Ten things I love about Germany - by Quirina Roode-Gutzmer

Ten things I love about Germany - by Quirina Roode-Gutzmer

Quirina Roode-Gutzmer is a scientist, who translates literature (mainly scientific) from German into English for a living. She also enjoys creative writing and is busy writing her first novel (in English).

Read what she likes about Germany the most:

1. The Autobahn

The first thing about Germany that impressed me was the Autobahn, which was pretty much within the first hour of landing at the airport. Where else in the world can you drive as fast as you like? It is an expression of excellence in German society. First of all, the cars; BMW, Audi, and Mercedes are the best cars in the world! This is symbolic of Germany's exceptional engineering standards. Secondly, all drivers
have real driver's licenses. Thirdly, every two years cars are required to be checked by Tüv (a German organisation that validates the safety of products to protect people and the environment). All cars are therefore roadworthy and so are the drivers, and there is an effective law enforcement system that ensures this. In addition, the law enforcing officers do not accept bribes - a symbol of zero tolerance for corruption in German society.

2. Safety

People die occasionally, and usually of natural causes. People live long in Germany. Car accidents are minimal (for reasons mentioned above). Murders are minimal. If a murder happens here, there is huge media coverage, a lot of human resources involved in tracking down the murderer and justice is done. They are also good at turning this into a source of entertainment in their industry of crime fiction ("Krimis", as they call it), in film and in print. `Tatort´  is an absolute favourite.

3. Organisation

Everything is clean, neat and tidy; the landscape, roads, cities, towns, shops, homes, and even the garages (where they park their wonderful cars in). In Germany, things are organised. Things work and people work. Their love for engineering and machines even manifest in their society; it is a regulated society. Every citizen has rights, which are protected, no matter how big or small that individual is (one does not need to be rich or famous to enjoy your rights). Most citizens also share the responsibility of a functioning society. Sometimes, when I am uncertain whether something I am about to do may be against the rules, I carefully proceed, knowing that if I am breaking a rule, that some bystander will inform me before I can even blink an eye.
Organisation is one of Germany's grandest assets. That is why they could host such a brilliant World Cup in 2006. Even their national soccer team works like a well designed, well lubricated machine, where every player, plays their part like a cog in a big wheel. They may not always win the World Cup, but they almost always come in the top three.

4. Language

Germany is very proud of their language. With their systemisation talent, they have standardised their language several times in its history. German is grammatically complex, but beautiful. It is like doing mathematics, which to me is a divine subject. In Germany an enormous amount of books are translated from other languages into German. All films are dubbed into German. With a population of 80 million inhabitants in Germany, the investment in this industry is justified. And because of this industry (which keeps me alive) they invest in language skills. Some profound Asian texts found their way to the west, by being translated into German first, from which it was eventually translated into English and then into other languages. Another reason to love the German language is Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Anybody who has ever read Faust, or tried to read Faust, will appreciate the beauty of the language and the genius that Goethe was. Faust is a tragedy written in two parts and it rhymes from the beginning to the end - possibly one of the longest pieces of poetry in the world.
Photographer: Michelle Meiklejohn / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

5. School

Education is good to excellent and it is free. In Saxony, where I live, the German schooling system is on the whole at its best (with the exception of the level of English education, which is a little behind due to its GDR history). The first time I ever visited Germany I got a sense that a whole variety of people from all walks of life had on average a good general knowledge; people have their own opinions about things, because they were taught how to think. The education system does not aim to mould people the way governments want them to think. Secondary school education is essentially split into three separate streams (Gymnasium, Realschule and Hauptschule) and allows the education to be more specialised and appropriate so that pre-adolescent children can grow and develop their professions early on. This way, all children have the chance to be educated so that eventually they all have a productive place in society.

