I totally agree. I lived abroad twice. And not a lot of people talk about certain issues: Finding friends; getting good grades; weight gain; how tiring it is to be around a foreign language 24/7. The worst thing for me was becoming a whole new person, building a life abroad and feeling at home - and then having to leave it. It's the price you pay for the great experience of going abroad.
I live in Switzerland for 12 years and it's true it's harder to make friends in Europe! I did an internship in America & it's crazy how open/easy it is to meet new people.
I think the hard part about travelling is being in awe of your abillity to renew your identity, while being conscious of the fact you will have to leave the basis of your transformation after a short period of time.
Congratulations, Montana for being so honest! It seems the German directness has had an influence on you. Even though there were negative sides I hope you look back positively!
Ich liebe deine offene Art, und wie du es kommunizierst. Es ist für jeden ein großer Schritt und ein ungewisse Abenteuer ein Schüleraustausch zu machen. Egal für wen, egal wo und wann. Ich hatte die Möglichkeit leider nicht, deswegen sei froh so eine Erfahrung machen zu dürfen. Ich habe dafür meine Auslandserfahrungen in Europa, Russland und Nordafrika dann später machen können. Ich bin dann mit dem LKW herumgekommen und habe dabei auch nicht nur positive Erfahrungen gesammelt. Ich habe mich nicht nur einmal gefragt was ich eigentlich da mache! Doch möchte ich um nichts in der Welt nur eine Sekunde von dieser Zeit missen. Es gab immer wieder Augenblicke und tolle Erlebnisse die diese negativen Ereignisse kompensierten. In deinem Fall kommt noch dazu, du kommst aus deiner gewohnten heimatlichen Umgebung in eine völlig andere Welt. Um es mal so auszudrücken. Dann das Heimweh... Bestimmt war es in der ersten Zeit eine bittere Erfahrung. Ich wüsste als Gastvater nicht wie ich reagieren soll. Wahrscheinlich würde ich Familie samt Gastkind schnappen und in einem Diner amerikanisch Essen gehen. Und hinterher würdest du mich dafür auslachen . 🤣 Ich finde das ein richtig mutiger Schritt für euch Austauschschüler! Klar durch Corona hat es dein Programm auch drastisch verkürzt, so daß du früher wieder zurück in die Staaten geholt wurdest. Das Virus hat die ganze Welt durcheinander gebracht, und sorgt für noch mehr Ärger. Ich denke das wird auch noch länger dauern. Schreib mich einfach an wenn du ein Rezept für ein gutes Schnitzel brauchst, oder auch was anderes. Deine Videos, und auch Videos von anderen UA-camrn haben mir einen Floh in Ohr gesetzt. (das ist in Deutschland ein Spruch dafür, wenn man auf eine neue Idee gebracht wurde.) Ich werde in die USA reisen und mir dort so viele wie nur möglich ansehen. Und ich hoffe dort auch ein paar interessante Leute besser kennen zu lernen. In absehbarer Zeit wird das wohl eher nicht gehen, aber ich arbeite bereits daran. Du wirst es erfahren wenn es soweit ist! Ich bin mir sicher, die Erfahrungen und Erlebnisse werden dich dein ganzes Leben begleiten. Auch solltest du den Kontakt mit deiner Gastfamilie nicht abbrechen lassen. Heutzutage gibt es so gute Wege miteinander zu kommunizieren, wie das Internet. Ich denke du bist in der Zeit auch ein Teil von ihnen geworden. Wenn es schwierig ist in Deutschland Freundschaften zu knüpfen, halten diese in der Regel aber sehr lange. Wenn nicht für immer! Der Titel deines Videos, the worst Parts of my studying abroad, ist ein Mittel das erlebte zu verarbeiten. Irgendwann wird es einfach ein Teil von der Geschichte sein. Daß die Schule in Deutschland so viel schwieriger ist, hätte ich nicht gedacht. Ich habe diese Erfahrung nicht machen können. Du hast diesen Teil deiner Geschichte aber doch gut gemeistert! Vor allem sprichst du, trotz der relativ kurzen Zeit, sehr gut deutsch. Also kannst du keine schlechte Schülerin sein! Tue immer dein Bestes. Aber das brauche ich dir nicht zu sagen. Be strong and stay healthy, Montana! Do your best.
I lived my whole life here in Germany and never had many friends here. Actually I have more friends in the US than I have here in Germany. And I’ve never even been to the US in the first place. I found them over Instagram. But I can’t understand how you couldn’t find friends here. You’re such a sweet, funny person, Montana. I would certainly want to be your friend, when you come here again. :)
Another interesting video. You gave a lot of detailed aspects of your stay here in Germany. But I also like your adorable kind of presentation. Keep on going. Best regards from Germany!🇩🇪♥️👍
My exchange year to the US was 40 years ago and I do not remember any negative aspects I might have suffered from. There were some, I guess. I would have been a different person if I had not gone through all of that. I treasure every second of that year and so should you - time will tell. Keep up your positivity (and come back soon)!
