Greetings from Aachen

[BloodyLiquid]

Hey everybody!

Well, I have been looking for a way to get to speak more English and here I am!
I have been living in the States for a year, and I'm pretty sad that nobody wants to speak English with me over here. I guess they don't like my accent Good thing, I can't write with an accent

I don't know what I could tell you about me, so just ask if you want to know anything

[kleine]

Hey,

that's weird that nobody wants to talk to you. I've been living in the States for one year as well, and I have a lot of people to talk to...In what part of the States are you living? What's your reason for living in the States? Business or just to learn the language? Yeah if you'd like hit me back...

Greetings

Vera

[BloodyLiquid]

Oh I guess that was a little weird to understand. I lived in the States for a year but I am back in Germany now, thats the reason why nobody wants to speak English with me! Sorry it was to late at night when I wrote that

But I stayed there as an exchange student during my 11th year at school, and I was in Bayou La Batre, Alabama. (You know, where Forrest Gump went Shrimping and built that hospital )
Why are you living there?

Greetings

Toni

[kleine]

Yeah because you wrote "I've been living in the States for a year" that means you still live there...

I'm an Aupair. The reasons for doing it were:
English language and I also need it for my job. I wanna become a translator. And I love speaking English...

How was it after your high school year? Was it weird beeing back home? Do you miss speaking English? I think I'll miss to speak English...I went to Germany for 10 days just for a visit and I already missed it so bad. But since I'll go to school where my main subject is going to be English I think it won't be too bad.

How was it as an student in the States? Was it hard on the beginning? I bet it was! And why did you decide to do it? Any special reasons? Did it help you for your job? What are you doing currently? I've seen you are 19 so you might study or do an apprenticeship?!?

Greetings

Kleine

[BloodyLiquid]

It was pretty weird to be back in Germany. Life is a lot different over here! I didn't have any problems to get used to my old life but I still miss the American way sometimes. And I really miss speaking English. I have one friend, who was in the States for 6 month so I can talk to her sometimes but it is not the same.

Coming to America was very strange. I lived in a real Southern family and at the beginning i couldn't understand them at all. There accent was so weird! But it became better after a while and when school started I understood most of what people said.
Being a student wasn't difficult after all. School is very easy and I think I was the best in most of the classes All the test are multiple choice and I had no trouble at all. The biggest problem was the school uniform we had to wear. That was new to me and the school was very eager to make sure that everybody wears the right clothes. They were more eager on that than on teaching us something.

So why did I decide to do it? My mum always told me that I am such a good student (which is a lie ) that I should either skip a year in school or do a year as an exchange student. So I decided to go to America. At first I wasn't too happy about it but when the day of leaving came closer I was sooo excited! I am glad that my mum gave me that opportunity.

I am know studying chemistry and it is good to have english skills for it. In the first couple years, everything is in German but later on we will have many books in English, and we will have to do with lot of people that speak English, so it is a good thing I had that training. And thats another reason why I am so eager to get to talk more English.

You want to become a translator? So I guess you are into more languages than just English, right?

Greetings
Toni

[kleine]

Hi,

Yeah I can imagine that it was kind of weird. I hope I'll get used to my old life as well and I hope I won't yearn to come back to the States. I'm also afraid to forget most of my vocabulary or to be afraid to speak English. It was the same with me, my hostfamily lives in New York and they speak very fast so I couldn't understand them very good. And they had to speak to me very slowly...but now it's all good since I've been here for almost one year. I still have 7 months to go...do you still have friends from your time in the States? Therefore you could talk to them...That's pretty stupid from the teachers to be more eager about the uniform than the education. My hostkids have to wear uniforms too. I would hate it since the girls have to wear skirts at all times even in the winter and they're freezing so bad and the boys have to wear long pants and a shirt and it can get so hot in the summer here. I'm always feel pity for them
Yeah I want to become a translator. And I also have to learn Spanish for that matter. But I only want to translat from German into English or English into German. So I want to specialize in only one language. Since I think I won't be good enough to translate into Spanish since I've never been to the country long enough. And I really don't wanna go abroad for another year. I just can't imagine myself living in Spain...I've read you are studying chemistry...Oh my god I hated chemistry in school I was so bad in it. Isn't it a hard subject? I'm going to go to college from May to June and then from July to August and I'm going to take "Business English" and "English Grammar and Conversation" and I'm so looking forward to it I can't wait anymore. In my first year I took Spanish but believe me the teacher was real bad he never wrote something on the chalkboard and I can't learn without holding anything in my hands I need it written on a paper and I also went to Boston. That was an educational trip and very good. Now I switched school since I've heard from my friend that the school's supposed to be very good, but also expansive...But I rather have a good education and pay more than bad education and pay less. What do you think about it? Was there anything you didn't like about the States? Or do you only have very good memories?

