Hey there once again!

Since I am a love traveller, today I would like to talk about what can you do from Munich.

We are just in the center of Europe, so with a car, a bus or a train you can reach any nice city but also we are so closed to the amazing mountains they have in Germany (and Austria). For example, we have Innsbruck only 1 hour away by train.

Two weeks ago, I was in Vienna and from time to time I go with my hostfamily to Tirol (Austria) and it cant be more beautiful.

Also, even though winter can be though here we can enjoy it so much skiing in the slopes that are only one hour from Munich. I know there is a train that goes to a nice one in the south and the train ticket includes the forfeit ticket.

I would like to share with you some nice pictures of the mountains.

See you in the next post,

Chiara 😊

I hope you are all doing great.

Today I am going to talk about the academy. I would like to point some advantages from the DeutschAkademie, some of them may have already appeared in my earlier posts.

For me the most important thing about an academy is how competitive they are. With other words, what they offer. This academy offers, in such a good price, all the levels, all the times you can imagine. I already talked about the timetable they have for the intensive courses but what you might do not know if how the intensive courses work. They consist in 3 hours per day (with a pause) 4 days a week during 4 weeks. So, every month is a level. But the levels are half levels. Let’s clear that. You can start in September with the A1.1 and then in October you will do the A1.2, so in 2 months you have the whole level. I also like the method, since 3 hours a day is not that much to get tired of but also enough to get the level in the desired time.

And sure, they also have semi – intensive courses, which consist in 2 days per week, 3 hours a day.

Another point is the location. I study in Munich and they are just in the center of the city. And it may not look important if you study in the center or not but in fact it is. First, because you can reach the academy buy public transportation from whenever you live. And secondly, because before or after the class you can go shopping, go to have a coffee or just walk around.

I would like to share the breakfast I had with a classmate in the city center last month before our class, when I attended the 11:45h class.

See you in the next post,

Chiara 😊

Today I would like to talk about the city I currently live in: Munich.

I knew Munich before arriving since I visited it 3 years ago with a friend. It is amazing than now I am living here. What I like the most about this city is how cosmopolitan is, you can find people from all over the world living peacefully.

Munich has a nice and not so big city center, which I think is a positive point. Vienna, for example, is too big from me. But Munich is a big city with everything closed by each other. Also, the public transportation is amazing. Here we have U-bahn, S-bahn, bus and tram and they all work really good. You can reach every place with them since they have perfect combinations.

My favourite place in Munich is obviously the Rathaus (city hall), that is located in Marienplatz, a beautiful square surrounded by pedestrian streets. Really, it is so nice to walk around there. I can not wait to see this place in Christmas, where the Christmas market is.

I attached a picture of the Rathaus and also of the old city hall.

See you in the next post,

Chiara 😊

Today I am here to talk about a daily class but most important: the first day.

If you are thinking about intensive courses, like me, you will have a first day every month. New teacher, new classroom and new classmates. The first day is always an adventure.

So, first, the teacher would present him/herself and may ask you some questions to each of the students. That is nice because you get the opportunity to talk about yourself to everyone but also to hear their stories like how long have been they living in Germany, where are they from, why are they living abroad…

Then, it is likely that you will play a game with you classmates, also to get to know each other. This is fun because you practice the language but also meet new people.

For me the best thing is the diversity of nationalities. When you study a language in you own country, everyone is from the same country as you and obviously you all speak the same language. But when you learn a language abroad, everyone is from different countries. So far, I had classmates from: India, Brazil, Columbia, Mexico, Thailand, Italy, Namibia, France, Lithuania, Bosnia and Herzegovina and some others.

Also, that forces you to speak with them in german, because they do not speak your own language.

Here you can see me in my current classroom this morning at 8:30.

See you in the next post 😊

Chiara

Today I would like to talk about my own experience in DeutschAkademie and how I manage the process to choose it and then book it.

As soon as the decision of moving to Germany was taken, and that was few months in advanced, I started looking for the most important thing from me, the academy. I sent some emails to different academies, explaining what I wanted and asking for their offer.

I needed intensive courses and one thing I was surprise about this academy was how many different hours they have for this kind of courses. You can choose between these hours: 8:30-11:30; 11:45-14:45; 15:00-18:00 and 18:15-21:15. That works for everyone! I also though that the price was very good, comparing to another ones.

But, one thing I must say about them is how fast and easy was the communication. As I said before, I did EVERYTHING through internet since I was still in Spain. They answered me every and each email in such a short time. All the questions I had were solved nicely and effectively. I also made the level test online and then by phone. The recommended me one level but also, they heard my point of view, which I really appreciate. 

And you can also think a common thing: ones you paid, they are not that nice or fast. But is wrong. They are as fast as before but also nicer. They have an office where you can always go and they are there for you trying to help you as much as they can. They really take care about the students and that is really great from their side.

To finish, I also have to say that another reason to choose this academy was that in their website said they have social meetings and, since I knew nobody in Munich, I really liked the idea. Here is a picture of the next meeting, a dinner!

See you in the next post,

Chiara 😊

My name is Chiara and I am 24 years old. I am Spanish although I was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I live in Palma, the capital city of Mallorca, a beautiful Spanish island in the Mediterranean see.

