In addition to the different approach to advertisement in Berlin, I have also noticed subtle cultural differences between Germany and my own (various) cultures. For one thing, men don't "hound" you at the clubs compared to Miami. They seem to be a bit for restrained. In terms of music, it's safe to say they listen to the same music we do (although they may call certain genres by different names, such as hip-hop and rap being classified as “black” music.) I recognized all but one or two songs being played at the E4 club. The music combination may not be something played in a typical club in Miami, but I definitely recognized all the songs. It's safe to say that we both listen to similar kinds of pop music and artists (Latin music is a whole other animal.) I know from previous experience, that although regeatton may not be popular in Germany, they DO listen to it.
In terms of character, it was interesting that Americans are described as being overwhelmingly friendly. During one of our lectures a German girl had pointed out that Americans are perceived as being too open and friendly. I never thought of looking at our friendliness in that light. So while I looked at the Germans as being stereotypically unfriendly, they were probably looking at me and thinking I was way too bubbly and in-their-face! I thought that was pretty ironic. The greatest irony though, is the fact that the Germans were one of the friendliest people I have ever met. They were pretty quick to open up their circle and invite us to hang-out with them. This may also be because although we live on two different continents, we are all young people in our early twenties living in a Western society, with higher education. We do have a shared culture which brings us together.
Naturally, there are differences from one country to another but with globalization we can share common ground in music, movies and TV and we can talk about events relevant to each culture which we have seen or heard of via media. I don't think there are as many pronounced differences as I would have once expected. I believe our approach towards advertising and culture are different but not so different that we cannot understand, relate to or enjoy. For example, the “Rubber Ducky” song from the children's show, Sesame Street, was also aired in German. Movies featured at the cinema were Hollywood movies in German. In fact, Sex and the City aired in Germany and some of the girls from our programme went to go watch it! Go figure, you travel to a different continent and you're favorite movie is also being played. In essence, media has really brought the world a little bit closer together, at least those Western societies whose values mirror those features in this kind of global media.
also had a mix of people. The neighborhood we were living in for example, was full of Muslims and Turkish residents. The IMK, had students from Afghanistan and Turkey and different cities in Germany. So even though Germany may not be as mixed as the United States or Miami, it still has it's share of cultural mixes which I thought was pretty neat.
As one can probably figure, food is also different. Pork and potatoes dominate the food scene (although Doner dominates our quaint little neighborHOOD of Wedding.) There are different food varieties and spices. I bet I won't find "Cumin" at the Lidl or "Platanos" at the Penny Mart or a bottle of "Mojo" at the Aldi. However I won't find such a grand variety of mustard in Miami. The french fries or (pommes) even have a different taste (maybe because they're actually made out of potatoes.) Even the vending machines have different brands and foods. But of course, I can always spot a Subway, Starbucks or McDonalds that have seeped into Berlin. So despite the differences these companies form a kind of "food bridge" for me and the Germans. They are foods we both find familiar. Media and food are two very important aspects of one's individual culture and they are ones that I feel we share with people our age in Berlin. I feel that because of this, our cultures aren't as different as the cultural differences that our great-grand-parents and their generation had with each other.
It's just another point of view, a different way of doing the things humans do.
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