First Impressions of IMC in Berlin

There is an estimated 3,416,255 people residing within the borders of Berlin, yet there is only 1,421,687 registered motor vehicles (berlin.de), which would accurately identify Berlin as an outdoor mobile city. Walking down any streets you will find advertising messages everywhere, whether it is as traditional as a billboard outside the S, printed on the toilet paper in the bathrooms, or placed in the center of a ‘fake’ building (confused? Take a look at Figure 1.1).

Outdoor advertising reaches the young and old on their way to work or drinks with friends, available for the locals to see twenty -four hours a day, seven days a week. Even though product placement is illegal in Germany, I still can’t help but question a lot of the time whether some of this creative advertising is crossing the line and stepping over both ethical and privacy boundaries.


Figure 1.1

Berlin: First Weekend

Exploring and Enjoying! This is a little taste of the adventures FIU students experienced in Berlin.

Expectations about cultural differences between Germany and US

When I signed up for the study abroad program in Berlin I knew that I was about to face an experience that I never had before. As an international student, I was already ‘abroad’ in Miami yet I was looking forward to sharing the experience of immersing myself within another country along with my American friends. Growing up, my parents always insisted on traveling and seeing different parts of the world. The places I have been to and what I have seen has opened my eyes and allowed me to welcome all new adventures. Therefore, when it came to spending three weeks in Berlin, I stepped foot on Iberia plane flight number 6122 with no expectations for my experience but an open mind and an optimistic attitude.

I am an Israeli citizen who was always aware of the anti- Americanism behavior that many Americans faced when they traveled abroad. The last thing I expected when coming to Germany was to see the results of stereotyping and the negative feelings towards Americans come out and take place. The typical stereotype of Americans in Germany, besides that all are fat, overuse the words love and like and cannot survive without fast food, is that they are loud, rude, and completely ignorant of the cultures of other countries, (Dodson, 2005) in our case of Germany.

Traveling around Berlin with a large group of English speaking students has turned many heads, involved countless stares and side comments made by those around us. This negative disposition of Americans has amazed me primarily since I am not American. Although I cannot say that any of us are bothered by the looks and little chats behind our backs, it is still amazing how the simple sound of an American accent makes us the center of attention at any situation.

There is always a first time...

May 11, 2009: Miami, Florida
First day of study abroad program- Noa, Bella and Caitlin blogging for the first time!

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