Kultur 2

I have visited Berlin, Germany on four separate occasions, so I have witnessed some of these tendencies personally. The one I have seen very little of is the statistics. Being an American, I think most people have a slight curiosity in me, and sometimes 1 or 2 questions about home are asked, but never like we are playing 20 Questions. I am often asked where I live, where that is lol, and what the population is. Sometimes I am asked about jobs / the economy also.  I think I, as a visitor, ask far more statistics based questions than I receive.

One of the topics discussed that I have associated simply with Deutschland, is the yes means yes and no means no concept. It is completely true in Berlin. If you say no to something there is really no pressure, however,  as stated, it is sometimes important to give a reason as to why you decline an offer. 

I found the article about Germans complaining quite funny. I have heard them complain a lot, but I attribute it to being in a very large city. I feel I would here a lot of Americans complain if I went around Chicago or LA for a few days. Maybe I've just been lucky in my experiences in Germany, but I really  haven't found that Germans complain any more than typical Americans. 

I noticed especially that Germans are very cold, especially in large cities. They just mind their own business and don't really communicate with strangers in any form. While walking down a residential stree in Berlin to get groceries, I was about to walk by an older man. We looked at each other and I said "Hallo." He stopped and turned to me and said something. My girlfriend was there and she told me that he asked if I knew him... because clearly I would not say hi to him unless I knew him. That was quite odd to me. I learned quite quickly that the entire city is that way. 

It is true, at least in my experience, that Germans are straight to the point and don't "fluff" things. This goes along more with the yes means and no means no. Even the topic of gaining or losing weight, I have had several German friends mention that to me when I see them for the first time after a long break.  At first I had to get used to the idea that when someone says yes, it is a genuine yes, even if the person was now showing much emotion in their reply. I have been guilty on countless occasions of insisting, and on every occasion, it is quite clear that they are certain on their answer, and they even become a little annoyed when I ask "Are you sure?"

Lastly, as far as the odd staring is concerned, I notice this a lot, but primarily only from the older crowd, the 60+ age group. Usually young adults don't do this, or at least not any more than a typical American. I have actually been counseled by my girlfriend, eine Berlinerin, in the U-Bahn when she notices that I have stared on a few occasions. It is quite funny to read about the little old lady peering out her window at everyone because I have witnessed this on a few occasions as well. Overall, in Berlin, I don't think that the staring issue is that bad, and it seems to be dying out more and more with the elderly crowd.