Changing host families: We experienced the other side of it. My Mom knew a family she met during an exchange program where she went to the US. She invited the daughter of that family to stay a year in Germany. When the daughter came over it was a total disaster. Despite everybody knew each other. Not very well but at least from the stay of my Mom in the US. But what made it not work was the situation. My Mom was a teacher but lived alone. So there were no equals in the family just her. Then the culture shock of having no immediate friends and difficulties to strike up new aquaintances. In the end she was met up with a different family where she did alright, might even say well. So my advice is to have a family as host which at least kids in approximately the same age. This should serve as a starter like a plant needs soil, fertilizer and a pot if transplanted. After that year everybody came together for a review. The exchange student said that she learned a lot and grew personally. From a protected environment in her own family to a foreign culture and knowing practically nobody even not the language was simply too much. But she said that she found a new home in the other family and now looked at the experience differently. She blamed the first bad part also on her not already having developed enough independency and personality (16 years old). To sum up: Reduce the number of challenges. Culture and without any familiar person around you is hard. Don't make it harder. And for hosts: Be very critical of what you can offer in form of comforting and support. And: Kids from the US are not like kids from Germany! And that part is the most difficult one because we as Germans are not really into the situation of the exchange student. Despite we have seen each other. Everyday life is different and a whole new dimension when the excitement and touristy aspects have worn off.
oh my god that reminded me so much on my experiences when I had my first exchange when I was 16, I 've forgotten all this difficult aspects that are so true.
As far as I remember you didn't make a video about your experience with your host family in comparison to the experiences your friends had with their host families or am I wrong?🤔
As a German, I was at an advantage during my exchange program in Canada because I already knew the language. I actually ended up in advanced level English and on the principal's honor roll without working harder than before.
"Who am I?" -- Nicely said. I studied abroad and traveled a lot, so I can perfectly understand your thoughts. I've never been to the USA (maybe some time later), but I've been to southeast Asia, and that's a completely different experience from just seeing European countries. I more than once thought, "Oh my gosh, why am I here?", and my inner voice responded, "Because you wanted it, stupid". edit: My girlfriend just asked where she (that means, I) can buy the earrings you wear. Are they commercial or did you make them yourself? edit2: Gaining weight when abroad. I even gained weight in India, where people mostly are vegetarians. YES, you can gain weight on a veggie diet. I think it's because, even if you are not hungry anymore, you MUST try the local dishes. Curiosity is something inherent in all mammals; and, yes, I know, it allegedly killed the cat.
Of course, the foreign language is one aspect. But it also always depends on what you are comparing. The Abitur is the highest German school-leaving qualification. It is roughly equivalent to an American high school diploma plus one or two years of college, depending on the individual case. Of course, this does not mean that everything is easier in the USA. Many master's and Ph.D programs in the U.S. are highly selective and very demanding. In this respect, each education system contains its own unique challenges and difficulties.
The chain earrings are amazing 😻 As an former exchange student I can agree to all of this things 🙏🏼☺️ I studied at a boarding school in France and this was totally amazing but also hard 🤷🏼♀️ the different language, new people, adjusting with my roommate aka host-sister I was spending the holidays with, homesickness, different food 20 pounds more in the first two months😳thankfully I lost everything and a little bit more until the fifth month 🙏🏼school problems because of the foreign language, bonding with my classmates, Handel the new school uniform situation at my school, in the dorms I was free to choose what I wear but at the lessons institution (classrooms,gym, cafeteria) I had to wear proper and accurate school uniform (even a sports uniform). I had to follow a crazy amount of rules: the rules inside the dorm building, the school house rules, the exchange rules (cause I was on scholarship), the rules from my host-family (I turned 18 in my exchange year and had zero adult Privileg’s) it wasn’t that bad 🤷🏼♀️ but my exchange was worth it 😍
Hi Montana, I think you are very brave and your German adventure was definitely an extreme situation with your previous knowledge. I hope you got through everything well and in the end the positive memories outweigh the rest.
Hi Montana, you're looking amazing today, as literally every day! And watching todays video, you made me jelous not having had those experiences you had during your 8 months in Germany as an exchange student! I would have loved to experiance such a time in my youth, but would have preferred Canada as the destination of such an experiance for me. Always loved the idea to live in Canada for some time as a child, but unfortunately never did..! Glad for you that you did and that you decided to let us participate in your "once in a lifetime experiance"! Thank you so so much for that, and I'm looking forward to much more of your uncomparable UA-cam content. - Of course uncomparable being uncomparable yourself by simply being yourself...
Ich war 2010/2011 für ein Jahr in den USA. Das schlimmste Erlebnis war eine Beerdigung. Da lag die Leiche während der Trauerfeier einfach offen in ihrem Sarg und alle drum herum haben Kuchen gegessen und sich unterhalten. Quasi mit dem Toten vor der Beerdigung nochmal eine letzte Zeit verbracht. Darauf war ich echt nicht vorbereitet.
