Gut Deutsch sprechen und dazugehören Warum ich dich so gut verstehe Deutsch lernen

Everyone carries their own story with them— their origins their experiences their family history No matter where you're from your desire to speak fluent German feel confident and be taken seriously is completely valid Today I want to tell you why I can understand you so well All the challenges you've faced so far with the German language and German culture along with everything connected to it And also share a bit of something personal about myself Many of you listening have already been living in the German -speaking world for several years—Germany Austria Switzerland They usually understand quite a lot already and manage well in old age They are working and have built something for themselves And yet there are moments when they feel they haven 't quite arrived yet—not always but again and again You might be familiar with that feeling I know it all too well from my own experience Maybe you already know a little about me I'm half-Spanish which means I grew up between two cultures My father is Spanish my mother is German I grew up in Germany in the south Outwardly I was always the German one Yet inwardly I always had this torn feeling The feeling of standing somewhere in between As if I were on a bridge wanting to look in two directions at once I've always wanted to speak Spanish fluently since I didn't learn it as a child but truly began mastering it in Costa Rica After living there for half a year At 26 I packed my bags and said goodbye to Germany Let's see if I'll be back In Costa Rica I helped out at a kindergarten and stayed with a host family And I wanted to experience the country and its people —not just as a traveler but also as part of society That's when I truly felt how important language is for a sense of belonging—to feel connected to the people around you And also to feel more secure In Costa Rica I also realized just how German I actually am That although my Spanish heritage is present I simply bring with me so much of this mindset and sense of discipline Yet I'm simply more German than I was willing to admit to myself beforehand And at the same time I've come to understand how challenging it can be finding one's way in a new country—mastering the language feeling understood feeling at home and truly belonging And yet language gives one a sense of security When I tell you all this it's primarily not to speak only about myself but to show you that you're not alone on your journey And it's possible that speaking feels easy That German feels like home to you I took a six-week language course in Costa Rica at the beginning where I mainly practiced speaking I was truly thrown into the deep end and had to speak right away and at first that was anything but easy I've spent a lot of time meeting locals just to practice the language and Spanish remains a very important hobby of mine to this day And my little daughter is now learning this beautiful language too naturally with a caregiver— entirely playfully and effortlessly And that reminds me every day that speaking can feel easy That it's okay to feel good expressing oneself Language voice and music have always been tools that have greatly helped me I didn't always have the support from home that I needed or wished for And at the same time it helped me become very independent at a very early age And luckily I always had people by my side who loved me just as I was and also supported me in my abilities And seen more in me than I was capable of seeing at that moment For over twelve years I played saxophone and sang in a big band that felt like my second family And in this second family I found a place to belong I've gained more confidence and dared to do things I wouldn't have believed myself capable of before For instance putting me on stage in front of 15 000 people Stepping outside your own comfort zone— you're surely very familiar with that It's not always easy Yet it also aids us in our personal development Some of you undoubtedly know me from my fluent German And know that I am a certified speech therapist German language trainer and pronunciation coach for many years For a long time I had no idea what I should do or where my path was truly leading me I realized I didn't really want to study or tie myself to one place for too long—I'd rather be hands-on I've also decided to pursue training One more vocational training followed by a part-time university degree specializing in Spanish for international business communication And then at some point my boss said to me Samantha you're also a German teacher aren't you Could you possibly cover for one of our instructors And from the moment I started teaching the group it was clear to me that this is what I wanted to do A large number of my students come from Spanish-speaking countries or nations where the native languages are Portuguese Italian Russian or Polish And many other languages as well And as I look back on my journey it was truly rocky at times Part of the time I didn't see it but now I get it—this is the solution and I can finally see light at the end of the tunnel Yet opportunities and chances kept arising which I seized whenever they did I also said no to some things which was the right choice and yes to many others Sometimes in my life I've gotten nowhere on my own Then I either had people beside me who supported me directly or I sought support for myself In difficult times I found that very weak Yet in hindsight I can say that was also a strength one that opened countless doors And that's why I'm so thrilled to be able to accompany you on your speaking journey and serve as your pronunciation coach And I thank you so much for following me and learning with me to speak German clearly fluently and confidently That’s possible even as an adult Speaking German can feel just like being at home And that's exactly why I'm here — to help you feel at home with me just a little bit If you'd like feel free to leave me a comment telling me how long you've lived in the German-speaking world and how long you've been learning German I welcome every comment from you and your comment might just inspire and motivate someone else watching this video You're not alone And I'm more than happy to help you step outside your comfort zone and feel confident when speaking I'm really looking forward to our next video together Until then always remember you are valuable and the world needs you Your Samantha