Surviving Germany

When you are married to a german/marrying a german. You have no choice but to learn their language.

Most Germans I came across would tell me, Merril you speak the german language very well. I simply answer back them with a smile, ''Thank you, that is a very nice compliment to hear.'' But honestly until now I am still learning, until now I would make some translation notes and until now I still concentrate when someone is talking,  because to tell you the truth, 

if you want to ''survive'' Germany, FIRST: You have to learn and master the german language.

The German Government have programs like Integration Course, Business German Courses and other courses. When you still have all the time in the world, I suggest to enroll in these courses. 

When I started to learn the language I religiously attended my 8:45-12:45/ 4x a week class and supplemented it an additional 3 hour self study in the afternoon. I finished the B1 Course ( I was already pregnant that time) with flying colors and then immediately enrolled myself to the B2 course, which I successfully finished 2 weeks before I gave birth. Having a baby & all didn't stop me from learning, I read most baby books in German after that. I wanted to make sure that I totally understood what the Pediatrician told me about my daughter. Having a baby helped me with the language too. After 9 months I enrolled to a C1 evening course. So don't stop learning.

If you are not a study type of person here are some suggestions:

Enrich your vocabulary.

A good friend of mine from Ukraine and her German husband built a house and so she learned a lot of words which relates to building a house. Read newspapers or magazines. Discover new words and translate it to your native language. Learn new vocabularies from topics that you find interesting.

Be creative. 

There are a lot of possibilities to learn the German language in a creative way. If you love to bake, then you can associate your learning with your baking. Check out the recipes in German. Or if you like lists, you can list down 5 to 10 new words a day with their respective meanings. If you are a post-it freak, you can stick colorful post-it papers to objects around you. 

Use your talent.

I know this guy teaches Capoiera, in the beginning he could hardly speak German, but he started giving Capoiera classes and true enough his german improved through interaction. When he doesn't have classes, he goes to a german course to learn the grammar. If you have a beautiful voice, learn some German lyrics and just sing it. 

Write it down.

When you want to tell someone something, write it down and read it over & over again aloud. I remembered borrowing a charger from my father-in-law. I wrote it down and told him over the phone. The only thing I remembered then was, he replied ''Ja''(Yes) and the rest I was like...''Huh...ok'' and at the back of my mind  I have no idea what he was a talking about. I assume it was all about the charger. :)

Participate.

Of course, at first there would be inhibitions. But do not let those inhibitions deter you to speak the language. Greet people: ''Guten Tag'', ''Guten Morgen'', ''Guten Abend''
''Dankeschön''. ''Ich spreche ein bisschen Deutsch''. Germans appreciate it when you speak their language. Do not isolate yourself.  Participate. When my daughter was 2 years old, I went to 2 playgroups, just to be able to go out. It paved way for meeting new friends.

Bottomline is you have to be interested. Despite numerous courses, it won't matter if you are not interested. I have to admit, the language is complicated. But sooner or later, you will realize that the german language is as beautiful as your mother language. 

Happy learning. Viel Spaß beim Lernen.

 ''He who does not know foreign languages does not know anything about his own.''

~Johann Wolfgang von Goethe