To improve my German I’ve started reading books in German….easy books. One of the books that I found easy to understand, interesting, funny and related to Berlin is „Schoenhauser Allee“ by Wladimir Kaminer. He is a writer of Russian-Jewish origin who lives in Berlin. Kaminer is a short story writer and he writes in German and not in his native language-Russian.

„Schoenhauser Allee“ is a series of remarkable and funny stories about Wladimir’s neighbors living on Shoenhauser Allee. It’s about their every day life and what they keep themselves busy with. Kaminer gives a description of shopping malls, penny markets and their operators from labor offices and part-time jobs and other daily topics.  His stories contain so much detail and humor that it makes it absolutely enjoyable.  The book is easy to read because each story is only 2 pages long. I would recommend it to those who want to read something in German for the first time and those you live in Berlin and enjoy it.

One more week and I will finish B2 level of German in Deutsch Akademie. Everything has been great. Teachers are all super nice and always ready to help, classmates are also nice and we work well together as a group.

The only thing that I didn’t like is the course book „em neu“ Deutsch als Fremdsprache.  In my opinion, there are so many useless exercises  in the book and some irrelevant texts. I also get annoyed by the grammar section. I would like to see some more explanations, it seems like it only provides examples. I have previously worked with „Laguna“ book and it’s so much more clear and student friendly. The new vocabulary is provided after every text and it has a separate Arbeitsbuch with lots of good exercises.

I wish we could switch into a different book in the next level.

Living in Kreuzberg is actually really fun, especially if you are near Bergmann street. There are so many restaurants and cafes to discover on that street that requires real commitment. You can find anything from Indian to Austrian cuisine. Also, I am starting to realize that Kreuzberg also has the most reasonable prices for Indian food that, in fact, come in relatively large portions.

When the weather is warmer it’s so pleasant to sit outside in one of the cafes and have a cup of coffee or a glass of beer. But the best part is people-watching. Since Bergmann street is one of the most popular ones in the area a lot of people walk up and down the street.

There are also a few authentic shops on this street. They sell the coolest stuff. If I owned a house in Berlin I would have definitely bought a lot of house decor since they are all handmade and one of a kind. I’ve only bought a few gift items for friends.

On a warm sunny day come to Kreuzberg and just take a walk around.

I’ve been taking German classes for six months already but I am not quite happy with my speaking skills. Lack of vocabulary makes me stumble a lot. I need to practice speaking also outside of the classroom, but all the Germans I know speak fluent English and I feel uncomfortable asking them to speak German because I don’t want them to feel that’s the reason I spend time with them.

I am also concerned that when I leave Germany I will forget everything. Language needs a regular practice. So I was thinking maybe to try Rosetta Stone. According to its reviews it’s supposed to be fantastic. Has anyone tried? I would like to hear more about its effectiveness. I imagine it definitely can improve my listening comprehension but I am also concerned about speaking.

So, if anyone has ever tried Rosetta Stone, PLEASE, leave me a comment or recommendation about it.

Nobody who lives in Berlin or comes for a visit should miss out on „Brauhaus Sudstern“. It’s really one of my favorite places in Berlin to drink bier, especially during the cold winter when all lovely biergartens are closed.

This brewery offers different types of excellent beers brewed right there. It’s only on tap and always fresh. They also offer a guided tour during which you can learn about types of beers, get an idea how to brew beer and have a tasting. „Brauhaus Sudstern“ has great atmosphere especially for people who are fans of sports. But for those who love live music you can find this there as well. There is going to be a rock live music night on the 26th of Feb at 20:30.

Check it out at info@brauhaus-suedstern.de

The address is: Hasenheide 69, 10967 Berlin

Enjoy!

Teachers at Deutsche Akademie never put too much burden on our shoulders, they don’t assign lots of homework. In fact, I think they give as little as possible taking into consideration that most people work or have families and other priorities. Ok, that’s fair! But are we fair to ourselves? For instance, when I only have one exercise to do, that’s all I want to do and nothing more. I have no motivation to do a few extra exercises or learn new words. It’s not part of the assignment and I subconsciously become lazy. I put off learning new words for days thinking „…ok, i’ll learn them tomorrow“.

I know many people may not like this suggestion, but I wish we could be pressured a bit more.  It would make a difference in my learning experience if I knew I had to take a short quiz on words or preposition or other things.  I would like to propose this to my teacher but not sure how my classmates will react to it. I don’t want to be the „bad guy“ but I need pressure to study harder.

When I first came to Berlin I couldn’t make up my mind about buying the so called BahnCard 50. That is, you get a 50% discount on all of the tickets you buy to ride Deutschebahn.  It’s a great deal, if you are a regular traveler. Train tickets can be really expensive, especially ICE (fast trains).  I thought it would be unfair to live in Berlin for a year and not try to visit other places in Germany. Buying a BahnCard 50 was definitely a good decision and it proved to be totally worth it.

It’s very easy to apply for it. You can order it on line by going to www.bahn.de or you can visit the train station for example in Zoologisher Garten and purchase it there. They take your photo right there and after you pay they’ll give you a temporary card (and also some bonus 20 euro discount card) and then they will send your card to your address.

I highly recommend it to those who travel a lot. It really makes the prices of the tickets reasonable.

My recent addiction was „Lost“, the TV show that has captured the uninterrupted attention of millions of people. Was it interesting? I would say a little strange but I finished watching it. Would I watch it again? Probably not.

With this said, my all times favorite will remain „Friends“. I’ve watched it billion times but I still can’t get enough of it. It really cheers me up especially when I am having a bad day. Last night I laughed so hard that tears came down my eyes. Those who don’t find it funny, we probably couldn’t be a good match! Anyways, now my new thing is to watch it in German. I already know what the plot is so it’s easy to understand. But it’s an excellent way of testing how much of it I understand.  I’ve heard people say that listening to radio is good for improving comprehension but it gets too boring for me especially when the news comes on. But with „Friends“ I obviously never get tired. You might want to try with your favorite movie or TV show!

I am thinking of taking a few private classes in Deutsch Akademie. I find it helpful to have a few hours of one-on-one classes. It provides a good opportunity to have all the attention to yourself. This doesn’t mean that I don’t like my group classes. In fact, I think they provide excellent interaction with other students and helps you learn more on others‘ mistakes.

I would appreciate if some of you could give me feedbacks. Perhaps you’ve had private classes before, particularly at Deutsch Akademie, and I would be thankful if you could share some of your experiences with me.  It’s not a secret that private classes cost a lot of money, so I would like to hold off till I get some recommendations or encouragement from you.

My previous visits to Ausländerbehörde in Berlin, the so called Immigration office, have always been with a German speaker. I was always afraid that I won’t be able to explain what I need. One would think that most of the employees at an immigration office would speak English since they are dealing with foreigners and English seems to be the most common language, but they don’t, or they hesitate to speak. They also tend to get angry when you „waste their time“ with your slow and incorrect German. Well, what to do? It’s not like I can drag my neighbor or a German friend with me every time I need to get something done…

Today, for the first time, I tried to go there by myself and explain my complicated situation and get the required document. I have to say, that if it hadn’t been for my wonderful German teacher from Deutsche Akademie I probably would still be in ausländerbehörde or I wouldn’t have the document I needed. My teacher not only helped me with all the immigration (visa, temporary residency, etc) vocabulary but she also roll-played it with me. She pretended to be the angry immigration officer and I was the poor foreigner who stumbled when speaking German.

Luckily, my trip to ausländerbehörde was successful. I explained what I needed and got what I needed. Just a little patience always gets me through!