If you would like to tell us about your experiences as an exchange student
in Germany or the U.S., please send your story to Kerstin
Otto
Jessica from Berlin went to Atlanta, Georgia
... and thinks school there is very easy
Date: 18 Feb 1999
Hello my name is Jessica Scherbarth. I'm 17 years old and I'm from Berlin,
Germany. In the moment I'm in Austell Georgia. I'm an exchange student
and I go to Pebblebrook High School. It is pretty funny here. I really
enjoy it. I think school in the USA is very easy. Much easier than in Germany.
My hobbies are volleyball, basketball and swimming. My German teacher here
said that I should write in English because I need to practice writing
in English. I would appreciate if someone would write me back.
Bye Jessica
Ryan from Indiana went to Schmitten, Germany
Will he dispel the myths about Germans?
Date: 6 Mar 1998
Greetings from the quaint little town of Schmitten, Germany! I've been here for a few weeks and I would like to supply you with a column from the other side of the Atlantic Ocean, so here goes.
I figure the best way to start off a column about life in Germany is to address some of the stereotypes and myths that surround this country and its inhabitants so that there won't be any misunderstanding in the future. We Americans believe a lot of these legends and fables about Germans, so I think you may find the truth interesting.
Myth #1)
Germans are crazy drivers
THIS IS TRUE! I can recall one midnight drive where we were travelling
at a 110 km per hour (about 70 MPH) through three inches of snow, with
more falling all the time, passing other cars and taking hairpin turns
at breakneck speed. This is in a VW Passat stationwagon that does not have
ABS, and the driver was my host father, not some crazy teenager.
Myth #2)
The cold, calculating German
This is only partially true. Germans are a people obsessed with practicality,
allowing it to dictate their wardrobes, their choice of automobiles, and
every other decision they make. Not a second of time, a millimeter of space,
or a Joule of energy is wasted by these people, and if something doesn't
serve a purpose it isn't even considered. As for the cold part, I have
never seen a more emotional group of people outside of the Emerson Theater
on a Friday night. The Germans laugh, cry, bellow, kiss, dance and smile
infinitely more than we Americans do, and when they display these emotions
it is with a sincerity that would have fulfilled even Holden Caulfield.
Myth #3)
Germans have no fashion sense
This is true, but only relative to Americans. Germans have no desire
to spend a great deal of money on clothing that serves no immediate purpose,
preferring tighter, more durable clothing of denim and leather to the baggy
American cargo pant or oversized sport team jacket.
Myth #4)
Germany is ashamed of its past
Germans are ashamed of the Holocaust, but apart from that they take
great pride in their country and it history. Unfortunately, the only part
of German history that most people in America learn about is the Holocaust,
giving us distorted view of this nation's past and thus creating the utterly
false stereotype.
Myth #5)
The wonders of German engineering
Everything you have heard is true. Right down to their light switches
and doorknobs, Germany is the best engineered nation on Earth. The cars
run in excess of eighty MPH daily with few or no problems and in a ski
resort I visited in Northern Austria (a suburb of Germany) a mass of lifts
crossed one another, went around bends, towed skiers up 60 degree gradients
and never once stopped or slowed down because of technical problems. It
has been below freezing the whole time I've been here, but the reservoirs
are still usable for drinking water because of an ingenious system of gates
through which the water pours to keep it fluid. Truly marvelous.
Those are all the big rumors regarding Germany I have the space to address here, so I'll close with a few interesting fact about Germany: -Despite what you've heard, the music scene here stinks -German food is infinitely better than American, but only if you're not vegetarian -the Austrian police deserve their reputation -BMWs really are the ultimate driving machine, but don't tell that to a Mercedes or a Porsche owner - German schools are harder- I actually discussed 18th century philosophy with a fifth grader -The Germans don't really hate the French; it's just that they're better at making fun of them.
Tschüß from Germany, Ryan