In one story, a host family made their guest feel like an outsider. They would have family dinners and not include the guest. They would also talk in a language the guest didn't understand most of the time, making the guest feel isolated. When the guest tried to join in conversations, they were often ignored. It was a very lonely experience for the poor person.
Well, in my family, the worst Thanksgiving happened when we had a big gathering at my grandparents' house. My cousin brought his new puppy without telling anyone. The puppy ended up getting into the kitchen and knocked over the gravy boat, which spilled all over the floor. Then it chased the cat around the house, causing chaos everywhere. It was a total mess, and we spent most of the day cleaning up instead of enjoying the holiday.
One more story is about a student who would cheat during exams all the time. The teacher tried different methods to prevent cheating, like changing the seating arrangement and using different exam formats. But the student still found ways to cheat. Eventually, the teacher had to involve the school administration, which was a long and complicated process.
Sure. I heard about a Secret Santa where the person got a pair of socks with holes in them. It was such a cheap and thoughtless gift. Another one was when someone received a gift card that had already been used. That's just plain wrong. And there was this time when a Secret Santa gave a gift that was meant for a child to an adult, and it was a really silly and inappropriate toy.
One of the worst family stories I've heard was about a family where the parents constantly favored one child over the others. This led to intense jealousy and resentment among the siblings. The unfavored children grew up feeling unloved and unworthy, which had a huge negative impact on their self - esteem and relationships later in life.
I heard about a family whose flight got cancelled during a holiday. They had to stay at the airport for over 24 hours. There were no comfortable places to sleep, and the food options were very limited. It was a horrible start to what was supposed to be a great vacation.
In another family's worst Thanksgiving story, they had planned a big dinner outdoors because the weather was supposed to be nice. But then it started to rain really hard right when they were setting the table. Everything got wet, the food was ruined, and they all had to cram into the small house, which was not prepared for so many people. Tempers flared as people were bumping into each other, and it was a very unpleasant experience for everyone involved.
One of the worst host family stories I've heard was about a student who stayed with a family that barely fed him. He was given very small portions of food that were not enough to satisfy his hunger. They also made him do a lot of household chores like he was a servant rather than a guest. It was a really tough situation for him as he was in a foreign country and didn't have many options.
A truly horrible workaway story involved a young workawayer who was promised a friendly and cultural - exchange - focused experience. Instead, the host made them work from dawn till dusk in a sweatshop - like environment. The living conditions were so bad that there was no proper sanitation, and the food was inedible. The workawayer became ill due to the poor conditions but was still forced to work. This is a prime example of how a workaway can turn into a nightmare.
One of the worst I've heard was a family who had been living abroad for years and had multiple bank accounts in different countries. They were completely unaware of the fbar requirements. When they finally got notified, they faced huge fines that nearly bankrupted them. They had to sell some of their assets just to pay the penalties.
A horrible experience was when someone had their wallet stolen on the train. They were traveling alone and all their money, cards, and identification were in that wallet. They had to rely on the kindness of strangers just to be able to call their bank and family. It was a nightmare trying to sort everything out in a foreign country.