October is a month that celebrates many things: Breast Cancer awareness, Halloween, and Columbus Day to name a few. But what many people do not know is that October is also German Heritage Month.

Although both my parents are American, their ancestry is deeply rooted in German tradition. My German roots have inspired me to learn German language and culture one step at a time. As a result, my family and I celebrate our ancestry by hosting a German Heritage Month party.

First, we celebrated our culture by eating German food; Potatoes, kielbasa, and German chocolate cake are all staples of German food and the best part is that they taste amazing! I was surprised at how similar kielbasa and sausage taste, this really shows the intertwining of American and German food!

I also had a chance to teach my siblings a few phrases in German, such as how to say hello, how are you, and I am good. They all loved learning a few phrases in a different language!

Although my family is not full German, it still was an amazing experience to learn about how the Germans live, eat, and speak! Next month is Native American Heritage Month, another integral culture in my family’s ancestry. I cannot wait to see how we’ll celebrate it!