Daniel (far right) with friends in Germany, celebrating Australia Day.
This January, Daniel Budreika participated in our Intensive German Language program in Munich while finishing off his Finance degree at the University of South Australia. Daniel became so immersed in his German surroundings that he actually started to dream in German!
Now working full-time, Daniel took some time out to chat with us about his travel and study experiences.
Hi Daniel, thanks for speaking with me today! Tell me why you decided to study AIM Overseas’ Intensive German Language program.
I’d studied German in high school but wanted to improve my language skills. I was also finishing my Finance degree and needed to pick an elective that had nothing to do with the School of Business so this program ended up working really well.
Had you been to Germany before?
I’d been there for a few days about six months prior to this trip. It was during this trip that I ‘rediscovered’ my inspiration to learn German.
Describe to me a typical day for you in Germany during your course.
I was staying with a host family in Munich so I’d start the day having breakfast with them. I’d then catch the tram to school, which would start at around 9.30. Classes were relatively small. Lessons went on until about 1 to 1.30 then we had free time to do what we liked. I would use this time to explore Munich and ended up meeting a lot of different people.
We had some homework too but it was very, very manageable. We had weekends off – and we didn’t have any homework on the weekends – so we’d explore Munich and the surrounds a bit more
What is something interesting about Germany that you discovered during the program?
One thing I noticed is that Germans tend to say that they can’t speak English but you end up having a half-hour conversation with them in English and you realise that they can speak English just fine! Even those that weren’t so well educated could still hold a conversation in English quite well. I found it quite interesting that they were so critical of themselves in this regard.
After spending the month there and dealing with all the challenges of living in a foreign country, how do you think the program affected you?
It made me more aware of other cultures and how they live. This is the benefit of doing a program like this as opposed to learning a language out-of-hours or at uni in your own country. By actually going there and living as they do and participating in all the things that they do, you really get a feel for their culture and you get to practice your language skills a lot more.
Tell me about what it was like living with a German family.
I was really lucky – I had a fantastic family! Particularly the host mum – she was very motherly and spoke clearly and concisely so that I could understand what she was saying. If she saw that I didn’t quite understand something, she’d repeat it again slowly. It was almost as if the whole time, while I was at home, I was in a lesson. She could speak English just fine as well so if so we could always converse that way if we needed to. On the first day, she took me walking around the area, explaining to me what different things were. Also, she was a fantastic cook! Probably the best food I’ve eaten in my life was in that house!
It must have been very challenging to be forced to speak German all the time.
It is, but that’s what I was there for. There were lots of Australians and other English speakers at the school so if I wanted to speak English I definitely had ample opportunity to do that! But I tried to remind myself that I was there to speak German. It was challenging, but eventually I had a few dreams in German!
It’s true, you don’t get a break - you sit around the kitchen table speaking German and you go to school where everything’s in German. You’re constantly thinking about your ‘game plan’ and how you can improve and what you’ve learnt so far. It can be a bit daunting but after awhile you get used to it.
I wouldn’t say that my German became awesome after only four weeks but it was definitely a massive improvement to before.
Do you have any insider tips for other students who want to do this program?
There were quite a few tips during the pre-departure sessions [run by AIM Overseas] that were handy for people who hadn’t really travelled before.
My tip would be to always ask for directions if you’re lost. When I first got to Munich, I discovered that the map that I was given was not particularly helpful. It was incredibly detailed but nothing matched up to what I had found! So I ended up getting lost, lugging my stuff around, walking back and forth and trying to suss it out by myself. In hindsight I probably should’ve just asked! I was initially reluctant to ask for directions because I thought that my German wasn’t good enough. In hindsight though I would have been better off if I’d just asked for directions.
What would you say to somebody who’s thinking about participating in this program?
I’d definitely recommend it. I think this is the best way to not only get away from your surroundings but to learn a new language – it’s much better than studying a language for a semester at uni. It’s a good life experience, particularly for younger people.
I also think that it adds more to your uni degree and is much better than just doing a meaningless elective that you don’t care about. It’s something that potentially can be a lot more enjoyable and meaningful. You may as well get the most of our your education.
Thanks very much for speaking with us!
Daniel's host mother and brother, and the amazing blackforest cake that Daniel's host mother prepared for him for his birthday.
Daniel took this beautiful shot of the Isar River
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