Natalie Pfeiffer – Hamden, CT
One of my Host Children and I always had trouble communicating about putting a hat on or taking it off. Because of how I said it, it always sounded like „head“ to her. So we had many laughs about „taking the head“ (hat) off every time I said it. After a few days, we agreed to use the German word „Hut“ for the word hat, so we would know the difference.
Alija Lika – Denver, CO
Did you know that Americans count differently with their hands? Germans mostly start counting one with their thumb, while Americans start with their index finger. It’s really interesting to see. They also have different ways of eating, from what I have observed. They cut their food first and then only eat with a fork and put the knife down, while Germans still have both utensils in their hands (from my experience).
Marleen Schienstock – Dallas, TX
I once wanted to date someone, and he wrote that he was „excited.“ I only knew „excited“ in the sense of „being nervous“ and told him „better not“ because I thought that he mustn’t be nervous (why should he?) lol. The end of the story: I think we both thought that the other one was weird and never met. By the way, this is now my Host Mom’s and my favorite story, and she even gave me a keychain that says „better not.“
