Moving to a foreign country without first being able to speak the native language is a humbling experience but a truly worthwhile and rewarding challenge. As someone who currently only speaks English fluently, one of my main motivations for going on a study exchange was to start learning a second language. After months of furiously practicing German using Duolingo, I optimistically boarded the plane to Liechtenstein, armed with “mit card bitte”, “wie gehts?” and “Ich komme aus Schottland.” I was ready to fully embrace the new language and was excited to finally speak German with a person instead of a green owl. What I didn’t anticipate, however, was how much more difficult this was going to be in practice than it was in theory.
As part of the Alemannic region, the German spoken in Liechtenstein (and by many of the students from the surrounding countries such as Austria and Switzerland) was very different to the German that I had been learning. During the first week of my studies, I so desperately wanted to be able to speak German and join in with the conversations around me, but the architecture studio was just a cacophony of sounds that I couldn’t understand as words. In a sea of students that all spoke at least three languages each, I was ashamed to say that I could only speak one. I felt guilty every time I tried to start a conversation with my classmates because they had to switch from German to English to accommodate me. Eventually, to save myself from the embarrassment, I put headphones on and listened to music whilst I studied instead. This, however, was not going to get me anywhere. I came here to learn German, so covering my ears was not the solution. I knew I had to toughen up and settle into to the uncomfortable and humbling process of being a complete beginner.
The following day I swallowed my pride, left the headphones at home, and started trying to use the language that I was here to learn. My language skills were still too limited to be able to contribute to conversations in German, but as I worked quietly at my desk, I would occasionally understand a sentence, so I started chipping in in English. If I knew the words in German, I would use them, even if I couldn’t form a full sentence, and even if I couldn’t pronounce them properly. As someone who had never had a single lesson in the German language until I came to Liechtenstein, the words felt unfamiliar in my mouth and I spoke them hesitantly and without confidence. After a couple of weeks of doing this, however, I no longer felt so embarrassed and my confidence grew. My studio knew that I was trying to learn their language, so they encouraged me with seemingly endless patience and kindness.
After the first couple of months in Liechtenstein, I was using German daily, my classmates helping me construct the sentences and improve my pronunciation. When I stepped foot outside of the dormitory, I eagerly greeted everyone that I walked past with “Hoi!” and whenever I bought groceries or sent a letter, I made it my mission to not speak a word of English in the shop unless I really got stuck. The first time I had a full conversation completely in German I practically skipped home I was so excited about it. My understanding of the different dialects had improved, and I was excited to learn as much as I could in my short time here.
During a study trip to Volos where we worked with students from over 5 different countries, I also learned that no matter what our mother tongue was, we all had the common language of architecture. We spent a week not just communicating with words, but through models, drawings and building mock-ups. It was a beautiful experience that highlighted the other side to language learning: the ways in which we communicate that don’t need words at all.
Nearing the end of my study exchange, what was initially a source of embarrassment for me became not only fun, but way to connect with those around me. I remembered how to laugh at myself and began to take joy in being a complete beginner at something. One of the beautiful aspects of learning a new language is that it is a way to gain a deeper understanding of the cultural identity of a place. In my German class at the university, we start every lesson with a German proverb, one of which I feel is particularly relevant here: aller Anfang ist schwer! This translates as “all beginnings are hard” and is certainly true for language learning, but if you persist it gets easier, and I promise, it is so worthwhile.