Eye opening visit to Konstanz, Germany

[Ron Hunter]

I recently took a week-long business trip to Konstanz Germany, which is located in the southern part of the country on the border with Switzerland. This was my first trip to Germany and it was quite the eye-opener. Here are some of the things I learned while there:
- no air conditioning anywhere! I was there during an unusually hot week and I was very uncomfortable the entire time.
- on Sunday the only businesses that were open were restaurants and hotels. EVERYTHING else was closed.
- most people in that area did not have cars because parking was impossible to find. Bicycles and mopeds were everywhere.
- since cars aren't practical, most people do grocery shopping by riding their bike to a local market and putting needed items in a single bag.
- most people live in small apartments and use public transportation or bicycle to get around.
- design is heavily favored over aesthetics in all facets of life. It seemed that everything had been designed and produced from a minimalist, efficiency standpoint.
- the emphasis on design also applied to clothing. People wore functional and comfortable clothing, regardless of what it looked like. Muted colors were everywhere. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a "fashionista" by any stretch of the word, but I guess "flash" and "bling" are American things?
- evening meal is typically eaten around 8pm-9pm.

I didn't see many people smiling. I don't know if that is a German thing or maybe I caught the entire town on multiple "bad days", but no one looked happy. I participated in fascinating conversations with locals about lots of things. They LOVE their nationalized health care system and are confused by our fascination with guns. They deal with racism too but it isn't a national obsession like it is in America. They don't understand why Americans are constantly in fear of a stranger abducting their children. I did get the vibe that Germany would be a good place to raise a family.

Another thing I learned; the world doesn't revolve around America. Of course I knew that, but I really "got it" while in Germany. I used to think that a visiting American would gather attention in a foreign country; I was wrong. Germans go about their daily business with the same cares and concerns we have, but they aren't fretting about what happens in Washington or New York because they don't care what happens in those places. They are busy going about their own lives, just like we are. It was really neat to experience that.

In this video I included footage of the "apartment" I stayed in (2nd floor of someone's house), and if you look closely you can see the emphasis on minimalism and detail. The bathrooms were interesting; the toilets flush with a button press and the shower area only has a half-door (I saw this again in Zurich Switzerland so it isn't just a German thing).

Anyway, I learned a lot and the trip was very interesting. Here is the video:

[Steve Grisetti]

Great little video, Ron!

I'd rather travel than do just about anything (except maybe cook) and for just the reasons you cited. It gives you the opportunity to see the things in our culture that we take for granted with fresh new eyes.

[Gerlinde]

Ron, you made me laugh. Your description of your German experience is really spot on! My husband still does not believe me that air conditioning is not very common in Germany. I love your video. It brought back a lot of memories. When I grew up, my parents took me to Konstanz many times. We camped at the lake and took the ferry to Mainau.
Thanks for posting this. I hope you enjoyed your stay.

[Peru]

I enjoyed your video, Ron.

My daughter is towards the end of a month long stay in Hungary with friends. Not only do they not have air conditioning, they don't have fans, either. They slept in the downstairs rooms of the apartment, as they were cooler than the bedrooms. They had some unusually (she was told) hot days this past month.

[Dave McElderry]

Fascinating write-up, and video Ron. The descriptions were insightful, and the old world architecture is always a treat. Not too sure about the food, but they'd probably not be too sure about some of the things I eat, either. The deal-breaker for me would be lack of air conditioning. I'm such a wimp.

[John 'twosheds' McDonald]

As a European born and bred in the UK and now living in the south of Italy, your observations were interesting, Ron. In the words of the great Robbie Burns "O, wad some Power the giftie gie us To see oursels as others see us!"

I hope that you don't mind my commenting on some of the observations that you made of us "across the pond."

...no air conditioning...

As one goes further north through Europe the summers become both shorter and less hot, other than those random outbreaks of unusually hot periods of a few days. So air conditioning is less useful and if present, is used for only very short periods as it is more often often colder outside than it is inside. Then the cold winters return when heating becomes a priority.

...on Sunday the only businesses that were open were restaurants and hotels. EVERYTHING else was closed.

In my experience this is gradually becoming less "normal" across parts of Europe, though this is a slow process.

...since cars aren't practical, most people do grocery shopping by riding their bike to a local market and putting needed items in a single bag

Here in Italy most folk buy fresh bread on a daily basis - the same in France - so most 'day to day necessities' such as fresh milk, fresh vegetables etc. are bought at the same time. The tendency is to buy just what is needed on a day to day basis and, maybe once a week, going to the local supermarket to stock up on those other things one needs.

...They LOVE their nationalized health care system...

This is a concept often misunderstood by Americans. I can only speak for the UK health system here as that is the one that I know best. It isn't nationalised per se but is provided by the government out of general taxation. In this way all citizens have access to health services that they have all paid for via the tax system. In the UK that means that health care is free at the point of use. Often it is possible to take private health insurance but that is to provide private health care that is on top of, not a replacement for, the health care provided out of taxation. It isn't an 'either/or'. The basic tenet is that an individual's health care is in the interest of the country as a whole and so is far too important to be provided solely by private enterprise and if one cannot pay then that is just tough.

...are confused by our fascination with guns...

There are guns in Europe too but by far the great majority do not own a gun and have never used one.

...They deal with racism too but it isn't a national obsession like it is in America.

You are correct about this aspect of modern life but, in general terms, other than for the politically far right, racism isn't a big issue.

They don't understand why Americans are constantly in fear of a stranger abducting their children.

