From: hans@mcshh.Hanse.DE (Hans Lehmann)
Subject: Re: Germany?
Organization: Point of Presence & MCS Hamburg
Date: Fri, 22 Jan 1993 14:15:35 GMT



>thuyan@ravel.udel.edu (Thuy-An Hartman) writes:

>>My husband and I are looking to go to Germany in May.  I have heard it
>>is not the place to be now.  We have relatives there, so we really want
>>to go.  Anyone have any info?

Yes, please read on!

>If you don't go to the new Laender (east), and maybe some border towns
>in the east of the west part, the Germans are not more anti-foreigners 
>now than they were before the reunification and its troubles came.

I supposed you are Asia-American. In the new Bundeslaender (East) 
we had few riots of rightwing skinheads/neo nazis against asia 
looking people. These riots against people of other countries have 
their basis in a large abuse of constitutional right of asylum and
had never anything to do with tourists.

>The German attitude to foreigners is that they are foreigners and
>will always be. They are a bit patronizing/pedantic to this respect
>(a bit like the Japanese).

We have a lot of American, Greek , Japanese and French friends. I never 
heard such complains from them. 

>Being a foreigner in Germany means that you'll be considered as a
>foreigner, in general.
>This is a general statement, reflecting the feelings that you might
>have, and not the behavior of all Germans of course.

This might Alex's particular experience. My American friends are living in
Hamburg and then Munich for years and feel not "considered as foreigner". 
They have a lot of German friends. They say that they feel much safer than
in the USA. They even allow to play the kids without any visual care. 

>So I'd say there is NO problem to visit Germany as a non German at the
>moment.

Germany is very safe!
1992 in Los Angeles only were about 800 people killed, in Germany with about 
80 millions people about the same amount! 

Come to Germany and make your own experience. Avoid areas which are 
considered as dangerous, ask your friends therefore! 
You never would go to certain areas in NY, Miami or Washington etc.
If you will come to Hamburg, give me a call and I would like to see
you and your husband!

>In general, staff in shops are very unfriendly in Germany (this is
>for everyone, and a bit more unfriendly to tourists), and when you
>go shopping you have the weird impression that you are annoying them, 
>and that they don't have any sense of service. Get used to it!

If you are friendly, the staff will be friendly too. There is no
difference to the USA and France.

>Beware as well that the Germans are the world champions in cheating
>in queues (lanes). Watch your turn!

I'm shaking my head about Alex's statement! If you are in other countries 
you have to accept different ways in living. 
If you enter a subway in Hamburg, you have to wait until passengers
left the subway. Then you should enter the wagon. 
That is quite different to New York. There passengers enter and
leave the wagon at the same time. In England: If you are in a queue, 
everybody is in the queue. When the bus opens the doors there is no
queue any more, like in Germany. Why should I value this, it's just
different to our behavior!
I dare not to value the behavior, it's just different!

>Apart from that, the Germans in general speak pretty good English, and
>are willing to use it, so it's not a problem not speaking the language
>there, as soon as you're not too aggressive (try introducing and excusing
>yourself in German first).

If you speak English, you shouldn't have problems. Most Germans can and like
to speak English. Just ask for help!

>They can be really nice people, and have a good sense of enjoying parties.
>They ARE organised, and it does make life simpler in many cases.

>    alex

>PS: I left Germany 1 year ago, and I had lived there for 5 years. 
>Im French.

Alex, I know little of you, but I have been last summer in Mimizan and
had a lot of trouble with the strike of the truck drivers. I never
would generalize that all French are troublemakers. Quit on the contrary,
I'm working very successful with a French group in Dijon together.
We just have to accept, that we have different ways in living and to accept
each other as highly estimated individual!
Besides, don't we have a French-German friendship treaty, that had its 
30.th birthday yesterday??


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