Kultur 1 - How German Is American

Reading the given article was very helpful for me to understand the connections between the German and the American culture. The fact that I am Greek and that I had not lived in the United States at all until I came to study at Michigan mislead me more, since I always had in mind that the American culture was mostly connected to the English culture because of my limited knowledge to American history, and therefore I always considered a cultural rivalry between the two countries especially because of World War II.

It was actually surprising for me to realize that the German culture had such an impact to the United States, or that the percentage of German immigrants in the U.S was as high as 20%. I found it impressive that the German culture has influenced the American culture in various ways, as in events such as the Oktoberfest which originates in Germany but is also famous in America. Religious expression and music are also some common features that both cultures share, although I personally could not see the connection between the German and American, before I read this article.

Being Greek, I did not know much about the German and American cultures apart from what I saw in the movies and from my first two years in Ann Arbor, since Greeks follow a culture of their own, based on their own history and experiences, and thus, I was not aware about all the similarities between the German and American culture, and understanding them now is a pleasant surprise!