When I was a kid, I would go play at my friends’ houses after school. Sometimes I would be really surprised by how differently my friends lived. Maybe they ate different food, or their parents had rules that were totally different than the rules at my house. Have you ever had that experience? How did it make you feel? Did you feel uncomfortable or annoyed? Were you curious or excited to try something new?
Going to a new country is kind of like going over to your friend’s house. Rules, food and habits are a little different in Germany from what I’m used to. Sometimes it’s exciting to see the different ways that people live, but sometimes I don’t like the German way of doing things at all.
One German difference that can be hard for Americans to understand is the school system. Children in Germany go to elementary school until 4th grade. After 4th grade, the students are divided into three different “high schools” based on their grades.
Students with the best grades go to a school called the Gymnasium. Gymnasium students can go to university. Students who don’t have the grades for Gymnasium go to the Realschule.
