Guten Tag!

Here's a reading exercise for you to do. You'll need:

• some quiet time
• a print-out of this post
• a print-out of the article (linked below)
• a colored pencil and a regular pencil

The Background

During the time of the DDR (GDR in English) there was a secret police called the "Stasi," which spied on the people in Eastern Germany, listened to their phone calls, opened their mail, and infiltrated schools, hospitals, every part of life.

After the end of the DDR, Germany set up a process by which people in the former Eastern Germany could request information on if they had been spied on. It's a three-step process, with months in between each step; first you request information on whether you had a file or not (i.e. if you had been spied on) and then you could find out the information the Stasi had about you. Finally you could find out who had been spying on you.

This was sometimes a relief to some Germans, who found out they had not been spied on, yet others found out their own spouse had been a Stasi informant...

As N-TV reported last month, Germans are increasingly interested in their Stasi files (stats in English below):

2014 gingen bis Anfang Dezember 61.000 Anträge von Menschen ein, die wissen wollen, ob die Stasi Akten über sie angelegt hat und was darin gesammelt wurde. 2013 wurde knapp 64.250 Mal persönliche Akteneinsicht beantragt, 2012 waren es noch rund 88.200 Anträge gewesen. (Source)

Up to December of 2014 there were 61,000 requests, 2013 almost 64,250 and in 2012 88,200.

Wishing someone "good luck" in German often goes one of two ways--either "Viel Glück!" or "Viel Erfolg!" Which one you use depends on what you want to say.

If you'd like to wish some one "good luck," then go with "Viel Glück!" It really is like wishing them luck--because you're unsure how the result may turn out. However, just like in English, it's also possible to say, sarcastically, "Good luck with that!" Then you also use "Viel Glück!" and if you want to add extra emphasis to the fact that you don't think it's going to go well, then...use your sarcastic face. (Be prepared for a reaction because those Germans...they are honest!)

Now let's look at situations when you are fairly certain that things will go well--or you are hopeful that things will go well:

Für Geld gibt es im Deutschen gaaanz viele Wörter. Wie viele kennen Sie schon?

Nehmen Sie sich eine Minute und schreiben Sie so viele Wörter für Geld, die Sie kennen. Mit diesen drei können Sie anfangen:

Geld, Cash, Kohle ...

Ihnen wünsche ich ein gesegnetes Fest und einen guten Rutsch* ins neue Jahr!

Hier ein paar wichtige Vokabeln bezüglich Daten:

24.12. = (der) Heiligabend

25.12. = 1. Weihnachtstag

26.12. = 2. Weihnachtstag

Denken Sie daran, dass "1. Weihnachtstag" eigentlich "erster Weihnachtstag" heisst.

Es weihnachtet!

Es weihnachtet so schön!

Wer Geschenke noch nicht gekauft hat...hat noch Zeit!

Hier 5 gute Tipps für deutsche Geschenke, die noch vor dem 1. Weihnachtstag eintreffen:

1.  Feuerzangenbowle Set - $99

Feuerzangenbowle is one of the best German inventions when it comes to adult beverages. You spice red wine (in the punch bowl) and heat it up. Across the top you place the "Feuerzange" and the sugar cone, which has been soaked with rum. Light the sugar on fire, and it caramelizes the sugar and drips down into the punch bowl. Fertig ist's--Feuerzangenbowle!

(Obviously, this is meant for responsible adults and not children, so exercise caution when lighting sugar on fire in your kitchen.)

Remember to order extra Zuckerhut when you buy the Bowle.

2.  Everyday Words Stickerbook in German - $8.95

Usborne is a US-based, educational book seller and they have a stickerbook for kids to learn everyday German words. 200 stickers in this book.

Using stickers is a good way to associate physical objects with their names. Great for parents and kids learning German at the same time!

Esskultur is important in Germany; Esskultur is the culture of food, dining, and manners. For most Germans, Esskultur begins when they are in high chairs and their parents teach them to eat when the adults are eating, to wait until the adults are finished to be excused from the table, how to use a napkin, and how to use their eating utensils.

In the US, manners vary widely and the manners you learn depends largely on what your family has taught you. We don't have one set of manners, and you can tell by the variety of food we eat; barbecue is largely eaten with the hands, pasta with a fork or perhaps a fork twirling the pasta with the help of a spoon. When alcohol enters the picture, it's a whole other ball game.

So here are some rules to live by to help you understand how Germans dine and to help you avoid some pitfalls along the way. For these rules, we'll assume that you have been invited to a friend's house or out to a business dinner.

1. Plan to Stay.

This American idea of party-hopping or "just staying for a little while" is incredibly tacky and rude. Germans do not do this. Either you accept the invitation and plan to stay for the evening, as delightful or as painful as it might be, or you politely decline.

2. Greet everyone with a handshake.

Yes, EVERYONE. Go around the room, shake hands, introduce yourself by your last name if it's a formal situation, by first name if it's informal, or somewhere in between for a mixed situation. People will fire their names at you and expect you to remember them.

Here's another great point:  in the US, if you feel uncomfortable about trying to remember several names right off the bat, we make the joke "if there will be a pop quiz later," and everyone understands that they should remind you of their names when you speak again. This is a wonderful part of American culture in which we help each other out with remembering names. This is not so in Germany; they do not understand this joke. So keep that joke for this side of the ocean and if you need to, politely ask someone their name again as soon as you realize that you didn't learn it the first time.