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I had a great time in German 102. We had a good class, and we also had the greatest, most enthusiastic and awesome German TA in the world, naturlich. Thanks to Jenny, I will never accidentally make myself seem easy in Bayern.
The main thing I brought away from the culture this time was a better feel for what the division and reunification really meant, and means, for Germans. Somehow I had never really internalized how huge an influence it had. I also had no idea Germans were soap fans.
And I've gotten a chance to get to know the fabulous Herr Kohrmann and of course the guy with the creepy laugh from our test that time. Das is definitely not normal.
Anyway, having been in this class is going to make the couple of weeks I'm hoping to spend in Germany this summer so much more enjoyable. I feel like I know a little bit about what makes Germans themselves and not just Europeans, which is more what the first semester was focused on.
But I am going to have to point out that Icelanders are clearly superior to Germans (and the Dutch) in every aspect possible. Except maybe in economy management.

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My German experience really widened my views of the world. Before I took German, I did not know anything about Germany except the general facts that I learned in history courses. Through taking these courses, I feel like I got a new perspective on events and life in general. Learning about different cultural preferences that Germans have has gotten me to really realize that there is so much diversity in the world. I have sadly never been out of the U.S., but my interest in Germany and I would love to study in Germany. Experiencing the culture and the language would be so beneficial for me to gain a higher understanding of German culture as well as my own. I have also felt a personal connection in learning German and learning the culture in that I have German ancestry on both sides of my family. My great aunt and uncle moved here around WWII and it has been very cool in being able to understand them when they speak and to know more about their background.

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Since my knowledge of the German people and German culture was limited to start with, this course pretty much taught me everything I currently know about Germany. Which is a little embarrassing since I was born there and my dad speaks (or spoke) fluent German and my ma is half-German. So I'm more than a little happy to know a good deal more about Deutschland.

And the course has also strengthened my resolve to actually go there at some point and feel somewhat confidant that I won't make a complete ass of myself in the process. Especially since we learned about the culture while we learned about the language.

It was also very interesting to see what Germans thought about this country. Although seeing superficial pop up time and again was a little depressing. I've done my best to forget the German word for it and I can only pray that it won't be on the final.

Lindsay

Studying German this year has been a very fun experience. My German has improved so much this semester, and I really want to continue studying either in a University or in Germany. It has been very interesting learning about German history and culture from a German point of view instead of a historical point of view. I covered many of the same events in my history classes that we covered in German class and it was an interesting comparison to make. I've also enjoyed learning about traveling in Europe and stereotypes within the European community. I also have really enjoyed the camaraderie of the classroom experience. I feel like German 102 was a really comprehensive study of all things German and was a very good experience.

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Studying German this year has helped me to appreciate more of my heritage. My uncle traced back our German roots so that he and his family could live there. Since we visited Germany for a family reunion, I have been interested in learning the language. German 102 has broadened my German base by giving me cultural application as well as a knowledge of the language. The heritage I have from Germany kind of explains how my family is sometimes a little more blunt than American families. My parents tend to be less politically correct and more say it like it is. German culture is similar to that. As an individual that plans on being an international citizen, I find parts of me that can relate to both sides of the Atlantic Ocean. Being raised as an immigrant to America, I how important it is to be understanding of both your culture as well as the cultures of others. A lot of times, Germans and Americans have stereotypes of each other that are not conducive to understanding. Obviously these stereotypes are based on some truth, but taken as the extreme, or taken without first getting to know the person, these stereotypes hinder cohesive cooperation. Hopefully I will be more understanding of other cultures.

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Studying German has taught me about the diversity of culture in Germany. Just like there are many regional differences in America, there are many regional differences in Germany. It has reminded me to be sympathetic to foreigners living in the US because it’s shown me how big an adjustment it would be for me to go to Germany, and so it helps me realize how hard it must be for them. Also, it changes the way that I think about the way that Americans relate to the world. I hadn’t realized that what I think of as simple friendliness to strangers would come off as insincere. Also, it’s helped me see the importance of studying a culture to understanding a language, because the two are very closely related in surprising ways. Even though you can translate the words, you don’t always translate the meaning.

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My study of German has showed me that there is so much more to Germany and the German people than I once thought. I first started German in high school because I found the history of Germany and the German-speaking peoples fascinating. Yet my studies have shown me that while their history is a large part of the German identity, it is so much more than that. The modern Germany is a place that has taken the lessons of its past and moved into the modern world, taking a certain way of doing things with it. And as I have studied German and emerged myself deeper in the German culture, I have discovered that many so-called German qualities are qualities that I value myself (a respect for hard-work and a dislike of superficiality being but a couple examples). It is with this in mind that I have decided to turn what was a one-year fun experiment in high school into something that I pursue throughout college and take with me for the rest of my life and that I sincerely hope to be able to travel to Germany and to even to perhaps live there for a bit sometime in the future.