I do “Hausarbeit,” or chores around the house, and am very happy to do so because it makes me feel like a member of the family rather than a guest.
My German language skills has improved significantly even though I have only been here for a short time. For the first few days I had trouble keeping up with how quickly my family speaks. Now I understand almost everything they say. I am fairly self-conscious when I speak and I am very aware of my accent and all the mistakes I make. In spite of this, my family is very supportive and helps me correct my mistakes. Sometimes I rely on non-verbal communication, including lots of hand gestures, but my family definitely understands what I am trying to say.
I also had my first day as a German student today! I have been very eager to see how a German high school (Gymnasium) is similar to and/or different from my American high school. At my American high school I take only 7 courses per semester. In my German school I am registered for 16 classes including 3 science classes, 2 language classes, and classes in economics, current events, and computers! What a difference! Despite the intensity, the students and teachers here are very welcoming. We take 15 minute breaks every 90 minutes. Even though I brought my lunch from home, many of the students go to McDonald's for lunch instead. The McDonald’s is very different from its American counterpart. It looks more like a cafe than a fast food restaurant. The biggest difference between my German Gymnasium and my American high school is that there are no yellow school buses here! All the kids either walk to school or take public transportation. My first day was exhausting because I had to focus very hard to understand the teachers but it was so much fun! I am looking forward to tomorrow when I have my first class in English. It will be very interesting to see how English is taught in a German school.
I have been keeping a list of all the differences between Germany and America. What I have noticed most of all is that we are more similar than we are different. Nonetheless there are some interesting differences. In Germany there are different notations for numbers (the commas and decimal points are switched) and the 1's are written differently. Also, there are tons of windmills dotting the countryside, the streets are much narrower here, and cars pass each other on these narrow streets going 90 km/h! Germans also seem more aware of conserving energy than we are at home and the largest meal of the day is lunch not dinner.
I am so happy here, and I am looking forward to going back to school!