Last weekend I went to the movie theater (Kino, auf Deutsch) with some of my teammates. We went to a Kino in the Sony Center at Potsdamer Platz... a well-known area in Stadtmitte (middle of the city) where there are lots of touristy things to do and see.
We saw an American movie (auf Englisch) and although it wasn't my fave, I couldn't pass up a trip to the movies...I love movies :)
Going to the movies is such a natural thing for me... but I have learned that in Berlin, things are just a little bit different. The subtle differences between an American trip to the movies and a German Kino experience make me laugh. Its so funny to me that we can do the same things in so many different ways. The little twists and turns make me aware of my own culture and teach me that doing something in a different way does not make it wrong... just different.
I thought I'd list some of the highlights of my cultural lesson at the Kino ;o)
- You are assigned a seat in the theater when you buy your ticket. Therefore, its important to have all the members of your group present before the movie starts. (This would sure cause some problems with a lot of my friends in the US... what do you do with that person who just can't make it before the movie starts, no matter how hard they try? ;o)
- You also must sit in your assigned seat... people don't like it if you are sitting in their seat...
- There are 2 popcorn options.... neither of which includes about a gallon of warm, liquid butter, unfortunately :(
You can get "salty popcorn" which is literally just popcorn with salt... or "sweet popcorn" which is kinda like kettle corn. People love their sweet popcorn here, and although its good, its no buttery movie popcorn, thats for sure.
- Bars in the movie theater... thats a bit different...
- So when the lights go off, they show a bunch of commercials. The last commercial always advertises Magnum bars (which are these DELICIOUS ice cream bars... on a stick, usually with some kind of chocolate coating. If you ever go to Europe, get a Magnum bar... yum :o) Anyways, after the Magnum commercial, the lights come up in the theater, and a man comes around and sells Magnum bars to the people in the theater! Its actually a brilliant marketing idea... after watching that commercial, it only seems right to buy a Magnum...
After a few minutes, the lights go off again and then the previews start, followed by the movie.
- My last and favorite observation of my Berlin Kino experience was the end of the movie. You know how in America, once the movie's over, the lights come up as the credits are rolling and everyone ignores them and leaves? Well not in Berlin.
The movie ends and everyone sits there in silence while the lights remain off, reading the credits! It was so counter-intuitive to me. I normally bolt out of my seat after the movie ends... but not here. I'll have to do some investigation into why they sit there and read them. Perhaps to honor the hard work it took to make the movie? Or maybe to sit there and think about the movie a bit longer before facing reality?? Or maybe its just the way they do things?!
Whatever the reason, it made me laugh to see how uncomfortable we all were sitting there for those extra few minutes. We had nowhere to be, but it seemed like we waited forever.
I guess I'll be an expert on all the behind-the-scenes jobs of the film industry by the end of the year :o)
Hope you enjoyed my Kino experience! The next time you go to the movies, I dare you to sit in silence as the credits roll... just to try it out. And eat some buttered popcorn for me ;o)
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Oh Jenners, you make me laugh. Imagine if we would have been sitting there after watching Harry Potts in the summer, watchin' the credits roll... after a three hour movie. You're right... we just wanna bust out of there. OR what if we would've sat in the theater after THE STRANGERS and watched the credits after such a scary experience... i can't even imagine... hahaha.
ReplyDeleteI love hearing about your experiences. Thank you for updating :)
Jennie! I love that you're investigating and blogging about how things are culturally different there. It's so easy to get caught up in our Americanized world and think that everywhere is just like us...how little we really know about it all!
ReplyDeleteGive Mary a big hug for me (and I hope she gives you one for me, too!)
Keep getting acclimated to the culture there, and keep teaching us German phrases! <3
I remember Magnum bars and they are delicious!! They have bars everywhere in Europe where you would not expect them.
ReplyDeleteI remember when we went to go see a live show once, I think it was a musical with people on roller skates, anyways, you order drinks before the show starts and they give you a ticket with a number on it. When intermission hits you go in the lobby and find your number on these shelves on the wall, and your drink is sitting there. That would so not work in America.
I love reading your posts...keep them up!