I arrived to Munich on the 3^rd of October, that means that I am here since just one month! Why am I here? Easy, I wanted to study german. I have been studying german for the last two years (not continued) in Mallorca but I deeply think that the best way to learn a language is a full immersion. So, after finishing my master degree I found myself in the perfect time to spend some months in Germany, and here I am.

I am here in Munich only for one reason: my host family is here. Yes, I am an AuPair. For those who does not know what an Aupair is, let me explain it to you. Aupair is a “programm” where you move to another country with a local family and, in exchange of babysitting (and some other tasks), you live with them.

When I was looking for a host family, I knew I wanted a family in or next to a big city, because my priority was to join an Academy and small towns usually do not offer german courses.

So, now my plan is to be here for 6 months in total and attending every month an intensive course and come back home with a fluent german.

See you in the next post 😊

Chiara del Santo

An einem anderen Wochenende bin ich nach Berlin geflogen. Warum Berlin? Da Berlin und München immer gleichzeitig erwähnt werden, möchte ich selbst einen Vergleich dazwischen machen. Vier Tage bin ich in Berlin geblieben, deshalb könnte ich nur ein flüchtiges Anschauen von Berlin machen. Trotz meines kurzen Aufenthaltes habe ich viele interessante Sachen gemacht. Nach meiner Beobachtung ist Berlin eine echte internationale große Stadt, wo man mehrere Ausländer, Touristen und Hochhäuser sehen kann. In Berlin kann man die Vielfalt des Lebens erfahren. Zu jeder Tageszeit findet verschiedene Aktivitäten an, die unterschiedliche Erwartung von Leuten erfüllen kann. Aber nach dieser Reise würde ich gern sagen, dass München mir besser gefällt. Die Leute in München sind freundlicher, die Straßen sind sauberer und der Rhythmus in München ist nicht so schnell wie Berlin. Zum Schluss möchte ich sagen, dass mein zweimonatiger Aufenthalt in München wirklich eine schöne Erfahrung für mich ist.

Yiwei

Letztes Wochenende bin ich mit meiner Gastfamilie zusammen in den Westpark gefahren. Dort haben wir einen Open-Air-Film gesehen. Ich sah vorher nur im Kino Filme. Draußen zu sitzen und einen Film zu sehen ist in China fremdartig, aber es ist nach meiner Gastfamilie eine sehr allgemeine Freizeitaktivität in München. Solche Filme laufen normalerweise im Sommer, folglich kann man nicht nur den Film sehen, sondern auch das angenehme Klima genießen. Darüber hinaus kann man Speisen zum Picknick ins Kino hinbringen. Meine Gastgeberin zum Beispiel hat einen sehr leckeren Schokoladenkuchen gebackt, was mir gut geschmeckt hat. Aber manchmal bringt diese Aktivität nicht nur Erleichterung, sondern auch Beschwerung, insbesondere wenn es stark regnet. Glück im Unglück haben wir genug Decke mitgebracht, deshalb niemand den nächsten Tag eine Erkältung bekommen hat.

Yiwei

Während meines Aufenthaltes in München habe ich manchmal Heimweh. Um mich zu trösten esse ich die heimatlichen Küchen. Am Anfang könnte ich nicht sehr gut für mich selbst kochen, deshalb ging ich einfach ins chinesische Restaurant. Über die Gerichte in solchen Restaurants würde ich sagen, dass sie nicht sehr typisch und preiswert sind. Die Sauce und die Zutaten werden oft thailändisch oder vietnamesisch gekocht, weil die Köche sowie die Kellner nicht aus China, sondern den anderen asiatischen Ländern kommen. Nur gibt es eine Möglichkeit: selbst kochen! Zum Glück gibt es in München viele asiatische Supermarkte, wo man die chinesischen Zutaten und exotische Gemüse kaufen kann. Nach dem Rezept im Internet koche ich viele Gerichte, zum Beispiel Schweinefleisch mit grünen Paprika, Tomaten mit Eiern, Glasnudel mit Chinakohl. Seit ich selbst etwas kochen kann, bin ich jeden Tag zufrieden und froh.

Yiwei

Es ist allgemein bekannt, dass die Leute aus verschiedenen Ländern unterschiedliche Essgewohnheiten haben. Als ich in China den grundlegenden Wortschatz lernte, fand ich ein Wort über das Essen sehr interessant. Das Wort ist „Abendbrot“. Laut meinem Wörterbuch bedeutet dieses Wort ein bescheidenes Essen. In China legt man viel Wert auf das Abendessen. Deshalb könnte ich mir nicht vorstellen, was für ein bescheidenes Abendessen in Deutschland ist. Jetzt ist die Antwort für mich ganz klar. Brot! Meine Gastfamilie zum Beispiel isst innerhalb Werktage am Abend Brötchen, Salami und Käse. Im Vergleich zu anderen Mahlzeiten braucht man am Abend weniger Zeit, sich das Essen zu bereiten. Jetzt habe ich die gleiche Essgewohnheit wie meine Gastfamilie. Zum Abend esse ich normalerweise Vollkornbrot, Leberwurst und Gemüse. Wenn ich zurück nach China fliege, werde ich bestimmt diese Brote und Würste vermissen.

Yiwei