What Germany Really Thinks About America

Germany is completely fascinated with America. Teenagers run around with American flags on everything, from shirts to shoes to pants to phone cases. If you ask someone where they’d most like to visit, New York is always on everyone’s list. No one really understands when I say that Germany is way more interesting than America, because America for me is just everyday life. In fact, coming here and listening to everyone talk about how cool America is makes me realize how great, albeit sometimes a bit strange, it really is to live here. To live in America is embarrassing at times, but to hear others’ impressions is completely entertaining. Since we just listed words we associated with America in German class the other day, I thought I’d share with you a few favorites.

Here's what comes to mind when Germans think about America:

• Barack Obama
• Hollywood
• Coffee shops
• Statue of Liberty
• Golden Gate Bridge
• 9/11
• Terrorism
• Church
• Friendly people
• Fat people
• Gun laws
• Death penalty
• Fast food
• Diversity
• Big country
• American flag
• Patriotism/pride
• The American Dream
• Freedom
• Opportunity

Most Mentioned Cities (in order of how frequently I hear about them):
1. New York
2. Los Angeles
3. Miami

Most common questions people ask me about America:

• Are you a democrat or a republican?
• Do you like Obama?
• Have you ever been to New York?
• Why are your gun laws like that?
• Do you have your driver’s license? (To get a driver’s license in Germany you have to be 18 and pay thousands of euros)
• Is high school like High School Musical?

And that’s a look into what Germans think about America.