Today I found a few good translation websites. In the beginning, I used Google Translate, but it wasn’t very ideal because there were no explanations or examples. However it was useful when I needed to know the main theme or general idea of the text. In order to know grammar and uses of certain words, I think linguee.com is very useful. On this site, when you search a word, they don’t only translate, but they also give you a number of examples on how you can use it. Thus you can learn from the context and you will understand when to use this word. Another good website I found is pons.com, it is similar to linguee.com. It is always helpful to have nice apps or websites which can assist the learning progress.

Today I had to ask someone on the street for direction. The person I asked couldn’t speak any English, so I had to speak in German. I remember the first class of A2.1 was about asking for directions. I tried to remember what I have learnt and asked in German bravely. That person understood everything and also replied me in German. She used a lot of vocabularies I learnt and I was able to pick up on everything she said. I felt a great sense of achievement.

I am really happy that there is progress. Step by step, I hope my German can improve further.

Today we played “Heads Up” game in German. We had to write down a famous person’s name and swap with others without looking. Then the other person looks at the one you got and describe he or she to you, then you have to guess. It was a bit challenging in the beginning, but I also realized how much my German improved in the last few months. Before the course, I couldn’t even say a full sentence, but now I can describe a person in German. It is a great feeling when you can finally communicate a little bit in German. No pain no gain, hard work always pays off. Sometimes it was challenging and exhausting to attend German classes after work, but I think it was worth it.

Today we learnt German through music. We had a handout with lyrics and we had to fill in the gaps. In the beginning it was hard to pick up, but after listening to it a few times, I started to recognize more vocabularies. There are some vocabularies I already know, but it was hard to understand through the music due to pronunciations. People say that it is a good idea to learn a new language through music. By listening and learning to sing, you can learn a lot of new vocabularies and grammars. Also it is a good way to get to know culture and break down barriers.

Most importantly, it is fun to learn German through music.

This weekend, I had to invite some friends, so I had to cook dinner. I challenged myself by reading cooking recipes in German. It was very fun, and at the same time, I learnt a lot of food vocabularies. I have decided to cook Tuna steak and it was challenging for me because I have never been a good cook. I had to look up some vocabularies online, but it was very fun. Whenever I go to supermarkets, I didn’t know how to say some of the vegetables in German. But by reading recipes in German, I think I learnt most of the vocabularies. Next time, I will try to challenge myself further by baking cakes.

These days, I am trying to read random online articles in German. I find it very helpful because I learnt a lot of vocabularies. In the beginning it was really hard because I didn’t understand anything. Especially the grammar and word order were too hard for me to make any sense. However after looking up the new vocabularies and continuing this habit, I started to understand more and more. I realized that certain type of articles use the same kind of vocabularies, so as I read more, I gradually understand more. In terms word order, it never makes sense, but I also realized that there are some sort of rules. For example, the word order after certain connecting words such as “weil”, “deshalb” and “denn”. I think the only way to learn word order is to read more articles.

Yesterday we had our second test!!! We always have a test after 3 units of lessons, so that we can check our own progress. This time, it was harder than last time because I had to revise not only the 3 units, but also the grammar we learnt before. It is always hard to remember the endings for different cases. However the hardest for me is gender. You never know which noun has which gender. In the text book, they mark all the vocabularies in different colors to indicate different gender, but other than those vocabularies, I always had to guess. In my free time, I try to make my own vocabulary book with new words and genders, so that it helps me to expand my vocabularies.I wish as time goes by, I will know these genders more.

Today we learnt about conversational phrases and pronunciations such as asking for help or directions etc. It was extremely helpful because I always struggled with it. Our teacher also taught us some pronunciation rules and it made everything clearer.For example, “eu” is normally pronounced as “oi” etc. During the class, we also formed in pairs and practiced our conversation skills. We had to use the knowledge which we have learnt from the book to make a conversation. By repeating it again and again, I think it helped me to memorize them. Hopefully, I can use these phrases in real life next time.

Today I read an article about why German beer is famous and it was very interesting. Beer is among the most popular and important part of the culture of Germany. There are more than a thousand breweries all over Germany. The reason why it is popular and tasty is because of the strict process it undergoes before it is sold to the public. The beer manufacturers in Germany are required to follow the purity law. They are mainly allowed to use are water, hops, and barley malt. Thus this differentiates its taste from other beers and made German beer famous. While I’m in Germany, I should try to enjoy it as much as possible.

Today German Friend told me about “Altweiber-Fasching” which literally means “old women’s Fasching”. It is the craziest day during the Fasching season that is specifically reserved for females. Apparently on this day, women can attack men and cut off their ties. Depending on the area, the woman might ask men to either buy her a drink or cut the tie. I think it is very interesting tradition, I was really shocked in the beginning. In Japan, you can hardly imagine going up to some random person on the street and cut off the tie. Fasching is one of the biggest festival in Germany, I didn’t know that different areas had different traditions. Next year, I wish I can travel around more and experience different Faschings in different areas.