Richard Popp III, Kultur 7

     They have an Aldi in Germany? The way this generic, military town looking grocery store was described in this article was perfect. I'm not entirely sure about the old women running everywhere with hostile intentions but nonetheless it seemed pretty accurate. Two points that really stuck out to me in this article were the paying for both bags and cart uses. The bag purchase seems like an obvious push to reuse bags which I understand but paying for the use of a cart?! I remember last semester I was told that in Germany there are these women who clean the bathrooms that you are more or less required to pay for the use of the bathroom. It seems a bit nit picky to me to be charging for minute things such as using the bathroom or using a cart in a grocery store. And they think our capitalistic economy takes advantage of every possible lucrative endeavor.

     I appreciated reading the article "How Not to Die on German Roads". I would strongly suggest all the bad drivers in America to read and take notes on this article as the Germans have it right. I also appreciated the humor involved in writing this article although apparently the writer was being entirely sincere. Recently, a friend of mine visited Germany and upon her return I heard plenty of stories about Oktoberfest and whatnot but one of the most memorable was a story about a couple of punks. She told me that on a long walk home after a long night at the bars she came across a group of German punks. It was very dark and the streets were desolate. As she went to cross the street she looked at the crossing sign which read "Don't Walk". She walked but one of the most curious things she saw was that the punks waited...in the middle of the night...with no traffic. I suppose, as humorous as this article is, it should be taken seriously. Punctuality is always a good thing.

     It surprises my very much to hear that Germans don't put merit behind standing in lines as they are known for their order and discipline as people. It's also very sup rising for me to hear about people the cut people in line. Im American, that's how I feel and will always feel.

     Overall, from the collaboration of these three articles I've come to realize that lines, grocery stores, city streets are all places you're likely to be slighted by an older German woman. I can only hope to remember this invaluable fact if and when I visit Germany.