Living in another country for the first time, I am not sure that I can describe it easily. Germany is very westernized, so the differences are not large. However, like the princess and the pea, the small differences were enough to throw me out of balance a bit. The hardest part is being around a language that is foreign to you. I can only image now how those feel who come to the US without knowing a lick of English. The whole world of interaction is nearly shut off. Thankfully here in Germany, many speak English, but not all. The other large difference is just how the people act. The slight differences add up in our cultures, so the people seem to be very different in a nearly indescribable way. I have definitely experienced the stereotypical cold German attitude, but I have also met some Germans who are happy and ready to speak and interact. They just expect different things out of interactions than are normally expected in the US. They seem to want a lot of information out of people, but is seems people in the US assume more – or just ask less questions. It also seems like there is more of a rush here. Everything is quick and efficient. In the South and even in Michigan, you can take time to ask a question to a clerk or just not rush. They may just have a culture of stress and working. Many people smoke and drink high caffeine drinks, which I believe points to their productive mentality. Another difference is customer service. Since they are not on a tip system, the waiters do not act as kindly and do not listen as well as they do in the US. This could just be the fact that we were in large groups though.
Another culture shock is the lack of clear Christianity in Germany. People appear to have less restraint when it comes to alcohol, sex, and other vices. It seems as if the ban on Christianity in the Soviet east and the more liberal influences of Europe have changed the culture of Germany away from the former Holy Roman Empire to a secular state. You can tell these differences in advertising and media. As a person from the South, the main shock was the open sexuality. Advertisements left nothing to the imagination, and there are sex shops and cinemas that openly display items and images. On top of this, alcohol can be openly consumed in public, and public intoxication is not strongly enforced. Now this does not mean that many people are sex crazed or drunkards. However, I fear that living in an environment like this can cause one to believe that the base morality behind these – controlling passions and baser instincts – is not valid. That it is fine to follow what you body wants whenever you feel like it – that inhibitions should be ignored.
