Hello there! I started learning German a few months back and I’m in the B1 level now.  Remember my first Stammtisch when we all introduced ourselves and most people said B1/B2 while I was in A1.

They seemed and sounded very confident to me. I found me wondering to myself “Will I be like them when I get to B1/B2 levels?

And guess what, I think I am. When you look at a new skill or project or practically anything in life, it seems as a mountain that cannot be crossed. But we often forget that we don’t have to jump over the mountain to the other side. We just have to put one front before/above the other till the task is done.

So, the takeaway for me is – break anything into little tasks and start achieving it gradually. While in the process, don’t forget the perks which come out of it – In my case, Deutsch films, plays, books, people and places!

And one thing which is a fact is that there is no absoluteness in the case of languages. Even a native speaker of a language learns something new about his/her language suddenly. So, let’s just be better than what we were yesterday is all!

Ankitha

I arrived in Munich in February, this year. I think I came here in the worst time of the year. But I thought, “It can only get better from here!”

I, being from India and from a city where it never snows found the cold fascinating and overwhelming at the same time.

Well, once I got a coat suitable for the weather, I set off to explore my neighborhood (LAIM) dressed as an astronaut. It is such a well-organized and clean city! But, of course, I started to see the true colors of the city once the summer season started to kick in.

Strangely, I waited for sunshine along with all the other Müncheners. I also got a free MVV ticket for a week and the explorer in me was happy to discover all that the city had in store – libraries, gardens, museums, restaurants, and beer-gardens. Clean city, great conveyance and a lot of fun await if you are new here!

Ankitha

Maybe this post should be in German so I make the DeutschAkademie folks even happier! Anyway, I started a couple months ago and finished A1, A2 levels. So, I find myself in a good place to write a testimonial on the academy.

I’ve been taking the Intensive course and I find myself looking forward to the next class everyday at the end of the class. I’m a person who is inherently interested in new experiences – languages, skills etc. Yet, I have taken up courses where I lost interest mid-way earlier in life. With gladness, I can vouch that this experience did not happen with DeutschAkademie.

My teachers have all been good-looking (!) and well-qualified! Jokes apart, they’ve been really focused and patient with the class – which obviously contains pupils with different speeds and capabilities. Though I joined German course out of necessity and treated it as a journey to something earlier; I have been enjoying this journey. Surely, it has given me a lot of joy, self-confidence and hope! Prost!

Ankitha

Man kann in einer Sprache nicht besser werden, ohne zu kommunizieren. Der Stammtisch wurde am Donnerstag, den 16.08.2018 im Restaurant Augustiner Keller von der Deutschen Akademie organisiert.

Ich bin der Meinung, dass es immer eine gute Idee ist, interessante Menschen aus verschiedenen Ländern zu kennen und Ideen auszutauschen.

Zuerst konnten wir die Gruppe nicht finden. Es waren zu viele Leute im Restaurant. Später fanden wir sie. Wir bestellten Bier(e) und lernten uns kennen. In der Gruppe waren Studenten und Verwaltungspersonal.

Bier und gute Gespräche passen gut zusammen. Wir haben ein Quiz über Deutschland auf Deutsch gemacht.

Wir hatten viel Spaß und freuen uns auf den nächsten Stammtisch!

Ankitha

I’m pretty sure there have been hundreds of blogs and articles on this world-famous festival! However, it has been an important item on my checklist when I decided to move to Munich.

I was kind-of waiting for October when I researched a little and found out it starts in September itself! Bavarians seem to have taken the saying ‘make hay while the sun shines’ quite seriously. Let me explain – When it started, this festival happened on the wedding of King Ludwig and Queen Therese in October. However, owing to the good weather and warm evenings in September, it starts in September itself. So, now you know!

Anyway, is there a better time to enjoy beer wearing colorful dirndls and lederhosen? Is there a better place than Munich – organized and upbeat city to have this festival? Are there any other people better than Bavarians to enjoy it with?

Happy to be here! Ein mass, bitte!!

Ankitha

I have read somewhere that a language is more than a language – it’s a window to a culture and a door to the evolution of a country. You realize this especially when you start to learn a language way later in your life. The languages you learn from birth may not always throw surprises at you. But learning a completely new language drowns you in revelations every once in a while.

One of the examples is words like – ‘frühstuck’, ‘Mittwoch’ and ‘sehenswürdigkeiten’. The ‘Aha’ moment comes when you realize they are not complex words but a collection of simple words – ‘ first piece’, ‘mid-week’ and ‘see-worthy-sights’ respectively.

I have also discovered that the German language has one more unique feature. Coining or having words for complex feelings that almost all humans feel. Words like ‘sonder’ and ‘fernweh’ which take paragraphs to convey in other languages. This, I feel, is quite a revelation because a common word between two people establishes a connection through empathy.

I still am in the process of knowing the language and can’t wait to have many more such revelations.

Wait, is there a word for this feeling?!

Ankitha