View Full Version : Culture Shock
vivelamorte
01-27-2005, 07:58
Hi!
Did anyone here happen to grow up in a different culture, i.e. country, before joining SF? It would be interesting for me to know how they handled culture shock, or the differences between the culture they were accustomed to and the (military) culture in the States. Thanks!
Hi!
Did anyone here happen to grow up in a different culture, i.e. country, before joining SF? It would be interesting for me to know how they handled culture shock, or the differences between the culture they were accustomed to and the (military) culture in the States. Thanks!
I didn't and as such, just my opinion. I did know many that had. Not just cause dad or mom was stationed in differernt countries, but men that were born, grew up indigenous to thier given country. That's how the 10th SF was born. Look, don't make it complicated vivelamorte. ADAPT!! Culture shock was a phrase when I was in. So? Here I am and now what do I need to learn....... cool, I get to learn, experience new stuff. When I hit Germany and from there for a couple years was sent to a bunch of places, guess I was supposed to have some sort of culture shock. LOL, never happened. Want "culture shock" go through Q school. ;)
Now! Anybody want to hear my theories and experiences on this BS "jet lag" thing :munchin
vivelamorte
01-28-2005, 01:35
I didn't and as such, just my opinion. I did know many that had. Not just cause dad or mom was stationed in differernt countries, but men that were born, grew up indigenous to thier given country. That's how the 10th SF was born. Look, don't make it complicated vivelamorte. ADAPT!! Culture shock was a phrase when I was in. So? Here I am and now what do I need to learn....... cool, I get to learn, experience new stuff. When I hit Germany and from there for a couple years was sent to a bunch of places, guess I was supposed to have some sort of culture shock. LOL, never happened. Want "culture shock" go through Q school. ;)
Now! Anybody want to hear my theories and experiences on this BS "jet lag" thing :munchin
Yeah, you're probably right. Just hit it. I had a serious spell of jet lag once when I had to cope with a nine hour time shift travelling from Germany to San Francisco to visit our relatives. Tried some melatonin, horrible stuff. I felt depressed for the following two weeks, although, if I remember correctly, a girl might have been involved as well......
The biggest culture shock however was buying myself a brownie at a Starbucks and then witnessing a homeless women scavenging for food in the trashcan in front of the Starbucks. Really broke my heart. I should've given her my brownie. Not used to stuff like that here in Germany.
Not used to stuff like that here in Germany.
Open your eyes!! Poverty is world wide. We become so accustomed to our own surroundings that we only notice things out of our sphere and fail to notice the pile of dung we are standing in.
Jack Moroney (RIP)
01-28-2005, 10:10
Not used to stuff like that here in Germany.
Evidently you have never been in any of the Gastarbeiter communities in Germany!
Jack Moroney
vivelamorte
01-28-2005, 10:42
Open your eyes!! Poverty is world wide. We become so accustomed to our own surroundings that we only notice things out of our sphere and fail to notice the pile of dung we are standing in.
Poverty clearly is everywhere. That one incident was eight years ago, but it was new for me and somehow sad that in a first world country which is wealthy such is tolerated, or seen as natural, or whatever.
I acknowledge that the world is huge dung heap, yet we have the luxury of sitting at the top on a big stage from which we can see the sun and the blue sky, which is generally excepted as being quite nice, so nobody peaks down from the edge to see the s*** steaming down below.
vivelamorte
01-28-2005, 10:52
Evidently you have never been in any of the Gastarbeiter communities in Germany!
Jack Moroney
To be honest, I never have been. But then I guess the majority of suburban middle class folk in the US have never been in a white trash trailer park.
I did have a girlfriend when I was 11/ 12 from a Gastarbeiter family, called Nuran. I don't really see the word Gastarbeiter as having any use nowadays, most of the people either haved gained German citizenship or are more used to German culture than their home culture, especially the second and third generation. Thank god we changed the citizenship laws.
Anyway, back then I still had many illusions and was full of ideals. My idealism has painfully been burnt away by realism since then.
Jack Moroney (RIP)
01-28-2005, 10:53
sad that in a first world country which is wealthy such is tolerated, or seen as natural, or whatever.
Oh Please. This has nothing to do about toleration it has to do with choice. Now I will admit that some folks are down on their luck but their is no one in this country that cannot get off their ass and improve their lot in life. Folks that are scrounging around in dumpsters today made bad choices yesterday for the most part and are paying the price for not seizing the opportunities that they had available. Next you are going to tell me that folks that have diseases or problems associated with substance abuse had someone other than themselves pry open their lips, strap down their arms or spread their legs under duress. This country is not about solving everyone's ills and problems it is about providing the opportunity for folks to do their own thing to become whatever they choose with the constraints and reality of their ability and resources.
Jack Moroney
vivelamorte
01-28-2005, 11:00
Oh Please. This has nothing to do about toleration it has to do with choice. Now I will admit that some folks are down on their luck but their is no one in this country that cannot get off their ass and improve their lot in life. Folks that are scrounging around in dumpsters today made bad choices yesterday for the most part and are paying the price for not seizing the opportunities that they had available. Next you are going to tell me that folks that have diseases or problems associated with substance abuse had someone other than themselves pry open their lips, strap down their arms or spread their legs under duress.
Jack Moroney
The German view is different, but then the German mentality is different as well. Personally, I know everybody has a choice in life, or choices, but a lot of people have problems identifying their opportunities, and making the right choice. At least here in Germany.
