Howdy everyone! I’ve just completed my first week in the summer program at WHU – Otto Beisheim School of Management. I wanted to talk about my initial impressions and the differences in the culture here in Germany compared to the USA.
My first impression of the school was that it was small and tight-knit. The campus size is a small fraction of TAMU’s. I can imagine that WHU students know everyone in their school very well. Vallendar, where the WHU is located, is also a small town. Many of the residents are older and live relaxed lifestyles. Also, Vallendar is hilly and walkable and there are many pedestrian-only roads. I love the walkability of the area and find it idyllic and quaint. The town itself isn’t very busy, but I feel it’s busier during the school season when all the students are in town; it reminds me of College Station. My initial impression of Germany was that it’s clean and efficient. I love the recycling system here. The pfand deposit on bottles/cans that one can get back by recycling is cool; I wish we had that in the USA as well.
One of the differences between the USA and German culture is that German culture feels much more relaxed compared to the hustle of the USA. On Sundays, stores are closed, except for places like bakeries and restaurants. I feel like it forces everyone to slow down and take time for themselves. It gives me the time to relax and chill without constantly worrying about other things. Additionally, public holidays have a similar effect. Vallendar is located in the Rhineland-Palatinate, a German state that is Catholic, so they recognize Corpus Christi on Friday, May 30th. As a result, we had no classes and all stores were closed. Additionally, stores tend to close much earlier here than in the U.S. Although you can find stores and restaurants that open late into the night around 8-9 pm, a lot of places here tend to close by 7 or earlier. Furthermore, restaurant water and refills are not free. All drinks, including water, cost some amount. This was a big culture shock to many of my peers, including myself. I also noticed how Germans seem more efficient and serious compared to the more casual nature of Americans. Germans are task-focused and do not use their time talking about things without a specific purpose: small talk is not common here. Also, Germans have a smaller sense of personal space. One time, I was at the market standing in line and someone came up to put their groceries on the conveyor belt but did so in an extremely close fashion.
The program is going great and I can’t wait to see what the remaining two weeks have in store for me!
