Hallo! I’m Julia, a rising second-year at UChicago majoring in Public Policy Studies. Thanks to a Foreign Language Acquisition Grant, I’m studying German this summer at the University of Vienna Sprachenzentrum in Austria.
On a typical day, I start my morning with a latte (and occasionally a cinnamon roll) from my favorite coffee shop near the University of Vienna’s main campus. I have class all morning, where I learn new vocabulary and grammar as I practice speaking, listening, reading, and writing in German. I typically grab lunch with friends from my course in the vicinity of our campus, then I head to my internship.
I am interning at the Austrian Institute for International Affairs, a foreign policy-focused think tank in Vienna. This summer, I’ve aided with research on economic security and the critical raw materials trade, in addition to writing my own article. I’ve loved the opportunity to be able to experience what working at a think tank looks like, and I’ve really enjoyed learning so much more about a field that I find fascinating.
After finishing work, I try to visit a new museum or another site in Vienna as often as possible. Then I head back to my apartment in a student dormitory, cook dinner either by myself or with friends, and complete my German homework for the night. I have loved living in Vienna – it’s a beautiful city with such kind, welcoming people – and the experience has made me examine my own experiences from a more global perspective.
There are so many small differences between Vienna and Chicago, but I think the biggest contrast to me is that the vast majority of the people I interact with, whether from the Sprachenzentrum or at my internship, speak English fluently although it wasn’t their first language. Some began when they were very young, and some started learning English at a much older age, but no matter their circumstances I am absolutely amazed everyday by peoples’ skill in their second language. Witnessing their fluency has given me hope for my future German skills, but it has also made me so grateful that English is my first language. I feel privileged that a world-wide lingua franca comes so naturally to me.
Until starting German at the University of Chicago my first year, I hadn’t tried learning a new language from scratch since elementary school. Putting German into practice in Vienna has made me realize how different the experience is. My grammar is much better than in any other language, but perhaps because of this I don’t have the same blind confidence when speaking a new language that I had growing up. I’m constantly second guessing myself, wondering if I’m using the correct declination of a noun. Being in Vienna has made this apparent, but has also helped so much. I exit my comfort zone constantly when chatting with storeworkers or practicing conversing with people from my class in German during our break. I’ve picked up many phrases that I now automatically use in conversation without thinking about it.
My German is far from perfect, but I’m amazed that after only one year I’ve come so far. I’m very excited to continue to study German at UChicago and build upon what I learned this summer. My FLAG experience made me realize how possible learning a language from scratch is, and I am so grateful to have had such a wonderful summer while my German skills improved dramatically. Being in Vienna not only furthered my knowledge of German, but also made me feel like mastering any language could be possible someday.