German Claustrophobia

I wrote a while back about how I have German taste buds now.  It seems now that I have also caught German claustrophobia.

I was talking with the co-author of Zweites Deutsches Blog recently and she was complaining about how Germany refuses to have a modern thermostat.  This is absolutely true.  Most every room you enter has a heater of some sort that you set from 0-5 and you just let it run.  Each room is also equipped with an openable window.  Maybe they should modernize, but I don't think they can.  You see, Germans  have need to always be in control of their environment.  The very thought of stale air that is the wrong temperature frightens them.

In the US, I have seen entire apartment complexes, office spaces, and other buildings where no windows can open and no one but the maintenance can adjust the temperature.  If you told a German that you were about to live in an apartment complex where the windows could not open, they would think you are crazy.   What if the air gets stale?  What if there is a funny smell?  How on earth would you get fresh air?  Likewise, Germans will become alarmed at the idea of not being able to control your own heat.  This is not only the heat within one's own home, this is everywhere.  Even at work one can easily adjust the radiators and windows to make the room into your perfect environment.  Even on the UBahn in Köln there are openable windows.  However, God forbid the air actually moves anywhere, because then es zieht.

The whole concept of frische Luft was bizarre to me at first.  German windows do not have screens, so I was originally scared of bugs getting in.  In fact, my first month in Germany, a pigeon tried to fly in my open window!  However, as the months wore on, I have become more and more dependent on my fresh air.  Even in the winter, I found my self compulsively opening the windows at night to air-out my room.  If all Germans have claustrophobia, apparently it is catching.  But really, who doesn't need a little daily frische Luft?