You forgot the mentally, by the way. They really don't have a choice, and they definitely didn't ask for their sickness in one way or the other.
Well Folks: I seldom if ever exercise my authority as a mod. but I think it is time to bring this discussion to a halt. I really don't see the connection to Special Forces.
It seems that "Long Live Death" wants to discuss social/economics and this isn't the place for it. I had a few clashes with German "scholastics" in my day. I remember sitting in a Gast Haus one evening being criticized for the american racism towards blacks. A group if Italian migrants walked in and all of the Germans got up and left. So much for superior tolerance.
Now if you want to discuss culture shock such as why chinese eat cats but Vietnamese ead dogs r -- go for it. :boohoo
Jack Moroney (RIP)
01-28-2005, 11:52
Roger.
Jack Moroney
vivelamorte
01-29-2005, 05:58
Well Folks: I seldom if ever exercise my authority as a mod. but I think it is time to bring this discussion to a halt. I really don't see the connection to Special Forces.
It seems that "Long Live Death" wants to discuss social/economics and this isn't the place for it. I had a few clashes with German "scholastics" in my day. I remember sitting in a Gast Haus one evening being criticized for the american racism towards blacks. A group if Italian migrants walked in and all of the Germans got up and left. So much for superior tolerance.
Now if you want to discuss culture shock such as why chinese eat cats but Vietnamese ead dogs r -- go for it. :boohoo
Point accepted.
Sorry about your experience in the Gasthaus, by the way, the average German is quite a hypocrite without even knowing it, and are only tolerant of what they consider to be the truth.
Btw., I'd also like to openly excuse myself for using the term "white trash" on this board, which does seem to be considered offensive by some, as I've been told.
alphamale
04-23-2005, 20:01
[...] then witnessing a homeless women scavenging for food in the trashcan in front of the Starbucks. Really broke my heart. I should've given her my brownie. Not used to stuff like that here in Germany.vivelamorte, a site like that was my first introduction to N. Germany.
Had just arrived in Hamburg, the very cold port city wayyyyyyyy up north and the best place to buy tea that I've ever seen outside of Shanghai. It was a Sunday evening 6pm-ish and I'd been traveling ~ 26 hours.
Stayed here:
http://hamburg.park.hyatt.com/hamph/photo_01.html
Walked several streets up from where you see in that pic to the local Nordsee, a seafood chain much less expensive then hotel food and I absolutely HAD to walk after traveling that long.
Saw homeless people sleeping in the steps of the stores you see in the pic. Walked more to the right between hotel and Nordsee. Realized it was odd that on a Sunday evening at 6:30, that street was deserted except for a couple people, me, and the homeless people sleeping in the cold.
In the Nordsee I seated facing the door with the table in front of me and my tray on the table. I had my left arm through the shoulder strap on my purse. I was scratching some notes into my Palm Pilot with my fingernail. A ~22 year old female walks directly to me, sits across from me and starts saying something to me in German. I toss my Palm onto the bench next to me, I notice: hair needs washing + clothes are dirty + emotional = street person.
My first impulse was to stand up and get away, but my second thought, which I did, was to grab onto the (moveable) table palms down with both hands, so that if she made any move towards me, I would toss over the table onto her.
What happened? She kept speaking agitated German, and after about 5 seconds I said, “Nein, speak English!”
She grabbed a sourdough roll on my tray and ran away out of the restaurant.
If I had known she just wanted food I would have given her food.
I waited till I saw a guy walking back towards my hotel and followed him back. By that time (7pm-ish) it was only me, the guy I was following most of the way, and the homeless people looking for food on that beautiful no-car shopping street in Hamburg.
FrontSight
alphamale
04-23-2005, 20:06
Oops! QRQ 30, sorry, I started typing that reply after reading the base note.
Didn't see your reply saying to cease the discussion till just now.
FrontSight
The biggest culture shock however was buying myself a brownie at a Starbucks and then witnessing a homeless women scavenging for food in the trashcan in front of the Starbucks. Really broke my heart. I should've given her my brownie. Not used to stuff like that here in Germany.
Yeah, and I'll bet she rakes in about $50 to a &100 bucks a day at that trash can.
"Oh, you poor thing, here's $1 (or $5) so you can get yourself something ggod to eat."
You want to have some fun every once in a while? The next time a bum comes up to you telling you some SOB story about "Hungry, need something to eat" give him about $3 dollars and get in your car. After he goes into the nearest Quick Stop (this happens in it's parking lot most of the time) go up and stand by the door. When he comes out of the door with the fortified wine in the paper sack ask if he's on a liquid diet. Some of the replies can be real interesting.
As I drive around while I'm working I get into every section of town. It's amazing the amount of people in some areas who must work the :Night Shift". You see all these people wandering around the Quick Stops around 0900 - 1200, hanging out, drinking cheap booze from paper sacks.
Only in America can you be a total loser, not work and still have people give you enough to live on. If they want to live that way don't use my tax money to support them.
The Salvation Army runs a soup kitchen where you can get a free lunch daily. I volunteer to work there once and a while. I get a kick out of the people who drive up in a better car than mine to get the free meal.
Pete
Well Folks: I seldom if ever exercise my authority as a mod. but I think it is time to bring this discussion to a halt. I really don't see the connection to Special Forces.
Got on the thread from "Best Quotes" and didn't read all the post.
Pete
But this subject is a sore spot with me.