Julia Burmeister is a year long junior foreign exchange student from Berlin, Germany.
BURMEISTER’S EXCHANGE EXPERIENCE
From different rights to moments of confusion, foreign exchange student Julia Burmeister explains her thoughts on her American adventure.
Julia Burmeister is a year long junior foreign exchange student from Berlin, Germany.
Has something funny happened since you have been here? If so what?
¨People ask me very funny questions. The best question I think was ‘Are you from Germany’ I say ‘Yeah’ [and they respond] ‘Can you speak German?’ and I say ‘Yeah?'”
“[They] also said something about Hitler. Or so many people ask me history questions about Germany, and I say ‘I don’t know. I don’t like history.'”
What was your first impression of Sandpoint?
“It’s very small, a small town. It’s beautiful, you have everything here. You have the beach, some shops, some restaurants.¨
What’s a cultural difference between here and your home?
¨Normally I would say the food, but in Germany we have a lot of fast food and I would say the people are not as friendly as they are here.¨
What other languages do you speak?
¨German and English.¨
What’s something about your home country that Americans don’t know?
¨How we live there. We also have many rights. The people here say every time how we have no rights, and I say that’s not true.¨
What’s the difference between your host family and your actual family?
¨That I have two host sisters and a brother.¨
What made you choose to become a foreign exchange student?
¨The first main aspect was that I want to be able to speak fluent English. I also wanted to meet new friends.¨