Amanda Knop Kultur1

I found this brochure on German-American life really interesting to read, because my family is so German. A lot of the stereotypical German ideas the brochure talks about are relevant to my family. We own a dachshund, my great uncle owns a sausage shop in Frankenmuth, my family has made homemade pretzels at my aunt's house, etc. I find the German stereotype really humorous, so I loved the picture of the German man driving through Milwaukee because it combines a lot of the cultural ideas of what it means to be German.

I did not realize that most people in America constitute themselves as German. German is the descent that most people claim to be in America (around 15%). Now that I think about it, this seems pretty accurate based on how many people say to be German when you ask of their heritage.

I thought it was interesting that in German culture, their black, red, and gold colors are rarely shown, except at international sporting events. In America, we are extremely patriotic and tend to flaunt our colors whenever possible. This seems to be a major cultural difference between our two countries.

I did not realize how many german phrases we use in English. Words such as "frank", "waltz", "angst", "uber", "foosball", "bestseller", "lifestyle", and even using phrases like "the dog wants out" are all German expressions that we use. I never really payed attention to the origins of some of these words.

Also, I have Germany to thank for "The Sound of Music" which happens to be one of my favorite movies.