You know I love that Uyen is in lounge clothes/or pyjamas in videos sometimes but German boyfriend is usually fully dressed, lol, it reminds me of me and my French husband, he's always fully dressed until right before bed, and I only get dressed in "normal" clothes if I'm going out, lol
i only put on regular clothes if im going out too but my dad always wears button downs even in the house on weekend they are just short sleeves instead😂
I think one could also mention the German Ausbildungssystem bc it‘s kinda unique I think? Many countries have a heavy focus on university and when you dont go to uni some parents think you ‚failed‘ kinda, whereas in Germany a lot of jobs dont need a university degree and you can do the 3 year apprenticeship school system to learn the job. I think that would be an interesting topic as well.
In Switzerland it is even more normal to make an apprenticeship, you can actually do most of the jobs without studying, and you can even do a Bachlor after an apprenticeship, you just have to make the Matura in 1 year
@@malilala8047So is the apprenticeship also for academic jobs that you usually learn in University and similar levels? In Finland we have an option (though not very popular) of apprenticeship for professions such as carpenter, electrician, hairdresser, youth worker, assistant in nursing or dental care etc. This at age 16-19. But we don't have apprenticeships for the academic/higher education jobs. It would be great to have had such a thing and learn in a much more practical hands on way. I was in Polytechnic (University level, Bachelor degree) and luckily we did have a lot more practical approach with different projects with companies plus internship of 6, months. But it would have been great if it had been even more practical from the start. And learning the real worklife skills.
I wish this was more accepted/respected in the US. I have often experienced prejudice in my career because I don’t have a BA it MA degree. As a parent of a child with hands on skills, I want him to go into work that he enjoys and gain the right training. The schools do a terrible job of advising for skilled trade planning
I wish that's more the norm here in the Philippines. There are so many jobs that don't require a college degree and yet it is expected by most employers. Years wasted in college only to get work where the degree isn't even related
I'm generally not someone who enjoys podcasts very much, but I've found myself excited for every episode of Culture Cuddles. You guys just have such a lovely energy.
This podcast is the only thing keeping me sane because I listen to it while doing mind-numbing work instead of breaking down from stress 24/7. High school in Canada is really stressful, just like for Uyen. I really resonated with her experiences, even though our situations are and were very different. Thanks so much, you guys are so cute together! And you're so interesting to learn about!
As far as Germany is concerned, there are three different secondary schools, but you're not stuck there. After each type of school, you can attend schools that lead to a post-secondary qualification. So you can go from “Hauptschule” (main school) to Abitur and go to university. I went to school for 10 years, then did an apprenticeship (for four years) and then, as an adult, went back to school (got my "Abitur" / A-levels) and studied at a university. And even if you don't want to or can't study: Germany has a very good and differentiated system for apprenticeships. People who complete an apprenticeship don't just do unskilled work, they are skilled workers.
As a Vietnamese and same age as Uyen, I can confirm most of what Uyen told you except for the kindergarten. Maybe because I lived in city instead of countryside, my kindergarten was not that bad. There was a big yard, some toys and teachers were from college (not farmers) so it was not as dangerous as Uyen's with 2 ponds near her kindergarten. And as for English, we learned English in grade 3, not grade 6 as Uyen, but yeah we (until grade 12 or even the entrance exam to the university) only focused on writing and reading. The teachers were not good at speaking either so we could not speak English anyway. It's changing now, even a 3 year old like my child is starting to learn basic English.
I feel so sorry for Uyen when it comes to highschool.😢 I am a German from Northrhinewestphalia and I went to a Christian Gymnasium . We had classes from 8 to 13.15 each day, except Sunday and only two Saturdays per month (with only 4 hours). Once a week we had sports in the afternoon. A few homeworks and that was it! I had much time to live my puberty, had many crushes😂, kissing, dating...it was fun and the best time of my life. At least the most heart- lighted one.
Québec (Canada): 6 years of Primary school, 5 years of Secondary school. No tuition fee, books were free also. After that is normally 2 years of college, small tuition fee, you have to pay for books. And after that, University: around 2500-3000$ per session so around 5k-6k$ per year, and you pay for your books also.
Hello from Ukraine. We wore uniforms to school and we weren't allowed to go around with our hair down, and we had to memorize English texts, I hated it. Due to the fact that there was little understanding and a lot of learning by heart, I also have a problem with forming my own opinion and I am not always able to accept that other people's opinions differ. Thanks, love you 💗
In America I had kindergarten, then elementary school was 1-6th grades (some schools now include 6th as middle school). This was back in the 80's & 90s. I only went to elementary school to 4th grade and was homeschooled after that. We never paid for books (while goingto school), we just used them and then at the end of the year you gave them back so the kids in the grade behind you could use the. With homeschooling we had to buy the books. There are private and public schools, so you can choose, usually the private school is a better education. College we pay for. I went for 2 years. My parents paid for most of it, and in college you did have to buy your own books. Some books you could sell back at the end of the year. One year my roommate and I were mad because they wouldn't buy our mathbooks back so we burned them on the college sidewalk. It was outside our dorm and we cleaned it up, but it was so satisfying. I always hated math so it was cathartic. 😄 🤣 Loved hearing about you both and your experiences with your country's education. I found it very interesting!!
In Macedonia back in the 60-80es we had very affordable daycare, we had “free schools”, but the books, notebooks, pencils, art stuff, school excursions, everything cost money and the teachers demanded you buy specific stuff. Schools were in a decent condition and the curriculum was very good for the time. Our primary school teacher had some stashed money she offered to some poorer kids but no one knew who got those. We paid for school break food and a bit for after school care for the young kids. My parents were well (enough) off. My older brother kept his books (I loved reading those way ahead of the time) but I gifted my books to a girl in the neighborhood who was a year younger and she was very happy about it because I kept them in pristine condition despite learning almost every word of every page, so no one knew her books were second hand. It was 8 years mandatory school (4 primary school, 4 secondary school classes), then four years gymnasium or vocational school, afterwards university if you qualify, at the time at least four ( more like 4.5) years for the actual full degree of the profession except med school which was 5 years plus one clinical year. My kids studied in Switzerland so if was 2 years of kindergarten (pre school), 2+3 years primary school, four years of secondary school (3 levels) and it was crazy, EVERYTHING was free- books, notebooks, printouts, pencils, crayons, everything! Parents only paid for excursions (but poor kids could apply for a free ride, no one needed to know except the teacher), if they still didn’t want to go they could go to school instead. Gymnasium is for free except the books that kids can’t borrow and stuff, vocational training is not just free, you get paid for working part time (not much but a fair amount), vocational school is free of charge. University costs some fee (not crazy much, like probably roughly 1.2 K$ per year) and books, but getting a scholarship is very difficult, depends on how much your family makes and how much you can earn while still studying full time and passing your exams in a timely manner.
this was such a fascinating contrast, seeing the two educations stacked up like that! In canada, we generally had elementary from K-7, highschool from 8-12, and then you can go to college/uni/tradeschool, etc. Where I lived, there wasn't a middle school, but there are lots of areas that do have it, so it would be shoved in between elementary and HS, same amount of schooling time. Quebec is a lil different, as they finish HS at grade 11, and then can get supplementary education via CEGEP to transition into uni, or to other trade jobs. Item-wise: the schools (not post secondary) would provide you with the required textbooks/art materials/instruments for the class, but we were required to purchase the day to day supplies (pencils, erasers, notebooks, binders, etc.)
That's interesting! I went to school outside Toronto (Ontario, Canada) and high school was from 9-13. We were the only province to have an extra year of high school. The province got rid of it maybe 20 years ago? Anyway, I loved school, and you can tell bc I have three post-secondary degrees. But high school wasn't always great, because I went to a high school in a rich area but my parents were not rich at all, so I was teased for not having brand name clothes, etc. University was amazing because a lot of students are poor and really don't care about those things anymore, and I love it--going out, studying, everything. University is not free in Canada, unfortunately. I wish we had more of a similar system to the Netherlands or Germany.
I'm an American with a PhD in a STEM field; I have a lot of friends from China who have expressed that their schooling was similar to Vietnam. Some of them have expressed such anger that Americans had it so much easier academically, but still manage to end up in the same place. To be fair though, my high school experience was also light on sleep, and not because of my (non-existant) social life. I took the most challenging classes I could with hours and hours of homework each night, while attending a performing arts school with a lot of after school rehearsals, and I had a job.
I'm from Spain, and my school experience was nowhere as crazy as that found in several Asian countries. But I do have to say that due to all these TV shows and movies, I thought that the academic level in the United States was sky high....oh boy, I had several exchange students in my university who came from the States, and they were all so far behind...
