Culture in Germany

Lets start with the biggest cultural difference there is. The language. Of course everyone here speaks German, and that makes it hard to get around sometimes, but luckily a lot of people also speak English. Kids here start learning English in the first grade, and it is extremely useful. They also have the chance to learn other languages once they're older, such as Latin or French.

The people in Germany, dispite being hard to understand, are actually quite nice. If you need anything, they are always willing to help. However, in America when you pass someone walking it is pretty normal to wave or say hi. This isn't the case here. Maybe it's just because it's a big city, but they just go on their way on their own. It is also normal for the kids to use curse words like any other word. They aren't bad to them like they are to us. I was in the car listening to Macklemore on the way home from the beach with my host family, and Robin and his brother just kept singing through the curse words. It was quite funny to me because I would never do that, especially if my parents were sitting in the front seats. It is just normal for them.

The diversity in Germany is a little different also. The different ethnicities here are different, the main ones being Middle Eastern and Asians. In America, there are a lot more different ethnicities. In Northwest Arkansas alone there are large groups of people that aren't here. Germany also has a lot more Italian and Asian places to eat. In every mall there are at least two or three places you can get pizza or pasta.

The clothing styles here are different too. A lot of the sandals people wear in Arkansas are considered weird and not normal here. Birkenstocks are pretty popular in Arkansas, but when Jacob and I bought them here, our German students didn't like them. I don't speak German, but I think they were dissing them. They also tend to wear longer shorts, and just more clothes in general.

Overall, the culture here in Germany is great, and very welcoming.