Rant for Thursday - Germans "Chatting"

yesterday I was at the Einschulung of my twins .. church service, followed by walk to school, small welcome ceremony then kids into class for the first time. All very nice, makes it special for the children, don't remember that in UK.

So where's the rant? Why do Germans (sorry, but I havent noted this anywhere else), who can't be bothered to take an interest, chat through the whole procedings? I have also noticed this in other situations, like meetings at work, or committee meetings in clubs etc.

There were these two pricks in the church laughing and joking, taking silly pictures of themselves, and generally just distracting. Mrs maaph said something (in hushed tones, which is a first), and all she got was a "na, und?". When we arrived at the school for the ceremony, same thing from the idiots.

Worst of all .. they were not alone - all over the room, people were talking and laughing, making it difficult for anyone to hear what was going on. Talk about setting an example ...

Anyway, calmed down now.

Our school meetings often deteriorate into chatting about the local current affairs. The teacher has to treat them like little kids half the time too!

Welcome to the 'club'...different place, same problem:

Have you been to the cinema in Germany? I wonder why they bother sometimes, the movie is the last thing on their minds. I'm trying to concentrate on the lingo and someone will inevitably get a handy call AND talk to them!!!

I think it must be a cultural thing - when there is a 'boring' bit of the film, with just (important) dialogue, you can talk over that bit, so you don't waste your time!

A church service?

What kind of school are your twins going to?

My daugher's "Einschulung" was two weeks ago, it was lovely (OK you had the "chatters" there as well) but no church service (same with my fist daughter, a wonder ceremony but nothing religious (or maybe Berlin/Brandenburg ist just full of non-believers?)

Quite normal to have a church service first but you don't have to go, in which case you just take your kid(s) direct to school at the time the church service will be ending.

don't believe it to be a compulsory event. We have just a normal school that serves 3 villages.

But seems to me that by making a bit of a show about it, it distracted the children from the "enormity" of the first day. My older son (17, visitting from UK) didn't understand a word, but though it was really a good idea too.

When we went to the church service (uggghhhh) for the 'first school day' for my daughter, it was packed to the rafters with everbody elses Mama, Papa, Oma, Opa, him from down the road... the vicar was really impressed, until he realised that some parents couldn't actually see/hear anything because of all the hangers-on and blabber-mouths!

They decided to make the whole thing a stressful experience because the kids leaving the first class make a little show and the new kids have to parade about like some new exhibits in a fun-fair side-show!

We got some funny looks because we starting laughing when some church woman in a lovely stripey top(!) picked up her folk guitar and started belting out 'Shine Jesus Shine' or some German equivalent. You know when you get the giggles

Oh yes, on the walk back to school from the church, the bottom fell out of my daughters schultüte* and witchypoo and I had to pick up loads of sweets from all over the road. Nice start to school!!!

*LEO has this short 'translation' of die Schultüte in english:
"large cornet of cardboard filled with sweets and little presents given to children in Germany on their first day at school"

It's a bit of a mouthful - but so were the sweets!

And all that was 3 years ago, she started in the 4th class today - where does all the time go...???

So what's the tradition behind the big cone of sweets then? Why would you want to give a kid so many?

this year there were two services - one at 8:00, one at 10:30. evidently last year, they only had one service, and there were so many hangers-on from the early arrivers that there was not enought room for some of the new starters. There was nearly a riot !!!

Anyway, having twins, you would have thought it a good idea to arrange it that both children would be "ein-schooled" at the same time ... but no - we were on duty at both termins, as indeed were all (6) twin families!

But I think I've said that before ...

You want them to be happy on the first day at school, don't you?
It's just like christmas, the more the merrier - they CAN bring them home again, they don't have to scoff the lot at school!
You can pad the thing out with crepe paper, etc. if you don't want to give the impression you only feed your kids sweets!!

The other 'fantastic' thing is the teachers controlling the food and drink taken to school. You know all the arguments about no chocolate spread and all that rhubarb. Our kids have a proper breakfast at home, so it's just a snack to keep my daughter happy until she comes home - which is about 5 seconds compared to good 'ol Britain. But the teachers keep giving instructions about eating this, that and the other. We keep sending my daughter with stuff she wants to eat. If it was a Mars bar every day I could understand some criticism, but it's definately not that style of food.

I think that one of the reasons a big thing is made about starting school in Germany is because it really is a new start for the kids. In my local schools, the kids went to nursery at 3 and "started" infant school at 4 (I know in England they start at 5 and not 4 like in Wales). There was no big difference because the nurseries were either in the normal school buildings or just down the road from it and everyone knew everyone anyway...

@alien I like the chorus "Shine Jesus Shine"! We even sang it at our wedding (one reason was that it would be something our German guests knew in English).

Really, I've never heard of this being done before!

Unfortunately it wasn't that, but something similar. A good rousing Onward Christian Soldiers or Jerusalem would have been perfect for the first school day, oder?

I must say I echo your sentiments Maaph !
It drives me mad that when someone gets up to speak or
has something to say to a group (and not just in church)
people who are not interested will talk and and carry on as
if nobody was speaking, it seems incredibly rude to me
and I have only come across this behaviour here.

Our Polish room cleaners did it today while the boss was making a speech to one of the cleaners who's leaving tomorrow, perhaps they've lived here too long and picked up that "good habit".

controlling the sweets... pity they dont make the effort to control the cigarettes the kids smoke as well.

