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Devin Grady

Host Country

           For this project I choose my host country to be Germany.  This report is going to tell you everything you need to know about Germany including its history, its politics, its past, and the everyday life. Germany is in Europe and it shares borders with nine different countries. The countries that border Germany are Denmark, Poland, Czech Republic, Switzerland, Austria, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Netherlands. The capital of Germany is Berlin and the most important cities in Germany are Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne, Frankfurt, and Stuttgart. Germany has a lot of historical moments some of them include; 1555 The Peace of Augsburg where the princes determine the religion of their territories, 1814 Congress of Vienna establishes the German Confederation of 39 independent German states, 1871 Wilheim 1 was crowned the first Kaiser of the German Empire, 1918 Germany was declared a republic, 1918 Treaty of Versailles, 1949 allies approve constitution for western Germany, 1955 West Germany obtains independence, 1961 Berlin Wall is built, 1989 Berlin Wall demolished, 1990 East and West Germany are reunited. The official language of Germany is German and everyone who lives in Germany speaks German. Germany is a democratic, federal parliamentary republic. Their president right now is Frank-Walter Steinmeier, their Chancellor is Angela Merkel and their Speaker is Michael Muller. In Germany, about 65-70% of the population practice Christianity. There population are followers of the Christian religion and they are evenly split between the mainstream denominations of Lutheran- Protestantism and Calvinism united in the EKD (Evangelical Church in Germany) and the Roman Catholic Church. Germany Social Hierarchy consists of an Upper, Middle and Lower Class. The Upper class is made up of Royal Families, Scholars, Administrators, and other wealthy people. The Middle Class is made up of the higher working class or the white-collar workers. They used to formulate that group of people who were doing high rank jobs in the society and they did get powers, influence and control over parts of society. The Lower Class is made up of the working class and the under-class. The lower class were provided with very little rights which in actual practice were negligible. These people used to work on daily wages system and lived a life of hand to mouth. In simple terms, these were the poorest people. The class system in Germany is an open stratification system because you can work hard enough to get a high-ranking job in the community or study hard enough to become a scholar. In Germany men and women have different roles in the community. Women in Germany have been characterized by the three “K” terms for centuries. The three K’s stand for Kinder(children), Kirche(church), and Kuche(kitchen). This all changed suring World War II when women began helping in the war efforts while their men were away on the battle line. In 1946 a law was passed that declares men and women to be equal and a few decades later women were granted equal rights in marriage legalities. As for men in Germany they still predominantly run the businesses and politics. Germany has their own newspapers, tv stations, and radio stations just like the United States. The top German newspapers are Suddeutsche Zeitung and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. The top German tv stations are kabel eins, welt, NDR Fersehen, ZDFneo, and RTL Passion. The top German radio stations are Sunshine Live FM, 98.8 KISS FM Berlin, Radio FFN, and radioBerlin 88.8. There are so many options for newspapers, tv stations, and radio stations to keep you updated on the daily life in Germany. There is also an incredible film industry in Germany and some of the movies are Das Boot (the boat) 1981, Der Untergang (Downfall) 2004, Die Falscher ( the Counterfeiters) 2007, Nirgendwo in Afrika (Nowhere in Africa) 2002, and Das Leben der Anderen (The Lives of Others) 2006. Now on to the food section of Germany. Germans love rich, hearty cuisine, though each area of Germany has its own definition of what a traditional meal looks like. Pork is the most consumed meat, according to the German Food Guide. Schweinshaxe (braised pork) and Saumagen (pork stomach) are two traditional pork dishes. Bread is also popular for them to eat at breakfast and supper. German’s to eat three meals a day starting with breakfast then lunch (which is normally their largest meal of the day) then dinner. German breakfast habits are much the same as in other countries. A traditional breakfast includes bread, toast, rolls, marmalade, honey, eggs, cold meats, such as ham and salami, various cheeses and then a big cup of coffee. However, today’s busy schedules and lifestyles tend to have more people eating cereals instead of breads and meats to eat quicker. Germans eat their man meal (lunch) during the day between 12-2. With today’s world being so busy more Germans are eating light lunches at work and sometimes it is only a snack. Dinner is the main meal today because everyone is home from school or work and can finally sit down and enjoy a nice and large meal. Dinner is usually eaten at home with family in the evening. The German Dinner called “Abendbrot” meaning “evening bread” consists of a selection of whole grain bread, deli meats and cheese and either a warm or cold drink. Today eating habits have changed and many families usually eat warm meals in the evening. The next part of this report shows how Germans meet and each other. Typically, men usually greet women first and wait for them to extend their hand. Close friends may hug to greet, and younger people may kiss one another on the cheek. “Guten Tag” (good day) or “Hallo” (hello) are the most common verbal greetings used in Germany. Germans will greet strangers by shaking their hands just as they would to a friend. Next, I will show you the money they use in Germany. In Germany the currency used is a Euro. Germany changed to the Euro in 2002 and the Euro is worth $1.17 in the United States. So far I hope this report has been able to show you what Germany is all about, but this next step will show you how to go about your everyday life when in Germany. Germans have good posture so when in German try not to be lazy and focus on posture when eating in public to your everyday life. Fashion in Germany has some of the same huge brands that we have like Adidas, Puma, Polo. When in Germany the cities will be packed with people, so it is important to not bump into anyone and stay in your personal space. Germans in general prefer to guard their personal space so try to keep at least an arm’s length away and German’s generally don’t touch when speaking. During this whole report about Germany I have tried to show you everything that you could possibly imagine on your trip to Germany and tried to answer any questions that you might even have about a trip to Germany. Germany is a great place and their culture is very strong and I would say their culture is low-context communication because they rely heavily on verbal conversation. I would also say Germany has synchronic time orientation because it aims at a specific point in time and it has affective communication because communication is key to their everyday lives. I hope you have enjoy this report and I hope this report helps you understand every little detail about Germany. If you plan on traveling to Germany I hope this report can answer any questions you might have.      

