Blogabroad
by Mary Pinckney Waters

June 26, 2006 - Heat Wave

When winter persisted for five months in Bamberg, I was not on good terms with the weather. My heater was an armored knight against the inhumane temperatures outdoors, and I refused to leave its side without good reason.

Now, in late June, it’s sunny, shorts-and-shorts-sleeves weather. As a South Carolinian, I should be feeling at home, right? One would think. There’s one fundamental difference, though, between summer in my home state and Germany, and it’s a glorious technology called air conditioning. You’re most likely sitting in a room with it right now. Yeah, bite me.

It could be triple-digit degrees in Columbia; I would still have a sweater tied around my waist to protect myself against buildings confused as meat freezers. But better that I’m able to layer up in the States than to have no retreat from the heat in Germany. You cannot possibly understand how miserably hot 85 degrees Fahrenheit can be until you have no option to leave it for an air-conditioned room.

Air conditioning is virtually nonexistent in Germany because it is needed for such a limited percentage of the year. As a result, all buildings in Germany essentially serve as dual-purpose saunas in summer. Last week I spent 15 euros on a fan for my room, and I am convinced it is the best purchase I have made yet in my 22 years.

Aside from making me sweat off my foundation five minutes after application, summer in Germany has placed me in the midst of the global sports phenomenon known as the World Cup. The enthusiasm surrounding it cannot be underestimated. Three games take place each day, and every restaurant or bar has made sure TVs are available for its soccer-hungry customers.

A more-than-sensitive issue in Germany is national patriotism, with an obvious basis in its history. I’ve had several conversations with Germans and read numerous articles about the topic, and apparently many Germans are hesitant to express pride in their country, whether it be vocally or symbolically. As Americans whose July Fourth celebrations are anything but modest, this hesitation can be hard for us to understand. What’s cool is that Germans’ fanaticism for soccer has recently been curbing their long-term skepticism toward patriotism. Many of my German friends have commented that they’ve never seen so many German flags hanging at homes and businesses in their life, saying “people just don’t do that.” Now that the World Cup is underway, signs of support can definitely be detected on German game days, such as streets full of honking cars and drivers yelling “Deutschland!” following victories.

As far as catching “football” fever, it hasn’t quite hit me yet. I keep waiting for it to happen, in the meantime feeling like a sociologist observing some significant cultural event but not understanding it (i.e. why don’t those guys ever score?). There’s not too much longer until I’ll be back at home, though, watching the Gamecocks play real football with an AC-fighting sweater tied around my waist.

Mary Pinckney Waters welcomes your comments and feedback: marypwaters@yahoo.com