I have friends whose parents sent them to the US for college in order to get them out of the insanity of their local school systems. Their local schools were structured much like Uyen described.
17:39 I just had to pause here because I am SHOCKED. Being expected to do homework after being in school from 7:00 until 23:00! That is inhumane! You're not lazy if you don't do much homework in those circumstances, you're human and you desperately need sleep!
I can't believe even a lovely cute old couple in the autumn of life were once two young joyful schoolkids on two different parts of the world that didn't even know the other country exists ❤ It really shows us younger generations how fast life moves and how we need to appreciate every moment. Blink one too many times and suddenly 50 years have passed and we will be doing podcasts, or holo(graphic)casts(?) like you two ❤ Love yall, and don't be too sad, you can be proud of the legacy you leave behind 😊
I'm from the states. We have public education which means the state government provides funding to the local schools in that state. So each state has a budget for the public school. Then we have private schools which means the school is not funded by the government and money comes from tuition that families pay and that can range vastly. Both have to follow their state curriculums and both you receive your textbooks for free. Most but not all private schools may require a uniform and some public schools have implemented a uniform as well. Private schools can either be religious or non religious. Theirs something called charter schools which it's a private school that's funded by the state but they receive the same benefits as the public schools and many celebrities have opened charter schools in the US and usually they close down fairly quickly. Then their os online school which means the child does school online from an approved state school online. Homeschooling is educating children at home and this varies state to state as each state has different laws pertaining to homeschooling. Then theirs unschooling which is homeschooling but not really. Most elementary school goes K-6 or K-5 or sometimes K-4 Middle school 7-8, 6,7,8 or 5,6,7,8 or sometimes 7,8,9 high school 9-12 or 10-12. Many Middle schools and high schools are usually the same building. Sometimes elementary thru high school will be in the same building very common in small towns that's where you'll see something like that. We have many extracurricular activities for school age children.
I vote for full on turning German Boyfriend(fiancé) into a Ms. Blossom like character, just casually missing a head, head always out of frame or shot from behind because he’s giving peak *mystery*
In Turkey, it’s similar to Vietnam, except we don’t pay anything for public school education, like in Germany. Education here mainly focuses on memorization rather than encouraging people to express their opinions. From primary to elementary school, our families care mostly about passing the national exams, achieving the highest scores, and getting into good schools-nothing more. I experienced many of the things you encountered in Vietnam. My family is middle class, so they couldn’t afford to send me to private school, but I earned scholarships for university because I did well on the national exam. I noticed that private schools in Turkey are quite different. They encourage critical thinking, and the professors really care about you and your opinions, rather than just focusing on memorization. I really learned the subjects. So, I can say that if you attend a really good private school in Turkey, you receive a completely different education compared to public schools
Interesting to hear how it works in other countries. In Sweden children start school the year they turn 7. The first 6 years everone study the same thing without any choice. Then another 3 years. During years 7-9 there are some minor choices of what to study, like choose a third language and an additional 2-4 hours per week where you can choose 1 or 2 extra subjects. The choices depends a bit on the school. Then 3 years of optional high school. This is the first time children can choose what to study for real. This is usually a defining choice for their future career. Up until this point all children will get free school lunch. A warm cooked meal in the middle of the day. All books are also provided, except notebooks. Pencils, calcularors and such are at the parents expense. After that many go to university. Tuition at university is free and you even get a study grant from the government + roughly double that as optional student loan. The student loans have a very low interest rate, like 1-2% per year. The grant and the loan is for most people enough to live on during their university years. There are only like 3 or 4 private schools in Sweden where you have to pay for tuition, and those are usually attended by children of wealthy people. Other private schools are still funded by the municipality. But most schools, not including universities, are run by the municipalities. For those that didn't do well in high school but later want to study at university can improve their grades at a special school later on. And then continue to university. At no point are there any dress code. And children are tought to understand, not to memorise, for the most part at least.
My experience as a Vietnamese was a bit different. My sister and I were born in 1998/2000 in Hanoi and we played in kindergarten! We learned how to color, sing, and learn to recognize some letters but I did not learn how to read until I was in elementary school! Public school in my time started teaching English in 3rd grade. I believe it’s still the same. Yep and it’s easier to get into universities starting in 2016(?), since you can apply for multiple universities with your test score. Everything else Uyen said I can relate
Growing up in the US in rural pennsylvania, my school experience was similar to German fiance, bachelor's was a breeze in comparison to being in doctorate school now to learn east Asian medicine - but also have many friends who had a very challenging bachelor degree journey, it depends on the subject a lot too over here. Loved the bat emoji this time around!!
I am a Masters student in University of Latvia. Honestly its most appealing feature is that it is full of native speakers (I am studying Russian Language, Literature and Folklore). There are undoubtedly places that can give you more prestigious diploma and publications, but my uni feels like home. I love it. I payed only to send my documents to uni before entering my first level of higher education programme. It was 40 eiro I think. Got government funded places both for three years in BP and two years in MP. I am on my final year of MP. There was no requirement on buying books from your pocket, it was provided by uni.
Uyen and German Boyfriend, thank you so much for making this! It's so informative and cool to hear how different countries implement their education systems
I did not adapt well to university classes in Austria on my year abroad. I learned that I do not learn well learning on my own! It was so interesting hearing you guys' experiences.
Uyen's experience is exactly like mine and may be all Vietnamese students. 7-12 at school, afternoon extra classes at school, evening extra classes at teacher’s house. Until now, every time there is a Lunar New Year holiday, I am still haunted because in primary school, the teachers gave too much homework to the students during the Tet holiday because they thought if they didn't study for a week, the students would forget all the knowledge.
I Love this format! Thanks!!!! ❤ Your husband forgot to mention the many further education opportunities in Germany. You can catch up on school diplomas. And you have to pay something to get to school... the copy costs. XD
In Brandenburg you also have 6 years of elementary school (Grundschule). You transfer to a secondary school after grade 6, so when you are 12 years old.
In America, when I was in HS back in the 1980s, we paid for lunches, student ID, pictures, and yearbooks. If you played sports there was a fee as well. 😊❤
In the U.S. they used to have home economics (cooking, sewing, knitting, and woodworking in middle school, and auto shop high school during the 40s through early 70s). Now it's not taught and they don't have any life skills. Some don't even know how to do laundry, and basic cleaning. My Filipina wife still doesn't like PDA. Our family is huggers, so she had to get used to that.
I'm from the US and I took a cooking ("Foods") class in middle school during the early 2010's. These classes still exist, but it does seem like they're dwindling.
In Jamaica, we start out at age 3 in basic school (kindergarten), then we move on at age 6 to Primary school. We stay there for 6 years; at which point we do an exam to hopefully qualify for a so-called traditional high school or be placed at a non traditional schools. The high schools are ranked based on how they perform and this hierarchy is very culturally significant. High school then goes from grade 7 - 11, at which point you do a regional exam for your selected subjects thats administered across the Caribbean. If you do well, you can decide to stay at your school or go to a different school for 6th form for 2 years. You then do another regional exam and those grades determine your ability to get into university. Some colleges do accept persons out of 11th grade however. In Jamaica, we wear school uniforms and have copious amounts of rules related to appearance. And there is definitely a lot of pressure on students when it comes to exams that will determine your whole future.
Hi! In Costa Rica, kindergarten, elementary school (6 years, from 7 to 12 years old) and middle school (3 years) are compulsory and free by law, and you can start working at 15 years old with your parents permission, but nobody would hire you because you still don't have really finished high school or have a degree (and by law your boss have to pay your insurance, so workers are expensive to hire, nobody wants to spend the money on inexperienced minors here), here middle school and high school are one, so it actually last 5 years for a pure academic one and 6 years if you want one that teaches a basic profesion like mechanic, tour guide and the like. Books are not allowed right now by the government since last year, since not all students could afford them, the lunch is free until high school. This is for the public schools, private are really expensive and more high quality education. Public Universities are better than private, but we only have 4 in the country, so they all have admission tests, to get a degree varies between 4 and 10 years😅 depending on the mayor, but you can get a scholarship. But trips and clubs are just urban myths here 😢 looks like fun. Currently there's no extra clases after school unless your parents have money, almost no homework, a full day is front 7am to 4:30pm and it's not more than twice a week.
