One of the benefits of living and working in Germany are the extra holidays one gets in comparison with the U.S.  I absolutely love it! This on top of six weeks of vacation instead of two or three is an absolute dream. It almost makes me never want to return to the States during my working life.

There was a time when I used to think all that Germans do is go on vacation. I asked myself, how can they possibly be productive? How can a company function? How can this be one of the strongest economies in the world? Now I see the light and I firmly believe that this is one of the keys to their success.

For example, I have observed how hard my German colleagues work. Yes, there are times when they play hard but when they are at work – they work and in general, they give what they owe to their employer in terms of time and results. Perhaps this is due in part to the fact that they know they can work hard because they have a vacation coming up. I think further to this is the that Germans know what it means to enjoy and savor life. This may come as a surprise and some may strongly disagree but I will stand by it – Germans are all about Genuß (enjoyment)! Whether it be a good book, a fine wine or coffee, a work of art, a play, music or food, Germans approach enjoyment in a way that other cultures do not. I find the difference to come from their logical, intellectual and even philosophical approach to life. It is an enjoyment that starts in the mind and goes down and ruminates in heart. This turns a wonderful dinner, a walk with dog/child (topic for another blog post), or a cup of coffee in the morning into a “vacational” experience. So really – Germans are on vacation literally and figuratively the majority of the time. We just need to learn to enjoy life in the quiet and stoically dignified way that my German friends do. Geniessen Sie es!

Europe – This week I was walking through the train station when someone handed me a free copy of the Süddeutsche Zeitung. On the front page there was a very colorful picture of President Barack Obama and a fascinating story about the latest cultural craze in Germany – the Obama musicial. I studied to be a profefssional singer,  so  this story mixed well with my penchant for politics. I read with interest how “Hope – the Obama Musical Story”puts the 2008 presidential election to music. I was surprised to find that this musical did not come from a zealous Democrat based in the States but rather Europeans who have been inspired by President Obama’s promise of change at home and abroad.

This musical comes to the stage at a time when President Obama’s performance  is under close scrutiny. He is also facing a blow to his presidency and the Democratic party with a recent special election to replace the late Senator Edward Kennedy and the success of Republican Senator-elect Brown. I do not think we can quite call this a dark time for the Democratic party but storm clouds certainly do appear to be gathering as mid-term elections draw nearer. I am sure many Democrats are longing for the days leading up to the election in 2008 that brought Obama to power with the claim “Yes we can!” Maybe putting this claim to music will put new life into this claim – who knows. In any case, President Obama and his team can take comfort in the fact that his popularity is so solid in Germany, he has inspired people to burst into song and dance.

EUROPE  - This week I was in a meeting. Present in the room were three men, including myself and four women. Each of these women is very respectable, educated and polished. At the beginning of our meeting, one of the men made a very off-colored joke. I was offended at what he said and was embarrassed for him. I even think he was embarrassed, because he turned red. In addition to offending me, I was most concerned about the women in the room. His joke was about women. Two of the women in the room are his employees. I wondered how he dared make such an offensive comment and still hoped to maintain our or his employees’ respect.

This is not the first time I have encountered this, nor will it be the last. Unfortunately, I have seen this happen more often in my time in Europe than I have in the United States. I get the  feeling that some men think the same way as Silvio Berlusconi does, who when asked about his indiscretions stated, “Well, I”m not a saint.” None of us are Saints but we can sure try to be. Should this be any excuse for men, or women for that matter? Certainly not.

Many have said it before but we are losing the thread of common decency that used to permeate Western society. I am grateful for parents who taught me to 1) not be perverse 2) respect and honor women. I really think we are missing this on both sides of the Atlantic.