The Germany we are learning about...

History: "Germany, as a united country, was not established until 1871. It is a surprise to many when they learn that the United States has a longer history than the country of Germany." Prior to 1871, German territories existed as little kingdoms, duchies and shifting boundaries. In 1930, when Hitler came into power, "corruption was devastating German society. When the new system began, there was a growing hope and a vision of purpose...There was an understanding of the need for order and discipline" which the new regime brought. The focus was on trustworthiness, chastity, respect for the work of others, and gratitude for the small things of life. There was education for the beautification of the country, respecting the work of the farmer and blue-collar worker, sensitivity to the needs of the poor, politeness, modesty, and honor for women and motherhood.  Selflessness and greed were considered the roots of all evil.  No one should ever have to freeze or go hungry again. Everyone had the right to a decent job, free health care, a guaranteed retirement, and recreation. Bribes or even tips were not tolerated (no tipping is required now).

From this book I have come to better understand how gradually the people were duped into following Hitler's leadership. Yearning For The Living God by F. Enzio Busche, former member of the 1st Quorum of Seventy

Religions: Northern Germany is mostly Lutheran. They are very anti idols of Jesus seen in Southern   Germany with the Catholic Church. People are very proud of their historic old Church buildings; it is rare to see a new building. We understand that they don't make Church-going much of a practice except for Easter or Christmas.

Farms: Farmers have to rest 1/3 of their land each year. Raps (canola oil) is considered a weed so it is a "rest" crop, and is grown in a different field each year. We are starting to see bright yellow fields all over the countryside. You never see farm houses on the farms; all houses and farm equipment have to be within the villages. Villages are surrounded by the farm land. (When you cross the border into the Netherlands, you can see houses out on the farm land.) We haven't seen many farm animals grazing in the fields. We were told that the cattle here are kept in barns and pens. Every so often we see little shelters up high on wooden stilt-like structures; these are for hunters to wait for the deer or wild boars to walk under during hunting season. That sounds like cheating to me!

Forests: The forests are kept very neat, usually we see the undergrowth cleaned out. When the trees are cleared from along side the road, the logs are stacked.  You can see neatly-stacked wood piles everywhere you drive. Forests grow fast here because of the large amounts of rain.

Economy: Every city has three ways of creating income: farming, business, and manufacturing. When driving through even the small villages we can pick out the plants where something is manufactured. If you think about it, many things that we use in the United States are made in Germany (Bosch, Pfaff sewing machines, scissors, knives, cars, etc.) all of which are of the highest quality. Unemployment is 5-10% is the lowest in Europe. There are many immigrants, probably coming here because of the good economy. We heard about a large group of Portuguese people having come here a few years ago, but they found the language too difficult to learn so they left. (Portugal has one of the highest rates of unemployment.) There aren't any poor here, so it is difficult to find service projects.

Commercial Trucks: Weekend driving is a no no. They aren't allowed to be on the freeway (Autobahn) from Friday night at midnight until Sunday night at midnight, unless they have a special permit (refrigerated trucks).  It really is quite nice to drive on weekends without semi trucks. It is interesting to see dozens of them lined up at truck stops. If their homes are close by, the wives come to pick them up for the weekend. If not, they just hang out at the truck stop until they can proceed on their way. There are lots of regulations about trucks crossing borders into other countries, but cars can keep on a-going without stopping at borders.

Driving: Roads are in good condition, but it is rare to see a wide road either on freeways or cities. There is no speed limit on the Autobahn (freeway), but it is only for those in the far left lane. It is still a surprise to me when the car we're riding in shakes when a car going at break-neck speed flies past. Let's just say that I pray a lot while in the car! Where there are speed limits, the police don't pull you over to write a ticket. A picture is taken of your license plate and you get a bill in the mail. One missionary lost his driving privileges for a couple of months because he got three speeding tickets.

Effects of WWII: Much of Frankfurt was rebuilt in the 1950s and 60s. In the restoration, buildings were reconstructed as similar to the original as possible. During the construction, many bombs were found and workers would have to stop to see if the bomb needed to be defused or detonated. The bombing patterns of each country were known, so they would know which country it had come from and where the next bombs might found. Many of larger towns are an interesting mix of very old buildings with very modern ones. We didn't expect to see so many effects of WWII still here...in the USA we tend to feel like it is a piece of history and is over and done with. The people here are used to complying with MANY laws, as well as having a general attitude of mistrust, generations of abuse (we've heard about this with regard to our calling with LDS Family Services) stemming from the abuse having taken place during the war.

Socialism: A German-born fellow missionary said, "The reason we left Germany (about 65 years ago) is still here." Some Germans have said, "You Americans and your freedom! It is ridiculous!" Here the government will take care of all of your needs from birth to death.  Sounds pretty good? Well, in exchange, they are bound to many rules, laws, and strict requirements. But they get used to it and live within these regulations. Making decisions and taking the consequences are unknown to them. Examples: tires on vehicles must be changed by a certain date, so the winter tires on the car we use were recently changed to the summer tires. Maternity leave is for both parents and the mother must breast-feed her baby, unless medically unable.

Fast Food:  There really aren't any fast food places here but we've seen lots of the American ones (without the drive-up): Burger King, Subway, Pizza Hut, KFC, and literally millions of McDonalds! If we want to get to know the European culture, why would we want to visit any of them? The European way is not to eat fast; it is to take time to enjoy the food and the company. Why do we Americans insist on being so fast about everything in life?

Locks: Every door and closet in the apartment has a lock on it as well as a bolt. Why double bolt the front room and kitchen (unless you want to prevent the kids from sneaking your freshly baked cookies)?  There is no way we can get out of our apartment in a hurry, and we just hope we have the key handy when someone knocks at the door. Unlocking it quickly takes practice (3 times around), then when we go out the door, we must lock it again (3 times around).  It looks to me like another after-effect from the War.)

Elevators:   The main floor is considered "0" or "E" (for Earth), the 1st floor is the the first one up from the ground. Anything below the main floor is  "-1" or "K" for Kellar (Cellar).