I have now reluctantly left Germany and arrived in the US. I had been debating whether to stop speaking English as soon as the plane landed or when I got to my final destination. The decision was sort of made for me, since I had to go through passport control (for actually the first time ever where they actually asked me questions and took my customs form), and it would have been just stupid of me to not speak English. But then, once I reached my destination, I managed to just avoid talking until I found my relatives who were waiting for me at the airport.

Just a recap, for this week i'm going to be in the middle of the woods with just a few family members, and as long as I stay in the house, i'm allowed to speak English but only if I speak German first and then translate exactly what I said (because I don't want my grandma and my aunt to have to read what I write on a piece of paper if they don't understand me). On the way back from the airport, I didn't speak English at all, and my basically-cousin was there and could translate everything I said. I am hoping not to have to leave the house for the rest of the time i'm here, since I experienced enough of a culture shock just at the airport to make me want to jump on the next plane back to Germany.

But in a week or so, when I fly back to my dad's house and then later to the city I go to school in (flights on which I will not be speaking English), I can only speak English in class and at work, with the exception of any life-threatening emergencies. I have a dentist appointment and possibly an eye appointment and some other appointments when I go back to my dad's house, and I don't know how I will go to them without speaking English. At least the eye doctor speaks Farsi, but I guess I will have to just figure out what to do for the rest of them. The dentist is actually Iranian too, but no one else in the dentists office is, so I don't know how far Farsi would get me. I suppose we will just have to see what happens if I write everything down on a piece of paper instead of talking.