Honest and Clean

A few weeks ago I was visiting an English class of German adults to observe the teacher's technique. The students requested that I introduce myself so they could hear English with an American accent (the teacher was Iranian). After I gave them the basics, they wanted to know what I thought of Germany, which is an easy question. I get it a lot.

"I enjoy it here. It's beautiful and has lots of interesting history. It's also very safe, which I like."

Then one asked me, "What do you think of Germans?" And a hush fell over the room.

If I asked this question about Americans to a foreigner visiting America, I would hope the answer would be something along the lines of, "Americans are very friendly and welcoming. They have good senses of humor and have been very helpful." I think it's safe to say most Americans would be flattered and delighted by this assertion.

But Germans are not Americans. They have different priorities, and they certainly have different personalities. I told them the truth.

"I find Germans to be very honest, and I also find them to be very clean. Your homes and buildings and parks are always clean and in excellent condition. If something is broken, you fix it immediately."

They were genuinely flattered. They all did that closed-eye-frown-nod thing that people do when someone gives them a compliment that they agree with but didn't think anyone had noticed. (Example: You: "JEM, your freckles are really charming." Me: *closed-eye-frown-nod* "I'm glad you think so.")

I sort of gave a sigh of relief. I was expecting someone to say, "And? Are we nice?" Because that's what a roomful of Americans would be wondering. But the Germans didn't. They were pleased with my response.

And therein, I believe, lies the crucial difference between Germans and Americans. Americans want to be liked. Germans want to be respected.

And for the record, Germans are nice — just in their own special way.



JEM