27 Apr 2000
Posted with kind permission of: Richard Guthrie
Currently we have two students from Leipzig on a Lehrlingsjahr type of study with us here in Newport News. They are registered with the Physics Dept. and working for NASA at the same time as part of the requirements for their degree from Leipzig.
I asked them to address our course in "multicultural understanding" with a list of their impressions of us. To understand better, we are located in SE VA just across the river from Norfolk. We are primarily a blue collar town (the Newport News Shipyard). These are their observations:
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TWO GERMANS' OPINIONS of AMERICANS 1. You eat too much fast food. 2. You say, "how are you?" but you don't mean it. 3. You drive everywhere (our campus is spread out and no one "walks" across it...they drive!!) 4. Only the poor use public transportation. 5. You are neither reliable nor responsible. You don't keep your word. 6. Americans like to talk about their origins. 7. Americans speak in monologues (i.e. they like to talk about themselves) 8. Everyone owns a pick-up but they don't pick up anything!!!! 9. You consider foreign languages a waste of time. 10. All the buildings look the same, nothing is unique. 11. You play sports only to win, not just for the fun of it. 12. You are more relaxed in the work place than we are: you wear sports clothes to work.
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Yes, most of this is negative. When I entertained them...I took them to a typical southern restaurant (and yes! they loved "greens.") I asked them to tell all. I did expect a little more positive. The most positive comment was the weather. Here it is already 76 and 77 F. They will be here in July and thought that my translation of 96-102F into Celsius had to be incorrect!!
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