Greetings

Kleine

[BloodyLiquid]

In my High School the girls had the oppurtunity to wear skirts but we could also wear pants. But no shorts so in the summer it could get a little hot, but I refused to wear a skirt because they were..ehm..you know..pretty ugly

I was going to study Biology but I didn't get (Studienplatz?) so I decided to try Chemistry. It is very hard. Over 70% don't make it through the first semester. In times I stay up until 4am and have to study or write protocols. But it makes a lot of fun!

I would also rather pay a little more for good education! But I think it is really said that only people who can afford the money get the opportunity of a good education!

The school is something I didn't like too much in the States. I didn't have any problems but I think the education you get is not very good. Everything in multiple choice and not really learning anything important. They could try a little harder!
I also didn't like the news. Especially the news on TV. They only show regional matters and nothing about what happens in the world. Not suprising that most Americans don't know anything about Germany or even Europe.
And in Alabama still is a lot of racism against black people. That was very hard to deal with!
I could probably think of some more things I didn't like, but know I have to leave for university

Greetings
Toni

[kleine]

Why didn't you get a college place? You stay up until 4 am? Oh my god that has to be pretty rough. Yeah that's true! It is sad that you have to pay more money for a better education! But I'm very lucky my hostfamily has to pay for it I just have to pay 40 bucks by myself since the course was a little over the limit. But my hostmum said she would pay for all of it In my first year I had 500 Dollars for going to college and since I only extended for 6 months they have to give me 250 Dollars. But as I said they gonna pay anyways. The education in the States is not the best as a matter of fact. On the beginning I was very hard when I studied with my kids and they always explained that my studying was too hard. So I asked them why and they told me they only have to do multiple choice! My hostkid showed me one of the tests he wrote and I really had to laugh it was that easy. He is in 5th grade and their math is pretty easy. When I think back to my school time and the math in 5th Grade it was a lot harder. Yeah I really don't know what's going on in the rest of the world so I get my information from the internet. I don't like the news either. And I'm not a big fan of food also. It's acutally much I don't like over here but there's something what the country gives to me but I just couldn't figure it out yet. Oh yeah there is one big thing I love. It's the kindness of the people you don't have a hard time to get to know new people. They always speak to you. Even though I hated it that they ask you "how are you" all the time. Now I love it more than ever!!! Since it's a good start to talk to people it makes it so much easier...What do you think about it? I though you are a boy since your name is Toni but I suppose it's a nickname?!?

Talk to you later

Greetings
Vera

[BloodyLiquid]

Biology has a NC and you sign in over the ZVS. And my NC was too bad so I didn't get a place.
I didn't take math while I was in the states but the classes I had were pretty easy too. In my hostfamily I had a little sister, she was 12 years old, and sometimes I had to help her with her homework. They have to read someting in their book, and have to answer some questions about the text and she is not able to do it. I think that is really sad!!
My hostfamily didn't have Internet, or not all of the time, so it I could not even get the news there. I had to wait for my German friends or family to tell me what is going on in the world. That was really annoying!

The food is really..ehm..different I was lucky because my hostparent were selling seafood, and sometimes we cooked some. Like 7 lobster for two people...
But we mostly had meat, lots of meat and Burger. Typical American I guess.

But the kindness of people really is great! I had no problems at all, finding friends and getting to know people. My hostfamily would even tolerate that I become friends with black people, which was astonishing! My hostdad told me that he would not tolerate his own daughter dating a black guy. The people over there were a little bit obsessed about these matters.
But they have always been friendly to me.

Are you always getting along with your host family? I usually did, only my sister was a little annoying from time to time. She was extremly jealous and got on my nerves many, many times!!

Yes, Toni is my nickname, it comes from Antonia. But I am used to be calles Toni. Especially the Americans had problems to pronounce Antonia

Greetings
Toni