Coming into this summer, I had a fair amount of knowledge about many aspects of German culture. But while I held a basic knowledge of German philosophy, literature and history; I had knew little about Germans as a people. I could discuss Kafka and Nietzsche with my professors, but a "typical" German in my understanding was somewhere between a fat little drunkard dancing around in lederhosen and an evil Nazi scientist.
Studying Germans as a people was perhaps what impacted me the most in German class this summer. Listening to interviews with real Germans on the interactive activities and discussing the interviews in class played the greatest role in my developing understanding. Hearing Germans express their own views about the Nazi regime, the Post-war Period and American culture was exceptionally enlightening and made learning the language all the more relevant and exciting.
Now at the end of 102, I feel confident not only about my language skills but also about living among Germans. With a little more vocabulary and grammar I feel would have all the tools I need to develop meaningful relationships with German people. If all goes well, I will be doing just that next summer in Berlin with UNC's FUBIS study abroad program!
No comments:
Post a Comment