German Fest 2015 was a blast--from the food to the music and from the culture tent to the Lederhosen!

And since it's a typical German thing to write a Reisebericht (a travel report), and I took pictures of the food (Ja, Bratwurst!), here is a Reisebericht in Bilder.

German Fest is a wonderful festival that takes place on the Sommerfest grounds directly on Lake Michigan. Luckily the weather was gorgeous and there was plenty of sun and fresh air for us to enjoy!

First, arriving at the front gate just at the opening was the perfect opportunity to snap a shot with the mascots--check out the Lederhosen on these guys!

Although it was almost lunchtime, and there was this beautiful Spanferkel, we opted to wait for a bit to eat and check out some of the cultural activities first.

Halli-hallo, liebe Leser!

This weekend I'm off to German Fest in Milwaukee, WI! This Fest has been taking place since 1981 and is a fantastic weekend filled with Brats, Bienenstich, and all things German. This will be my second visit--look for some pictures coming soon!

Schönes Wochenende,

Nicole

Halli-hallo!

Ab heute mache ich zwei Wochen Urlaub vom Bloggen. Unterricht gibt's noch, und ich mache auch gerade eine Weiterbildung, also habe ich wenig Zeit zu bloggen. Also sehen wir uns in ein paar Wochen wieder!

Viele Grüße,

Nicole

*

Hiya-hi!

Starting today I'm taking a two-week blogging vacation. I'm still giving lessons and am also taking part in a continuing education seminar, so I don't have time to blog right now. We'll see each other in a couple of weeks!

Best,

Nicole

Continuing in this series of doing business with Germans, here are 3 things to avoid when working with Germans--and what to do instead!

1. Do not use "du."

Germans are used to keeping their professional distance, which is a helpful benefit of using the formal you form "Sie." In the US Americans toss around "du" and use first names for practically everyone except school teachers. Even when you greet someone you've never met, say waitstaff at a restaurant, their nametag references their first name, not their last name. We are very casual in using others' first names, especially if it is someone in our same age group; this is not exactly the same for Germans (although some younger people would certainly switch to "du" right away, even at work).

Instead:

If you have trouble remembering which to use when, make sure you practice "Sie" with your German teacher and in dealings with other Germans. Use "Sie" and Herr/Frau + the last name of every one of your fellow students. You could even start thinking of every woman as "Frau" and every man as "Herr" if that helps.

2. Don't bring up the Nazis.

It can be a hard topic to avoid in Germany where, as I like to say, history is hautnah (very close to your skin). Germans spent the second half of the 20th Century rebuilding their country and creating an impressive infrastructure, repairing damaged and demolished buildings and trying to make sense of what happened (work that goes on today). Everybody knows what the Nazis did, however there is a way to recognize this without speaking about it directly.

Doing business is one thing, doing business with folks in another country is another, and here are 3 tips to help you do better business with Germans.

1. Remember proper greetings & salutations

Manners for greetings, whether in email or in-person, are not only polite, but a wonderful way to make your German guests feel welcome. Take time to learn a good hand-shake and remember to make polite inquiries about their trip to your office or to meet you.

Germans who have received cultural training will know the only real way Americans answer the question "How are you?" is with "I'm good, thanks," and that that's the only culturally acceptable response. Germans who haven't had this training, however, may respond with the truth, whether someone in their family just died or they have a medical issue you really don't want to hear about, you may be on the receiving end of that information.

(Sidenote:  I once, without thinking, asked my former landlord in Germany how he was doing and he proceeded to tell me about a sting he got on his foot, the rather displeasing condition of the spot, and what the doctor said. I never made that mistake again.)

2. Be an attentive host

For in-person meetings, being a thoughtful host is an easy way to create an atmosphere of ease for your German business partners. Remember to have beverages on-hand like water (Gerolsteiner, anyone?) and coffee, perhaps some soft drinks. Be sure to offer your guests something to drink and remember to ask them again later if they'd like another beverage.

A rabbit's foot, a horseshoe, a 4-leaf clover, these are all things Americans consider lucky. But mushrooms? Leave that one to the Germans!

*

der Glückspilz

Also, sind Sie ein Glückspilz? Ein Glückspilz ist eine Person, die immer wieder Glück hat. Dieses Glück überrascht andere Leute, und vielleicht den Glückspilz selbst!

Ein Glückspilz ist auch ein Glücksbringer, etwas, dass Glück mit sich bringt. Ein Glücksbringer kann ein kleines Stück Holz oder aus Marzipan sein. Wenn der Glücksbringer aus Marzipan ist, kann man es natürlich essen. Aber ein Glücksbringer kann auch eine Person sein.