This title is very suggestive of an experience that occurred when I was staying in Southern Germany on a short exchange. The experience that I'm about to relate to you is a result of not necessarily of

miscommunication, but more of a misunderstanding. It all started when my host father asked me if I liked tuna fish. I nodded my head enthusiastically "yes". Of course my perception of tuna was more like "Chicken of the Sea", "Chunk light tuna in water" kind of tuna. Well, I had a different thing coming. It was tuna fish in oil that these people had in mind. This was the night before I was going on a field trip to the Rhine falls in Switzerland. The wake up the next morning all ready to go to the falls, and there was a can opener, a fork, two rolls and a can of tuna on the table. I looked at them as if they were joking. Not understanding my perception of the situation, the family looked at me proudly as if they had finally pleased the American girl. I was quite taken aback and didn't know what to do, so I went my way. After that I enjoyed the experience (aside from the greasy feeling that I had after I ate the stuff) for the rest of the day. In fact I ate my tuna in oil on top of a rock in the middle of the falls. I sent several people postcards telling them of my experience. I look back on this and realize that it was a simple difference in perception. Obviously the thought of eating tuna in oil on an outing was not absurd to the Germans. On the other hand, I thought it very strange, but who knows what a tuna salad sandwich would seem to a German who was going on a field trip to Niagara Falls.