Culture

There is so much to learn when traveling to a new area. There are many different cultures in this good ole U.S. of A. alone....ethnic, religious, geographic, without having to travel to a completely different continent. I'm naturally curious about people and respectful of different cultures. I try not to poke fun of ways that seem strange to me (unless it's just too ridicuous to ignore, and I can't keep a straight face).
I learned I'm not your average tourist when Eddie and I traveled to Cancun...and I asked lots of questions. Like, where does their sewage go? (looks like I'm the strange one, huh?) Cancun's just a little piece of lowland that sticks out into the ocean, with a lagoon on the backside, right? They certainly don't dump it in the ocean! It turns out they pump it back the other way, inland. Eddie said, who the hell asks questions like that when on vacation? Me!
He always has me "translate" for him .. funny given that I took Spanish in the 9th grade, and I really didn't care for teacher, Senorita Bell at the time. But a little bit of high school Spanish, some pantomine, and a big smile ( a few pesos?) goes a long way. I've heard that folks from other countries appreciate Americans trying to speak some of the native tongue. In Mexico I learned to say 'como se dice en Espanol _________', meaning 'how do you say, in Spanish ________ '. That way I picked up some new words... once they understood that I was asking for their help to learn the language. I also figured out that one needs to know and remember how to read a few signs.... like restroom, specifically Ladies restroom, or all the questions in the world won't help...and it could get pretty embarassing too!

So... I'm going to learn a few German phrases/questions (like... where's the restroom, does anyone speak english here, how much does that cost, and help!) , write them on notecards to carry with me, along with my phrase books.

Back to the culture part. I've been reading some interesting things about Germany, and asked my boss (who's traveled there a bit). Most he agreed with.

Did you know that in German cafes/pubs/restaurants (all but the upscale places) one is supposed to find their own seats/table, not wait to be seated? And you might have other people show up and sit at the table with you. They aren't being friendly, just practical. Like why stand around looking for a seat when there are only two people sitting at that big table. Most times they will just ignore you, and you them. That's like being in a crowded elevator here, and nobody speaks or makes eye contact.. you must admit, that's rather strange too.

Also, if they place a basket of rolls/bread on the table, it's not free. They count them and will charge you for each roll you take. Tap water is called "still" water, because they drink mostly mineral water, that's carbonated, or sparkly. They know you're a tourist if you order still water... because it's free. Apparently, they drink tap water at home, and want something with flavor when dining out.. like beer, wine, etc.

Germans don't use telephones for entertainment and chatting the way we do. Mainly because there is a charge for phone calls, even local ones. They answer the phone with their last name, then identify themselves. "Doe, Mr. Doe speaking". That way the person calling knows they have connected to the proper place, and they know who's speaking. So, if one were at Obama's house in Germany, they'd answer the phone "Obama, Mrs. Doe speaking" (in German, of course). Interesting!

The most unusual to me... they keep business and personal matters completely seperate. Now that's not so strange in itself. But, supposedly, you could work with someone in Germany every day for 15 years and not know if they have children, where they went to school, what part of town they live in, or anything personal. And they don't call each other by their first names at work. It's Mr. Brown, or just Brown. Very professional, but very different. Supposedly, Germans in the tourist industry will take your cue and call you by your first name... but that's just being considerate of our culture. As a rule, they are only on first-name basis with family members and close personal friends.

Enough of my rambiling for now.