An idea to celebrate Thanksgiving in Germany. Either you look for other Americans and celebrate with them. Or you think about how you can celebrate with the host family at an early stage. You may find the ingredients for a recipe that you then try out together. In any case, you have to give the impulse yourself that Thanksgiving is celebrated similarly to the US. But everyone will certainly agree to an additional celebration, even if it is not a tradition in Germany.
Vielen, vielen herzlichen Dank, liebe Miss Montana! Denn so viel jugendlich bezaubernde Liebe und Weisheit - in solch jungen Jahren - ist wirklich höchst bemerkenswert und ein unbezahlbares Geschenk für die ganze Menschheit! Das meint zumindest der Rainer-JGS.de, der Förderer guter Umgangs- und Sprachkultur.
@@rainig.2241 Warum schreibst Du so verschwurbelt und nicht endlich Klartext? Denn bevor man sich über Dein geheimnisvolles Geschreibsel den Kopf zerbricht, klickt man lieber weiter!
@factsplease - So viel unbegründeter Haß in einem dummen Herzen! Im übrigen habe ich eine Frau, vier Kinder und drei Enkelkinder - wo also liegt Dein Problem?
Eine kurze Frage: Darf man in den Kommentaren auf Deutsch schreiben oder ist Dir Englisch lieber? Auf Englisch können es zwar mehr Leute hier verstehen, aber auf Deutsch kann es ja auch eine Übung für diejenigen sein, die gerade Deutsch lernen. LG
Liebe Montana: I hope college at UofVA is going well! This is a very informative and aprepo vid, as I have a friend whose HS-aged kid has an interest in your Congress-Bundestag program. Could you tell me what this program's "German language proficiency requirements" were for you before the program began? We're you required to take a certain number of years of Deutsch in HS and/or Middle School (with passing grades) before applying? Anything else? Any info/insights on the pre-program language requirements would be most helpful. Vielen Dank!!
Actually there is more to it. If you place an American in a German class you have to take several things in account: Does the guest family have an child in the same class? How will the American feel if all other students are (a lot) younger? How much does the American know about the subject (Algebra, Calculus, ...?) How old (and/or mature) is the American? Usually the exchange organisations recommend a mixture of classes: German in a low grade, where grammar is taught and the rest in a grade, where the student can understand the material they have to cover but still is close to people of similar age and maturity. Experience shows that the language is the minor problem, if the American communicates a lot. Youths at that age learn languages rather fast.
Das sehe ich tatsächlich ganz anders, speziell bei Austauschschülern aus dem angloamerikanischen Sprachraum. Da ja sowieso jeder Schüler in Deutschland englisch lernen muss, wäre es doch kein Problem den Austauschschüler die Themen erstmal auf Englisch zu übersetzen und dabei nach und nach auch die Deutschen Wörter mit einfließen zu lassen. Das hätte auch Vorteile für die deutschen Schüler gehabt und es würde leichter fallen Freunde zu finden, weil das halt mit gleichaltrigen einfacher geht. Zudem schweißt das gemeinsame Lernen zusammen und die deutschen Schüler hätten auch davon profitiert, weil sie mehr Englisch praktiziert hätten. Also eine echte Win-Win Situation. Oder wie siehst du das Montana?
@@wora1111 Montana did learn German rather quickly in the end. As evidenced by her videos. But to expect somebody with a few months of experience in the language to keep up with native speakers of the same age is expecting a bit much.
@@stefanloos2570 Grundsätzlich würde ich dir gar nicht widersprechen. Allerdings wäre dafür in der Praxis wohl kaum Zeit gewesen. Wir sprechen hier immerhin vom Deutschunterricht.
@@stefanloos2570 Nö, wieso sollen die bevorzugt werden? Wenn ich nach Amerika gehe wird auch keiner alles in deutsch erklären. Jeder wird von mir erwarten alles in englisch zu verstehen und in der Schule mitzukommen. Da gibts auch keine Vorzugsbehandlung.
Considering that all German participants in the Congress-Bundestag exchange have several years of English knowledge is it not somewhat unfair for the US participants for be sent to Germany without at least a couple of German knowledge?
@@alexj9603 as i understand Montana she „suffered“ under Not having the necessary German knowledge to take part in the classes which would fit her age. I would not think that would have been the issue to any of the German participants going to the US. So I see it as unfair to put American participants in such a position.
Yes, I know of German exchange students who easily passed passed their highschool diploma during an exchange year. But what do you want to do to give Americans the same chance in Germany? You'd have to change the entire educational system.
I am from Ireland and the contents on your channel is fabulous. I will never get tired of watching your videos. Have a look at my channel's content if they are good as yours. Thanks! and best of luck.