In NRW it is now forbidden to smoke on the school grounds and in the school buildings so even the teachers aren't allowed to any longer.

is that so? there were enough parents smoking in the playgound yesterday ..

Also, they spend waste time on controlling the food, but coming home with mud up to the knees and a green patch on the arse part of your jeans is perfectly OK!
They don't give a hoot if the kids play on the adventure playground and get themselves totally muddy - it is summer after all! After all it's only playing

I might have mentioned this before, but when the parents turn up at our grundschule there is always a fight so they can sit in their 'personal' chairs...

...those are the places where they sat in the same classroom when they went to the same school

Ooops, someone should have told them or perhaps they should have been watching WDR on Monday or Tuesday evening and then they would have known!

we're British, we have manners, it's part of our culture, or at least it used to be! Doesn't apply in most other countries. But the culture differences are what makes it fun ay?? Don't get me started on the whole German lack of spacial awareness, not looking where they are walking thing, completely oblivious, never try to adjust the direction of travel to accomodate anyone else, is it just me that notices this ?? And then there's the classic queuing thing, I've mainly seen this exhibited as what I call 'pavement rage'. If the streets crowded and they can't get past without having to walk around a few people they turn bright red and steam starts coming out their ears, find it hilarious.. all humours based on feeling superious isn't it ??

Thats the best answer i have heard.

Reminds me of a St Martins procession i went to with my kids when they were young ( was not that long ago ). They had set up a table with the usual bag of sweets and bread man. Everyone was pushing and shoving to get the goodies and there was a crowd of brits in a nice line. (was an army block opposite). Well one of the Germans behind the desk shouted ' cant you all que up nicely like the brits over there' Well i translated this and there was a round of applause to the brits...

What's 15 years between friends!!

why are you 15 years older than me???

It's nearly 15 years the other way around!

I think JDee's right. This is much more of a British thing (over-politeness) than a German thing. I haven't noticed any more 'chatters' here than I do in the US, but everytime I go to Britain I'm shocked at how polite everyone is. I'll give three examples of the reaction to poor service in a restuarant:

UK: I waited over an hour at an upscale Thai restuarant in London for my food, as did everyone else at the other tables. Every few minutes the waitress would walk through and say that it will be 'just a moment more', to which all of the customers replied 'Oh, lovely. No problem.' At the table next to me is seated a couple from Brooklyn, who lean over to our table and say 'I can't beleive this f*****ing country!' Everyone's getting f***ed and all they can say is 'oh, lovely!'

US: I'm in a crowded sports bar watching a football game. We've ordered burgers. After 15 minutes, still no burgers. One of the people at our table flags down the waitress and says 'We've been waiting 15 minutess.' Five minutes later free appitisers appear.

Germany: I'm in a Balzac coffee and the man in front of me orders a latte. It's clear he doesn't know what that is, and when he gets it he is dissapointed. He and the barista shout at each other for about 10 minutes. They stop and the man sits down and drinks his latte. Gets up a few minutes later and orders the same thing again.

Moral: Brits suffer in silence rather than cause a scene. Americans complain in order to get something for free. Germans complain, but never get a resolution.

Relate this to the school assembly. Assume you are bored. The Brit will sit and endure it. The American will get up and leave. The German will chat through it.

or the classic 2 mothers plus 2 prams nattering away in the middle of the pavement, so arranged that everyone (including other mothers with prams) have to swerve on to the street to get round them.

I think the only reason that they haven't had a civil war here in recent times is because they haven't had a civil war here in recent times... think about it

found this:

Wer kann sich daran nicht erinnern? Der erste Schultag war höchst aufregend - ganz viele neue Kinder, respektable Personen, genannt Lehrer und dann bekam man noch die Schultüte - spätestens jetzt wusste man: einen neue Ära ist angebrochen! Die Schultüte hat also eine besondere Stellung des zukünftigen Schulkindes.

Was die wenigsten wissen: die Tradition der Schultüte gibt es nur in Deutschland. Vor über 150 Jahren wurden in Thüringen und Sachsen die Kinder bei ihrer Einschulung mit einer Schultüte beglückt. Ihnen wurde erzählt, dass in dem Haus des Lehrers ein Schultütenbaum stünde, an dem die Tüten wachsen würden. Wenn sie "reif" sind, ist auch das Kind groß genug für die Schule.

can anyone translate this now? If I will do it, I will probably start an argue again :$

Why would this start an argument? Traditions all have their roots somewhere, even if a little fairytale is attached to it.

All sounds very nice, but I bet 150 years ago there wasn't so much processed crap in the Tüte.

arguement not cuz of the topic but cuz of my shitty english

but we'd still love you Hannah

I bet 150 years ago Santa Claus wasn't 'sponsored' by Coca-Cola either (see Coke Lore)

Times change, but traditions die hard, they just get modified to fit new ideas...

wtf?
You are one of the last I supposed so

have a nice evening
Hannah

Hey got absolutely nothing against you, I like it if someone has different opinions to me, if we all thought the same the world would be an extremely boring place.

You've grown on me and I sort of in an anonymous internetty way like you (but lets keep it between me and you eh, otherwise my reputation will be ruined here)

Have a fantastic evening and an even better weekend (mine starts in about one hour)