Kultur Zwei

The readings this time left me a little surprised about a German's honesty in the beginning, but as I reflected on my friendship with a German in my previous college, it is quite true (except she did not stare - lest it would be inappropriate in the States, perhaps?)!
As one of the readings stated, "let's have tea sometime" from an American is sometimes no different from a "let's not meet again." As an international student, I have heard of this this cliche so many times - und das sehr stimmt! From my experience with that German friend, she made it clear to people whether she likes them or not, and I respect her for such candidness.
But it is also true that this friend of mine is not known for her patience: she once stepped into an office of my previous school and complained to an advisor for her inefficiency. That is harsh but to-the-point, and I doubt I would have such bravery to "straight up" one day in this fashion. Not until I have read some of the articles this time do I realize that my friend is more of a prime example of a typisch Deutscher(-in) than an exception: thorny, honest. This is in sharp contrast with my own culture, as there is such a prevalent saying that if you are to be honest, "you may well end up becoming a beggar one day;" I cannot imagine how nasty that slap across my face would be for saying "hey, have you gained some weight?" to a typical woman in my hometown, a place where many young females are especially desperate about weight issues (i.e. weighing in at anything more than 100 pounds).
Also, having studied Geschichte before, I think Germans' staring is a very understandable way to protect themselves and their neighbors. I see this act as an act of Germans' unity, for it is very easy to think that "this is someone else's business and I'm not going to get involved for trouble," but people estranged themselves from one another with this mindset.
Notwithstanding my thought that Germans are overtly obsessed with statistics, I can truly appreciate the way they say things and the way they stare at people, for these are, after all, unpolished acts that a lot of us dare not do only for the excuse of "courtesy."