The exchange organizations try to find a "perfect fit" between a student they only know by a description and a family they usually have audited for 1-2 hours. Than can work, but it does not always. Another reason is, that when the student enters the family he/she is often considered a "guest" rather than a "member of the family". That wears off after 2-3 months. If student and family do not share openly what they expect of each other at an early time they can get into kind of a bad situation with a build up of emotions. Often this can not be repaired and the students have to change families. In my times, that happened in about one third of the cases of students coming to Germany. Usually both students and families learn from this experience and avoid repeating it. There are hardly any cases, where a student has to be replaced twice and often the family will try with another student without problems as well.
ich soll Klartext reden: ich möchte Die nicht auf die Finger schlagen....Montana et al. ;-(....obwohl dass ist ja auch etwas unrealistisch in der heutigen Zeit...auch zu der unser Zeit gabs schon nur noch an den Ohren ziehen ;-(
Danke für deine ehrliche Auseinandersetzung auch mit den Schattenseiten des Austauschjahres. Eins verstehe ich nur nicht: du benutzt mehrfach das Wort 'studying', obwohl du doch in Passau nicht studiert, sondern eine Oberstufenklasse besucht hast. Zwischen Schulbesuch und Universität ist aber in Deutschland ein Riesenunterschied! Als Studentin wärst du in Coronazeiten ziemlich auf dich allein gestellt gewesen. Da haben alle Glück, die zumindest in einer WG wohnen. Die deutsche Studentenbetreuung ist meines Wissens ziemlich schlecht. An der Schule geht es vergleichsweise gemütlich zu. Und die Oberstufe ist in Deutschland nichts Besonderes, man studiert nicht, man nennt es einfach lernen. Es sind einfach die letzten 3 Jahre des Gymnasiums bzw. der Gesamtschule. Ich bin übrigens traurig und enttäuscht, dass du auch beim letzten Video wieder nicht meine Fragen zu der ungewöhnlichen Art der Amis, ihren Kindern Vornamen zu geben, geantwortet hast. Dabei würde mich das wirklich sehr interessieren. Dein eigener Vorname ist ja das beste Beispiel dafür. Ich wundere mich immer wieder neu darüber und werde dadurch daran erinnert, dass mir deine Antworten fehlen. Schade.
Great video Montana! I totally relate to your point about "Who am I?". I remember having the exact conversation with a friend when I was in Germany. Nobody knows your history/ past beliefs and you can act like a totally different person if you wanted.
@@MontanaShowalter you’re too modest, honey. It could be the lighting though. Also, you probably brush your teeth regularly and don’t live on coffee, unlike certain ahem people (not gonna say any names). Keep smiling :D
Dear Montana Would you have been happier, if your Host family in Germany would have " try" to make thanksgiving meal that day?? Or do you think it would have caused you more feeling homesick.( sorry my english is not as good like your german)👍
...did not understand, as with english testimonies it should be even somewhat easier in Germany, as quite some speak fairly engl. ...easier than the other way around.... ? ;-(
Honestly, nothing against you, you are really sweet. Is it just me or do your earrings look like you connected a bunch of paper-clips and hang them from your ear?
I totally agree. I lived abroad twice. And not a lot of people talk about certain issues: Finding friends; getting good grades; weight gain; how tiring it is to be around a foreign language 24/7. The worst thing for me was becoming a whole new person, building a life abroad and feeling at home - and then having to leave it. It's the price you pay for the great experience of going abroad.
I live in Switzerland for 12 years and it's true it's harder to make friends in Europe! I did an internship in America & it's crazy how open/easy it is to meet new people.
I think the hard part about travelling is being in awe of your abillity to renew your identity, while being conscious of the fact you will have to leave the basis of your transformation after a short period of time.
Congratulations, Montana for being so honest! It seems the German directness has had an influence on you. Even though there were negative sides I hope you look back positively!
