At first, I was so overwhelmed that it was difficult for me to focus on anything but communication. Once I started to feel more comfortable speaking German, I could focus on more details instead of major ones, such as the prevalence of cash in Germany. One term my peers used that struck me was the word ‘safe.’ When I first heard it, I could not figure out why they were using it in the middle of a conversation instead of walking home late or visiting a new city. It was a new group, so I didn’t ask about it and attempted to figure it out from context clues. Eventually, I gave up, looked it up, and then confirmed with my friend. It originates from American TV shows when American characters say phrases such as “sure thing,” “certainly,” and “for sure.” While these phrases are standard for us, the German translation uses the word “sicher,” – which directly translates to safe. I thought it was an interesting way to communicate that everything was “all good” in life, but I do not believe it will make any sense to use as slang in the US. My friends and I already have a different connotation for the word; thus, we would possibly confuse the meaning.
I am in the bright orange shirt in the middle, and the girl next to me confirmed the meaning of “safe.”