In this respect Europe is no Shangri La. Over recent years there have been some disturbing cases of child abduction. It is my opinion that the size of the problem is the same now as it ever was. It is just that with modern media coverage it seems to be a problem that is increasing rather than one that was always there but not covered so greatly by the media and so not as visible.

Another thing I learned; the world doesn't revolve around America.

There is a joke often made that Americans only know where 'county X' is because they had a war there. I must admit that during my limited visits to the USA I was often struck by the relative lack of foreign news both on TV and in the newspapers.

[Ron Hunter]

Thanks John for your European insights! I understand how AC isn't typically required in much of Europe, but no fans either? And I had the misfortune of being there during one of the hottest weeks of recent memory.

Your explanation of the health care system mirrors their explanation. I presume there must be cost controls also, otherwise costs would explode (as happens in USA) and system would be unsustainable.

I must sadly agree with your assessment of Americans' awareness of international issues. During a discussion of the Greek debt crisis one of my hosts asked what Americans thought of Angela Merkel. I was embarrassed to tell her that most Americans had no idea who she was.

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[sidd finch]

Ron I really enjoyed that video. It was well done. Pacing was good. It made me want to Wikipedia the location to learn more. It was pretty impressive at how nice and clean their city is. The old architecture of the buildings really gives the location some charm. I also got a chuckle at how empty the plane and the train was. Not a sight we have too much here. Even though it was for work it sounds like you got a nice chance to get a feel for the place. Well done.

Sidd

[Bob]

Well, this American certainly knows who Angela Merkel is. I'm also geographically literate, as are my friends.

The German medical care system is quite different than the UK system. It's an insurance based system not a taxed based system and health insurance is compulsory for the entire population.

[Ron Hunter]

Bob, I did not say that all Americans are oblivious to who the leader of Germany is, nor did I say anyone on this forum was oblivious to that fact. I said that "most" Americans are and I believe that statement to be true until proven otherwise. We have people in NC who think Charlotte is the state capital so I'm not expecting lots of international awareness in my area. Perhaps your neck of the woods is dramatically different??

My German hosts said that their compulsory health insurance was funded through taxes, but they mentioned that private insurance was also available. We didn't go into any further details than that.

[momoffduty]

I love the old architecture! The gardens on the island looked very beautiful. I noticed Spatzle! I have cooked that before. One dish is a spatzle/chicken in cream sauce. We hosted a few students from Northern Germany and they did not care for spatzle, but the students from the South did. Could be how we have regional food in the U.S.

What I find interesting when we go to Mexico is the CNN available there is more International than the CNN program in the U.S. We are fairly geographical in knowledge because we have hosted over 40 students in the past 11 years. The last recent election in Turkey was a topic every night at dinner. Our Turkish daughter was following it closely.

As for Americans not knowing geography or interest in other countries, I think it depends on who you are talking too. I've had friends ask me if our students can speak English. I tell them they are taking graduate studies in English at the Univ. And some friends tell me what countries they have visited abroad. So hard to paint with a broad brush. When we have had a big group of students over, it is interesting to hear them compare things to other countries such as insurance, food, laws, social security (or lack of), etc. Like a mini UN. The most common is that all Mom's worry about their kids...with runners up of eating enough, safety, school courses.

One thing missing in the video. Capris!! I met a man at the grocery last week who had on capris. Asked where he got them and he replied Germany.

[Bob]

Bob, I did not say that all Americans are oblivious to who the leader of Germany is, nor did I say anyone on this forum was oblivious to that fact.

I know you didn't say that and I certainly don't want to imply otherwise. I was neither offended nor intending to offend. I was simply self-identifying as one who was not oblivious --nothing beyond that.

I was going from memory on the German Healthcare system. I just now did some looking and found an interesting report from the CommonWealth Fund that frofiles the healthcare systems in various countries as of 2014. The German system is a bit more complex than I remembered it, it's best to read the section of the report that describes it.

[Ron Hunter]

Thanks for the link Bob, I'll definitely check that out.

Mom you are absolutely right about the Capri pants! I saw many guys wearing them. Spatzle may be a regional thing, but I thought it was delicious.

As for geographical awareness, wow, I had no idea I would "stir the pot" like this. Mom, how could you not be geographically aware when you are hosting exchange students? And Bob, you seem to be a walking encyclopedia so I never even thought about including you in that group. Maybe I'm jaded because I live in an area with significant poverty, but I've seen enough "man on the street" interviews to think that the TYPICAL American doesn't think much about international affairs.

Anyone have a link to a Pew study, or other, to refute my position?

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[Steve Grisetti]

Don't know if anyone is interested -- and I certainly don't mean to hijack this excellent thread -- but back in the summer of 2013 I spent three weeks housesitting and dogsitting all by my lonesome self in Wiessbaden, Germany, and I documented my experience in a daily blog. It's still kind of fun to look back on it. If you're interested, you can find all 33 entries here:
http://sgrisetti.blogspot.com/2013_06_01_archive.html

[Bob]

I've seen enough "man on the street" interviews to think that the TYPICAL American doesn't think much about international affairs.

You can easily get the impression from those interviews that the typical American doesn't think much about anything. Those sorts of interviews don't attempt to get a representative sample of people. I wouldn't read too much into them.

There are no national standards, so the quality of geographic and social studies education does vary significantly from state to state. I didn't see a PEW study, but here's a report for the National Geographic Education Foundation titled "Status of Geography Education in the United States" that you may find interesting. It addresses geography and social studies issues and has some interesting graphics showing the distribution of standards, testing, etc..