In eighth grade, I was given the option to take a foreign language: Spanish, French and German. My grandma or Omi, is an immigrant from Germany so once I got the opportunity to relate to my family’s culture, I had to take it. I didn’t realize how difficult it was for them to stay in Germany until I learned more about the culture.

My family is from Stuttgart, Germany and they traveled by ship to have a better life after the Soviets were about to invade after World War II and my grandpa and other German scientists were offered jobs in America. They were so grateful to leave and have a fresh start and I didn’t know how important it was for them. Taking German made me be able to connect on a different level with my family now that I had a deeper understanding of what they went through after and during the war.

While taking the class, I immediately clicked with my teacher, Frau Hernandez. Hernandez lets all of her students know that mistakes are okay, and that’s how you learn. So you will always be welcomed and encouraged if you take German. I built a strong relationship through the language and made long term friendships. The friends I made in German, in eighth grade, are now my closest friends in German V. Because the class sizes are smaller, you create close friendships with others and rely on each other for help when needed.

The popular choice among students is Spanish and they tend to overlook German. Spanish is more of a common language in America, but because German isn’t taken as much it’s better for résumés whether that’s for school or work. German is seen as a difficult language, which is true, but it’s very beneficial to have that knowledge of that language according to The University of Iowa. The Germanic language was one of the building blocks to Old English. And if you look at authors like Beowulf, they had many Germanic words that are now English. You are now able to understand the history and structure of the English language. There are many Germanic terms within subjects like music, philosophy, physics and religion.

The greatest benefit to learning German means you speak and understand with locals when traveling. You will experience the rich culture Germany provides and be at ease because you know the language. That’s what I look forward to the most for my future. Traveling to Germany, meeting locals and personally seeing where my family is from and how they lived.

Enrolling in German provides an advantage, but also we have a lot of fun. We have many parties, the best one being Oktoberfest. We listen to German music which is followed by learning dances. The dances are group dances and Hernandez makes sure everyone participates and has a fun time. Everyone brings German food and drinks. One drink they have there is mixing Fanta and Cola soda, it sounds weird, but it’s surprisingly good. Hernandez also shows a presentation about how Oktoberfest is celebrated in Germany. They have a huge fair with food, rides and fun games. Oktoberfest brings the class together to have fun and learn more about the culture.

Just remember, Deutsch ist macht spaß! And if you want to join German next year, sign up for German I.

Check out more reasons to learn German here.