German Exchange Student arriving soon
 

This is a general question but here goes.<BR>WE have an exchange student joining us from Germany. The school here has not given us much info at all on the "nuts& bolts" of this.<BR>Any suggestions. What do German teens like to snack on, do they watch much tv, ... Any special things I should be aware of..<BR>This is so general, but any hints/ideas appreciated.<BR>

Hi:<BR>The German exchange student we had was<BR>very much like our own daughter - she<BR>ate the same things we did and watched<BR>some TV and did all the things teen-<BR>agers are wont to do. She DID study<BR>more than our kids - other than that<BR>no problem. Her English was excellent!<BR><BR>Enjoy the experience!

Did Helga shave her pits? I have never seen a younger one that did--not that there's anything wrong with it!

Ann<BR>I am actually a coordinator for an exchange student program in Australia, one of the big things of going on exchange is to experience the differences both for the student and the hosting family. Having also hosted many students one of the first things I tend to do with them is take them to the supermarket shopping. This way they get to see what things may be available and even what items they may be able to use to prepare their host family a meal occasionly. If the school or the organisation is not giving you any details, have you corresponded with the student yourself - even via email, this is a great way to get to know each other before arrival and also breaks the ice! We have a saying of 'its not right, its not wrong but just different' and this really allows you to sort out most issues, questions or mis-understandings. I would be happy to give you more info if you wish to email me direct. Otherwise enjoy the time together, we have some wonderful daughters all around our very small world!

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All in all, German tenagers are probably like US teenagers which means that you might encounter wide range of behaviour including rather odd ideas. <BR><BR>One point which many Germans miss outside of Germany is the variety of bread, especially dark bread. If you can find it, the student might be happy. (On the other hand, he might want to eat nothing but hamburger buns and toast.)<BR><BR>Another point is that in Germany the legal age for going to a bar and drinking alcohol is 16. If you have a school or birthday party, drinking beer at that age (or a little earlier) is absolutely common. While he or she should certainly understand that different countries have different rules, it will be difficult to explain that there's any sense in them since the experience in Germany is very different. Drinking a beer might be regarded by him as a rather minor transgression of a stupid rule instead of something serious. (On the other hand, you might as well get a student who's totally abstinent.)

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