Christopher Hunt Kapital 8 Kultur

These articles were very interesting; I had little idea of Germans' relationship with sickness and drugs before this, and it was very shocking for me. Especially interesting is their opinion that drafts--common annoyances in the U.S., but not much more than that--cause a variety of ailments, many of them quite serious. As the article's author pointed out, that is such a contrast to what we enjoy in the U.S. Usually when it's spring, summer, and even fall, we love to open up windows and get fresh air circulating. We view it as a nice and environmentally-friendly way to air out an area, as opposed to using air conditioning. However, apparently Germans will have none of that. I was curious so I ran es zieht through Google Images, and numerous cartoons and advertisements popped up regarding closing doors, windows, and other objects to prevent drafts from getting in (link: http://www.toonsup.com/users/p/paule/es_zieht_091210_1354.jpg). There was even a beer advertisement saying what, after some searching, apparently means "Stop standing there, mouth agape; there's a draft!" (link: http://www.frueh-shop.de/popup_image.php/pID/123/imgID/0). I guess not even beer is safe from drafts in Germany!

Regarding secondary education in Germany, I couldn't get over how different it is from U.S. education. While some students in the States might stay in undergraduate programs for longer than four years, finishing up multiple degrees or just taking their time, students attending university in Germany can stay in school for well over four years--some even up to ten! And I mean, why not? As the article states, there are a plethora of reasons to stay in school. Tuition is cheap, being subsidized by the state. You get to party a lot. Mass transportation fare is essentially free, as are entries to intellectually-inspiring venues (museums, classical music concerts, etc.). And besides, the job market is belly-up, so why not stay in uni, amassing a few more degrees and having some more fun? I found this very different from the American model, where four years is pretty much all you (or your parents) are willing to forego because of (usually) expensive tuition, and staying out of the labor pool for longer than four years (unless you're heading to graduate school) is typically frowned upon. While the article's author noted that the situation in Germany is changing, I couldn't help but fantasize about staying in college for another year or two, avoiding the rat race that is the real world.