Different Worlds

For homework this week in class, we had to read a couple of articles by people from Germany who had visited the United States. Because they live so far from the US, their way of life is a lot different. For example, in one of the articles, the author commented on how he thought it was amazing that American grocery stores were open on Sundays. This is because in Germany, there aren't giant supermarkets like we have here. Instead, they have many shops for specific needed goods. Also, these stores aren't usually open on Sundays because Sundays are considered a day of rest. Another article talked about how Americans (for some crazy reason) LOVE to jog. The author said that people could be found super early during mornings simply jogging up and down streets alone. He couldn't understand this because in Germany, people usually don't exercise alone. Also, if they need to exercise- they don't simply jog. Instead, they might play soccer with a group of people. These differences help us define American culture. We are a people driven by values focusing around efficiency and control. We like being able to shop on Sundays because we hate it when someone tells us no. We want the freedom to be able to shop whenever we want. We also love to jog at 5 in the morning even if it's freezing out because it's what's most convenient for us. I don't know if this way of life is what's best for us, but I know most of us Americans definitely live by these standards.