This is very interesting, you guys! Thank you for sharing! My Mom was from Waibstadt, Germany, near Mannheim. It is/was a small village, and she was taught in a Catholic school by nuns who really DID whack their hands!!!! I was born here in the USA, and we started Kindergarten at age 5, then elementary school from Grade 1 through 6. Then, it was off to "middle school" which was grades 7 and 8. (This was in Alabama). Then, off to high school, grades 9-12. You were a freshman, then a sophomore, then junior, then finally, a senior! We wore whatever we wanted. We had no bullies in my school. (I was living in Mobile, AL). Like GB, first day, to the library, where they would give us our books. We had to turn them in at the end. If you wrote/marked them up, you had to pay. We had to cover them in bookcovers, and we made them out of paper grocery bags and then drew on them, stockers, whatever... Graduation, then off to college, if you wanted. Which cost a lot. Not sure how much it was, because I was in college in 1986-1993. In high school, we had a choice of 3 options: you had to take either phys education, ROTC, or Band. I went into ROTC. (My dad was a Marine!). I hated high school too, Uyen. It was awful for me. Best day of my life was the last day of high school! Oh, it was from 7:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.
I just want to say how much you guys blow my mind that you have such a large vocabulary in your second and third languages. I only know English, sign language and hardly enough Spanish(very little). Sometimes I think u speak better English than a lot of people and it's their first language! Lol.. anyways thank u for another cool video ❤
In India, School system really changes depending on the state , the board central , state or international etc. Obviously private or public is a quality deciding factor. We start school in Jr Kg like 2-3 and then we stay there till grade 10. My state has the concept of jr college from 10th to 12th but many states don't. So kg-12th same school. Then we can pursue a bachelors degree. The concept of tuition which are extra classes outside school are really popular and you have to take competitive exams to get into top specialised universities and that is a very very toxic culture 😢
Ontario (Canada): 2 yrs of kindergarten, 8 years elementary, 4 years high school (they had 5 years when I was in high school - Grade 13) College Programs are 2-3 years or University degrees are 4 years undergraduate. When I attended it was much more affordable than it is now. About $7000 for a year’s tuition.
In Finland in we have preschool 1 year at age 6, elementary school (grades 1-6) ages 7-12, lower secondary school (grades 7-9) ages 13-16. At 16 you can go to a vocational school or upper secondary school/high school which are 3 years ages 16-19. At 19 you have nation wide exams (The matriculation examination) After that you can apply to university or polytechnic. University usually has automatically both bachelor and masters degrees one after another, but polytechnic has only bachelor but you can apply separately to a higher degree after the bachelor degree. To most of our Universities it's hard to get in. Some only take 1-2% applicants (like art/music). At us universities get their money from government according to how many students graduate. The spots for each line of study are regulated in order to avoid saturation in the job market. We don't have mandatory school, but we have mandatory learning according to the nationwide study plan. Meaning you could choose another way to meet the learning requirements such as home schooling. It's very rare though as the education is free. (and there is hardly any private schools) And all levels are free, including University. In high school and vocational school you used to have to buy your books or other course materials but nowadays it is free until you turn 18. Also the mandatory part used to be until the end of lower secondary school (age 16) but nowdays it is until you turn 18. Teachers and professors are addressed with their first name from preschool to University. We don't have uniforms. Language learning used to start at grades 3, 4 and 7 + extra in high school and University if you wish. Oddest thing is that we have obligatory Swedish starting latest in 7th grade even though we only have 5% swedish speaking minority. Also in University, Polytechnic, vocational school etc everyone must pass their Swedish courses (spesific to their field of study ) to graduate. We also have public kindergarden/daycare before age 6, but that is completely optional. But also not free.
In normal countries, unlike Germoney, there are 6 years of primary school, 2-3 years of secondary school and then either 4 years of high school (for those who aim at university/higher education) or 3-4 years of an apprenticeship and trade school (for those who aim for work in "manual labor" or rather "non-academic(?)" labor?) ❤
Cries in American tuition. My tuition for uni was roughly $4,500 per semester and that was cheap because I went to a public, in state college and commuted from home. Even a community college which is much cheaper is around $1,500/semester so around $3,000 per year if you only do 2 semesters per year
11:05 my math teacher in elementary used to do a similar method. Everybody had to stand up, and then she asked multiplication questions (kleines 1x1). If you answered corrected, you were allowed to sit down. I hated it so much. (German here btw)
I'm from a military family and went to several different schools in the US in the 90s and 2000s. The basic structure was the same. Kindergarden- 5th or 6th grade was grade school. 6th or 7th-8th grade was middle school. Then high school. But the schools themselves were wildly different. In my first school, the teaching style was close to what Uyen experienced, but with a lot of money behind it. The next school I went to was poor and in a bad city neighborhood. They were leaning things in 4th grade that I had leaned in 1st so I was given my own workbooks. The next was in a rural area and it was probably closer to what most people experience here. The next was in a poor rural area and it was really behind. Our books were outdated and there weren't any electives. It was just preparing you for the ACTs and yearly state testing.
Wow, what a complicated topic! I mean, you could almost say that there is a basic structure in Germany with 16 different characteristics, because it can be different in every federal state 😂 The school time in elementary and Realschule was very easy for me. After an apprenticeship I visited a specialised one-year school to get my college entry certificate ("Fachhochschule") which was harder. And then two years later I went to a university of applied science ("Fachhochschule") and it was a kind of "culture shock" and it was much harder than studying straight after school, I had to learn all the basics again, so to speak. I can't brag about my grades at university either, at some point it was just a case of "survive and bite through" - but I made it! And in the first two years we had a tuition fee of EUR 500 additional to the semester fee (EUR 250), the tuition fee was canceled then in Lower-Saxony and after that there were like 100% more students at the university and I felt so uncomfortable. And in the first three semesters I also worked part-time. I stood up at 7am, went to university from 8am to 3, 4 or 5.15 pm, started work at 5.45pm until 10pm, went home, dinner and learning until 1-2am and even worked every second weekend...until I collapsed. It was too much. I got very sick with a very nasty pneumonia and had to step back, worked less hours and for the university (student counseling and first semester support which was SO much fun!) and got my bachelor's degree in economics.
In Sweden and Denmark universities are completely free, and students even get paid by the government every month! It's like part scholarship, and part loan that you have to pay back eventually. This way you can focus on studying and not have to work during university, or work very little and still be able to afford living on your own.
I graduated from my Master course with Merit in Biomedical Science (Clin Biochem specialism) and IBMS accredited (I can work in a hospital lab) in the UK in November 2024 after having worked for 5 years having graduated from my BSc in the same subject in 2018. I can say having jumped back into education, I was very quickly reminded how much I wanted to leave during my BSc as, not only was it harder, it was a greater content in less time... (come March, I wanted it to just be over, not because it was too much but because I had ZERO social life). I respect Uyen for not only completing her Masters but doing it in a language like German which is a second language to her! EDIT: How Master courses are graded in the UK: Pass = 50-59% Merit = 60-69% Distinction = 70%+
Masters are usually taught and written in English in Germany. Many Americans go to Germany for their masters because it is free 😮somewhat 😮and because they don’t have to be proficient in German to qualify.
The British education system is extremely unfair to those studying for A levels in countries outside of the UK. If you are living in one of the colonies where you are required to do British exams, you have 1 chance for instance on your subjects like GP (general papers). Whilst a student in Britain can repeat these subjects until they pass……..
I remember being in 10th grade in high school (I'm American), and we had German foreign exchange students come into my Trigonemetry class. They were way more advanced than we were and spoke perfect english. I was so impressed by their intelligence. American schools are horrible and have a prison like system that is focused on getting you into college/ university to be put into debt that takes a lifetime to pay back.
American here too 👋 I remember my friends who went to the county public schools had to write essays and take tests in middle school (very similar to college admissions) to be accepted into one of the high schools. I transferred to a different ‘public’ school in 3rd grade that didn’t have any of that, you just went right into their specific high school. (It was public but you either had to live in that specific suburb or be accepted through open enrollment or other programs. I got in through a program that was specifically for minorities so these suburban schools could hit their specific racial numbers(I’m Chinese).)
In the U.S., books are the same as Germany. I didnt pay for my books until College. A lot of colleges here have used books. My first foreign language was in 4th grade. It was German.
Uyen should not be ashamed of her Zhong Guo heritage. I know why you think/know Germans would be more tolerant to Vietnamese than to Zhong Guo Ren, but you could be a bridge builder that ends the racist stereotypes ❤❤❤ Support from here 😊
in Germany now you can switch almost every year to a higher school (so if you are in the Hauptschule you can switch almost every year to Realschule). Also you CAN go studying even if you don't haven't finished the "Gymnasium" and made your Abitur (the degree you get there). There are ways to get an Abitur BUT they are little bit complicated and not that easy of course but they ARE possible. Still our system is... kinda weird and old BUT you don't NEED a higher degree for the jobs since most of the jobs have a 3 year apprentienceship (and you go to "job school") and after finising that apprenticeship and you get your degree (for your job) you are a "specialist" in your job and (if you like) you can with that degree go and do further studies or "simply" start to work as a specialist in your job.
