When there is a will

Learning a new language from the absolute beginning is a tough task.

After all, learning a language means communicating in that language, with emotions, feelings, and of course grammar. I am someone who loves delving into new shenanigans, and language was surely one of them. However, I had not really experienced learning a new language. When at teen-age, I wanted to learn French and Turkish. I still do but with time, you choose the language that is deemed as a necessity.

I came to Germany with minimum Deutsch skills. It is not because I did not like the language but rather because of the adaptability of the language. The courses you tend to enroll into, for language purposes seem to scurry off leaving you a little baffled and confused. When I came to Germany, my certificate from the language institute stated B1 level. However, I was not even close to reaching that level.

Deutsch is a very beautiful language. If I knew the sheer importance of it back then, I may have opted to learn it at my early age. Languages can be hard, but it is a process to withstand.

I usually read these two quotes on repeat “when there is a will, there is a way” and “when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you achieve it”. I realised these as I gradually became fond of my flatmates. They are absolute sweethearts.

Over the course of six months that I spent here, my flatmates have helped me become better, both in cooking and in Deutsch. Sometimes, they speak slower for me to absorb the sentences. It is like a learning process for everyone. They learn some English vocabulary from me, whereas I learn more than the language itself from them. Susi helps me with reading Deutsch stories and makes me memorise vocabulary. She is the best teacher I could have asked for. Every day, for an hour or, even if it’s a single page, we sit together in the kitchen and she listens to me read children’s stories. Recently, Lisa brought me her favorite childhood storybooks on her way back from home. She handed them all to me so I can delve into the language like a child whose growth depends on it.

Since then, I have aspired to seek help from my Deutsch family who I know are there for me even if I speak to them in a broken language. I break the language when I speak, and they put them all together for me. A wholesome piece. What more could you ask for?