My Experience at the Mall of Berlin

Dear Reader,

First Thoughts

       Though I've had my fair share of travelling throughout my lifetime, I've never experienced such a culture shock as I did in Germany. This became even more evident when I went to the Mall of Berlin on Wednesday. The differences in German and American culture were visible in both a focused and expanded point of view.

The Berlin Mall      

       I saw that Germans showed no shame in staring at people nor did they show remorse in smoking. In America, though people do smoke, it is a social repellent and its negative effects are regularly broadcasted to discourage the public from doing so. I observed a couple as they ate. They paused to smoke, then took a few sips of their drink, and proceeded to smoke again. For me and my peers, the act was rather repugnant but as I continued to observe other people, I found that it was one of the practices of Germans that made up German culture. On a more positive note, I appreciated the acceptance of nature in Germany. Nearly everything is outdoors. Eating, dancing, singing, and relaxing. As far as I know, the building has many windows that open in different directions to allow the wind or sunlight to fill the rooms. In the US, the general public doesn’t structure their daily life around nature the way Germany does. For example, there are always people biking, either for transport or leisure. At the center of the mall was an aesthetically appealing square full of life and energy. In the middle, people danced with their partners along to multicultural music. Around them, people sat in chairs while they ate and watched the dancers. The sight was quite animated as it created an atmosphere of vitality and humanity. In particular, that scene was a change in culture I truly appreciated and valued. While America does attempt to create scenery like this, the political and monetary motivation tend to outweigh the emotional motivation causing such settings to be overly contrived and detached, thus failing to achieve their original purpose.

Society   

       In a more personal sense I noticed a pattern of mindfulness of others while at the mall. Here, the people pay more attention to others and their emotions. For example, when going on an escalator, it is standard and customary to stand on the right side and leave the left side for people who want to walk or are in a rush. Overall, the public is more considerate of others’ well-being where as Americans are more self-concerned which is likely due to the varying values. The American mindset values individuals whereas the German mindset is more collectivist.

       As this entry only reflected a singular experience in my first week in Berlin, Germany, I look forward to creating more memories and learning, first hand, more about this foreign culture. For the most part, I observed the practices and values of German culture but in the coming days, I’m hoping to witness the other components of this fascinating culture.

With Regards,

Antonia