Well, I heard a story about a German exchange student in an English - speaking country. At a party, he was asked if he wanted some 'pop'. He had no idea what 'pop' was (it means soda in some regions). So, he replied 'I don't want to pop anything, thank you'. It took a while for people to figure out the misunderstanding.
Sure! One of my friends had a foreign exchange student from France in his class. This French student was always trying to use American slang, but often got it hilariously wrong. For example, he once said 'I'm going to hit the hay' as 'I'm going to hit the horse'. It made everyone burst into laughter.
One horror story is about a foreign exchange student who was placed with a host family that was extremely strict about religious rules. The student, who had different beliefs, was constantly pressured to conform. They were not allowed to eat the food they liked and were made to attend religious services against their will.
Here's another one. A student on an exchange in Japan entered a traditional restaurant. He didn't know the proper way to sit on the tatami. So he just plopped down like he would on a normal chair. All the Japanese customers stared at him in shock at first, but then they found it really funny and one of them even showed him the right way to sit gracefully.
A Spanish exchange student once tried to order a 'coffee with milk' in a local diner. But instead of saying 'café con leche', she said 'coffee with cow'. The waitress was really puzzled at first. It was really funny seeing her trying to explain what she actually wanted.
A Spanish exchange student in a New Zealand school was invited to a barbecue. He thought it would be like a Spanish fiesta and brought a big speaker to play flamenco music. When he started playing the music really loudly and dancing around the barbecue area, the New Zealanders were a bit taken aback at first but then joined in and it turned into a really fun and funny cultural mix - up.
There is a story of a host family in Toronto that welcomed a Brazilian exchange student. The family was into sports, and the student introduced them to Brazilian football. They played football together in the park. The student also shared Brazilian music and dance with the family. The family made the student feel at home, and they had a great time exploring each other's cultures.
An exchange student from Japan went to a school in Australia. During a PE class, they were playing cricket. He thought the cricket bat was a strange oversized paddle. When it was his turn to bat, he held it upside down at first and then started swinging it in the most comical way, missing the ball every time but having a great time.
One success story is George Soros' famous bet against the British pound in 1992. He shorted the pound massively, and when the UK was forced to devalue its currency, he made billions. His in - depth understanding of economic fundamentals and market sentiment allowed him to anticipate this move.
One horror story is about a Chinese exchange student who arrived at a dormitory late at night. The building was old and a bit spooky. As she was trying to find her room, she heard strange noises from the end of the hall. She thought it might be other students but when she went to check, there was no one there. She later found out that the building had a history of unexplained noises and some students claimed to have seen shadowy figures.
One story is about a host family in a small town. They welcomed a foreign exchange student from Japan. The family took the student to local festivals, and the student taught them Japanese calligraphy. They became like a real family, and when the student had to leave, there were many tears. It was a beautiful connection across cultures.
One common element is bad host families. Some host families might be unkind, over - demanding, or have strange rules. Another is problems at school like bullying or being left out because of being different. Also, misunderstandings due to cultural differences can be a big part. For example, a simple gesture in one culture might be offensive in another, and the exchange student may face problems because of this without realizing it.