Kultur 2 by Hyun Jun (Aaron) Shin

This week I have read some articles that are related to Germans' weird illnesses such as Draftophobia and Kreislaufzusammenbruch.

1. Draftophobia: Blown Away by the Fear of Air

Even this little kid don't mind drafts at all.

It was funny, weird, and interesting to know that Germans hate drafts. How can they survive especially in summer time without drafts??? There are drafts almost every corner of our lives including window-opened vehicles, bicycles, motorcycles, jogging, fast-passing vehicles on the street, etc. I know that Germans enjoy riding bicycles and I quite don't get it how they can have draft phobia... Of course everyone is aware of the fact that flu or cold can be infected through the air and there is no way to prevent it unless wearing a mask all the time. I think Germans are being too picky. There is nothing better than a cool breeze in a hot summer day! I will be in Schwäbisch Hall and Frankfurt this May and June so hopefully I should still be able to enjoy the breeze!

2. You Have What?: Mysterious Illness in Germany

Direct translation of Kreislaufzusammenbruch.

Kreislaufzusammenbruch. This is no doubt one of the longest German words I have seen so far. It means a circulatory collapse. Obviously, I have not heard of it before. The English translation is also unfamiliar to me and it sounds like it is quite serious disease. I was surprised, however, that for Germans it is merely a I-need-to-skip-work-and-lie-down form. In addition to Kreislaufzusammenbruch, I learned that there are many mysterious diseases/symptoms that Germans uniquely have. In my home country, most diseases we have are already-defined, universal ones and so it was very interesting to know. Another interesting thing about Germany was that they do not prefer modern medicines. In some Asian countries including Korea, some people do prefer customized or alternative treatment/cure to modern medicines and common treatment that you can get in typical hospitals and pharmacies. I think this is a similar concept in Germany. My grandma used to dislike modern medicines, too. Whenever I caught a cold when I was little, she used to tell me just to sleep well, do not go outside, drink warm water, and eat well. It worked well for me. Influenced from her, I also personally prefer not to take medicines and so I could understand Germans such culture.