What should I do to prepare myself to be a foreign exchange student in Germany?

Question

In a month, I leave America and I will be a foreign exchange student in Germany for a full year. Besides the obvious stuff (like clothes, and a German-English dictionary) what should I take with me? Anyone who has done this before, please feel free to leave advice for me.

Answer 1

I used to live in Japan and I've been to Germany. I would say to speak quieter since Europeans (in my experience are not as loud as us). I would say just always smile and be polite and think of yourself as a representitive of our Country. Represent well so that when you leave people remember you as being open minded, polite, and a good world citizen. I hope this helps. I think you will be fine just have fun.

Answer 2

Well, German people have stereotypes of Americans, as do many countries. Some think that we are all super fat, super lazy, and maybe even a little rude. Although compared to other countries, we are. So try to make sure that you are very friendly toward the German people, always smile and wave. Remember, what they see you do is what they think every American does. Make us all look good. Try talking a little quiet and learning a few common phrases in German. That will help a lot.

Good Luck to you and have fun in Germany!!!!

Answer 3

I studied German language at the Volkshochschule (community college) in Gottingen, Neider-Sachsen, Germany for two summers in 03 and 05 (I was 19 and 21 in the respective summers. Here are some recommendations:

Definitely try to learn some basic German before you go. Try to learn as much as possible, but at the very least learn a few basic phrases and try to build a vocabulary of everyday things. German grammar takes some getting used to, but if you have a decent vocabulary you'll be able to figure it out a lot more once you get there. It also helps with the people there because Germans seem to get flattered and excited when they see that you, an American, know some of their language. Manyof them will be able to communicate with you in English (particulary the younger generations), but they will like you more if you can speak German and it will help you make more friends. So, if nothing else, learn basic vocabulary like foods, furniture/household things, city/municipal kind of stuff (streets, trains, cars, government, etc), pronouns (ich, dich, du, wir, etc - "I, you, we, etc) and general descriptive adjectives to describe yourself or your surroundings. Also, use your hands and body language a lot when you communicate because it will make it easier.

The previous poster who said that you should wait until you get there to shop obviously knows a lot about exchange programs, but I would definitely not do all my clothes shopping while there. It can be really expensive, especially with the dollar so low and the Euro so high. When I was there, I got some t-shirts, sandals, and a few other things, but mostly I brought my own clothes. Find out what the weather is like in the region you're going to, because had I not done that before leaving the US I would've been really miserable. I come from the Southeast USA where the summers are extremely hot and humid, so before I left I was thinking to bring mostly shorts, t-shirts, sandals, etc. Thankfully, I called my girlfriend over there to see if that was ok and she warned me to bring much warmer clothes. The regions I stayed in during the summer were very cold and rainy (much of Germany is at the same longitude as Maine or the more northern states), so I was glad I asked because I would've been miserable with the clothes I packed the first time. Many regions in Germany have a reputation for bad weather.

Also, try to get a sense for German geography and what the different states and cities are known for. For instance, Hamburg is known as the huge port city and has a very infamous Reaperbahn, which is an old sailor's district with a lot of prostitutes and that kind of stuff. Munich is known for it's technology industry but also for it's rich, traditional Bavarian culture. In eastern German cities like Dresden you'll notice that people are much more liberal and there are still a lot of remnants of the communist era. Much more so than America, Germany (and European countries in general) have much stronger and more defined cultural regions because at some point, many parts of modern Germany were separate countries with different governments and cultures that have had thousands of years to develope on their own. There are at least 10 regional dialects in Germany, a country of 80 million people that is about the size of Wisconsin. In the US, we only have about 3 regional dialects (Northeast, South, and middle American), but German language developed over thousands of years before there was ever any newspapers, televisions, or other mass communication or huge transportation systems.

Yes, be very polite. When I was there, I went with my girlfriend to meet a friend of her family and their friend told my girlfriend "Wow, he was so polite! I've always heard Americans were so rude so I was surprised that he was so polite!" Don't forget to say "Danke" (thank you) and "Bitte" (please) whenever it is necessary.

And like the previous poster said, take a gift for whoever you are going to see or stay with. And try to make it something that is distinctly American, but not something that they already know all about. Make it something unique that they will like but might not expect or already know about. For instance, I've always lived in the mountains of western NC and southern WV so I brought the family I stayed with a coffee table book with very beautiful photography of all the Appalachian mountains along the Appalachian Trail. They'd never heard of the Appalachian mountains or the trail, but thought the book and the pictures were very beautiful. So bring them something that they won't see as cliche American, like CocaCola or Ford or something like that. Make it a unique gift with a story behind it.

