Cultural Misunderstandings in Deutschland
I've been in Germany for quite a while now. From the point of view of the German authorities, I've been here for nearly five months, having entered on July 7th. In all, I've spent about 11.5 months in Germany. The point of all this math is to show that I've spent quite a substantial amount of time here. Inevitably, any foreigner will encounter some cultural difficulties, no matter how long he stays somewhere. I am no exception, and I am reminded of this quite often.
Just a few minutes ago, when I was about to go to the bathroom in my flat (er....apartment), I noticed that the door was closed. "That's odd," I thought. But then I stopped myself. "Oh, that's right. This is Germany, not America-maybe no one is in there after all?" Turns out I was right, in this case.
I remember when I was in Berlin 2 years ago how much the doors in Germany frustrated me. The truth is, they still do, sometimes.
Germans have this odd thing where they nearly ALWAYS shut doors, even when they are not in the room. In Berlin, I could never tell when someone was in the bathroom, as it would be shut no matter what. This was annoying and confusing at first, as I always had to knock before going in. It seemed to me as if they should just leave the door open so there was no misunderstanding. Oh well. I do remember several times when my amusing gay roommates, Guido and Rogier, were confused because of the whole door thing...they tried to open the door when I was in the bathroom, I did the same to them, etc.
And then there's the good ol' confusing "when a German shuts himself in his room" routine. This is highly puzzling for an American. I don't know about you guys, but when I shut my door in the U.S., it means I'm sleeping or really busy, and I don't want to be bothered. In Germany, it means nothing of the sort.
Now, it COULD mean that you're sleeping or busy...but it could also mean nothing. I found this out the hard way. My roomates would always have their doors shut, and I kept wondering what I had done to annoy them. Turns out, it's just a cultural thing. For whatever reason, Germans almost always shut doors when they are in a room for a while. I have asked them about this, and they don't even really know WHY they do it! Maddening.
Just a few minutes ago, when I was about to go to the bathroom in my flat (er....apartment), I noticed that the door was closed. "That's odd," I thought. But then I stopped myself. "Oh, that's right. This is Germany, not America-maybe no one is in there after all?" Turns out I was right, in this case.
I remember when I was in Berlin 2 years ago how much the doors in Germany frustrated me. The truth is, they still do, sometimes.
Germans have this odd thing where they nearly ALWAYS shut doors, even when they are not in the room. In Berlin, I could never tell when someone was in the bathroom, as it would be shut no matter what. This was annoying and confusing at first, as I always had to knock before going in. It seemed to me as if they should just leave the door open so there was no misunderstanding. Oh well. I do remember several times when my amusing gay roommates, Guido and Rogier, were confused because of the whole door thing...they tried to open the door when I was in the bathroom, I did the same to them, etc.
And then there's the good ol' confusing "when a German shuts himself in his room" routine. This is highly puzzling for an American. I don't know about you guys, but when I shut my door in the U.S., it means I'm sleeping or really busy, and I don't want to be bothered. In Germany, it means nothing of the sort.
Now, it COULD mean that you're sleeping or busy...but it could also mean nothing. I found this out the hard way. My roomates would always have their doors shut, and I kept wondering what I had done to annoy them. Turns out, it's just a cultural thing. For whatever reason, Germans almost always shut doors when they are in a room for a while. I have asked them about this, and they don't even really know WHY they do it! Maddening.
posted by Ben at 2:53 AM
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