 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| Site Index / My Book / Blog Index / Family /Wayman Communications / Benton / Christian CLICK HERE TO E-Mail US Copyright 2009 by Gordon Wayman All Rights Reserved Site Designed by WAYMAN COMMUNICATIONS |
| HOSTING A FOREIGN EXCHANGE STUDENT! |
Gordon with Sam Madonia
on "AM Springfield"
on "AM Springfield"
BOOK EXCERPT 2:
Chapter 10 - Our Son Horst
Chapter 10 - Our Son Horst
- Picking Horst
- The Arrival - The Baggage Claim Experience
- Trip to Wal-Mart - Can I Borrow Your Rubber?
- Americans from Mars, Germans from Venus
- The Many faces of Horst
- Stupid Questions Asked to A Foreign
Exchange Student - More on Horst!
While You Do Your Business, Page 189
The Arrival – The Baggage Claim Experience
On August 23, 2005 we welcomed Horst Wenzel from Dortmund, Germany to the Wayman
Family! Horst is an exchange student. He will be with us for the entire school year. He
will be a junior at Rochester High School.
Horst does speak good English; however, he is getting a few words mixed up. One word,
in particular, created quite a stir at the Abraham Lincoln Airport in Springfield. When we
were waiting for the luggage to come off of the plane, in the luggage claim area, we were
exchanging small talk Horst was asking us about our house and our family. One
question he asked really got our attention. “Do you have a gun?” Horst asked. Charlotte
and I looked at each other with shock and amazement. You don’t mention the word “gun”
at the airport, we thought. Quietly we said, “No, we don’t have any guns.”
However, he saw the expression on our faces and, thinking we did not understand, he
said real loud, “Do you have a GUN?” I told him to keep his voice down as several people
turned their heads looking at us. I then quietly asked Horst, “What is your definition of a
gun?” He replied, “You know, a place where you plant flowers.” I said, “Oh, you mean
‘garden’?” “Yes”, he replied. He had gotten the two words mixed up. We were lucky that
security did not hear us. If so, we would have spent some time with the police.
Americans from Mars, Germans from Venus, Page 192-193
After only a few days with Horst it became evident that there is a big cultural difference
between Germany and the United States. I often wondered if we were from the same
planet.
It seems like the teenagers in Germany have more responsibility and more freedom than
the teenagers in the United States. The first big distinction is the drinking age. In
Germany, the drinking age is 16 years old. Is alcohol a problem in Germany? According
to Horst, drinking is no big deal because it is legal.
At school in Germany, the students take part in the decision-making process for school
rules and guidelines. In the United States, it seems like our rules are controlled by the
latest school shooting or threat of a law suit.
Horst illustrated this point by telling me his version of the “Macaroni and Cheese” story.
During lunch in the Commons area at Rochester High School, one very small piece of
macaroni and cheese was spotted on the floor. In Germany, it would have simply been
picked up and thrown away. However, in the United States it is a major production. It is
an accident waiting to happen. It is a potential law suit, a violation of the clean floor policy
and the clean air act all rolled up on one. It was a critical moment in time. Horst felt that
perhaps he should yell: “Run for your life! We all are going to die!”
However, the Principal handled it very professionally and by the book. First he yelled,
“STOP!” He immediately secured the crime scene by placing his entire body as an X
around the macaroni and cheese. He was willing to sacrifice his body for the safety of his
students. How heroic! He ordered the students to stay away from the crime scene, while
at the same time talking on his communications device to the janitor, “We have macaroni
and cheese in the Commons area! Clean it up IMMEDIATELY!” The Principal unselfishly
stayed at his post, directing the students around the crime scene until the janitor took
over and cleaned up the one piece of macaroni and cheese. After the clean-up, the
janitor placed two large signs in the area, “WET FLOOR,” to avoid any injuries or law
suits. In less than a half hour the incident was over. The crime scene was cleaned up.
No one died. No one was injured. There were no law suits.
MORE FUNNY STORIES ABOUT HORST IN THE BOOK!
The Arrival – The Baggage Claim Experience
On August 23, 2005 we welcomed Horst Wenzel from Dortmund, Germany to the Wayman
Family! Horst is an exchange student. He will be with us for the entire school year. He
will be a junior at Rochester High School.
Horst does speak good English; however, he is getting a few words mixed up. One word,
in particular, created quite a stir at the Abraham Lincoln Airport in Springfield. When we
were waiting for the luggage to come off of the plane, in the luggage claim area, we were
exchanging small talk Horst was asking us about our house and our family. One
question he asked really got our attention. “Do you have a gun?” Horst asked. Charlotte
and I looked at each other with shock and amazement. You don’t mention the word “gun”
at the airport, we thought. Quietly we said, “No, we don’t have any guns.”
However, he saw the expression on our faces and, thinking we did not understand, he
said real loud, “Do you have a GUN?” I told him to keep his voice down as several people
turned their heads looking at us. I then quietly asked Horst, “What is your definition of a
gun?” He replied, “You know, a place where you plant flowers.” I said, “Oh, you mean
‘garden’?” “Yes”, he replied. He had gotten the two words mixed up. We were lucky that
security did not hear us. If so, we would have spent some time with the police.
Americans from Mars, Germans from Venus, Page 192-193
After only a few days with Horst it became evident that there is a big cultural difference
between Germany and the United States. I often wondered if we were from the same
planet.
It seems like the teenagers in Germany have more responsibility and more freedom than
the teenagers in the United States. The first big distinction is the drinking age. In
Germany, the drinking age is 16 years old. Is alcohol a problem in Germany? According
to Horst, drinking is no big deal because it is legal.
At school in Germany, the students take part in the decision-making process for school
rules and guidelines. In the United States, it seems like our rules are controlled by the
latest school shooting or threat of a law suit.
Horst illustrated this point by telling me his version of the “Macaroni and Cheese” story.
During lunch in the Commons area at Rochester High School, one very small piece of
macaroni and cheese was spotted on the floor. In Germany, it would have simply been
picked up and thrown away. However, in the United States it is a major production. It is
an accident waiting to happen. It is a potential law suit, a violation of the clean floor policy
and the clean air act all rolled up on one. It was a critical moment in time. Horst felt that
perhaps he should yell: “Run for your life! We all are going to die!”
However, the Principal handled it very professionally and by the book. First he yelled,
“STOP!” He immediately secured the crime scene by placing his entire body as an X
around the macaroni and cheese. He was willing to sacrifice his body for the safety of his
students. How heroic! He ordered the students to stay away from the crime scene, while
at the same time talking on his communications device to the janitor, “We have macaroni
and cheese in the Commons area! Clean it up IMMEDIATELY!” The Principal unselfishly
stayed at his post, directing the students around the crime scene until the janitor took
over and cleaned up the one piece of macaroni and cheese. After the clean-up, the
janitor placed two large signs in the area, “WET FLOOR,” to avoid any injuries or law
suits. In less than a half hour the incident was over. The crime scene was cleaned up.
No one died. No one was injured. There were no law suits.
MORE FUNNY STORIES ABOUT HORST IN THE BOOK!