Kultur 9

I found this weeks articles to be very informing and also alarming. I'm very open to the possibility of living in Germany someday, but what a hassle that would be. Unless I live out my retirement there I will have to keep physical records of seemingly everything I do. Why don't the Germans embrace computers? Seriously, it is so stupid to have the only record of a student completing a class being a piece of paper. This paper can be easily lost and takes up space while entering a grade in a computer takes up no space and cannot be lost. I feel bad for students like me who would lose that paper and subsequently receive no credit for a course they took. I think the article "Love Thy Neighbor" hyped up the whole neighbor situation a bit much. I don't think having grouchy neighbors is a phenomenon restricted to Germany, however the amount of neighborly lawsuits could be annoying. Simple solution: buy a lot of land so you don't have any close neighbors! Also, while I'm in Germany I think I'll offer to mow someones yard free of charge on a Sunday to see what they'd say. The whole patriotism problem in Germany makes sense, but is is weird/sad. While it has been over 60 years since the end of the holocaust and WWII, Germans still make sure they will never forget the mistakes they made then. It is unfortunate that the flag is not proudly displayed since the colors date back before WWII and Germany has such a rich history before both World Wars. It'll be interesting to see how open Germans are to talking about their history as the Holy Roman Empire and even before that. During the 19th Century Vienna was one of the most flourishing cities anywhere in the world. I have read a great deal about the Hapsburgs and even remember there used to be an animated tv show set during that time. It would be cool to see if they had a German version of that show. I didn't realize Austria's constitution made Austria be a neutral nation. Very smart of them considering who their neighbors are.