However, it's much more than that. I've realized that in Germany, after you turn 18, they really expect you to act your age. That doesn't just mean being mature in an informational and ethical sense, but also in daily life chores. Cooking, cleaning, washing, fixing..you need to be able to do some of it. Sadly, in the US, I only actually paid attention in school. "Student" was my job. My mom took care of all the household chores, and I never actually realized it took work to learn and perfect them, until I tried it firsthand.
For example, washing clothes looked ridiculously easy in the US. Just sort the colors, put it in the machine, add detergent, and wait. Then, transfer it to the dryer. First off, Germans don't use dryers. They hang their wet clothes on a line, just like they do in China. But that's besides the point. The first time I tried to wash my clothes, I followed all the rules. However, some of my clothes shrinked, others faded in color, and others weren't even supposed to be in the machine, because it was the wrong material. Too bad I never paid attention to any of this in the US. Moreover, the metric system was never under my radar. C to F was the bane of my existence. I hated the conversions. But now, I just think, "Why didn't America just follow the normal, international system?" Heck, it even costed lives once, when we forgot to convert and caused a space shuttle crash. So, learning to wash clothes? Check. Thanks, Germany.
The other day, a button fell off of one of my shirts. Since I didn't bring a lot of clothes here, I had to somehow fix it. It would be a shame just to toss it in the trash. I went downstairs asking my host mom if she knew how to fix this, and she told me, "Just look it up on Youtube!" And so, I did. However, it still didn't turn out right. In the end, my host mom sat down and taught me. It took a while to get the knot correct, but in the end, it worked :) I was so proud of myself (I know, it's completely pathetic). Next, she'll be teaching me how to use the sewing machine, since she knows I'm petite (yes, not even 5 ft., people! Oh wait, let's convert that...147 cm). Pants are often too long for me, so I need to learn how to hem them. Some DIY on clothes wouldn't be bad etiher. Sewing? Half check! It was actually something that I really wanted to learn in the US, but just never had the time to do so.
Since coming here, I've also learned how to use a dishwasher. I know it sounds completely stupid to Americans, who use dishwashers on a daily basis. But to me, a Chinese American who has washed dishes by hand all my life, it was a new toy that needed to be introduced. I used to always get in trouble for putting the dishes in the wrong position ("Michelle, it won't get clean that way!"), but now, all's good :) Might I also add, that German dishwashers are the bomb. My friend from the US once told me, "I don't care how much money it's gonna take..I'm going to ship a BOSCH dishwasher to my house in the US!" You don't ever need to rinse off dishes first, or dry them at the end. All you do is pop everything in, and out comes amazing cleanliness.
Oh yeah, I've also become a clean and planning freak. I love being spontaneous, but I've learned that not planning costs even more time and money at the end. My calendar is always my best friend, but I think I've already said that before.
And of course, growing on a social level is not to be underestimated. It's basically all you learn as an exchange student. Of course, communication is everything :)
So you learned a lot while you were there? My father thinks that this would be great for me. I agree with him but the thought of going to a foreign place is a bit scary for me but I'm willing to try if it's worth it. Is it worth it?
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