After having studied Arabic at GW for 5 consecutive semesters, the idea of picking up another language abroad was exciting, yet daunting. For the next 5 months, I will be taking intensive German classes in Freiburg and return to GW in August with a single Arabic credit left to complete. While this may have just been poor planning on my part, it was important to me that I know more than solely conversational German.
Part of the reason I chose to study in Freiburg was the fact that my family is originally from the Black Forest region of Germany. As WWII refugees, my Omi and Grandpa left their families and homes in an effort to start a new promising life in California. It was important to me that at least one grandchild knew more than conversational German and live in the region my ancestors lived in for hundreds of years. While I do know some regional sayings and have basic conversational skills, I do not have the ability to test into any other class other than Beginners German because I know next to nothing.
Since I have had a rather long break (surprise! I am actually not even in Germany yet as my program begins at the end of February), I was able to spend a few weeks with my Omi and Grandpa picking up as much German as possible before leaving. Because my program is not sending a representative to pick up the other students, I have to not only navigate the airport by myself, but also take a 2 hour train to Freiburg in Southwest Germany from Frankfurt International Airport. While almost most people in Germany speak English, I am not traveling to a big city like Munich or Berlin. Rather, I am studying in what I compare to rural Indiana. Like Notre Dame in Indiana, Freiburg is a college town, but surrounded by absolutely nothing but farmland. So, I picked up a few phrases and sentences like - “I do not speak German”, “Where is the train stop?”, “Which way to Freiburg”, and “Please help me”.
I highly recommended doing this before you leave and even just having them in a notebook to reference. Picking up another language is rather easy; however, I am a bit nervous about my arabic deteriorating during this time. There is nothing I can do about this and I am sure other people who study abroad have similar situations, but for now all I am doing is practicing numbers and the alphabet.
I depart for London February 17th and will fly to start my program in Freiburg on February 26th, so actual travel posts to come!