Growing up in America Kindergarten-8th grade are primary school, grades 9-12 are secondary (we call it High School), and trade school/college/university are higher education (possibly post secondary). I attended an elementary school which went all the way up to grade 8, but that is not common. Most elementary schools stop at 4th or 5th grade. We start with math, reading, writing and english. In my experience we don't pay for school until after high school (unless enrolled in private schools) and books etc are provided. Also school uniforms are rare, but most schools have complex dress codes which are enforced somewhat arbitrarily and I think uniforms might be better. We pay for any college/university and it's very expensive a cheap school is about 10,000 USD a year and almost everone graduates with debt. Also many of the degrees don't guarantee or translate directly into a job. College is viewed as a time to party and not have to face any responsibility.
I lived in four different countries when I was in elementary/secondary school, so I don't think I can speak much to the educational system of any of those countries 😂. But the best was definitely my last high school - we had senior trips (sometimes to other countries) that were really incredible. The worst was the homeschooling co-op my parents put me in one year, they taught so much nonsense 🙄
When / where I went to school in the Canadian provicne of Nova Scotia it was alot of memorization as well. When I went to university I was completely unprepared.
The weirdest thing for me is learning that in Germany (at least up in the area I now live in), most teachers are on a first-name-basis with their students. There was the rare teacher that would be called "Ms. Paige" or "Mr. Morgan" in America, but most schools had a policy where you had to call your teachers by a formal title and their last name. There's a bunch of TikToks showing how irritated teachers in America get when you use their first name.
It’s just that Uyen’s uni is easy, I have a sister majoring in information technology at Hanoi University of Science and Technology(HUST). She told me that it was 20 times harder than in high school. Even chemistry was her favorite subject at high school, she hated it at college cause it was so difficult. A lot of students also failed a subject many times. Even some students who got into college by national excellent student selection exam awards got kicked out. And I know there are other universities in Hanoi in which students have to study like crazy to pass the exams. So the thought that only high school is difficult is wrong.
I live in the United States. And when I went to school I first went to pre school age 3 to 5. Then Elementary school grade 1 to 6. Then Junior high school grade 7 to grade 9. Then high school grade 10 to 12. Then I went to school to become a licensed Cosmetology hair dresser. I then went back to school to become an RN. In Junior high school we had to have so many credits so I took wood shop, an electric class they taught you how to soder and make something like an electric box, in high school I was on the gymnastics team, cooking class, sex ed, were also tought how to drive. But Schools in the United States have really changed it's not like when I went school. Both of my Daughter's who are 44 and 46 didn't didn't get the 😮education as I did and my 5 Grandchildren 25B 23B 21G 16B 14G have not been taught what I was I graduated from High School in 1976. I love this new Cultural Cuddles ❤
Im from the US and went to college for 12 years persuing a PhD. I have to disagree about college life for me, it was not party time. I had to study hard and work a job to pay rent and such. I did not party because i would have failed classes and been hungover for work. Very stressful times and i dont know how i did it. The job market is non exsisitent for my degree where i ended up moving, so i choose a career that i needed no college degree for. Im glad i went to college because i learned a lot and especially how to research and learn new things which i continue to do. I just wish we didnt have to pay so much to go to uni. ALSO, we were told by our parents and teachers all growing up that if we didnt go to college, we would basicly be loosers working at McDonald's the rest of our lives. I wish there was more focus on trade work back then because i would have tried it and liked it back then, and not wasted my life doing what others told me was the right thing to do. Now i have lots of student loan debt that im still paying off. It just feels like you have to pay so much money for everything just to exist. I live in Hawaii and taxes and everything is very expensive here. I have learned to be very frugal, grow my own food, sew clothes to fit, ect. It all helps and makes it easier to live here. Much love from Hawaii! You are the sweetest couple. There needs to be more men like German Husband in this world!
Uyen studied the whole day from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., but because she didn't do much homework, she says she was lazy... Girl, you were not lazy, you were crazily TIRED.
I enjoy learning most subjects (other than history). I did very well in high school as it was all daily work where you used the textbooks to get the answers. In college I did terrible as it was all memorization and I have a terrible memory (also why I didn’t do as well in elementary or middle school). I did do very well in psychology (my minor) as those tests were always multiple choice so very easy. I thought about changing my major (biology) to psychology but I didn’t want to write a thesis, which was required, so I kept it as biology, even tho it took me 6 yrs to graduate (with a semester off after year 5) 😞 I needed a break, as my gps dropped way low, and I had to retake many classes. Forgot to mention, I went to private school for grade 1-8. Tiny school, my graduating class was 10, the largest graduating class they’d ever had. Then went to public high school and college. So my early school days were not the norm. We had required classes and presentations/gatherings that one would not have had in public school.
"Being a farmer in Vietnam is not a full-time job." You just blew my mind. Here in America, being a farmer often means that your life is your work. As far as learning by memorization versus learning by understanding goes, I wonder if learning by understanding is more common in communist countries and if learning by understanding (critical thinking) is more common in countries that try to emphasis and make up for bad histories.
Uyen, you lived in a place where people grew alot of their own food. You have said many times about how the food in Vietnam tastes better. This is why. Fresh ingrdients. In more developed countries most people have no idea how to grow their own food. All vegetables and greens are many days old by the time they get to our store. The children who go to those schools you went to probably know more about what is dangerous in their landscape because they are exposed to it. They live a life that is more intuned to their surroundings. We don't have that. Im trying to say, there are tradeoffs. You have senses and abilities that people from cities and highly "developed" countries dont have. They have some you may not have. Take what you have and don't have any embarrassment.
I also feel like german boyfriend's school is an alien school 😂😂 My school experience is more like Uyen (in some ways at least, main difference being school is free in sweden) In fact i think i would've enjoyed meeting w my teacher privately every day bc here the teachers don't have time to guide us privately so we are on our own in scheduling and studying.
For a second, in the beginning, I thought Uyen was saying German boyfriend went to college when she was born! 😂😂😂 I was like, wait! How old is German boyfriend??
I don’t think rural Vietnam hasn’t changed a huge amount. Not quite as poor as Uyen described. But I was there for 5 weeks in 2024 and there _were_ schools in most places (except super rural places like Ha Giang). But they were quite basic in comparison to what German boyfriend would’ve grown up with. Still, the children seemed happy. I saw a bunch of girls laughing when a boy asked one of the girls on a date or something. Just reminded me of how it was for me in Australia. So still basic, but seems to make them happy.
IWhen I went to school many many years ago, n Tasmania for primary school it was 1 Year of Kindergarten (optional) then 1 Year of Prep (Prepatory) followed by 6 years of Primary school (7 -8 Years total), High School is to grade 10 for school certificate (4 years) and grade 11 and or 12 for Matriculation (1-2 years after grade 10 depending on your capability to finish in 1 year or 2 or how many subjects you wanted to do to get into University). High School was 4. 5 or 6 Years Total. Generally speaking after Grade 10 you could leave or go to TAFE (Technical and Further Education) and after Grade 11 or 12 go to Uni (University or similar). Now I believe years 11 and 12 are both compulsory before University.
You know I love that Uyen is in lounge clothes/or pyjamas in videos sometimes but German boyfriend is usually fully dressed, lol, it reminds me of me and my French husband, he's always fully dressed until right before bed, and I only get dressed in "normal" clothes if I'm going out, lol
Same as me and my Hubby 😂
Honestly, it’s possible that he slept in that tshirt! No judgment, however! ❤❤
i only put on regular clothes if im going out too but my dad always wears button downs even in the house on weekend they are just short sleeves instead😂
lol me too these days
I'm French and I'm the same as your husband. Even on a lazy Sunday, I still change into jeans and whatever.
I think one could also mention the German Ausbildungssystem bc it‘s kinda unique I think? Many countries have a heavy focus on university and when you dont go to uni some parents think you ‚failed‘ kinda, whereas in Germany a lot of jobs dont need a university degree and you can do the 3 year apprenticeship school system to learn the job. I think that would be an interesting topic as well.
In Switzerland it is even more normal to make an apprenticeship, you can actually do most of the jobs without studying, and you can even do a Bachlor after an apprenticeship, you just have to make the Matura in 1 year
@@malilala8047So is the apprenticeship also for academic jobs that you usually learn in University and similar levels? In Finland we have an option (though not very popular) of apprenticeship for professions such as carpenter, electrician, hairdresser, youth worker, assistant in nursing or dental care etc. This at age 16-19.
But we don't have apprenticeships for the academic/higher education jobs.
It would be great to have had such a thing and learn in a much more practical hands on way.
I was in Polytechnic (University level, Bachelor degree) and luckily we did have a lot more practical approach with different projects with companies plus internship of 6, months. But it would have been great if it had been even more practical from the start. And learning the real worklife skills.
