Toni Facinger recently moved from Germany to the United States because of her dad’s work.

How does German culture differ from American?

Food is a big part of our culture. The meal takes at least 1 hour, especially dinner. The attitude towards the food in Germany is different than it is here. In America, a lot of the food is cast away. There are so many of our own original German traditions that my family follows. However, in America, it seems like there is more of a mix of different types of traditions. That is probably because there are so many people in America from different cultural backgrounds.

How are the schools different?

In Germany, you have a constant schedule. Every Monday you have the same classes. We don’t have morning announcements or sport teams. Nobody wears school shirts and there is no school spirit at all. One of the biggest differences between American schools and German schools is the school system itself. We have three different levels of “high schools” and they start after the fourth grade. On an A level school, you graduate after twelfth grade, on the middle level school you graduate after tenth grade, and the low level school, you graduate after ninth grade.

What was your lifestyle like back in Germany?  

In Germany, we cook at home and have dinner together as a family. It’s unusual to go out for dinner that often. Germans are really keen on helping the environment. All bottles have to be recycled, trash has to be separated, and most of the children ride their bike to school.