Ich liebe deine offene Art, und wie du es kommunizierst. Es ist für jeden ein großer Schritt und ein ungewisse Abenteuer ein Schüleraustausch zu machen. Egal für wen, egal wo und wann. Ich hatte die Möglichkeit leider nicht, deswegen sei froh so eine Erfahrung machen zu dürfen. Ich habe dafür meine Auslandserfahrungen in Europa, Russland und Nordafrika dann später machen können. Ich bin dann mit dem LKW herumgekommen und habe dabei auch nicht nur positive Erfahrungen gesammelt. Ich habe mich nicht nur einmal gefragt was ich eigentlich da mache! Doch möchte ich um nichts in der Welt nur eine Sekunde von dieser Zeit missen. Es gab immer wieder Augenblicke und tolle Erlebnisse die diese negativen Ereignisse kompensierten. In deinem Fall kommt noch dazu, du kommst aus deiner gewohnten heimatlichen Umgebung in eine völlig andere Welt. Um es mal so auszudrücken. Dann das Heimweh... Bestimmt war es in der ersten Zeit eine bittere Erfahrung. Ich wüsste als Gastvater nicht wie ich reagieren soll. Wahrscheinlich würde ich Familie samt Gastkind schnappen und in einem Diner amerikanisch Essen gehen. Und hinterher würdest du mich dafür auslachen . 🤣 Ich finde das ein richtig mutiger Schritt für euch Austauschschüler! Klar durch Corona hat es dein Programm auch drastisch verkürzt, so daß du früher wieder zurück in die Staaten geholt wurdest. Das Virus hat die ganze Welt durcheinander gebracht, und sorgt für noch mehr Ärger. Ich denke das wird auch noch länger dauern. Schreib mich einfach an wenn du ein Rezept für ein gutes Schnitzel brauchst, oder auch was anderes. Deine Videos, und auch Videos von anderen UA-camrn haben mir einen Floh in Ohr gesetzt. (das ist in Deutschland ein Spruch dafür, wenn man auf eine neue Idee gebracht wurde.) Ich werde in die USA reisen und mir dort so viele wie nur möglich ansehen. Und ich hoffe dort auch ein paar interessante Leute besser kennen zu lernen. In absehbarer Zeit wird das wohl eher nicht gehen, aber ich arbeite bereits daran. Du wirst es erfahren wenn es soweit ist!
Ich bin mir sicher, die Erfahrungen und Erlebnisse werden dich dein ganzes Leben begleiten. Auch solltest du den Kontakt mit deiner Gastfamilie nicht abbrechen lassen. Heutzutage gibt es so gute Wege miteinander zu kommunizieren, wie das Internet. Ich denke du bist in der Zeit auch ein Teil von ihnen geworden. Wenn es schwierig ist in Deutschland Freundschaften zu knüpfen, halten diese in der Regel aber sehr lange. Wenn nicht für immer!
Der Titel deines Videos, the worst Parts of my studying abroad, ist ein Mittel das erlebte zu verarbeiten. Irgendwann wird es einfach ein Teil von der Geschichte sein. Daß die Schule in Deutschland so viel schwieriger ist, hätte ich nicht gedacht. Ich habe diese Erfahrung nicht machen können. Du hast diesen Teil deiner Geschichte aber doch gut gemeistert! Vor allem sprichst du, trotz der relativ kurzen Zeit, sehr gut deutsch. Also kannst du keine schlechte Schülerin sein! Tue immer dein Bestes. Aber das brauche ich dir nicht zu sagen.
Be strong and stay healthy, Montana! Do your best.
An interesting point of view for me! (And your earrings are pretty 😊)
I lived my whole life here in Germany and never had many friends here. Actually I have more friends in the US than I have here in Germany. And I’ve never even been to the US in the first place. I found them over Instagram.
But I can’t understand how you couldn’t find friends here. You’re such a sweet, funny person, Montana. I would certainly want to be your friend, when you come here again. :)
Another interesting video. You gave a lot of detailed aspects of your stay here in Germany. But I also like your adorable kind of presentation. Keep on going. Best regards from Germany!🇩🇪♥️👍
My exchange year to the US was 40 years ago and I do not remember any negative aspects I might have suffered from. There were some, I guess. I would have been a different person if I had not gone through all of that. I treasure every second of that year and so should you - time will tell. Keep up your positivity (and come back soon)!
Changing host families: We experienced the other side of it. My Mom knew a family she met during an exchange program where she went to the US. She invited the daughter of that family to stay a year in Germany. When the daughter came over it was a total disaster. Despite everybody knew each other. Not very well but at least from the stay of my Mom in the US. But what made it not work was the situation. My Mom was a teacher but lived alone. So there were no equals in the family just her. Then the culture shock of having no immediate friends and difficulties to strike up new aquaintances. In the end she was met up with a different family where she did alright, might even say well. So my advice is to have a family as host which at least kids in approximately the same age. This should serve as a starter like a plant needs soil, fertilizer and a pot if transplanted. After that year everybody came together for a review. The exchange student said that she learned a lot and grew personally. From a protected environment in her own family to a foreign culture and knowing practically nobody even not the language was simply too much. But she said that she found a new home in the other family and now looked at the experience differently. She blamed the first bad part also on her not already having developed enough independency and personality (16 years old). To sum up: Reduce the number of challenges. Culture and without any familiar person around you is hard. Don't make it harder. And for hosts: Be very critical of what you can offer in form of comforting and support. And: Kids from the US are not like kids from Germany! And that part is the most difficult one because we as Germans are not really into the situation of the exchange student. Despite we have seen each other. Everyday life is different and a whole new dimension when the excitement and touristy aspects have worn off.
oh my god that reminded me so much on my experiences when I had my first exchange when I was 16, I 've forgotten all this difficult aspects that are so true.
As far as I remember you didn't make a video about your experience with your host family in comparison to the experiences your friends had with their host families or am I wrong?🤔
Respekt , dass du so offen über die eher unangenehmeren Sachen reden kannst!
