I just started working at an American company....
I just started working at an American company in south Stuttgart where I work part-time, producing industrial videos. The thing I wanted to write about after my first week are some comments about the differences between Germans and Americans there.
All the Germans I have met so far take public transportation to work. All the Americans drive. There are a handful of Americans there who speak some German, although most have the most atrocious, cliched accents imaginable.
I overheard one conversation between two Americans, a woman in HR and a guy in the technical department, that was about bank robbing. The woman spoke of "if you want to rob a bank you have to be serious about it, get an AK47 and be prepared to blow people away." She also said that there was "one guy in her class who robbed a bank and got caught. He said afterwards that I did it for my family. I've lost my job and can't pay my mortgage." No joke. This conversation was real although surreal. I didn't ask them where all this took place. Maybe later.
The company follows American holidays. You live in Germany and maybe are married to a German and you don't have the same holidays. You get July 4th and Labor Day off, for instance. It is as if inside the company all things are American. They don't care what happens outside the door. You could be in Germany or Kansas, who cares. The Americans probably find themselves wondering as they are driving to work on national German holidays why there is no one on the streets, why the stores are closed.
Another example of the disconnectedness and disregard for local customs is an upcoming industry trade fair which the military has organized. When is it taking place? April 30 and May 1. May 1 is a national holiday here.
All the Germans I have met so far take public transportation to work. All the Americans drive. There are a handful of Americans there who speak some German, although most have the most atrocious, cliched accents imaginable.
I overheard one conversation between two Americans, a woman in HR and a guy in the technical department, that was about bank robbing. The woman spoke of "if you want to rob a bank you have to be serious about it, get an AK47 and be prepared to blow people away." She also said that there was "one guy in her class who robbed a bank and got caught. He said afterwards that I did it for my family. I've lost my job and can't pay my mortgage." No joke. This conversation was real although surreal. I didn't ask them where all this took place. Maybe later.
The company follows American holidays. You live in Germany and maybe are married to a German and you don't have the same holidays. You get July 4th and Labor Day off, for instance. It is as if inside the company all things are American. They don't care what happens outside the door. You could be in Germany or Kansas, who cares. The Americans probably find themselves wondering as they are driving to work on national German holidays why there is no one on the streets, why the stores are closed.
Another example of the disconnectedness and disregard for local customs is an upcoming industry trade fair which the military has organized. When is it taking place? April 30 and May 1. May 1 is a national holiday here.
posted by paulmediaeye at 8:46 AM
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