i-ystar-blog

[i-ystar-blog]

Host Country Report

The name of my host country is Germany. It is a well-known country in the world which is located in central Europe. It has 16 states and the capital of it is Berlin. The most important cities would be Bayern, Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin, Stuttgart, and Potsdam. The country  is bordered by the Baltic and the North Sea. It shares borders with 9 countries such as Denmark to the north, Poland and the Czech Republic to the east, Austria and Switzerland to the south, and France, Luxembourg, Belgium, and the Netherlands to the west of it. Germany is culturally very similar to Belgium, the Netherlands, and Austria. These countries share the same values and almost the same laws. The lifestyle is also quite similar in the countries. They are quiet and peaceful and have  unbelievably beautiful nature surrounding it.

Germany as well as Belgium, Netherlands and Austria is a low context communication country. It relies on an explicit way of communication and exchanging information, ideas and opinions. These countries express themselves verbally, while nonverbal communication is not very significant there. They like to share their opinions and stay on top of things.

If you are sojourning to Germany, there are some things to pay attention to. Germans don’t like extra volume and extra things in general. People dress up there casually but with a style. They don’t look homeless when they leave their houses, which means they put some effort into what they wear. They like looking good but they would never overdo it. Everyone minds their own business and there is no drama going on in the country, so it would be good to be a well-behaving person while being outside at least. What is more, Germans prefer their own personal space with strangers. They are not the most welcoming culture but they are quite friendly unless you overdo it too fast and step into their personal space. Most likely you won’t become friends with that person. It is good to take it carefully and slowly with this kind of culture. They appreciate you appreciating their space and business. Moreover, as we all know Germans like to plan their life very particularly and they don’t like being synchronic time-oriented. They also try to hide their thoughts and feelings, which leads to the conclusion that they are a neutral communication type of country.

Talking about the history of Germany, ten of the most important historical moments are starting from founding the capital of Germany - Berlin in 1237. The moments like - The Protestant Reformation, Emigration Prior to 1800, The Peace of Augsburg, 1919-1933 Weimar Republic, German Empire, two World Wars all happened starting from 1515 and finishing around 1945. Finishing up till nowadays with the Reunification of Germany and currency change from Deutsche Mark to Euros in 1999.

Since all the historical moments the political system has changed a lot. It is not as ancient anymore. Nevertheless, it stays very strict and well planned. German politics treat religions neutrally and don’t have anything against beliefs. Their biggest religion is Christianity and most of the german are related to the Catholic Church. What is more, history affected nor the language nor the gender roles. Germans have been speaking the german language as long as they are known but they have different dialects and in some bordering with other countries regions you can hear languages like Low Rhenish, Luxembourgish, Alemannic, Danish, Upper Sorbian, Bavarian, North Frisian, Saterland Frisian, Romani.

I could confidently say I like two things about Germany. The first one is that the gender roles in Germany are quite equal. Specifically, looking at the fact that the country’s president is a woman for so many years, I can surely say that women and men are equal in this country. The second fact is that Germans also don’t pay attention to the social classes even though they are divided into three of them. The upper class includes Royal families, Scholars, Administrators, and other wealthy people. Then it’s the middle class. And a lower class includes the working class and the underclass. Despite the classes, Germans are still friends with whoever they want and they don’t look at the person’s class.

Talking about German exciting parts. There is a thing like German mass media. The most important newspapers in Germany are Bild, Süddeutsche Zeitung, and Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. Also, the most important TV stations are ZDF, Das Erste, RTL, and VOX, and the best and most popular radio stations are NRW, Bayern 1, SWR 3, WDR 2 and Antenne Bayern. In addition to this, Germany has a big movie industry and the movies are known internationally. For example “Der Untergang” - The Downfall, and “Good bye Lenin”. The movies are mostly about the world’s second war, which made them so popular.

Finally but not lastly about tasty things. The dominant cuisine in Germany is German cuisine. Germany is not only about sausages and bread. It is rich in delicious dishes. The most popular ones are Schnitzel and Sauerbraten. Both of them are made of meat and not made for vegetarians or vegans. So if you go to Germany and you are a non-meat eater, be ready to struggle to find meatless options. Also, be ready to eat three times a day and have dinner late evening around 8-10 pm, because most Europeans prefer having dinner much later than Americans. Additionally, Germans prefer eating and cooking at home unless it’s some kind of holiday. Then they can go out to eat with their friends or relatives.

All in all, Germany is a great and friendly country. They greet people with a warm hug, especially friends who they haven’t seen for a long time. In other cases, try to keep your distance and give a handshake to establish trust with a german person. However, if you are a woman like me, you are welcome to give a cheek kiss to someone you were looking forward to meeting. It is okay to be extra nice to people who have already heard about you before.

[i-ystar-blog]

My Host Country

Germany

(Images)

patriotism , volke , beauty, Dom, nature, people, patriotic, deutsche Stadium, karneval,nature, nature.

(Videos)

Top 10 most beautiful cities in Germany

German Karneval 2018

South Park - Germans

(Songs)

ich bleib' im Bett / I stay in bed.

German National Anthem

Funniest German Music Song

(Recent News)

What Explains Germany’s Persistent, Quixotic Friendship With Iran?

How it all began: A history of Women's Day in Germany

Coronavirus: Should you travel to Germany? Second highest number of cases behind Italy

(Travel blogs, fiction, short writings)

44 Interesting Facts About Germany

GERMANY TRAVEL GUIDE

(Report)

What did you collect?

I have collected a lot of material that describe my host country - Germany. Starting with the images that show some beautiful places around Germany and that just make me want to come even more. After that, I put some images of patriotism and the pride of the country. You can see that Germany is about rules and strictness but at the same time it is something that its country’s citizens are proud of. I also put the images of people who are representing patriotism and the culture of Germany. Germans are very proud of their country and they would never change their way of living. There are their traditions such as holidays and the annual Karnival, which no german would miss. And at the end I showed the nature of the place and how wonderful it is.

What about these media inspired or informed you?

I definitely found out more interesting facts about germany by reading the blogs and the news on the web sites. It is crazy that germany is actually a second country in Europe with the most cases of Coronavirus. ( not sure if I want to go now :D ). Nevertheless, I really liked the places to visit in Germany which are  listed in the blog. It inspired me to find a quicker way to go there. I think the nature is very beautiful there and I love the fact that the government in Germany made the citizens recycle their trash. They take care of their land and its environment. They created a smart way to make people want to save the environment. They pay 25 cents for each qualitative bottle people recycle, which in my opinion is an amazing idea to keep the surrounding clean and nice. Moreover, I really like the culture of Germany and their way of celebrating their big holidays like Karneval, Oktoberfest and others. German people love to gather in their cities and drink their national drinks all day long.

How can you use these media to help you prepare for your sojourn?

The news is very helpful because I can see what is going on in the country right now and can be prepared for any unexpected accidents. Also, I saw many pictures and videos that show people’s character and the way of living. Now, I have the basic picture of the country and I can be ready to dive in.

What do you think is missing from your collection?

In my opinion, I put plenty of important information to get a good picture of the German culture but there is always room for more interesting facts and characteristics of the german native citizens.

What is your plan to continue to build the collection?

I think I will find the heart of Germany and the most interesting things about it. But I am convinced that in order to find something very interesting it is always better to talk to the actual german source like people who live there their entire lives. Also, i think it is better to visit the country to find the best things for this collection.