sauna, never class among class.

The sauna also provides a safe heaven, a shelter for which Germans can escape the economic struggles and tension in the social realm. Germans are comforted and relaxed as the warm air envelops their bodies and protects them from the social war outside.

After hearing a colleague at work mention Russian saunas, I wanted to mention the Russian traditions surrounding saunas.
In Russia, the sauna is known as a Banya. It is one of the oldest traditions in Russia. Typically, after resting in the Banya for some time, individuals will either dip into a pool of cold water, pour water over themselves or even commonly jump into the snow. Just like the German sauna, Banyas are notorious for generating communication and comfortable atmospheres among people. It stimulates conversation, helps you to recover from sickness and even benefits those trying to lose weight.

Both German and Russian ideals around saunas encompass a closer society, stimulating conversation and a shared community.

http://masterrussian.com/russianculture/banya.htm 

Kulture 8

Spiegel Online Articles

These articles were interesting because they showed that Germans can out - hypochondriac Americans. In America, people self diagnose with WebMD which attempts to mimic the way doctors diagnose patients. In Germany, people self diagnose using the weather report. Where Americans think that they have more serious ailments than they really do, Germans apparently make up diseases. The only thing that I applaud Germans for is there unwillingness to take pills for things. However, antibiotics should be taken when a doctor tells someone to take them, otherwise one risks the infection getting worse.

Dinge 74 bis 146

#79 I really like the idea of going to a renaissance fair where the renaissance actually happened.

#98 I love schnitzel, and what better place to eat it than where I might run into German celebrities.

#115 When I was in Germany, I had ice cream there, and it was fantastic. I would love to get more, especially at the best ice cream place in Kreuzberg.

 

Kultur 8 - Henry Warrington

As always, I found this set of Kultur readings really interesting and sometimes a bit funny. The readings about the Germans' fear of drafts were the ones that caused the most laughter though. I really enjoyed how the authors seemed so depressed about this fact. They so badly wanted to feel the wind blowing through their hair but because the Germans fear that it will cause pneumonia they cannot relish in that feelings. Also the fact that the Germans believe that drafts can cause blood clots really surprised me because I feel like there is no scientific evidence for that claim. Then again it seems like Germany has a lot of diseases that the rest of the world doesn't have. It is funny how afraid of antibiotics they are. It makes sense to wary of over using them as we do in the United States but they do also have their benefits.

Reading the sauna article was interesting because it followed really well off of the nudity articles from last semester. It showed that, once again, Germans tend to be much more willing to bear it all and relax. Not many people I know use saunas but my roommates do and the stories they tell from the saunas here are pretty funny because they have some level of awkward atmosphere to them. It seems like they don't in Germany and I feel like that would be more relaxing, and therefore a better equalizer as they say, than the awkwardness afforded them in the United States.

The University and school readings in Vorsprung were nice because I have always known that Europe does schooling differently than the United States does but I have never really known how. Now I do. It was interesting to see that except for some minor differences, the University level of schooling is the same. Basically the biggest difference is that instead of Private institutions being the majority the public universities are. The biggest difference in schooling though is in the equivalent to high school. It's cool that some students are sent to school and then become apprentices to a certain type of work. I feel like that is a really cool and successful way to make sure people are ready for the working world.

Kultur 8 Jake Prosyniuk

Ich bin conflicted über die Deutsch health concerns. While avoiding drafts certainly limits the amount of air und therefore airborne illnesses one could be exposed to, it seems that riding in a heiß, sweaty Auto oder Zug in the middle of Sommer would also provide an ideal environment for illness to spread between passengers. Although es ist schwer to know wohin an illness comes, Ich denke nicht, dass moving air has cause the majority of my illnesses but rather being in unventilated areas (especially classrooms during winter).

Ich denke, es ist interessant, dass we think of Deutsche as highly adaptive to technology, aber sie über Antibiotics Angst haben. What is it that causes circulatory collapse and acute hearing loss in Germany but not elsewhere? I have never experimented with homeopathic medicine much, but I would be interested to see the statistics on Deutscher vs. Amerikaner health, considering their differing health practices.

I think we could all use a little more sauna time in our lives. I feel very invigorated after a sauna session and I can definitely see why Deutsche would adopt the sauna as a regular practice. It can pose a threat if you have heart issues, but this is one of the risks that saunas usually have warnings about. I would most likely take up sauna-ing more frequently if it was as popular in the USA as Deutschland.

Kultur 8 Philip Picon

The article that stood out most to me is the sauna article. Germany's "obsession" with saunas is not weird at all to me because I go in the sauna every single day. That is no exaggeration. Monday-Sunday I spend at least 25 minutes in the sauna at the CCRB. What I do find odd is the fact that the German saunas are coed and completely naked. In the saunas here you are likely to find every man over the age of 60 entirely naked because at that point in their life it doesn't matter. However, it is very strange to see people our age naked and would be even weirder to imagine both men and women naked in the sauna together. However, America was founded by prudes so it is entirely understandable why I find this concept so weird.