I wish this was more accepted/respected in the US. I have often experienced prejudice in my career because I don’t have a BA it MA degree. As a parent of a child with hands on skills, I want him to go into work that he enjoys and gain the right training. The schools do a terrible job of advising for skilled trade planning
I wish that's more the norm here in the Philippines. There are so many jobs that don't require a college degree and yet it is expected by most employers. Years wasted in college only to get work where the degree isn't even related
I'm generally not someone who enjoys podcasts very much, but I've found myself excited for every episode of Culture Cuddles. You guys just have such a lovely energy.
This podcast is the only thing keeping me sane because I listen to it while doing mind-numbing work instead of breaking down from stress 24/7. High school in Canada is really stressful, just like for Uyen. I really resonated with her experiences, even though our situations are and were very different. Thanks so much, you guys are so cute together! And you're so interesting to learn about!
As far as Germany is concerned, there are three different secondary schools, but you're not stuck there.
After each type of school, you can attend schools that lead to a post-secondary qualification. So you can go from “Hauptschule” (main school) to Abitur and go to university. I went to school for 10 years, then did an apprenticeship (for four years) and then, as an adult, went back to school (got my "Abitur" / A-levels) and studied at a university.
And even if you don't want to or can't study: Germany has a very good and differentiated system for apprenticeships. People who complete an apprenticeship don't just do unskilled work, they are skilled workers.
I am binging your videos to avoid our US News, today. Thank you for your lovely content!
As a Vietnamese and same age as Uyen, I can confirm most of what Uyen told you except for the kindergarten. Maybe because I lived in city instead of countryside, my kindergarten was not that bad. There was a big yard, some toys and teachers were from college (not farmers) so it was not as dangerous as Uyen's with 2 ponds near her kindergarten. And as for English, we learned English in grade 3, not grade 6 as Uyen, but yeah we (until grade 12 or even the entrance exam to the university) only focused on writing and reading. The teachers were not good at speaking either so we could not speak English anyway. It's changing now, even a 3 year old like my child is starting to learn basic English.
I feel so sorry for Uyen when it comes to highschool.😢 I am a German from Northrhinewestphalia and I went to a Christian Gymnasium . We had classes from 8 to 13.15 each day, except Sunday and only two Saturdays per month (with only 4 hours). Once a week we had sports in the afternoon. A few homeworks and that was it! I had much time to live my puberty, had many crushes😂, kissing, dating...it was fun and the best time of my life. At least the most heart- lighted one.
Québec (Canada): 6 years of Primary school, 5 years of Secondary school. No tuition fee, books were free also. After that is normally 2 years of college, small tuition fee, you have to pay for books. And after that, University: around 2500-3000$ per session so around 5k-6k$ per year, and you pay for your books also.
college and university are two separate things?
I had a great education, don't get me wrong, but you being able to study for hours with your teacher after school is over is a blessing.
Hello from Ukraine. We wore uniforms to school and we weren't allowed to go around with our hair down, and we had to memorize English texts, I hated it. Due to the fact that there was little understanding and a lot of learning by heart, I also have a problem with forming my own opinion and I am not always able to accept that other people's opinions differ. Thanks, love you 💗
These are old times, like 80-ties, start of 90-ties, isn't it?
@mariannakravchuk8894 No, it's after the 2000s
I understand, same ❤
In America I had kindergarten, then elementary school was 1-6th grades (some schools now include 6th as middle school). This was back in the 80's & 90s. I only went to elementary school to 4th grade and was homeschooled after that. We never paid for books (while goingto school), we just used them and then at the end of the year you gave them back so the kids in the grade behind you could use the. With homeschooling we had to buy the books. There are private and public schools, so you can choose, usually the private school is a better education. College we pay for. I went for 2 years. My parents paid for most of it, and in college you did have to buy your own books. Some books you could sell back at the end of the year. One year my roommate and I were mad because they wouldn't buy our mathbooks back so we burned them on the college sidewalk. It was outside our dorm and we cleaned it up, but it was so satisfying. I always hated math so it was cathartic. 😄 🤣
Loved hearing about you both and your experiences with your country's education. I found it very interesting!!
In Macedonia back in the 60-80es we had very affordable daycare, we had “free schools”, but the books, notebooks, pencils, art stuff, school excursions, everything cost money and the teachers demanded you buy specific stuff. Schools were in a decent condition and the curriculum was very good for the time. Our primary school teacher had some stashed money she offered to some poorer kids but no one knew who got those. We paid for school break food and a bit for after school care for the young kids.
My parents were well (enough) off. My older brother kept his books (I loved reading those way ahead of the time) but I gifted my books to a girl in the neighborhood who was a year younger and she was very happy about it because I kept them in pristine condition despite learning almost every word of every page, so no one knew her books were second hand.
It was 8 years mandatory school (4 primary school, 4 secondary school classes), then four years gymnasium or vocational school, afterwards university if you qualify, at the time at least four ( more like 4.5) years for the actual full degree of the profession except med school which was 5 years plus one clinical year.
My kids studied in Switzerland so if was 2 years of kindergarten (pre school), 2+3 years primary school, four years of secondary school (3 levels) and it was crazy, EVERYTHING was free- books, notebooks, printouts, pencils, crayons, everything! Parents only paid for excursions (but poor kids could apply for a free ride, no one needed to know except the teacher), if they still didn’t want to go they could go to school instead.
Gymnasium is for free except the books that kids can’t borrow and stuff, vocational training is not just free, you get paid for working part time (not much but a fair amount), vocational school is free of charge. University costs some fee (not crazy much, like probably roughly 1.2 K$ per year) and books, but getting a scholarship is very difficult, depends on how much your family makes and how much you can earn while still studying full time and passing your exams in a timely manner.
i love you guys and hearing your different perspectives ❤
this was such a fascinating contrast, seeing the two educations stacked up like that!
In canada, we generally had elementary from K-7, highschool from 8-12, and then you can go to college/uni/tradeschool, etc. Where I lived, there wasn't a middle school, but there are lots of areas that do have it, so it would be shoved in between elementary and HS, same amount of schooling time.
Quebec is a lil different, as they finish HS at grade 11, and then can get supplementary education via CEGEP to transition into uni, or to other trade jobs.
Item-wise: the schools (not post secondary) would provide you with the required textbooks/art materials/instruments for the class, but we were required to purchase the day to day supplies (pencils, erasers, notebooks, binders, etc.)
That's interesting! I went to school outside Toronto (Ontario, Canada) and high school was from 9-13. We were the only province to have an extra year of high school. The province got rid of it maybe 20 years ago? Anyway, I loved school, and you can tell bc I have three post-secondary degrees. But high school wasn't always great, because I went to a high school in a rich area but my parents were not rich at all, so I was teased for not having brand name clothes, etc. University was amazing because a lot of students are poor and really don't care about those things anymore, and I love it--going out, studying, everything. University is not free in Canada, unfortunately. I wish we had more of a similar system to the Netherlands or Germany.
Your podcasts are like Therapy.. my attention span is healing. ❤
I'm an American with a PhD in a STEM field; I have a lot of friends from China who have expressed that their schooling was similar to Vietnam.
Some of them have expressed such anger that Americans had it so much easier academically, but still manage to end up in the same place.
To be fair though, my high school experience was also light on sleep, and not because of my (non-existant) social life. I took the most challenging classes I could with hours and hours of homework each night, while attending a performing arts school with a lot of after school rehearsals, and I had a job.
I'm from Spain, and my school experience was nowhere as crazy as that found in several Asian countries. But I do have to say that due to all these TV shows and movies, I thought that the academic level in the United States was sky high....oh boy, I had several exchange students in my university who came from the States, and they were all so far behind...
I have friends whose parents sent them to the US for college in order to get them out of the insanity of their local school systems. Their local schools were structured much like Uyen described.
*Studying in Vietnam: Pho for breakfast. Studying in Germany: Pretzels for breakfast. Can I just*
17:39 I just had to pause here because I am SHOCKED. Being expected to do homework after being in school from 7:00 until 23:00! That is inhumane! You're not lazy if you don't do much homework in those circumstances, you're human and you desperately need sleep!
But that's why Asia is overtaking us soon in economical power... ❤
I can't believe even a lovely cute old couple in the autumn of life were once two young joyful schoolkids on two different parts of the world that didn't even know the other country exists ❤ It really shows us younger generations how fast life moves and how we need to appreciate every moment. Blink one too many times and suddenly 50 years have passed and we will be doing podcasts, or holo(graphic)casts(?) like you two ❤ Love yall, and don't be too sad, you can be proud of the legacy you leave behind 😊
😂, they aren't old.
