GERMAN LESSONS

When we moved to Berlin from Italy in July, 2009, we learned that, if we wanted to remain in Germany permanently, we would need something called a Daueraufenthaltstitel, a permanent residency permit.  One of the prerequisites to reaching the summit of that magic mountain was an official certificate stating that we had arrived at a B-1 level of proficiency in the German language.  We heard that such a certificate could be had by successfully completing a series of German classes offered by our local Volkshochschule Bezirksamt Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf Abteilung Wirtschaft, Ordnungsangelegenheiten und Weiterbildung.  Or, as we say in English, the adult continuing education school, sponsored by the District Office Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf Department of Economics, Regulatory Affairs and Continuing Education.   Known as the VHS for short.  

On a walk through our leafy neighborhood one day, I came upon a pre-war red brick courtyard building set way back from the street.  On the vaulted entrance to the courtyard was a bronze plaque that read VHS City West Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf.   Eureka!  Or, if I had already reached a B-1 level in German, I would have said, “Eureka!”  The VHS was less than a ten minute walk from our apartment and it was offering the beginners’ class, Deutsch A 1.1, in September.  I immediately registered us and so began our arduous climb up the mountain to the elusive B-1 summit. 

Words matter, especially in Germany, a country whose borders and culture are based on its language.  Deutschland means the land where Deutsch is spoken.  So it wasn’t at all surprising that Germany would require anyone seeking to make a home here to be able to at least muddle through in the native tongue.   To that end, and to reduce financial barriers to residency, Germany offers immigrants German language courses at extremely low cost.  How low?  Ridiculously low.  I don’t know what a VHS language class costs today, given the passage of ten years and the increase in demand--the influx of young EU citizens who flocked here in droves looking for work after the 2008 financial crisis, not to mention the 2015 wave of refugees and asylum seekers from Syria, Afghanistan, and other conflict countries--but when we attended, a course cost €110.  That’s right.  The cost of a nice dinner out for two.  And we’re talking intensive language courses—three hours a day, four days a week, plus a couple of hours of homework each day, in classes taught by native speakers who were dedicated, professional teachers.  

In all, I took German lessons for two years at various neighborhood VHS facilities around Berlin.  In Year 1 I took the four A level courses (A 1.1, A 1.2, A 2.1, and A 2.2).  In in Year 2 I took the four B level courses (B 1.1, B 1.2, B 2.1 and B.2.2), plus a review course, B 1-2.   The B 2’s and the B 1-2 weren’t necessary for the residency permit, but I enjoyed learning the language, and I was meeting people, making friends, so I continued.  I took and passed the B 1 test in July of 2011.   My Zertifikat is below.  (My husband has one, too.)  With all those courses, plus the Zertifikat, you’d think I speak German reasonably well.  Sadly, my facility is embarrassingly rudimentary.  Don’t believe people when they tell you you’re never too old to learn a new language, unless perhaps they’re talking about a language other than German.

 

How much did I spend over those two years to learn enough German to sit for the B 1 exam?  A measly €660, which was far, far less than what it actually cost the government to provide those lessons.  From the German perspective, the subsidy is well spent.  The people coming to live in Germany make an Eintopf (stew) of different languages, cultures, and traditions.  To introduce foreigners to what it means to live here, the A 1 to B 1 course cycle doesn’t only teach how to decline a noun and conjugate a verb or make a polite request at the bakery.  It also introduces the German social, economic, and political culture, which is why it’s called an Integrationskurs, an integration course.  As a result, along with, “Ich heiße Marilyn und komme aus den USA,“ I also learned there is a fundamental difference between Americans and Germans and between Americans and Europeans in general.  

 

The difference lies in the cultural value of Solidarität (solidarity), which in Europe takes the political form of social democracy, a tradition foreign to the US.  (Just ask Bernie Sanders.)  According to Wiki:

Social democracy is a political, social and economic philosophy that supports economic and social interventions to promote social justice within the framework of a liberal democratic polity and a capitalist-oriented economy.

Liberally democratic.  Capitalist-oriented.  Socially-minded.  Scary!!

I learned about this fundamental difference between Americans and Europeans in one of the B series classes.  After an afternoon of drilling vocabulary and attempting to converse in this difficult, unforgiving, grammatically-inverted, case-driven, hard-to-pronounce language, our teacher said she wanted to take a survey, and she asked our class what I thought at the time was a silly question with an obvious answer.  That should have been my first clue:  There are no silly questions.

She asked, “If you were taking an exam and your classmate, who was struggling with a question, asked you for the answer, would you help?”  I immediately thought, “Are you kidding?  Of course not!”  The teacher went around the room, asking each student for a response and to identify his or her nationality.  The other Americans answered as I had.  The Europeans answered, “Of course!  Why wouldn’t I?”  I was blown away.  

 

The teacher told us that she asks this question in every course and the results are always the same.  The students from countries with a tradition of social democratic governments almost instinctively want to help.  For them, community is basic to their decision making.   They come from cultures that emphasize solidarity over individualism when there is a conflict between the two values.  They encourage cooperation and team work over competition and individual effort.  People from these countries are socialized to behave in a way consistent with the principle that society advances further faster when people act together to achieve a common goal:  What's good for society is good for me.  It’s part of the European cultural DNA. 

She said American students, on the other hand, almost always decline to help.  For us, the individual is at the center of our decision-making.  We come from a culture that emphasizes individualism and encourages competition, where the group plays second fiddle to the soloist.  We are socialized to behave in a way consistent with the principle that society advances on the backs of hard-working, creative individuals.  The individual goal takes precedence:  What’s good for me is good for society.  That’s part of our American cultural DNA.

We're different, and it's exciting and liberating to realize that.  One of the most exhilarating, mind-expanding things about being an ex-pat is that you find out there is more than one way to do almost everything.  No matter how banal or critical the decision, there is more than one choice, more than one way to live your life.  Coming from outside the local culture gives you a unique perspective from which to evaluate it and at the same time, your own.  You get the chance to rethink things you took for granted and decide how you really feel about them.  It’s like learning a new language, the language of you. 

Keep it real!

Marilyn