German Sincerity (+ basketweaving, ziplining + Denmark)

(Before we get to the point--I'm sprucing up this post with a few more pictures from my family's visit and pictures from our recent Copenhagen Temple Trip)

basketweaving!!

and ziplining!! (isn't Germany the coolest?)

I'm not sure if I've mentioned it before, but the saying goes that once a German becomes your friend, he's your friend for life. That being said--it might take a while to get there. Germans often seem a bit closed, curt and on the other hand--quite direct and blatantly honest--but they can also be so loyal and caring. We have met wonderful Germans here and are so grateful for them!

We like their ziplines too :)

I've discussed the differences between Americans(*see note below) and Germans on numerous occasions--often with Germans who visit the U.S. envying the open friendliness of Americans. I have then pointed out that this friendliness is nice, but sometimes (or even often?) superficial--in the meaning of the word as I understand it--on the surface. That is not to say that the friendliness couldn't go deeper, but rather that it just often doesn't. The friendliness is just on the surface.

Look! We can too!

This is certainly not universally true (it reminds me of the lovely commercial during the nationwide football party (my husband informed me that using its name for commercial purposes is illegal unless you pay royalties..and even though this isn't commercial...let's just say the name is Super-(round serving dish).

(It was a bit colder than I had thought it would be...)

Anyway, this commercial includes a man (with a cowboy hat?) coming into a bar and being greeted with the "How ya doin?" "How ya doin?" of the men sitting there. He then responds with an exaggerated "IIIII'm fiiiiine. Thanks for asking. The missus is also doing fiiine--". Then another man comes in and he greets the group with "How ya doin?". This first man again responds with "IIIIII'm fine. Thanks for asking--" At this point a third man comes into the bar and as he opens his mouth to greet the men there, the other men motion to him to stop--but to no avail. His "How ya doin?" receives a similar long-winded answer. (I found it here--a wee bit different than i remembered, but it's still great :).)

I don't remember the point of the commercial (meaning I don't remember what was being sold)..but I think it still fits my purposes. The one man took this question to be an earnest inquiry about his well-being. The other men saw this as almost a non-question greeting. As this was a commercial in the U.S. I think it shows that some parts of the U.S. are like this--whereas others aren't.

All sorts of amusing signs--people that walk upside-down to meeting points, life jackets for babies, toddlers and ...no one?. And notice the 'no access' signs..the legs are always shifted! or too big! did he get pants the wrong size? And look over here--here you can lean on the railing (make sure you lean!) and watch the ships pass from right to left (no, there are none that pass from left to right..so don't even look there)

And then--in comparison to those very popsicle-stick-people, this one has got some actual thighs! And then the second guy..well, he's just grooving. Constantly. While throwing away his trash. (Apparently throwing away trash is always groovy on a ferry..)

Germans, on the other hand, usually do not ask you how you are doing, unless they really mean it, unless they really want to know. And they may even be taken aback if you ask them how they are doing right upon meeting them. And even people you know fairly well--you don't need to ask. I remember sometimes drawing out my "Helloooo" (in the U.S.) so that it wouldn't feel too short, but that I wouldn't have to utter an empty "How are you?". There's a similar alternative in German in the greeting ritual where you can say "It's nice to see you"--which hopefully it is, but sometimes you're really just greeting an acquaintance(**see second note below) and so the often chance meeting has no real particular 'niceness' about it (just as it may have no 'badness' either--it's just neutral).

This is the place!

Anyway, I was thinking about the topic of greetings recently and how Germans often say some version of the following: "Ich grüße Sie"/"Grüß dich!"--in other words, I greet you or (I) greet thee. Isn't that nice? You feel greeted and the initial words have been shared, without feeling the need to offer empty questions, whose answers you don't want to hear. Or if you do want to hear, then you can ask. That's fine. (Just know, Germans may tell you their tales of woe. They are a wonderful people--and they can certainly tell a good tale of woe :) Not all do, but yeah :P :) (And now I bet the Germans reading this are just rolling their eyes at this American..ah well :) )

Yeah....don't we love Denmark's signs?

I love Germans and were have certainly found some wonderful Germans here in Kiel--in our local congregation, in F's fellow Masters students, at the Waldorf school. (And even northern Germans are thought of as cool and closed-off by the southern Germans, but we have been happily surprised, despite F's father's warnings (who's from southern Germany) ) It's wonderful :)

Yesss! I love this guy! (even when (especially when ;) ) he tickles me :) )

-----
*Note 1: F mentioned this again in a conversation today..that to call residents of the United States 'American' is a bit ambiguous. Are Canadians or Mexicans then also 'American', because they live in North America? And for that matter, according to the Argentinians, all the inhabitants of North and South America count as 'Americans'...and we residents of the 50 states are referred to as 'United-States-ians'...Germans sometimes refer to us as 'US-Americans' which is also a bit clearer.

In my personal designation, I prefer to just say that I come from the U.S., because (ironically) I sound more American (or US-American) when I'm saying that I'm American or from America...(that r...it's just tricky. I say it in the back of my throat--like a good German, but still..it's a kicker--between the e and the i..silly 'r's and r-controlled vowels...)

**Note 2: This reminds me of another topic--the difference between friends and acquaintances. Americans are more likely to call people friends, whereas Germans are more likely to refer to people as acquaintances. That is not a derogatory term, it is just a description. Now, it is true that the tendency is moving toward the American..what with Facebook where you can 'friend' people. If I were to reduce my 'friends' on Facebook to my actual friends..it would be a much shorter list. However, it doesn't bother me to be connected to acquaintances, so at the moment my list shall stay as it is.