I'm from the states. We have public education which means the state government provides funding to the local schools in that state. So each state has a budget for the public school. Then we have private schools which means the school is not funded by the government and money comes from tuition that families pay and that can range vastly. Both have to follow their state curriculums and both you receive your textbooks for free. Most but not all private schools may require a uniform and some public schools have implemented a uniform as well. Private schools can either be religious or non religious. Theirs something called charter schools which it's a private school that's funded by the state but they receive the same benefits as the public schools and many celebrities have opened charter schools in the US and usually they close down fairly quickly. Then their os online school which means the child does school online from an approved state school online. Homeschooling is educating children at home and this varies state to state as each state has different laws pertaining to homeschooling. Then theirs unschooling which is homeschooling but not really. Most elementary school goes
K-6 or K-5 or sometimes K-4
Middle school
7-8, 6,7,8 or 5,6,7,8 or sometimes 7,8,9
high school
9-12 or 10-12. Many Middle schools and high schools are usually the same building. Sometimes elementary thru high school will be in the same building very common in small towns that's where you'll see something like that. We have many extracurricular activities for school age children.
hello from England and welcome to the cutest couple culture show ever
I vote for full on turning German Boyfriend(fiancé) into a Ms. Blossom like character, just casually missing a head, head always out of frame or shot from behind because he’s giving peak *mystery*
In Turkey, it’s similar to Vietnam, except we don’t pay anything for public school education, like in Germany. Education here mainly focuses on memorization rather than encouraging people to express their opinions. From primary to elementary school, our families care mostly about passing the national exams, achieving the highest scores, and getting into good schools-nothing more. I experienced many of the things you encountered in Vietnam. My family is middle class, so they couldn’t afford to send me to private school, but I earned scholarships for university because I did well on the national exam. I noticed that private schools in Turkey are quite different. They encourage critical thinking, and the professors really care about you and your opinions, rather than just focusing on memorization. I really learned the subjects. So, I can say that if you attend a really good private school in Turkey, you receive a completely different education compared to public schools
Interesting to hear how it works in other countries.
In Sweden children start school the year they turn 7.
The first 6 years everone study the same thing without any choice.
Then another 3 years. During years 7-9 there are some minor choices of what to study, like choose a third language and an additional 2-4 hours per week where you can choose 1 or 2 extra subjects. The choices depends a bit on the school.
Then 3 years of optional high school. This is the first time children can choose what to study for real. This is usually a defining choice for their future career.
Up until this point all children will get free school lunch. A warm cooked meal in the middle of the day. All books are also provided, except notebooks. Pencils, calcularors and such are at the parents expense.
After that many go to university. Tuition at university is free and you even get a study grant from the government + roughly double that as optional student loan. The student loans have a very low interest rate, like 1-2% per year.
The grant and the loan is for most people enough to live on during their university years.
There are only like 3 or 4 private schools in Sweden where you have to pay for tuition, and those are usually attended by children of wealthy people. Other private schools are still funded by the municipality. But most schools, not including universities, are run by the municipalities.
For those that didn't do well in high school but later want to study at university can improve their grades at a special school later on. And then continue to university.
At no point are there any dress code. And children are tought to understand, not to memorise, for the most part at least.
My experience as a Vietnamese was a bit different. My sister and I were born in 1998/2000 in Hanoi and we played in kindergarten! We learned how to color, sing, and learn to recognize some letters but I did not learn how to read until I was in elementary school! Public school in my time started teaching English in 3rd grade. I believe it’s still the same. Yep and it’s easier to get into universities starting in 2016(?), since you can apply for multiple universities with your test score. Everything else Uyen said I can relate
Growing up in the US in rural pennsylvania, my school experience was similar to German fiance, bachelor's was a breeze in comparison to being in doctorate school now to learn east Asian medicine - but also have many friends who had a very challenging bachelor degree journey, it depends on the subject a lot too over here. Loved the bat emoji this time around!!
I am a Masters student in University of Latvia. Honestly its most appealing feature is that it is full of native speakers (I am studying Russian Language, Literature and Folklore). There are undoubtedly places that can give you more prestigious diploma and publications, but my uni feels like home. I love it.
I payed only to send my documents to uni before entering my first level of higher education programme. It was 40 eiro I think. Got government funded places both for three years in BP and two years in MP. I am on my final year of MP. There was no requirement on buying books from your pocket, it was provided by uni.
I like how you had no floor at times but You had music and cooking class.
Uyen and German Boyfriend, thank you so much for making this! It's so informative and cool to hear how different countries implement their education systems
I did not adapt well to university classes in Austria on my year abroad. I learned that I do not learn well learning on my own! It was so interesting hearing you guys' experiences.
cool episode
Uyen's experience is exactly like mine and may be all Vietnamese students. 7-12 at school, afternoon extra classes at school, evening extra classes at teacher’s house. Until now, every time there is a Lunar New Year holiday, I am still haunted because in primary school, the teachers gave too much homework to the students during the Tet holiday because they thought if they didn't study for a week, the students would forget all the knowledge.
I Love this format! Thanks!!!! ❤
Your husband forgot to mention the many further education opportunities in Germany. You can catch up on school diplomas. And you have to pay something to get to school... the copy costs. XD
Love you guys!
Greetings from Istanbul 👋
21:40 you can see uyens flashback for making her first time table in a german university
This is so interesting to me. You guys are doing a great job on this podcast🎉
In Brandenburg you also have 6 years of elementary school (Grundschule). You transfer to a secondary school after grade 6, so when you are 12 years old.
I freaking love your robe! So cute. Love your videos! ❤
In America, when I was in HS back in the 1980s, we paid for lunches, student ID, pictures, and yearbooks. If you played sports there was a fee as well. 😊❤
That half hour went by too fast! I always enjoy listening to your podcast 😊
In the U.S. they used to have home economics (cooking, sewing, knitting, and woodworking in middle school, and auto shop high school during the 40s through early 70s). Now it's not taught and they don't have any life skills. Some don't even know how to do laundry, and basic cleaning. My Filipina wife still doesn't like PDA. Our family is huggers, so she had to get used to that.
Home economics is now called Family and Consumer Sciences, but not all schools teach it.
I'm from the US and I took a cooking ("Foods") class in middle school during the early 2010's. These classes still exist, but it does seem like they're dwindling.
Pozdrav iz Srbije.❤
In Jamaica, we start out at age 3 in basic school (kindergarten), then we move on at age 6 to Primary school. We stay there for 6 years; at which point we do an exam to hopefully qualify for a so-called traditional high school or be placed at a non traditional schools. The high schools are ranked based on how they perform and this hierarchy is very culturally significant. High school then goes from grade 7 - 11, at which point you do a regional exam for your selected subjects thats administered across the Caribbean. If you do well, you can decide to stay at your school or go to a different school for 6th form for 2 years. You then do another regional exam and those grades determine your ability to get into university. Some colleges do accept persons out of 11th grade however.
In Jamaica, we wear school uniforms and have copious amounts of rules related to appearance. And there is definitely a lot of pressure on students when it comes to exams that will determine your whole future.
German and Vietnam two different worlds 😂
I was going to reply to your comment when I saw your handle name.
Bullying was a big thing back in school. The older I got, the better I could Deal with it. But I still had a lot of problems because of the bullys
Hi! In Costa Rica, kindergarten, elementary school (6 years, from 7 to 12 years old) and middle school (3 years) are compulsory and free by law, and you can start working at 15 years old with your parents permission, but nobody would hire you because you still don't have really finished high school or have a degree (and by law your boss have to pay your insurance, so workers are expensive to hire, nobody wants to spend the money on inexperienced minors here), here middle school and high school are one, so it actually last 5 years for a pure academic one and 6 years if you want one that teaches a basic profesion like mechanic, tour guide and the like. Books are not allowed right now by the government since last year, since not all students could afford them, the lunch is free until high school. This is for the public schools, private are really expensive and more high quality education.
Public Universities are better than private, but we only have 4 in the country, so they all have admission tests, to get a degree varies between 4 and 10 years😅 depending on the mayor, but you can get a scholarship. But trips and clubs are just urban myths here 😢 looks like fun.
Currently there's no extra clases after school unless your parents have money, almost no homework, a full day is front 7am to 4:30pm and it's not more than twice a week.