And yes, take some things that will remind you of home, but don't overdo it to the point where you have sooo much stuff and just sit there and look at your pictures of home all the time. Try to make the most of your time abroad by not dwelling too much on how you miss home.

And when you speak with Germans, ask as many questions about their country as you can. They will be very happy to answer and it will help you build relationships and to learn more. If they mention a city or other country they are going to, ask them about the town and what it's like. If they are serving you food or drinks you've never had, ask them about it and where it comes from.

Also, be prepared for them to ask you to explain some things about America, it's culture or politics. Some will be confrontational about it. There is a lot about our country that they don't like. Whenever someone asked me to talk about Bush or explain him (I'm not a fan of his and neither are any of them), I would tell them something like "I can't justify what he does and I know you don't like him, but it's worse for me because I have to deal with all of his domestic policies that are only for Americans and I have to listen to all the people who do like him!"

Much of the food will be different - especially breakfast! They never eat anything warm for breakfast, it seems (eggs, etc.) but they love their bread fresh every morning and often eat it with just cheese or cold cuts or creams on it for their breakfast.

More than anything, bring an open and ambitious mindset to your trip. I got frustrated a lot of times dealing with some of the cultural differences, but it was really worth it. Congratulations on your trip and best of luck!

PS: while you're over there, make sure you take a train to Prague, the capital of the Czech Republic directly east of Germany. It was by far my favorite city on the whole continent (and I visited Amsterdam, London, Paris, Hamburg, Berlin, and others). Best of all, it is really inexpensive to stay and eat there because the currency is much lower than the dollar or Euro. It is one of the oldest cities in Europe and it was never attacked during the world wars (many German cities look relatively modern because many were rebuilt after the wars). You simply cannot miss out on Prague.

Answer 4

Actually, take as little as possible. You will want to fit into your new environment and styles are different in Germany than they are in the U.S. Take the minimum and plan on going clothes shopping -- be advised, with the tanking dollar they will be EXPENSIVE!

The biggest and best preparation you can do is two fold, one work on your language skills! You can easily do that on line by going to German news sites. Also, try finding some German DVDs with American subtitles (Hastings has a few) and listen to them over and over again. When you're familiar with them, put on the German subtitles. The second part of this is to communicate with your host family as much as possible before you go. Do it in German! The more you know about each other, the easier this will be.

You will need to take "hostess gifts" with you. This is a BIG must -- especially for Germans! I recommend a nice cookbook (make sure to take an American measuring cup too!) and a picture book from your part of the country. If there are teenagers where you are going, try some T-shirts from your high school. For younger kids, an American Monopoly game. Monopoly is all over the world, so they'll know how to play -- but the boards are all different. You should also take a handful of small items: flag pins, key chains, etc. to give to friends.

I could go on with lots of basic advice, but instead I'll point you to Exchangestudentworld. It's a group of students who have put together a helpful website for exchange students.

http://www.exchangestudentworld.com/

I encourage you to read it! It's very helpful.

I'd also like to add a few things about getting off to a good start.

1. Please remember you are in a family home and not a hotel! Pick up after yourself. Volunteer to help with chores.

2. SHARE! Share your life in the U.S. (make sure you take a CD full of pictures with you) with you host family! Share in their activities when invited.

3. Resist the temptation to communicate back home! It's really easy with modern technology, but it's very detrimental to your exchange. Try to limit your e-mail to weekly and don't chat or use Skype, etc. Explain to your friends you will be gone for a year! Post a blog with pics instead of individual mails.

I can guarantee you that those are the three of the biggest issues that come up between students and their host families. If you are aware before you go, it will be easier to be aware of them when you get there!

Have a great time! Remember, it won't be one totally exciting year. You'll be bored, frustrated and just plain homesick! But that's a part of it. How you deal with that is what will help make your year great!

Edit: Mountaineer gave you some great advice as well. But, on the buying of the clothes thing ... he's a boy! LOL I'll stand by the "if you can afford it, get your clothes there." I lived in Germany for a couple of years, and found it much easier to fit in if I "looked like" the other girls!