Mine was my first full year of living in Germany, way back in 1970. Moved to an apartment in the home of a special older couple who had raised twin boys during the war when they often had only potatoes to eat. They "grandparented" my precious daughter born in the Kaiserlautern municipal hospital prematurely, and helped me with all the challenges of that. I learned to shop and cook "German" as we didn't have any American privileges at first. Then I began to work for the Army at a local library part-time, and my DD was cared for by the cleaning lady of my landlady. She spoke only German, I spoke very little German, but we managed to communicate mother-to-mother.
Over the year+ that she kept my DD, my little one learned to speak German there and English at home, both as her "mother tongue". She also learned to walk at her caregiver's home, but they didn't' tell me for several weeks - until after I had seen her walking at home -- so that I wouldn't be sad. How sweet!
That year, an American military wife from New England showed me, a gal from Virginia how to make Mexican tacos in Germany.. Have been absolutely addicted to this day! I learned that Germans love babies and that shopkeepers always wanted to give her a taste of what they sold. I bought milk from a milk truck that arrived in front of the house twice a week and filled our metal milk cans. Good stuff!!
I ate entirely too many brotchen and kase taschen, drank too many cups of heiße Schokolade, and discovered fondue at a real Swiss Restaurant. I learned how to make true Cordon Bleu at the restaurant which first made it over 100 years ago. I drank beer and liked it for the first time; German Riesling wine became my preferred dinner beverage.
I loved learning about the land, the people, the history, and the castles. I lived in Germany for 7 years, but that first year was very formative in the life of a 25-year-old.
Jan in VA