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| Life in
the USA |
- Don’t Panic! At the beginning things will most likely not
work out the way you want them to. There are about a billion
things that might not meet your expectations.
- Your new home might not look as expected - many Americans like
to furnish and decorate their room in a way Germans consider
conservative.
- Your hostfamily behaves differently from your parents at home.
They may have unusual interests and other expectations in you as
their new family member.
- You will not make friends the first day or the first weeks of
school. This does not mean that people don’t like you. They just
need some time to adjust as well. Try not to force things. Maybe
you can start off by joining some friendly looking people from
one of your classes for lunch. Be prepared to spend the first
weekends with your host family.
- You may not understand all of what is talked about in class or
the homework you are given. No problem, all you need to do is
sit back, relax and try your best. Noone expects you to be an
expert of the English language right from the start. Maybe you
can inform your teachers of the difficulties you are having. As
time passes by I promise your language skills will quickly
improve.
- Let people know when you are feeling homesick or if you are
having any other problems. Try talking to a member of you host
family, your local coordinator, other exchange students or a
friend from school. Your family and friends at home should be
the very last contact persons in those cases.
- Don’t back out of life! Even if you feel like hiding in your
room you should try to ignore those emotions and take on every
opportunity you are offered to leave the house.
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