Palmerton Student Studies in Germany

Skye Yoder is a student from Palmerton Area High School, and she is currently on an exchange program to Germany. Germany and the United States are much different than each other, when asked about it, Yoder responded “There’s lots of differences as it’s a completely different culture, but some of the most prominent ones are in the school system and work times. In Bavaria (where I’m located) as well, there’s a lot more holidays people get off for." This shows how the school system is different in Germany compared to the United States, more vacations for students and teachers.

Another question people may have is about the diversity, is it more or less than the United States? When asked about the amount of diversity in people Yoder said “Lots. Especially in a city like where I am, there’s people from just about everywhere.  People from everywhere move here for different reasons whether it’s for sanctuary or work, so there’s plenty of diversity.” This shows that Germany also has a diverse population, just like the United States!

The United States likes to pride itself on its first amendment rights, first and foremost in the first amendment, freedom of speech. Does it differ in Germany or is it the same? In what ways is it similar and in what ways is it different? When asked, she responded with “In some ways it’s stricter and in others more free. For example, showing swastikas anywhere is banned including selling old memorabilia from Nazi times, however you can show breasts pretty much anywhere. The rating systems for games and tv shows are also more expansive and controlled.” Germany’s “freedom of speech” is more controlled when it comes to hate speech and graphic content, but when it comes to anatomy and bodily autonomy it’s more lenient than the United States.

            As somebody who’s lived in both the United States and Germany a common question would be, how is Germany comparable to the US? What does it possibly do better than the US? Her personal opinion is stated as follows “I think Germany is a lot better in their work culture and preparation than the US. In schools, especially in a Realschule like mine, there’s a lot more job prep [work] involved, and even mandatory internships/job shadowing for a week. Also, when you have a job, the working hours are shorter and you generally get more time off and vacation days than you would in the US. One thing I think is worse here is the paperwork. Everything has a lot of paperwork and procedures to go through. Registering for my residence permit alone took me around a month and a half because of waiting times at the city hall and the amount of papers I had to source from everyone involved. It also takes a while for things to be processed.” According to her, Germany’s work culture and preparation is much better than it is in the United States. In Germany it’s also common for work hours to be much shorter and you would get more vacation time and time off. However, the paperwork and procedures are much harder in Germany compared to the United States.

Why did she want to go to Germany you may be wondering? Her response to that question would be “I’d always been interested in exchange, but one thing that set my mind on Germany was seeing the differences in culture and wanting to explore them as well as see a new country. With my scholarship especially, it made things a lot easier for me.” Her answer would be to explore a new country and to explore a new culture as well.

Germany is a much smaller country than a country the size of the United States. So one may be wondering, what is the transportation like in Germany? Yoder can answer that question for you; she responded with the following, “There’s public transport almost anywhere you go, even to small towns. If I need to go anywhere in the country, I can take a train with multiple options for speed levels and prices. Every day I take two different buses to school, and the majority of my classmates take their own buses too. It’s also more common here to bike everywhere. Biking is super common here and you see people all around biking either for fun or travel.” Public transportation seems to play a huge role in Germany’s commerce, education, and general living as well. The train seems to be the best way to get around in Germany, with various speeds and prices to make sure you get to where you need to go. If you can’t get a train somewhere as mentioned, you can take a bus. If you can’t catch a bus, you can always buy a bike and peddle your way to wherever you need to be, as she mentioned biking is much more common in Germany compared to the United States because of how small Germany is compared to the United States.

Yoder has also made companions in Germany. A boy named Noah when asked about what he thinks a struggle for Germany is, he said “I'd say one of the biggest struggles in Germany that a lot of people complain about in politics is old-age pension and how people that helped to build up the country have to collect bottles and beg for money after they retired due to age.” Not only that but when asked about the education system he said “The education system in Germany is rather old and also varies in difficulty and different topics that get taught in different states if Germany, for example a Graduation in Bavaria can be worth more than a Graduation in Berlin since the Bavarian school system is overall considered harder than the one in Berlin vice versa”

Back to Yoder, the last question that was asked was, what’s it like there? How do you enjoy it? She responded with “Where I currently am in Würzburg, Bavaria, is super fun. It’s really different living in a city, even if it’s a smaller city, but I still enjoy my time here. There’s lots to do and going to school here is always a new experience whether it’s in the classroom or trying not to get caught running to the supermarket across the street in between classes with friends.”