This is very interesting, you guys! Thank you for sharing! My Mom was from Waibstadt, Germany, near Mannheim. It is/was a small village, and she was taught in a Catholic school by nuns who really DID whack their hands!!!! I was born here in the USA, and we started Kindergarten at age 5, then elementary school from Grade 1 through 6. Then, it was off to "middle school" which was grades 7 and 8. (This was in Alabama). Then, off to high school, grades 9-12. You were a freshman, then a sophomore, then junior, then finally, a senior! We wore whatever we wanted. We had no bullies in my school. (I was living in Mobile, AL). Like GB, first day, to the library, where they would give us our books. We had to turn them in at the end. If you wrote/marked them up, you had to pay. We had to cover them in bookcovers, and we made them out of paper grocery bags and then drew on them, stockers, whatever... Graduation, then off to college, if you wanted. Which cost a lot. Not sure how much it was, because I was in college in 1986-1993. In high school, we had a choice of 3 options: you had to take either phys education, ROTC, or Band. I went into ROTC. (My dad was a Marine!). I hated high school too, Uyen. It was awful for me. Best day of my life was the last day of high school! Oh, it was from 7:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m.
I just want to say how much you guys blow my mind that you have such a large vocabulary in your second and third languages. I only know English, sign language and hardly enough Spanish(very little). Sometimes I think u speak better English than a lot of people and it's their first language! Lol.. anyways thank u for another cool video ❤
Agree!
In India, School system really changes depending on the state , the board central , state or international etc. Obviously private or public is a quality deciding factor. We start school in Jr Kg like 2-3 and then we stay there till grade 10. My state has the concept of jr college from 10th to 12th but many states don't. So kg-12th same school. Then we can pursue a bachelors degree. The concept of tuition which are extra classes outside school are really popular and you have to take competitive exams to get into top specialised universities and that is a very very toxic culture 😢
Ontario (Canada): 2 yrs of kindergarten, 8 years elementary, 4 years high school (they had 5 years when I was in high school - Grade 13) College Programs are 2-3 years or University degrees are 4 years undergraduate. When I attended it was much more affordable than it is now. About $7000 for a year’s tuition.
In the US, I had a very similar experience to the German university experience except it was insanely expensive
In Finland in we have preschool 1 year at age 6, elementary school (grades 1-6) ages 7-12, lower secondary school (grades 7-9) ages 13-16. At 16 you can go to a vocational school or upper secondary school/high school which are 3 years ages 16-19. At 19 you have nation wide exams (The matriculation examination)
After that you can apply to university or polytechnic. University usually has automatically both bachelor and masters degrees one after another, but polytechnic has only bachelor but you can apply separately to a higher degree after the bachelor degree.
To most of our Universities it's hard to get in. Some only take 1-2% applicants (like art/music). At us universities get their money from government according to how many students graduate. The spots for each line of study are regulated in order to avoid saturation in the job market.
We don't have mandatory school, but we have mandatory learning according to the nationwide study plan. Meaning you could choose another way to meet the learning requirements such as home schooling. It's very rare though as the education is free. (and there is hardly any private schools)
And all levels are free, including University. In high school and vocational school you used to have to buy your books or other course materials but nowadays it is free until you turn 18. Also the mandatory part used to be until the end of lower secondary school (age 16) but nowdays it is until you turn 18.
Teachers and professors are addressed with their first name from preschool to University. We don't have uniforms. Language learning used to start at grades 3, 4 and 7 + extra in high school and University if you wish.
Oddest thing is that we have obligatory Swedish starting latest in 7th grade even though we only have 5% swedish speaking minority. Also in University, Polytechnic, vocational school etc everyone must pass their Swedish courses (spesific to their field of study ) to graduate.
We also have public kindergarden/daycare before age 6, but that is completely optional. But also not free.
In normal countries, unlike Germoney, there are 6 years of primary school, 2-3 years of secondary school and then either 4 years of high school (for those who aim at university/higher education) or 3-4 years of an apprenticeship and trade school (for those who aim for work in "manual labor" or rather "non-academic(?)" labor?) ❤
Cries in American tuition. My tuition for uni was roughly $4,500 per semester and that was cheap because I went to a public, in state college and commuted from home. Even a community college which is much cheaper is around $1,500/semester so around $3,000 per year if you only do 2 semesters per year
11:05 my math teacher in elementary used to do a similar method. Everybody had to stand up, and then she asked multiplication questions (kleines 1x1). If you answered corrected, you were allowed to sit down. I hated it so much. (German here btw)
Love it! Sew is pronounced the same as ‘so’ 😊
I'm from a military family and went to several different schools in the US in the 90s and 2000s. The basic structure was the same. Kindergarden- 5th or 6th grade was grade school. 6th or 7th-8th grade was middle school. Then high school. But the schools themselves were wildly different. In my first school, the teaching style was close to what Uyen experienced, but with a lot of money behind it. The next school I went to was poor and in a bad city neighborhood. They were leaning things in 4th grade that I had leaned in 1st so I was given my own workbooks. The next was in a rural area and it was probably closer to what most people experience here. The next was in a poor rural area and it was really behind. Our books were outdated and there weren't any electives. It was just preparing you for the ACTs and yearly state testing.
Wow, what a complicated topic! I mean, you could almost say that there is a basic structure in Germany with 16 different characteristics, because it can be different in every federal state 😂 The school time in elementary and Realschule was very easy for me. After an apprenticeship I visited a specialised one-year school to get my college entry certificate ("Fachhochschule") which was harder.
And then two years later I went to a university of applied science ("Fachhochschule") and it was a kind of "culture shock" and it was much harder than studying straight after school, I had to learn all the basics again, so to speak. I can't brag about my grades at university either, at some point it was just a case of "survive and bite through" - but I made it! And in the first two years we had a tuition fee of EUR 500 additional to the semester fee (EUR 250), the tuition fee was canceled then in Lower-Saxony and after that there were like 100% more students at the university and I felt so uncomfortable. And in the first three semesters I also worked part-time. I stood up at 7am, went to university from 8am to 3, 4 or 5.15 pm, started work at 5.45pm until 10pm, went home, dinner and learning until 1-2am and even worked every second weekend...until I collapsed. It was too much. I got very sick with a very nasty pneumonia and had to step back, worked less hours and for the university (student counseling and first semester support which was SO much fun!) and got my bachelor's degree in economics.
I think my education lif was a mix between german and vietnamese system..ironically I loved every minute of it 😂
In Sweden and Denmark universities are completely free, and students even get paid by the government every month! It's like part scholarship, and part loan that you have to pay back eventually. This way you can focus on studying and not have to work during university, or work very little and still be able to afford living on your own.
I graduated from my Master course with Merit in Biomedical Science (Clin Biochem specialism) and IBMS accredited (I can work in a hospital lab) in the UK in November 2024 after having worked for 5 years having graduated from my BSc in the same subject in 2018. I can say having jumped back into education, I was very quickly reminded how much I wanted to leave during my BSc as, not only was it harder, it was a greater content in less time... (come March, I wanted it to just be over, not because it was too much but because I had ZERO social life).
I respect Uyen for not only completing her Masters but doing it in a language like German which is a second language to her!
EDIT:
How Master courses are graded in the UK:
Pass = 50-59%
Merit = 60-69%
Distinction = 70%+
Masters are usually taught and written in English in Germany. Many Americans go to Germany for their masters because it is free 😮somewhat 😮and because they don’t have to be proficient in German to qualify.
The British education system is extremely unfair to those studying for A levels in countries outside of the UK.
If you are living in one of the colonies where you are required to do British exams, you have 1 chance for instance on your subjects like GP (general papers).
Whilst a student in Britain can repeat these subjects until they pass……..
soo adorable..... i was in pooburty mode 🤩🥰
I remember being in 10th grade in high school (I'm American), and we had German foreign exchange students come into my Trigonemetry class. They were way more advanced than we were and spoke perfect english. I was so impressed by their intelligence. American schools are horrible and have a prison like system that is focused on getting you into college/ university to be put into debt that takes a lifetime to pay back.
American here too 👋 I remember my friends who went to the county public schools had to write essays and take tests in middle school (very similar to college admissions) to be accepted into one of the high schools. I transferred to a different ‘public’ school in 3rd grade that didn’t have any of that, you just went right into their specific high school. (It was public but you either had to live in that specific suburb or be accepted through open enrollment or other programs. I got in through a program that was specifically for minorities so these suburban schools could hit their specific racial numbers(I’m Chinese).)
Agree with German husband. Love studying, hate exams
HIS VOICECRACK AT 0:33 Lollll
That intro reminded me of Sheldon's fun with flags show.
The good, the bad and the ugly pokemon shirt 😂
In the U.S., books are the same as Germany. I didnt pay for my books until College. A lot of colleges here have used books.
My first foreign language was in 4th grade. It was German.
Hi from south korea!
