tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8775665740005660017.post7381571276790723497..comments2024-03-27T18:12:48.949+01:00Comments on Ami im Schwabenland: That is SO German...Ami im Schwabenlandhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10601866031019102559noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8775665740005660017.post-60562414760354592032016-08-07T18:11:10.992+02:002016-08-07T18:11:10.992+02:00Maybe the sign in the doctor's ofc is a Wiscon...Maybe the sign in the doctor's ofc is a Wisconsin thing. :-) Goodness - I've never had to wait _that_ long for a doctor! I think it's probably safe to say that most Germans are punctual, but of course personalities differ and not everyone is typical. My recent Swiss students (from the Italian part) told me that punctuality is also very important to most Swiss. <br />Thanks for visiting! :-)Ami im Schwabenlandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13148291164062226269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8775665740005660017.post-10130065441426532902016-08-07T14:42:50.693+02:002016-08-07T14:42:50.693+02:00I'm originally from Missouri, and I have never...I'm originally from Missouri, and I have never seen a sign in a doctor's office telling you to let them know if you've been waiting "x minutes." That being said, the longest I've ever waited in a doctor's office was here in Germany (2 hours), and then I left to go to class and haven't been back to that place. I don't know if maybe things are less organized here in Konstanz or what, but I'm constantly confused about times. Some people are always on time while other people/appointments are always late. But maybe the late ones are Swiss!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8775665740005660017.post-3911966900953407452016-08-05T22:19:22.398+02:002016-08-05T22:19:22.398+02:00Definitely! I care about my time, and others',...Definitely! I care about my time, and others', and I'm usually early so I have a bit of time to poke around but don't want to have to keep checking my watch so the alarm is great. I get irritated when people are habitually late because it shows no regards for others' time. aroundthehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06055653945403820182noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8775665740005660017.post-8662503541290506642016-08-05T15:20:48.071+02:002016-08-05T15:20:48.071+02:00I think you might be right! I also know Germans wh...I think you might be right! I also know Germans who are more relaxed about meeting times, but I would never arrive 2 hours late to a gathering of friends with no explanation. Heck, I wouldn't have done that in the States, either. If the invitation or agreement was "anytime after 5:00pm", ok. But if we say "Let's meet around 7:00", I'll be there 5 minutes give or take of 7:00. Of course, in the end, to each his own. Ami im Schwabenlandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13148291164062226269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8775665740005660017.post-70924846678822675882016-08-05T15:17:22.224+02:002016-08-05T15:17:22.224+02:00While I personally have not had a lot of trouble w...While I personally have not had a lot of trouble with trains being late, I _know_ you're right. And of course, the times when the train departs on time are when you're running just a moment late. When you get to the train early, then there's a 5- to 60-minute delay! <br /><br />Suddenly the delay times make sense to me - I thought 5 minutes actually meant 5 minutes. Duh... But of course if you see "5 Minuten Verspätung", dash to the restroom and return 6 minutes later, the train will be gone. Ah, the joys of public transport... (still better than the US where public transportation only exists within large cities, with few or no connections between citiies).Ami im Schwabenlandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13148291164062226269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8775665740005660017.post-52169926753766244202016-08-05T15:13:12.821+02:002016-08-05T15:13:12.821+02:00Quite possibly! That seems especially wierd not ha...Quite possibly! That seems especially wierd not having a clock in an Uni classroom, though! I feel naked without my watch, so I rarely forget it. I set alarms, too. The other day I went 10 minutes over class time, and one student finally raised his hand and said "Aren't we finished at 15:00 Uhr?" Oops! I set an alarm for the next day. Kitchen timer, alarm to wake up from a nap, swap the laundry (the signal on the washing machine is at a frequency I can't hear when the door is closed)... We seem a lot alike! :-)Ami im Schwabenlandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13148291164062226269noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8775665740005660017.post-69911030281118212352016-08-05T11:41:26.763+02:002016-08-05T11:41:26.763+02:00Wow. I've always been a pretty anal planner an...Wow. I've always been a pretty anal planner and list-maker. I honestly never even realized this was a German trait because it fits me so well. I mean, yeah, I totally do the American "let's get together sometime", but if I'm making actual plans, they need to be planned in advance. I always blamed it on my very home-body tendencies. I need time to process my need to leave the house.<br /><br />Interesting is that I've had many Germans tell me the stereotype that Germans are punctual for everything isn't entirely true. When it comes to work-related things, yeah... be on time because being 2 minutes late to a meeting is really like being 5-10 minutes late! But many have told me that when meeting friends or family, it's perfectly acceptable to be late by as much as an hour or two! My husband's grandparents live 2 hours away. When we first got married, we'd always get in a big fuss every time we went to visit them because we were always between 90 minutes and 2 1/2 hours late. In my opinion, this is disgustingly, horribly, unacceptably rude, but a handful of Germans have told me this is really how it is. You should be "überpunktlich" to all work things, but can saunter in 2 hours late to a meeting with friends. This totally blows my mind. In this way, I'm more German than most of the Germans I know! :)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8775665740005660017.post-36674660642681273412016-08-05T11:15:07.532+02:002016-08-05T11:15:07.532+02:00"That train's leaving at 15:18, I assure ..."That train's leaving at 15:18, I assure you. Not 15:20.<br />You late, you wait (for an hour for the next train)." ->No it isn't... it's leaving at 15:27 ;-) Deutsche Bahn is totally the exception to German punctuality! Welll, that one is a regional one so it probably is leaving on time. If it were an ICE your photo would already say "Verspätung ca. 5 Minuten", meaning it will be leaving 9 minutes later (10 Minuten is 10 minutes, ca. 10 Minuten is anything from 11 minutes to 19 minutes... I was told this by a Deutsche Bahn ticket collector).Confuzzled Bevhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01471749871770054481noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8775665740005660017.post-73446748336229782412016-08-05T10:35:16.842+02:002016-08-05T10:35:16.842+02:00I've been thinking about writing about this fo...I've been thinking about writing about this for a while, but I have found it almost IMPOSSIBLE to find a darn clock when I go out! It drives me absolutely bonkers because I try to be very cognizant about time (and other things; my friends of all nationalities say that they don't see me as a typical American because I say what I mean and mean what I say, and value punctuality.) Anyway, I rarely find clocks in stores, offices, or even in the classrooms at the Uni. I almost always carry my phone and I'll even set the alarm for myself if I'm going to meet someone but have a bit of time to window shop before, just to make sure I'm on time. I'd be happy to see more clocks though! I feel as if I'm always looking around for one. Maybe it goes with the German mentality that one should be prepared and responsible for herself? ;)ATWhttp://aroundthewherever.blogspot.comnoreply@blogger.com