Note: this post is part of a school assignment.
Prompt: Describe your transition from North Carolina to Germany. What cultural differences did you experience or observe? What things are the same? What barriers to success do you anticipate? How do you plan to overcome these barriers? Interview members of your host family and some of your new German friends and colleagues and ask them how Germany's past is impacting contemporary Germany. Ask them what they believe are the main cultural differences between Germany and the U.S. Reflect on the responses of your participants and describe how these align with your own preconceptions.
Prompt: Describe your transition from North Carolina to Germany. What cultural differences did you experience or observe? What things are the same? What barriers to success do you anticipate? How do you plan to overcome these barriers? Interview members of your host family and some of your new German friends and colleagues and ask them how Germany's past is impacting contemporary Germany. Ask them what they believe are the main cultural differences between Germany and the U.S. Reflect on the responses of your participants and describe how these align with your own preconceptions.
This was my first time leaving the United States so I definitely experienced some culture shock while making the transition from North Carolina to Germany. My host family is made up of two cultures (the father is German and the mother is Turkish) so I am experiencing two types of cultural differences on a daily basis.
Similarities: I noticed that family is very important to my host family, including immediate and extended family members. I met so many family members during the first weekend here and it was nice seeing this similarity because family is extremely important to me. My host father has a daughter my age from a previous marriage and another daughter who is 4 years old from his current marriage. This reminds me of my own family because my dad and step-mom had a child together and he is 8 months older than my host sister Carla.
For my host mother’s birthday, we had a dinner celebration at one of the restaurants’ the family owns. We had a champagne toast and enjoyed each others' company for the evening.
From flipping through the channels to seeing advertisements displayed around the city, I’ve noticed that a lot of television shows that are popular in the U.S. are also popular here. I had a conversation with some of the Hamburg University students about television shows and they said that the shows are behind compared to the U.S. They informed me that everyone is all about How I Met Your Mother right now.
Public transportation is similar to my life In Chapel Hill because of all the buses and bikes.
Differences: As soon as I got to my host family’s home, I was instructed to take off my shoes at the door and to wear slippers around the house. Thankfully the director of the kindergarten told me to bring slippers with me to wear so I brought two pairs.
In German kindergarten the staff wears casual clothes everyday, unlike the U.S. where I was accustomed to dress professional everyday with only casual Fridays. I’m actually still not used to being able to wear jeans everyday and find myself wanting to “dress up” even though I’m sitting in the floor most of the time.
I was surprised when I saw dogs walking freely on the streets without leashes. They were extremely obedient and stayed close to their owners. Typically I’m used to dogs running off or bothering people/other dogs who are also walking, so this was so surprising to me.
Public transportation is different because there aren’t any trains in Chapel Hill or in my hometown of Cherokee. In my hometown, people usually drive themselves where they need to go and don’t heavily rely on public transportation.
One thing I’ve seen while in Germany that blows my mind is young children walking around or riding the train ALONE. My parents were particularly overprotective while I was growing up and made me paranoid about all the bad things that could happen. Seeing children out and about like this helped me feel more at ease about being here and it made me think: if they can get around this city by train, then I can too!
I have definitely encountered language barriers while I have been here. My host family speaks German, Turkish, and some English. My host father speaks English the best of the family, but he works in Russia so I’ve only seen him for a few days. My host mother is always using her phone to translate words to English if she doesn’t know them; she is always asking me to correct her English and act like her English teacher during my stay. My host sister knows some English and talks to me when we are playing at home or school, but her mother is always telling her to speak English around me.
In the German kindergarten, I struggle daily trying to communicate with children. The director and teachers said most the children speak and know English, but when I try to start conversations they start saying things back in German. It’s hard to tell which children know English and which ones don’t. I feel like the younger children answer me more in English compared to the older children.
I find myself becoming frustrated sometimes at my school placement and at home when I cannot understand what is being said. I’m trying to pick up German words and phrases, but this is a very difficult language to learn in just a month’s time.
Similarities: I noticed that family is very important to my host family, including immediate and extended family members. I met so many family members during the first weekend here and it was nice seeing this similarity because family is extremely important to me. My host father has a daughter my age from a previous marriage and another daughter who is 4 years old from his current marriage. This reminds me of my own family because my dad and step-mom had a child together and he is 8 months older than my host sister Carla.
For my host mother’s birthday, we had a dinner celebration at one of the restaurants’ the family owns. We had a champagne toast and enjoyed each others' company for the evening.
From flipping through the channels to seeing advertisements displayed around the city, I’ve noticed that a lot of television shows that are popular in the U.S. are also popular here. I had a conversation with some of the Hamburg University students about television shows and they said that the shows are behind compared to the U.S. They informed me that everyone is all about How I Met Your Mother right now.
Public transportation is similar to my life In Chapel Hill because of all the buses and bikes.
Differences: As soon as I got to my host family’s home, I was instructed to take off my shoes at the door and to wear slippers around the house. Thankfully the director of the kindergarten told me to bring slippers with me to wear so I brought two pairs.
In German kindergarten the staff wears casual clothes everyday, unlike the U.S. where I was accustomed to dress professional everyday with only casual Fridays. I’m actually still not used to being able to wear jeans everyday and find myself wanting to “dress up” even though I’m sitting in the floor most of the time.
I was surprised when I saw dogs walking freely on the streets without leashes. They were extremely obedient and stayed close to their owners. Typically I’m used to dogs running off or bothering people/other dogs who are also walking, so this was so surprising to me.
Public transportation is different because there aren’t any trains in Chapel Hill or in my hometown of Cherokee. In my hometown, people usually drive themselves where they need to go and don’t heavily rely on public transportation.
One thing I’ve seen while in Germany that blows my mind is young children walking around or riding the train ALONE. My parents were particularly overprotective while I was growing up and made me paranoid about all the bad things that could happen. Seeing children out and about like this helped me feel more at ease about being here and it made me think: if they can get around this city by train, then I can too!
I have definitely encountered language barriers while I have been here. My host family speaks German, Turkish, and some English. My host father speaks English the best of the family, but he works in Russia so I’ve only seen him for a few days. My host mother is always using her phone to translate words to English if she doesn’t know them; she is always asking me to correct her English and act like her English teacher during my stay. My host sister knows some English and talks to me when we are playing at home or school, but her mother is always telling her to speak English around me.
In the German kindergarten, I struggle daily trying to communicate with children. The director and teachers said most the children speak and know English, but when I try to start conversations they start saying things back in German. It’s hard to tell which children know English and which ones don’t. I feel like the younger children answer me more in English compared to the older children.
I find myself becoming frustrated sometimes at my school placement and at home when I cannot understand what is being said. I’m trying to pick up German words and phrases, but this is a very difficult language to learn in just a month’s time.