Week 3: Managing Cultural Conflicts


Germany has been treating us well so far, except one morning when we went into a cafe to get breakfast. When the workers discovered we were Americans, our service was no longer wanted. We were told we only had ten minutes to eat there and then we had to leave. Between how rude the man was and the awkward feeling, we decided to just leave.

Our Cultural Identity stuck out as soon as we got off the train from Frankfurt from the first week. Americans have a certain look to them, as Europeans would have a look to us. When we go out to eat, a lot of people look at us. They do this for two main reason: We are speaking fast and VERY LOUD English. We couldn't have much of a Intercultural Interaction; the worker was no longer interested in having any sort of conversation once he realized we couldn't speak fluent german.

 This interaction didn't come as much of a shock as it would seem. I was honestly surprised at how long it did take for this kind of situation to finally happen. The worse part was how rude the worker was. When someone is rude to us, Americans, it is very offensive and taken quite personally.

When we left, we came across another bakery with some very nice woman inside who did speak some english. They even let us sit in the back of the cafe, though it wasn't fully opened yet. They accommodated to us, which we didn't expect due to the encounter that had happened just five minutes ago. It was a complete turn around!

 A very important goal we have for the rest of the trip is to get better at german so we can at least order our breakfast and try to blend in. 

 This past week we also took a side trip to Amsterdam! It is such a nice city with A LOT to do! Here are some pictures from the trip that I have included:








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