Introduction#
Since being a teenager, I never really had any interaction with the German language. Our school curriculum only included English and French as foreign languages – not really liking the latter, I always thought to myself I would never go live in France, so I wouldn’t need it.
At one point some of my closest family members have moved to Germany, got in their car and drove for a couple days from Romania. When they got there, they didn’t know one bit of the language.
Visiting family#
Eventually after a couple years my family members have integrated in Germany and have learned how to read and speak to an acceptable level. I’ve visited them during one summer and I was able to sign up for lectures in their local secondary school.
I was attending Deutschkurs (German course), which comprised of multiple students that were there way before I signed up. We were given reading, speaking and listening practice nearly everyday and were tasked to complete homework. I was supplementing my knowledge of the language with software like Rossetta Stone. I was also attending regular German lectures even though I didn’t fully understand what was going on, although it was a fun time, I made great friends and memories.
Going back to England#
Although I’ve spent only about 3 months with my family, all the while attending German courses, I had to return to England as I was about to start college. It felt quite rewarding learning something new and realising the feeling of progress that you get. Our teacher was particularly proud of me as I was learning at a very rapid pace, compared to her other students that she’s been teaching for longer.
Deciding to learn German again#
As I was back in England, I found it difficult to find the motivation to pick up studying German again, because I didn’t need to use it. I still visited family quite often and been able to hold small conversations with native people, although quite difficult. In my goal to become a cybersecurity practitioner, I would one day like to explore and work in Zurich, Switzerland in particular. It is part of the German speaking canton, and if I would like to visit family I could simply do a 5 hour drive to them, or just take a plane.
Final goal and steps to do#
Take the exam and achieve B2 level in German. When I achieve that I will feel confident in my skills to be able to work in a German speaking environment. It won’t be a short journey, estimating roughly 1-2 years of being self-taught and being committed.
Several resources that I will make use of include:
- Coffee Break German | YouTube Channel
- Reading books and listening to their audiobook
- Watching movies/TV shows in German
- Putting my devices in German
- Using Anki flashcards on a regular basis
By surrounding myself with an appropriate environment, I believe this would be a great way of learning passively + actively.