As a German, I was at an advantage during my exchange program in Canada because I already knew the language. I actually ended up in advanced level English and on the principal's honor roll without working harder than before.
I never thought about being someone else during my time in France. It's a really deep insight. I'm impressed. 👏
Thank you, Montana, for sharing your experiences. It's very helpful for me when I support inbounds (foreign exchange students) here in Germany.
"Who am I?" -- Nicely said. I studied abroad and traveled a lot, so I can perfectly understand your thoughts. I've never been to the USA (maybe some time later), but I've been to southeast Asia, and that's a completely different experience from just seeing European countries. I more than once thought, "Oh my gosh, why am I here?", and my inner voice responded, "Because you wanted it, stupid".
edit: My girlfriend just asked where she (that means, I) can buy the earrings you wear. Are they commercial or did you make them yourself?
edit2: Gaining weight when abroad. I even gained weight in India, where people mostly are vegetarians. YES, you can gain weight on a veggie diet. I think it's because, even if you are not hungry anymore, you MUST try the local dishes. Curiosity is something inherent in all mammals; and, yes, I know, it allegedly killed the cat.
Of course, the foreign language is one aspect. But it also always depends on what you are comparing. The Abitur is the highest German school-leaving qualification. It is roughly equivalent to an American high school diploma plus one or two years of college, depending on the individual case. Of course, this does not mean that everything is easier in the USA. Many master's and Ph.D programs in the U.S. are highly selective and very demanding. In this respect, each education system contains its own unique challenges and difficulties.
Totally relate as to how difficult it is to get good grades in Germany!
The chain earrings are amazing 😻 As an former exchange student I can agree to all of this things 🙏🏼☺️ I studied at a boarding school in France and this was totally amazing but also hard 🤷🏼♀️ the different language, new people, adjusting with my roommate aka host-sister I was spending the holidays with, homesickness, different food 20 pounds more in the first two months😳thankfully I lost everything and a little bit more until the fifth month 🙏🏼school problems because of the foreign language, bonding with my classmates, Handel the new school uniform situation at my school, in the dorms I was free to choose what I wear but at the lessons institution (classrooms,gym, cafeteria) I had to wear proper and accurate school uniform (even a sports uniform). I had to follow a crazy amount of rules: the rules inside the dorm building, the school house rules, the exchange rules (cause I was on scholarship), the rules from my host-family (I turned 18 in my exchange year and had zero adult Privileg’s) it wasn’t that bad 🤷🏼♀️ but my exchange was worth it 😍
Hi Montana, I think you are very brave and your German adventure was definitely an extreme situation with your previous knowledge. I hope you got through everything well and in the end the positive memories outweigh the rest.
Awesome ear-chains :)
Hi Montana, you're looking amazing today, as literally every day!
And watching todays video, you made me jelous not having had those experiences you had during your 8 months in Germany as an exchange student! I would have loved to experiance such a time in my youth, but would have preferred Canada as the destination of such an experiance for me. Always loved the idea to live in Canada for some time as a child, but unfortunately never did..! Glad for you that you did and that you decided to let us participate in your "once in a lifetime experiance"!
Thank you so so much for that, and I'm looking forward to much more of your uncomparable UA-cam content. - Of course uncomparable being uncomparable yourself by simply being yourself...
Make a video about how do you travel to germany and talk about the travel's steps you did ?
By the way, you are very nice as always and bring up interesting topics
Ich war 2010/2011 für ein Jahr in den USA. Das schlimmste Erlebnis war eine Beerdigung. Da lag die Leiche während der Trauerfeier einfach offen in ihrem Sarg und alle drum herum haben Kuchen gegessen und sich unterhalten. Quasi mit dem Toten vor der Beerdigung nochmal eine letzte Zeit verbracht. Darauf war ich echt nicht vorbereitet.
An idea to celebrate Thanksgiving in Germany.
Either you look for other Americans and celebrate with them.
Or you think about how you can celebrate with the host family at an early stage. You may find the ingredients for a recipe that you then try out together.
In any case, you have to give the impulse yourself that Thanksgiving is celebrated similarly to the US. But everyone will certainly agree to an additional celebration, even if it is not a tradition in Germany.
Vielen, vielen herzlichen Dank, liebe Miss Montana!
Denn so viel jugendlich bezaubernde Liebe und Weisheit - in solch jungen Jahren -
ist wirklich höchst bemerkenswert und ein unbezahlbares Geschenk für die ganze Menschheit!
Das meint zumindest der Rainer-JGS.de, der Förderer guter Umgangs- und Sprachkultur.
....was würde Bettina Wegener dazu sagen? ....aber das ist ja die neue Zeit ;-( ?...sind Sie aus der ehemaligen ?
@@rainig.2241 Wer ist Bettina Wegener und warum sollte sie mir etwas zu sagen haben?
