End of my first German course

It’s been a while since I wanted to document my experience in my German course. Now, having completed the first month, there couldn’t be a better time to do so.

Initially, I approached the course with some dissatisfaction. The pace felt too slow, and I was critical of my teacher’s methods. Boredom and impatience set in as I waited for others to catch up.

But then I began interacting with my classmates, and I had the chance to hear a different world.

One of the first people I met was a talkative Ukrainian woman. When she is not satisfied with something, she interrupts and shouts. She knows a lot about healthcare, and she told me this and that about refugee polices. I admire her enviable energy.

When I first walked in the classroom, I noticed a young man who already spoke rapid German. I asked him how he did it and he said since he started learning German four months ago, he only spoke German. He is smart and also speaks English, Turkish and Afghanistan. His experience reminds me a lot of the book “The New Odyssey”, and I am curious about more of his stories. He is only 19 years old, I believe a bright future awaits him.

The man sitting next to me has a political asylum visa. He was a political journalist not welcomed by the government. He said so he lived at the borderline for many years before he came here. He is no longer young and it was his second time to take the same course. He has a beautiful handwriting.

Another young man I know a bit comes from Latin America, he often dozes off in the class due to his Uber delivery job. I also met a young lady from Turkey, she is so charming with a wonderful personality. There are also two resilient mothers who undertake childcare with their studies.

In the last week I finally got to know my teacher a bit. He told us he worked 220 hours a month at the moment so that he can pay his expense for he and his girlfriend, and he used to work even more. He said he had different trainings in different countries, and now he finally got a new passport. He shared with us different information that help foreigners maintain a basic life here.

In the end, I still think the course is too easy for me, who has spent twenty years staying in schools. But I wish I had talked more with everyone about their lives. So many people come here, and each finds their own way to stay and live. Life is always hard but also incredible, and I wish I don’t ever forget it.