Hello all! I have been taking the German course for the past 4 months. Before that, I tried to learn the language by myself at home for close to 2 months in vain.

I think one of the main reasons is that it is extremely hard to maintain the discipline every single day when you’re in it all by yourself. I found myself studying for hours on few days and hardly opening the book on a few days. And I’m pretty sure that that’s one of the worst ways to learn a language. You learn a little everyday and you gradually master it.

Anyway, once I started going to the course, I was doing exactly that. There is also solace in the fact that you’re not learning alone. Better yet, you have companions to make mistakes with and a teacher to correct those mistakes.

There is also the most obvious motivator which works for many things – money. You remind yourself that you got to make it count. The other important motivators being the material, occasional tests, monthly Stammtisch and the daily Hausaufgabe!

Ankitha

One of the day-trips from Munich which gives a perspective and sets a serious outlook for the next few days is Dachau.

We might have read a few of books or watched a few movies on the Holocaust, but it is never equal to witnessing the place in person. It kind of scares you how much a person is capable of hurting another.

One of the messages displayed there says “never again”. It means, never again will we repeat such acts, never again shall we let this happen to any other living being, let alone a person.

It is really impressive how well this place is maintained so that the next generation gets to know what happened there and can draw lessons from it.

It left me thinking that maybe all nations should embrace their mistakes along with their achievements. After all, what are we, if we don’t learn from the past and make the future even better?!

Ankitha

I find Munich a great place to live. Well, except for the exorbitant rental prices, of course!

There are a lot of places which are my favorites – some famous and some not so. The best place I prefer to hangout is the Japanischer Garten which is quite close to where I live. Yes, it is not known to a lot of people, but is a little version of the crowded Englischer Garten. It offers restaurants, gardens and flower gardens with a lot fewer people. It is near the ‘Westpark’ U-Bahn stop.

In addition to the above, I also like the Olympia Park which is quite a happening place. It is one of the best places to spend summer evenings just reading a book or going for a jog or even for some nature-therapy! If you are a fan of the Englischer Garten, do check out the place where people do surfing regularly. It is near the ‘Museumplatz’ bus stop and is a fun sight.

Some other things I’d like to do here – spend a rainy day at the Deutsch Museum (the ticket costs just 1 Euro on Sundays), enjoy a sunny day at the Stanberg Lake and just roam the streets of Odeonsplatz where life seems more vibrant than the rest of the city!

Ankitha

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

Am letzten Kurstag habe ich einen Test gemacht. Nachdem Test habe ich mit meinen Klassenkameraden und meiner Lehrerin gefrühstückt. Alle haben ein Essen mitgebracht und zusammen geteilt. Ich habe Milchbrötchen mitgebracht. Meine Lehrerin hat einen Kuchen gebackt. Der schmeckte sehr sehr gut! Am letzten Tag von letztem Kurs hat sie anderen Kuchen gebackt. Das war auch lecker! Ihr Kuchen hat mich gefreut, weil ich deutschen Kuchen essen und erfahren kann.Während des Frühstücks haben wir uns über unsere Heimat und die Vorherbestimmung des nächsten Monats unterhalten. Ich plane, in der nächsten Zeit einen Monat Pause zu machen. In der Pause wiederhole ich, was ich bisher gelernt habe.

Miki

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

In meiner Klasse haben wir am jeden Donnerstag einen Test. Dieser Test dient dazu, zu wissen, was wir verstehen und nicht verstehen. Über den ersten Test war ich besorgt, denn ich gute Note bekommen wollte. Aber vor den Test hat meine Lehrerin gesagt, „sie müssen keine Sorge haben. Dieser Test ist für euch und mich. Ich möchte wissen, was ihr gut versteht und nicht gut versteht, und was soll ich noch machen.“ Diese Meinung hat mich überzeugt und änderte meine Einstellung zu Test. Ich dachte, ich muss gute Noten bekommen. Aber ich bemerkte, dass dieser Test mein Verständnis bestätigt. Manchmal bekam ich zwar schlechte Note, aber ich werde niedergeschlagen. Der Test zeigt mir, was soll ich mehr lernen und hilft meinem Deutsch!

Miki

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