6. Hort

Hort is a child-care system that is integrated in the school and is a place where children can spend a few more hours after the school day before they go home. It is a product of the GDR. It was instituted so that all women were able to work. And that is exactly why I like it. It is, however, not as prevalent in the west of Germany. My experience is that each person that is employed in the hort system to take care of your children has the academic credentials to do so. They have an interest in your child in every aspect: emotionally, physically, and intellectually. They genuinely care about each individual child. They are very concerned about pedagogical issues. Children usually do their homework first and often receive guidance if they need it. They play outside for a while every day in all kinds of weather. Children have fun, build relationships and also learn how to be in society with other children. They learn to share. They also learn to win and lose.
Photographer: Paul / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

7. Bread

Germany has a very long tradition of excellent baking. Nowhere else in the world is the selection of the bread so diverse and so delicious,
not to mention the cakes and pastries. Loaves and bread rolls are made from a variety of grain flours; wheat, rye, spelt, and even oatmeal and potato. All kinds of seeds; sesame, poppy, flax, pumpkin, and sunflower seeds go in and/or on top of the bread. One of my all-time favourites is a fresh pretzel (Brezel) with butter.

8. Beverages

Even though I am a tea drinker, I appreciate the quality of the coffee. With 6.4 kg of coffee consumed per person per year, Germans take their coffee seriously. The coffee is roasted to achieve full flavor (just right; not too light and not too dark). German coffee simply tastes good (as long as one doesn't drink it with Kaffeesahne (coffee creamer)). And to testify to how serious Germans take their coffee, they even have a university named after a coffee brand, the Jacobs University-a small, international and research university in Bremen.
For Germans, beer is even more important than coffee. The per capita consumption of beer in Germany ranks third most in the world (Czech Republic being first and not surprisingly Ireland, second). So seriously do they consider beer, that they have a law, called the Reinheitsgebot (German Beer Purity Law), which prescribes that the only ingredients that may be used are water, barley, and hops. This law has been modified to include yeast and in the case of wheat beers (Weizenbier or Weiβbier) sugar is permitted, because it is a top-fermented beer. When barley is used to brew beer, it is required to be malted prior to brewing. The variety of German beers is as diverse as their bread selection. The country celebrates their love for beer annually in the form of the Oktoberfest.

9. Sausages

The butcheries in Germany are as amazing as their bakeries. Germans take their sausages very seriously too. Their sausage quality is to be esteemed. Amongst my favourites are Knackwurst, Bratwurst, Bockwurst, Wiener, Leberwurst, and Teewurst. If it wasn't for Germany's love of sausage, the hot dog would not be invented. The sausage was German, and the Americans decided a bread roll was better than a napkin to hold the sausage with. In Germany there is no need to go hungry, because one can buy almost anywhere a delicious hot sausage on a fresh bread roll (A German version of a hot dog), with great German mustard, for a euro or so. This is quality fast food.

10. Christmas

I don't enjoy the commercialisation that Christmas has become worldwide, and the Kitsch that goes with it and the unnecessary many lights that need to burn to celebrate this time of year, but the Germans have a Christmas atmosphere unsurpassed to anywhere else that I have experienced. Considering the history of it one realises that putting up a tree and decorating it predates Christianity. It is the coldest and darkest time of the year. People tend to hibernate and withdraw. The lack of light also depresses mood, and so lighting candles is a special ritual, which is formalised during Advent. And nothing is as special as going for long walks in the snow with a friend or with family, and then huddling by the fire place in a candle-lit room, eating chocolate or Lebkuchen, and holding a fragrant mulled wine such as Glühwein to warm one's hands and spirit. And if not that, one can always go to the Christmas market where one's deprived senses can be aroused by festive music and the smell of cinnamon in the air. With cold feet, hands feel preciously warmed by a winter drink, and hearty food is relished in the company of people to mingle with.

About the Author:

Quirina Roode-Gutzmer is a scientist, who translates literature (mainly scientific) from German into English for a living. She also enjoys creative writing and is busy writing her first novel (in English). She was born in The Netherlands, but raised in South Africa, where she met and married a German national. She has been living in Germany with her husband and three children for three years now.

Translation website: http://minerva-translations.blogspot.com

Creative writing blog: http://inthewritemind.blogspot.com