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Activity #5

           After reading the student handbook sections Basic Health and Safety and Risk Factors and Strategies to Reduce Risk I have learned some risks that I need to be careful of when I travel abroad to Germany. One of the risks I have learned is terrorism in Germany. “It’s a fact that the leaders of the 9/11 attacks on the United States in 2001 were students based in Germany.” Germany has had many scares of terrorism and the Germany government does the best it can to stop all acts of terrorism, but it is still good to read up on the latest news events before traveling. The German government has increased security and everybody must carry an ID with them always and sometimes even your passport on you. When the country is on high terrorist alert you don’t want to be randomly checked without an ID on you. Another risk I have learned more about and put more thought into is not knowing how to speak German when I travel abroad to Germany. Not knowing how to speak their language isn’t necessarily a risk, but if you have no idea what the natives are saying it might make your trip a little bumpy. I have learned that you don’t have to be fluent, but you should try to learn at least a couple words to make your trip easier. Learning some of a new language will make your trip easier, you will get closer to the culture of your country you are visiting, and if you learn at least a couple words most of the time the German’s will like that you at least tried to learn their way. They’re so many other risks that I have learned, but to me these two that I have talked about concern me the most. The reason these two concern me the most is terrorism is a real thing still going on and to me it is hard to try to learn a different language especially when I have never learned any type of German. The two links that I used for this assignment are listed below.

https://www.worldnomads.com/travel-safety/europe/germany/germany-and-terrorism

https://landlopers.com/2013/02/04/foreign-language-travel

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In Germany, there are many places that people should travel to so they can see the amazing views of the country. I will take you through a personalized tour with blogs, news events, songs, videos, and pictures that help you capture what Germany is all about. Below is a list of steps to my report of my host country Germany. 

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This is the first step of my report and this step is a link that is a Germany travel tour guide. This blog shows you a view of someone who has studied and lived in Germany and his view of what he likes about it. He talks about the day life and night life and different places to go to and what they are like. 

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The next step is another blog of someone who has traveled through Germany and gives his insights on where you should visit on a trip to Germany. He will show you cool places that you might wanna see in your free time.

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The next step on this tour is a news article that shows that Germany banned older diesel cars in their city which will stop 214,000 vehicles from using key roads to stop pollution. So 214,000 people will have to use new roads that they would normally use in their everyday lives. Below are some more news articles that involve their view on health related ads and new politicians they have voted in.

