final blog... geez, i'm tearing up

Although I have spent nearly a month visiting countries throughout Europe, I was not able to get a full grasp, or rather a larger grasp, on different cultures. Studying German has opened up a whole new side of the world for me. For example, I know how typical Germans act in various different situations ( i.e. in their houses, in the street, and in other countries). Unlike other Foreign Language classes that I have taken, these German classes also included history of the countries where the language is spoken. We learned about the beginnings of Germany, Germany’s role in World War Two, Germany coping with the aftermath of World War Two, The Cold War, The Fall of the Berlin Wall, and other very, very interesting historical facts. I plan on studying abroad in Germany so along with being able to speak the language, I know how to act in certain situations that Americans would normally treat very differently like saying “what’s up?” or anything like that. Germany is very different than America, much more different than I once perceived it to be. The way the German classes were taught also peaked my interest. You are submersed in the language without feeling overwhelmed; it is kind of hard to describe but I really like how the classes were, and are, taught. I took Spanish in high school and the classes were primarily taught by people who were not from Spanish speaking countries and were only familiar with what they learned from textbooks. The German TAs that I have had here at the University of North Carolina all either are from Germany or a German speaking country or have studied in Germany. I feel that these characteristics really make the class more genuine. Also, the class was successful because it did not just focus on word memorization and grammar, but on interaction and knowledge. Sehr wonderbar.