Day 126: Things Germans Do in Class

I still get surprised when I see someone get annoyed because they weren't addressed formally (with 'Sie'), and then, with a face like thunder (or downright pissed off), they demand not to be spoken to so informally (with 'du'). And yet, politeness is often conspicuous by its absence in many aspects of daily life. Today, for example, an elderly lady fell over on the tram, and only a man older than she was and I helped her (in a carriage packed with people!) In the classroom, the lack of respect for the lecturer reaches unimaginable levels. I wanted to put together a short list (with the help of other Erasmus students) of things I've observed Germans doing in class, which I find, at the very least, peculiar:

- They drink juice, water, and fizzy drinks.
- They eat bread and butter, various snacks (gummy sweets, crisps…), pizza…
- They put on hand and face cream.
- They pass notes to each other.
- They send messages on their mobiles.
- They wander in and out of class whenever they feel like it.
- They sleep.
- They snore.
- They try on shoes.
- They do homework, coursework/assignments, or copy notes for other subjects.
- They file their nails.
- They raise and lower nearby blinds as they please.
- They close and open (preferably open) nearby windows as they please.

(Juan adds:)

- They eat raw carrots, cucumbers, and even peppers, which they take out of a Tupperware container where they had them wrapped in kitchen roll (or not).
- They knock on their desks as a sign of respect for the lecturer, even if they've spent the whole class talking or sleeping.
- They obsessively draw little coloured squares in their notebooks.

(Úrsula adds:)

- They do crosswords.

(Hector adds:)

- Hector asks me to add that he saw a guy who took off his boots and chucked them to one side, took off his socks and chucked them to the other, and then sat in his chair in such a way that he could reach his feet and fiddle with them.

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