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Music is also another step on this report because their music is something they use to express themselves just like how many Americans use music to express themselves. Music is one of the most popular things in every country and I have listed some of the top hits in Germany.

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The next step in this tour is a quick video about how to make some of their delicious german cheesecake. Listed is all the ingredients and how to make it if you wanted to try to make it yourselves at home. Making the cheesecake at home will give you a chance to experience some of the best cheesecake you will ever try.

Traditional German Cheesecake with Quark

Zutaten für 1 Käsekuchen: 250 Gramm Butter 375 Gramm Zucker 2 Päckchen Vanillezucker 6 Eier 250 Gramm Mehl ½ Päckchen Backpulver ½ Zitrone 1 Kilogramm Quark 1 – 2 Esslöffel Paniermehl Eine Flocke Butter zum Einfetten Küchenhelfer

Springform (Maße ungefähr 8 x 27 x 27 cm) & Frischhaltefolie.

Vorbereitungen: Den Backofen auf 180 Grad vorheizen. ½ Zitrone entsaften. Die Springform mit einer Flocke Butter einfetten und mit 1 – 2 Esslöffel Paniermehl (evtl. etwas mehr) ausstreuen.

…für den Boden: 125 Gramm kalte Butter (in Stückchen geschnitten), 125 Gramm Zucker, 1 Päckchen Vanillezucker und 1 Ei in eine Rührschüssel geben. ½ Päckchen Backpulver und 250 Gramm Mehl durch ein Sieb dazugeben und daraus mit den Händen einen glatten Teig kneten. Den Teig zu einer Kugel formen & in Frischhaltefolie gewickelt bis zur Weiterverarbeitung im Kühlschrank lagern.

…für die Füllung: 125 Gramm weiche Butter, 250 Gramm Zucker, 1 Päckchen Vanillezucker und 5 Eier in eine grosse Schüssel geben & mit einem Mixer ca. 3 – 4 Minuten schaumig schlagen. Den Saft einer halben Zitrone und 1 Kilogramm Quark dazugeben und mit dem Mixer unterrühren bis sich alles gleichmäßig verteilt hat.

…für den Käsekuchen: Den Mürbeteig aus dem Kühlschrank holen und die Springform damit am Boden und den Seiten gleichmäßig dick auskleiden. Nun die vorbereitete Quarkfüllung in die Springform geben, etwas glattrütteln & den Kuchen für ca. 60 Minuten im vorgeheizten Backofen backen. Der Käsekuchen ist fertig sobald nichts mehr an einem Stäbchen kleben bleibt, wenn man hineinsticht & er eine leicht goldgelbe Farbe hat. Sollte der Kuchen vor Ende der Backzeit etwas zu dunkel werden, einfach ein Backpapier über die Springform legen und weiterbacken.

Guten Appetit & viel Spass beim Nachbacken!

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This step of the tour is a video of beautiful castles and palaces all in Germany. This video will make you want to go see these places in person and maybe even move their. These palaces and castles are stunning and show the nicest places throughout Germany. Below are some more quick videos to watch of some cool places in Germany including a sunrise at a bridge and a car driving through snow fall on a windy road in Germany.

Hessen von oben — Burgen und Schlösser

The federal state of Hessen from above, with a focus on castles and palaces. 45 mins, auf Deutsch.

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Sunrise at Devil’s Bridge, Germany

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Driving in the Bavarian Alps, Germany

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This is the last step of the tour and it ends with many pictures of different cultural backgrounds about cars, castles, churches, and different buildings throughout Germany. Through this entire tour i have collected a lot of different cultural German backgrounds and places that I eventually wanna see one day either abroad or on a vacation visit.  All of these materials i have talked about have inspired me to learn more about their cars, laws, houses, castles, palaces, sunrises, and many other things I want to experience in person one day. I think all of these pictures, videos and blogs can help me get an idea of what my sojourn will be like if I study abroad in Germany. Throughout this tour I have should many castles and cool places to visit, but I think what I am missing is how far away these places are from one another. As time goes on I want to add to this collection I have and make a trip out of these materials and put together how far apart they all are and make it to all of these places. I hope you have enjoy this mini tour of Germany I have put together and you have enjoyed my collection. 

911/ 964 Wide Body

© the kyza 

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Cochem, Germany