Several Things I've Noticed About the Germans

ON one of our excursions we had a mixer with a number of German high school students who were studying US-German relations so we were instructed to talk to them about their perceptions of us and vice versa. It's given me an interesting perspective of what being an "American" is. But for now I'll dish on my perspectives of the Germans:

1. Most younger Germans speak English because they are required to learn in like 5th grade. Also any German will tell you that English is way easier to learn than German. Most Germans know 3 languages as well.
   
2. Germans aren't cold! A simple smile is just more of an invitation over here than it is in the U.S. (I'm still trying to figure out whether this is good or bad)
3. Germans will tell you exactly how they feel. Whether it's about politics, food, how someone behaves, Germans want to you know exactly what is on their mind. At first it's a little offputting, now it's more refreshing.
4. Germans know how to party and like to party very much. After attending Oktoberfest this past weekend, this became very very very clear.
5. Germans don't hate Americans!!! I think it has more to do with our current administration. Whenever I tell someone I'm from America (California especially) they immediately want to talk about celebrities or sunshine.

This is just the beginning. As I continue to travel I'm sure I will develop more perceptions about my new friends the Germans and will report on them accordingly.