Uyen, growing one's own food is the best! the quality is the highest.
ah yeah, our vietnamese perfectionism❤😂
i am not raised there and my parents are german, but i have it in my genes😂
Uyen should not be ashamed of her Zhong Guo heritage. I know why you think/know Germans would be more tolerant to Vietnamese than to Zhong Guo Ren, but you could be a bridge builder that ends the racist stereotypes ❤❤❤ Support from here 😊
in Germany now you can switch almost every year to a higher school (so if you are in the Hauptschule you can switch almost every year to Realschule). Also you CAN go studying even if you don't haven't finished the "Gymnasium" and made your Abitur (the degree you get there). There are ways to get an Abitur BUT they are little bit complicated and not that easy of course but they ARE possible. Still our system is... kinda weird and old
BUT you don't NEED a higher degree for the jobs since most of the jobs have a 3 year apprentienceship (and you go to "job school") and after finising that apprenticeship and you get your degree (for your job) you are a "specialist" in your job and (if you like) you can with that degree go and do further studies or "simply" start to work as a specialist in your job.
Growing up in America Kindergarten-8th grade are primary school, grades 9-12 are secondary (we call it High School), and trade school/college/university are higher education (possibly post secondary). I attended an elementary school which went all the way up to grade 8, but that is not common. Most elementary schools stop at 4th or 5th grade.
We start with math, reading, writing and english. In my experience we don't pay for school until after high school (unless enrolled in private schools) and books etc are provided. Also school uniforms are rare, but most schools have complex dress codes which are enforced somewhat arbitrarily and I think uniforms might be better.
We pay for any college/university and it's very expensive a cheap school is about 10,000 USD a year and almost everone graduates with debt. Also many of the degrees don't guarantee or translate directly into a job. College is viewed as a time to party and not have to face any responsibility.
I lived in four different countries when I was in elementary/secondary school, so I don't think I can speak much to the educational system of any of those countries 😂. But the best was definitely my last high school - we had senior trips (sometimes to other countries) that were really incredible. The worst was the homeschooling co-op my parents put me in one year, they taught so much nonsense 🙄
“We don’t use knives at that time😂.”
When / where I went to school in the Canadian provicne of Nova Scotia it was alot of memorization as well. When I went to university I was completely unprepared.
The weirdest thing for me is learning that in Germany (at least up in the area I now live in), most teachers are on a first-name-basis with their students. There was the rare teacher that would be called "Ms. Paige" or "Mr. Morgan" in America, but most schools had a policy where you had to call your teachers by a formal title and their last name. There's a bunch of TikToks showing how irritated teachers in America get when you use their first name.
It’s just that Uyen’s uni is easy, I have a sister majoring in information technology at Hanoi University of Science and Technology(HUST). She told me that it was 20 times harder than in high school. Even chemistry was her favorite subject at high school, she hated it at college cause it was so difficult. A lot of students also failed a subject many times. Even some students who got into college by national excellent student selection exam awards got kicked out. And I know there are other universities in Hanoi in which students have to study like crazy to pass the exams. So the thought that only high school is difficult is wrong.
Uyen! Don't forget to tag Animenz for his piano arrangement!
I live in the United States. And when I went to school I first went to pre school age 3 to 5. Then Elementary school grade 1 to 6. Then Junior high school grade 7 to grade 9. Then high school grade 10 to 12. Then I went to school to become a licensed Cosmetology hair dresser. I then went back to school to become an RN. In Junior high school we had to have so many credits so I took wood shop, an electric class they taught you how to soder and make something like an electric box, in high school I was on the gymnastics team, cooking class, sex ed, were also tought how to drive. But Schools in the United States have really changed it's not like when I went school. Both of my Daughter's who are 44 and 46 didn't didn't get the 😮education as I did and my 5 Grandchildren 25B 23B 21G 16B 14G have not been taught what I was I graduated from High School in 1976. I love this new Cultural Cuddles ❤
Im from the US and went to college for 12 years persuing a PhD. I have to disagree about college life for me, it was not party time. I had to study hard and work a job to pay rent and such. I did not party because i would have failed classes and been hungover for work. Very stressful times and i dont know how i did it. The job market is non exsisitent for my degree where i ended up moving, so i choose a career that i needed no college degree for. Im glad i went to college because i learned a lot and especially how to research and learn new things which i continue to do. I just wish we didnt have to pay so much to go to uni. ALSO, we were told by our parents and teachers all growing up that if we didnt go to college, we would basicly be loosers working at McDonald's the rest of our lives. I wish there was more focus on trade work back then because i would have tried it and liked it back then, and not wasted my life doing what others told me was the right thing to do. Now i have lots of student loan debt that im still paying off. It just feels like you have to pay so much money for everything just to exist. I live in Hawaii and taxes and everything is very expensive here. I have learned to be very frugal, grow my own food, sew clothes to fit, ect. It all helps and makes it easier to live here.
Much love from Hawaii! You are the sweetest couple. There needs to be more men like German Husband in this world!
Wow... German BF really is fluffy based on his face!
Uyen studied the whole day from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m., but because she didn't do much homework, she says she was lazy... Girl, you were not lazy, you were crazily TIRED.
Love that German Boyfriend is slowly becoming a Vtuber. Great video.
Oh, hahaha! I'm 66 and I still have dreams about school. Sorry, but they never leave. 😊
23:14 Man kann sehen wie es in Uyens Kopf rattert und sie schnell umrechnet, wie viel Euro es wären😂
I enjoy learning most subjects (other than history). I did very well in high school as it was all daily work where you used the textbooks to get the answers. In college I did terrible as it was all memorization and I have a terrible memory (also why I didn’t do as well in elementary or middle school). I did do very well in psychology (my minor) as those tests were always multiple choice so very easy. I thought about changing my major (biology) to psychology but I didn’t want to write a thesis, which was required, so I kept it as biology, even tho it took me 6 yrs to graduate (with a semester off after year 5) 😞 I needed a break, as my gps dropped way low, and I had to retake many classes.
Forgot to mention, I went to private school for grade 1-8. Tiny school, my graduating class was 10, the largest graduating class they’d ever had. Then went to public high school and college. So my early school days were not the norm. We had required classes and presentations/gatherings that one would not have had in public school.
Greetings from Mannheim!(pls like that she can see this) machst du bei der Show von liam carpenter machen (16.3 in Mannheim)❤
"Being a farmer in Vietnam is not a full-time job."
You just blew my mind.
Here in America, being a farmer often means that your life is your work.
As far as learning by memorization versus learning by understanding goes, I wonder if learning by understanding is more common in communist countries and if learning by understanding (critical thinking) is more common in countries that try to emphasis and make up for bad histories.
Uyen, you lived in a place where people grew alot of their own food. You have said many times about how the food in Vietnam tastes better. This is why. Fresh ingrdients. In more developed countries most people have no idea how to grow their own food. All vegetables and greens are many days old by the time they get to our store. The children who go to those schools you went to probably know more about what is dangerous in their landscape because they are exposed to it. They live a life that is more intuned to their surroundings. We don't have that.
Im trying to say, there are tradeoffs. You have senses and abilities that people from cities and highly "developed" countries dont have. They have some you may not have. Take what you have and don't have any embarrassment.
In the UK we have preschool (starts 2 yrs old) nursery, reception, yr 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 then it’s secondary school, college and university 😂
I also feel like german boyfriend's school is an alien school 😂😂
My school experience is more like Uyen (in some ways at least, main difference being school is free in sweden)
In fact i think i would've enjoyed meeting w my teacher privately every day bc here the teachers don't have time to guide us privately so we are on our own in scheduling and studying.
That's interesting. I'm from Canada. It's more like Germany than Vietnam here. 😂
For a second, in the beginning, I thought Uyen was saying German boyfriend went to college when she was born! 😂😂😂 I was like, wait! How old is German boyfriend??
I don’t think rural Vietnam hasn’t changed a huge amount. Not quite as poor as Uyen described. But I was there for 5 weeks in 2024 and there _were_ schools in most places (except super rural places like Ha Giang). But they were quite basic in comparison to what German boyfriend would’ve grown up with. Still, the children seemed happy. I saw a bunch of girls laughing when a boy asked one of the girls on a date or something. Just reminded me of how it was for me in Australia. So still basic, but seems to make them happy.
Hi from Turkey! ❤
IWhen I went to school many many years ago, n Tasmania for primary school it was 1 Year of Kindergarten (optional) then 1 Year of Prep (Prepatory) followed by 6 years of Primary school (7 -8 Years total), High School is to grade 10 for school certificate (4 years) and grade 11 and or 12 for Matriculation (1-2 years after grade 10 depending on your capability to finish in 1 year or 2 or how many subjects you wanted to do to get into University). High School was 4. 5 or 6 Years Total. Generally speaking after Grade 10 you could leave or go to TAFE (Technical and Further Education) and after Grade 11 or 12 go to Uni (University or similar). Now I believe years 11 and 12 are both compulsory before University.
I went to elementary school in Bavaria and it was a lot more stressful there and a lot of pressure to learn maths.