@@Rainerjgs sie und uns allen was zu sagen oder auch nicht ! ;-) ;-( : ua-cam.com/video/fcdkwdfz0GA/v-deo.html.....eine DDR Imigratin, seinerzeit
@@rainig.2241 Warum schreibst Du so verschwurbelt und nicht endlich Klartext? Denn bevor man sich über Dein geheimnisvolles Geschreibsel den Kopf zerbricht, klickt man lieber weiter!
@factsplease - So viel unbegründeter Haß in einem dummen Herzen!
Im übrigen habe ich eine Frau, vier Kinder und drei Enkelkinder - wo also liegt Dein Problem?
Really good video. Can fully agree with everything, beeing a German in New Zealand
realy interesting video and with Thanksgiving i think it would be for me like christmass in Indian or China🤔😥😌😊 ..greetings from germany
Eine kurze Frage: Darf man in den Kommentaren auf Deutsch schreiben oder ist Dir Englisch lieber? Auf Englisch können es zwar mehr Leute hier verstehen, aber auf Deutsch kann es ja auch eine Übung für diejenigen sein, die gerade Deutsch lernen. LG
Deutsch ist immer gut!
Sorry for beeing off topic
but i recently learned that Montana is as big as Germany
just saying
no way! 😂 i didn’t know that
this earrings are cool
I love your earrings!!!
A interesting Video
Liebe Montana: I hope college at UofVA is going well! This is a very informative and aprepo vid, as I have a friend whose HS-aged kid has an interest in your Congress-Bundestag program. Could you tell me what this program's "German language proficiency requirements" were for you before the program began? We're you required to take a certain number of years of Deutsch in HS and/or Middle School (with passing grades) before applying? Anything else? Any info/insights on the pre-program language requirements would be most helpful. Vielen Dank!!
They honestly expected you to be able to follow along with a german class at your grade? Come on, that's a dumb idea.
Actually there is more to it. If you place an American in a German class you have to take several things in account: Does the guest family have an child in the same class? How will the American feel if all other students are (a lot) younger? How much does the American know about the subject (Algebra, Calculus, ...?) How old (and/or mature) is the American? Usually the exchange organisations recommend a mixture of classes: German in a low grade, where grammar is taught and the rest in a grade, where the student can understand the material they have to cover but still is close to people of similar age and maturity. Experience shows that the language is the minor problem, if the American communicates a lot. Youths at that age learn languages rather fast.
Das sehe ich tatsächlich ganz anders, speziell bei Austauschschülern aus dem angloamerikanischen Sprachraum. Da ja sowieso jeder Schüler in Deutschland englisch lernen muss, wäre es doch kein Problem den Austauschschüler die Themen erstmal auf Englisch zu übersetzen und dabei nach und nach auch die Deutschen Wörter mit einfließen zu lassen. Das hätte auch Vorteile für die deutschen Schüler gehabt und es würde leichter fallen Freunde zu finden, weil das halt mit gleichaltrigen einfacher geht. Zudem schweißt das gemeinsame Lernen zusammen und die deutschen Schüler hätten auch davon profitiert, weil sie mehr Englisch praktiziert hätten. Also eine echte Win-Win Situation. Oder wie siehst du das Montana?
@@wora1111 Montana did learn German rather quickly in the end. As evidenced by her videos. But to expect somebody with a few months of experience in the language to keep up with native speakers of the same age is expecting a bit much.
@@stefanloos2570 Grundsätzlich würde ich dir gar nicht widersprechen. Allerdings wäre dafür in der Praxis wohl kaum Zeit gewesen. Wir sprechen hier immerhin vom Deutschunterricht.
@@stefanloos2570
Nö, wieso sollen die bevorzugt werden?
Wenn ich nach Amerika gehe wird auch keiner alles in deutsch erklären. Jeder wird von mir erwarten alles in englisch zu verstehen und in der Schule mitzukommen. Da gibts auch keine Vorzugsbehandlung.
Considering that all German participants in the Congress-Bundestag exchange have several years of English knowledge is it not somewhat unfair for the US participants for be sent to Germany without at least a couple of German knowledge?
They did get a 4 week crash course before the actual exchange started.
@@alexj9603 so 4 weeks vs at least 4 years, so it’s unfair...
Sure, there's a big difference. But why call it "unfair"? They try to get the best out of their level of education.
@@alexj9603 as i understand Montana she „suffered“ under Not having the necessary German knowledge to take part in the classes which would fit her age. I would not think that would have been the issue to any of the German participants going to the US. So I see it as unfair to put American participants in such a position.
Yes, I know of German exchange students who easily passed passed their highschool diploma during an exchange year. But what do you want to do to give Americans the same chance in Germany? You'd have to change the entire educational system.
where did u get the earrings? i really want them!
Do you know that in 11 Months is X-mas?
hey one question what camera do you use i will study abroad in the us in 2021 2022 and i also want to make vlogs etc
Nur ein zufälliger deutscher Kommentar.
Einfach weiterscrollen.