It makes no sense to me why Germans are afraid of drafts of wind. I can't sit cooped up for long without needing fresh air. After reading the articles about the mysterious illnesses in Germany, I actually may now close all open windows if I ever go to Germany. I don't want to lose my hearing or die.

Kultur 8- Amanda Knop

I find "Draftophobia" extremely strange. When the weather is nice, I love having my windows open in my room, my car etc. I cannot understand why Germans would want their windows closed at all times.

I will have to keep in mind that Germans have different illnesses that we do not have here, if I ever travel to Germany. I'm not a person who takes medicine as soon as I get sick either, so I can understand why Germans tend to not take as much of it.

I have never been in a Sauna before, but after reading this article, I have no desire to. I don't think that Sauna's are too popular here in America, so I had trouble believing that 30 million people in Germany are regular sauna-goers.

In "365 Dinge" one item that caught my eye was item 97, the "SeeLodge Kennen". It is a restaurant and hotel that is on the sea. It seems really beautiful and relaxing to me. I also liked item 113, "Kahnfahrt durch den Spreewald", which is a relaxing boat ride through nature. 119 also sounded interesting, "Mit dem Segway-Roller fahren". I have never ridden on a Segway before, but it looks like a lot of fun. 122 also looked beautiful, "Sunset auf der Modersohnbrücke". The Sunset looks very beautiful in the picture, and I would like to see it in person.

I think its slightly unfair that there are limited spots for certain majors in the German university system. I think that anyone should be able to major in what they like. I really like the fact that once you get to a German university, however, you do not have any general education requirements. I also think its great that tuition is relatively inexpensive. I don't think an education should cost as much as it does here in America. I think its strange that Germans are separated into different schools by sixth grade. When you're that young, I don't think you give an accurate portrayal of your potential. Overall, however, I'm sure that their schooling system has better results than ours.

Kultur 8

In Spiegel Online International's article, "Draftophobia: Blown Away by the Fear of Air," we learn that an unusual quirk of many Germans is their dislike for moving air. The author gave us a person experience of him being on a train. One of the windows was open, and many Germans began to complain by saying, "Es zieht," and then got up to close the windows. Germans do, however, enjoy fresh air and open their homes for a short time in the winter or summer for what they call "lueften," or airing out. The author then coined the term "draftophobia" to explain their fear of moving air. His German wife later explained the connection between their draftophobia and pneumonia, flu, colds, etc.

In another one of Spielgel Online International's articles, "You Have What? Mysterious Illness in Germany" the author tells us that there are many diseases in Germany that are rarely found anywhere  else in the world. One example is circulatory collapse, Kreislaufzusammenbruch, which is not as big of a deal in Germany as it is elsewhere. Hörsturz, acute hearing loss, can sometimes result from serious stress. This article also mentions the dangerousness of drafts and how they are often blamed for sore throats and the flu. Medicines in Germany are viewed with a less-than-healthy skepticism and are typically avoided at all costs, especially aspirin.

In Kate Connolly's article, "Germany's Saune Obsession: Expose Yourself to the Culture," we learn that saunas, Schwitzkasten, or sweat boxes are almost as commonly used by Germans as the Finns. In Germany there are over 30 million regular sauna goers, 2,300 public saunas, 3,800 sweat rooms in sport and fitness clubs, 5,100 more in hotels, and over 1.5 million in private homes. This places Germany in second in Europe for greatest number of saunas.

Kultur Text

Draftophobia-It’s all about perspective!

This is an interesting particular of some Germans. I agree with the author that it is not a common complaint in the US and I would say the same is richtig in Spain. I bring Spain up because I tend to wonder if the German habits we read about don’t translate to other Western European countries. I would point out that it just gets too unbearably hot in Madrid and the lack of central cooling units in most homes and small businesses make electrical and hand held fans (abanicos) really common. I think the exception with Spain and in the US is cold drafts, but maybe that goes without being said.

Common Spanish fan

Mysterious Illnesses

With this article I side more with the Teutons than the author--I haven’t taken an asprin in what may be years and tea and vitamins are my usual self-prescriptions. It has worked for me so far so I can understand why it is a country-wide phenomenon. I would still agree that most Americans don’t hesitate when it comes to taking almost any type of medicine. That seems more crazy to me than covering up your throat and staying in from work for a day or two.

BK Universitätskurse, das Universitätssystem

Ich habe keine Ahnung gehabt, about the modular system for undergraduate degrees. Its seems like a lot of rigamarole to go through, but the change in teaching style and student expectations may present a better opportunity for individual skill development. The Universitätssystem reading made me wonder if this is the new system that started in 2010 and what kind of system was set up before that. I also wonder how long it can take for students to pass each module and how long is a typical wait to get into classes.

Studium finanzieren

Warum lerne ich in den USA? Free tuition, subsidized meals, and financial aid? Sign me up.

Das Schulsystem

I think the apprenticeship system is a great idea, not to mention paying students to do it. In this way, you are introduced at a young age to real work and you can tell more easily if it is actually suited to you and if you enjoy it. That sounds a lot more appealing than vying for an unpaid internship that requires experience while you are still in school. How does that makes sense? It doesn’t.