At this time, they already know that learning German was not very easy for me at the beginning, but one of the great advantages of DeutschAkademie is the pluskurs. Every Friday for me represents a small grammar summary of the week, exercises that allow you to practice what you see in class and the opportunity to clarify your question and of course talk in class, losing the fear of speaking and being able to practice pronunciation. I feel that this course was my lifeguard in the first moments at the beginning of language learning.

Lina

At the beginning my main reason for learning German was because I had to learn the language of the place where I am currently living. After three months of this crazy adventure I can say that I fell in love with this language. I mentioned it before, learning German is not something simple, but I think that is one of the reasons that I love this language.

Some people will think that I am crazy, and they are right Hehehe, I have always loved challenges, I chose as a chemical engineering profession (many people find chemistry very complicated), I love math and quantum physics. And now I love the German language, every day in class I feel like in my head the neurons synapse with this beautiful language.

I really love studying German every day in class and at home, and although it is somewhat complicated, every day I want to continue studying and learn more, that must to be love.

Cheers, Lina

Christmas is here and you can see it around.

Today the topic is the Christmas markets! One thing I love about living in this part of Europe is that I will live and enjoy them!

Where I come from we don’t have such a thing. Of course there are some but it is not like here.

The main Christmas market here in Munich opens this Friday (29/11) but there are already some small ones open.

I plan to visit the one in Nuremberg, which is really famous and hopefully the one in Salzburg. I was so lucky when I was in Innsbruck that the Christmas market was already open!

I think they are special and beautiful. And it is a nice way to enjoy also the winter time.

I am not a Christmas fan but nobody can resist this atmosphere: they have food, hot wine, music, and it makes the city look so so nice!

See you in the next post,

Chiara 😊

Hey there!

Let’s talk about how living abroad is. There are many different situations where you could end in Germany joining a German academy. In my case, I have chosen to come here for 6 months just to study German, so, learning German is the one and only reason.

In the Deutschakademie I met people who are here for other reason. Some of them found a job here (in English or their own language) but since they are going to live in Germany they want to speak the language. Others just decided to pack all their stuff and move from another countries to Germany and see what happens; for obvious reasons, they are interested in speak German and start their lives here. Another reason I saw is that their partners have found as a job here (or the company transfer them) and you are moving with him or her and suddenly you are living abroad.

As you see, every person has his own story. But we are all in the same situation: we live abroad, we live far from home, far from our family and friends. And, of course, this is not easy.

I have lived abroad many times, in different countries and in different situation. And I really enjoy the experience of not being in my comfort zone, but that does not mean is easy. You have better days and worse days but is always hard.

When you move with a friend, your couple or family, it is still difficult but when you move alone, every small step feels like a huge one.

You will miss things like your bed, your parents, your favourite restaurant… but also things you would never have imagined you were going to miss. Being abroad makes you stronger and braver. It is an amazing experience with all the goods and all the bads.

For me, joining the Deutschakademie is my favourite part of the day -and I am being honest. I learn the language (which is the point of the whole story) but I also meet people who are in the same situation than I am, and that always feels nice.

I embrace you to let aside your fears I make a step forward.

Good luck to all of you.

See you in the next post,

Chiara 😊

Hey!

I did talk about how many beautiful cities Munich have nearby in a post earlier.

Indeed, last weekend I went to Innsbruck by bus (only 2 hours) and it was sooooo nice.

But today I want to point the beautiful landscapes we have in the suburbs of Munich.

Some weeks ago I visited a lake with my host family that is only 30 minutes (by car) away. I believe you can also reach it by public transportation.

My visit was at the end of October so the amazing colours I could see were so impressive to me: a stunning green was everywhere.

There are many lakes in the nearby and most of them reachable by Sbahn. This kind of landscapes are beautiful here in Bavaria and a nice way to disconnect of your daily routine and the city.

See you in the next post,

Chiara 😊

If possible, on July 20, many of the Colombians met on the banks of the Isar River to celebrate Colombia’s independence day with typical Colombian food, music and with the kindness that characterizes us Colombians.

The meal was completely free for attendees, many of the Colombians wear the Colombian soccer team shirt and share a pleasant moment remembering our roots and sharing a historical moment together away from our homeland.

Lina

The first word that I hear every time when I say I am from Colombian is “cocaine”, and I think it is a fame that Colombia has acquired thanks to its famous soap opera about cocaine and drugs, which is very far from reality. There is a song famous in Colombia that describe this perfect “De aquí se habla mal, pero todo está mucho mejor”.

Colombia is a country privileged by nature, with thousands of heavenly places. Bogota it’s the capital, cold and rainy, but with lovely places influenced by Spanish colonial architecture. Bogota has a botanical garden, which sometimes makes night tours full of lights.

Colombia is also one of the richest countries in biological and cultural diversity in the world, that diversity is represented in 59 natural areas belonging to the System of Natural National Parks, one of them Tayrona Park. Perfect for lovers of adventure, the sea, and the contemplation of beautiful landscapes. His temperature is between 25ºC and 32ºC, with a great variety of birds, lizards, corals, mangroves, lagoons and huge rocks.

 In the Tayrona National Natural Park, there are holy sites that must be protected and respected as part of the cultural heritage of mankind.

 And to finally fall in love with my country, food is the best, that’s what I miss most about being far from my country. Colombia has a great variety of fruits and vegetables. For this reason, the basis of Colombian food is fresh and natural products that mixed with a touch of love allow us to have different, colorful and tasty dishes.

Lina

Colombians and many Latin-American people believe that Germans are unfriendly people, but this is just one more myth. I remember that my first impression of the Germans was completely different, they are very friendly, if for example you ask them something in English about a place you don’t know or how to get by U-Bahn, because like me in the first few days you don’t understand the names of the stations they will help you.

But to learn that, this is only one of the many myths that surround the Germans you must live an experience either as a tourist, student, or worker in a German city.

The attitude of the inhabitants of Munich for how little I have been able to live is a very friendly attitude.

Cheers, Lina ;)

In January I was in Malta for 6 weeks to improve my level of English, and I discovered a small country in Europe with many charms.

Being a small country it is very easy to travel. You can go from Medina to Valetta by bus for only 1.50 euros. My favorite places are:

• Medina: it has beautiful palaces and religious buildings of the middle ages.
• Marsaxlokk: located south of Valletta, it is the most important fishing port on the island, and the perfect place to discover the culinary charm of Maltese food. There you can see the traditional wooden boats painted in various colors: blue, green, red, yellow.
• Blue Grotto: it is a series of sea caves, where you can contemplate the wonderful and diferents colors of the Malta Sea.
• Saint Peter’s Pool: is a natural pool that is located near Marsaxlokk.
• Gozo: it is an island smaller than Malta, to get there you must take a Ferry.

Malta is a lovely island with fascinating places. If you are in Europe do not miss the opportunity to visit places like this.

Cheers, Lina :)

It was built in 1933 to become the first official concentration camp.

I had never visited a concentration camp and I think to talk about what happened there would be to repeat what you can in the history books or different websites.

From this I just want to tell you that the day I was there I felt a deep sadness, I think visiting places like this serve to learn about of history, obviously, but also to remember that we should be a little more tolerant with the people around us, and the that life is too short to live in an absurd war.

Recognize your weaknesses as a human being in places like this, only help you grow as a person and learn that this kind of dark moments in the history of humanity will help us understand that we are all equal, regardless of religion, the country of origin , or the color of your skin, but above all to strive every day to be better human beings so that these stories do not happen again.

Lina