NEIN! Ich bleibe hier bei diesem Kommentar
I like your fancy ear rings.
I am from Ireland and the contents on your channel is fabulous. I will never get tired of watching your videos. Have a look at my channel's content if they are good as yours. Thanks! and best of luck.
Your punkish ear jewellery stands out. Reminds me of something. ? 🤔
@theme Ah! The Office thing. There's an bathroom thing, too. 😊
Why did they have to switch host families?
The exchange organizations try to find a "perfect fit" between a student they only know by a description and a family they usually have audited for 1-2 hours. Than can work, but it does not always. Another reason is, that when the student enters the family he/she is often considered a "guest" rather than a "member of the family". That wears off after 2-3 months. If student and family do not share openly what they expect of each other at an early time they can get into kind of a bad situation with a build up of emotions. Often this can not be repaired and the students have to change families.
In my times, that happened in about one third of the cases of students coming to Germany. Usually both students and families learn from this experience and avoid repeating it. There are hardly any cases, where a student has to be replaced twice and often the family will try with another student without problems as well.
In a third of the cases? I thought it would be only in a few cases. How were you involved in that process?
they were beaten :D
Ok, I'm just joking but it may not work out, people are different
Oktoberfest Munich Hofbräuhaus 🍺🍺🍺
There is better beer experience than at Oktoberfest 🍺
First!
ich soll Klartext reden: ich möchte Die nicht auf die Finger schlagen....Montana et al. ;-(....obwohl dass ist ja auch etwas unrealistisch in der heutigen Zeit...auch zu der unser Zeit gabs schon nur noch an den Ohren ziehen ;-(
Dir muss es natürlich auch heissen, eigentlich sogar Ihnen ...aber wir können dad Du als amerik.you viell.werten?
Danke für deine ehrliche Auseinandersetzung auch mit den Schattenseiten des Austauschjahres.
Eins verstehe ich nur nicht: du benutzt mehrfach das Wort 'studying', obwohl du doch in Passau nicht studiert, sondern eine Oberstufenklasse besucht hast. Zwischen Schulbesuch und Universität ist aber in Deutschland ein Riesenunterschied! Als Studentin wärst du in Coronazeiten ziemlich auf dich allein gestellt gewesen. Da haben alle Glück, die zumindest in einer WG wohnen. Die deutsche Studentenbetreuung ist meines Wissens ziemlich schlecht.
An der Schule geht es vergleichsweise gemütlich zu. Und die Oberstufe ist in Deutschland nichts Besonderes, man studiert nicht, man nennt es einfach lernen.
Es sind einfach die letzten 3 Jahre des Gymnasiums bzw. der Gesamtschule.
Ich bin übrigens traurig und enttäuscht, dass du auch beim letzten Video wieder nicht meine Fragen zu der ungewöhnlichen Art der Amis, ihren Kindern Vornamen zu geben, geantwortet hast. Dabei würde mich das wirklich sehr interessieren.
Dein eigener Vorname ist ja das beste Beispiel dafür. Ich wundere mich immer wieder neu darüber und werde dadurch daran erinnert, dass mir deine Antworten fehlen. Schade.
I would be happy if you made a video with Felicia in German or English, it doesn't matter, it would be very interesting
You mean a new one? Since they have already collaborated.
I did one before! You can check it out here ua-cam.com/video/c1YUtKKvVJY/v-deo.html
Tbh making friends in Germany isn't easy 🙄🙄🙄🙄
Great video Montana! I totally relate to your point about "Who am I?". I remember having the exact conversation with a friend when I was in Germany. Nobody knows your history/ past beliefs and you can act like a totally different person if you wanted.
When I visit Germany I loose weight. I don't know why? Lol
No way! I wish 😂
Dude...how did you get your teeth so white?!?
i’m sure it’s the camera 😂 but also an electric toothbrush?
@@MontanaShowalter you’re too modest, honey. It could be the lighting though. Also, you probably brush your teeth regularly and don’t live on coffee, unlike certain ahem people (not gonna say any names). Keep smiling :D
American... that explains it. One thing Americans are best of all at, teeth :D
Dear Montana
Would you have been happier, if your Host family in Germany would have " try" to make thanksgiving meal that day?? Or do you think it would have caused you more feeling homesick.( sorry my english is not as good like your german)👍
Hi! I actually did cook Thanksgiving but because it was a school day in Germany I had to do it a few days late. It definitely was a happy event!
@@MontanaShowalter Thank you for answering.Please keep on making videos.My family ( including me)can ' t get enough👍
...did not understand, as with english testimonies it should be even somewhat easier in Germany, as quite some speak fairly engl. ...easier than the other way around.... ? ;-(
Honestly, nothing against you, you are really sweet. Is it just me or do your earrings look like you connected a bunch of paper-clips and hang them from your ear?
Bleib gesund! :)
Abroad abroad abroad
Du hast echt schöne Haare :-)