Transcript Slide 1
About myself: (I was supposed to introduce myself…) • My name is Georg Jung • Kind of like George If I introduce myself as Georg I am most likely called Robert… • So you can call me Georg(e) • I do have a homepage at www.cis.ksu.edu/~jung, but it’s boring. A few words about Deutschland Also known as Germany… The land of poets, thinkers and beerdrinkers. Originally presented by Thomas Niederhausen for the ISC Coffee Hour, special thanks to Thomas! Germany is in Europe! A Comparison USA vs Germany Area (km2)* 9,158,960 349,223 ~26:1 Population* 290.3 Mill 82.3 Mill ~7:2 GDP* 10.45 Trill 2.16 Trill ~5:1 13 Days 35 Days ~2:5 Vacation+ *World Fact Book (www.cia.gov) +LA Times 02/06/2000 (www.timesizing.com) Germany What brought me here? • Guess what: • Seriously: Typical Germans: • • • • • Look like this: Or like this: Or rather like this: Or maybe like this: Most probably like this: See also http://www.worldwar1.com/sfgph.htm Typical Germans: • Are punctual Somewhat true… • Are perfectionist No! instead we are meticulous, persnickety, pedantic. (Oh wait: I am…) • Have no humor Nonsense! A friend said German humor would be sophisticated. I am the only German he knows… • Are well organized Individually? No! In general? Yes, I have to admit that organization tends to work back home… An American in Germany, a German in America… Germans will come off as unfriendly to an American: • We never ask: “how are you?” • We do not smile all the time… • We do not greet strangers. • We do not call each other by the first name. • We do not walk up to people and introduce ourselves. Believe it or not: we are friendly people! An American in Germany, a German in America… Americans seem to be very friendly all the time, even though : • They always ask: “how are you?” • They smile all the time… • They greet perfect strangers in the street. • They call each other by their first name. • They walk up to people, introduce, and start some conversation. Hard to believe: Americans are friendly people! What Do Americans Look Like? Seriously! There are many more things to talk about… • • • • • • • • • • • • Airport security (1st thing you experience when you come to US…) Food (We do not only eat Kraut. Some food in Manhattan still upsets my stomach.) Beer (You can buy German beer in Manhattan!) Personal Experiences (“You are from Germany?!?”) Traffic, Transportation (cars, trains, Autobahn, public vs. individual transport) Dating and Friendships (Do you really want to ask a Computer geek about that??? Then again, there is that exotic nerd thing…) Traditions (No, there is no Thanksgiving in Germany.) Politics (Don’t even get me started) Economy (What on earth is a socialist economy? How do you spell protectionism?) History (What do you know about Nazis? Don’t forget: there is more.) Language (Anche so parlare Italiano!) Whatever you want (I hope I am able to answer your questions) But I am only allowed to talk for ten minutes…