One more about learning German in German and about German (dis)order

Bad experience from the very beginnig

I remember those times than my teacher of history used to repeat saying about limping German. It meant that in situations or places which are very bad organized, you just need one limping German, and he will put everything in order very quickly. I think that saying had something to do with World War (not sure I or II) and injured German soldiers, who managed to organize things quite well no matter their injuries.

But let’s get closer to what I wanted to say in this post. Post of complain.

I went to this language school (Hartnacshule) on Tuesday. Already for the second time, as first I went just to ask some information, because they were very bad in replaying my emails. So I had to wait in a queue for 2 hours and I was told it was very normal. I don’t think it is normal if people have to wait so long, in my opinion something is very bad organized.

Anyway, I came back there, as I already wrote, on Tuesday, because I heard this school is really good. So I decided to give a try. I came more than one hour before office closing hours. But a machine which gives numbers was already closed. Luckily one girl did not want to wait so long, so she gave me her number.

3 out of 6 desks were working and as you may guess, they had to work extra time.

I paid my money and got my contract and books from a young man siting beside the counter. I double asked if my course starts on Monday or Friday (as Friday was first day of the month, but during the weekend there is no classes, so I thought maybe they start just from Monday). But he assured me that I should come on Friday, June 1^st.

So I went there today. And what I found out? Great German disorder! Maybe they need one German with a broken leg in that school, because the healthy ones cannot organize things properly. So I found out that I got a wrong time, instead of 17.30 pm, that young man from the office put me in a classes starting 12.30 pm. And plus, that class starts on Monday, not today.

That of course made me very upset, because it’s not an accident that I choose to have evening courses, not afternoon. That is how I wanted. And besides, today I could do something else, but I had to cancel that other plan, because I was supposed to start my school this evening.

There is one more saying: Good start – half of the job done. I hope this saying has nothing to do with this particular case as a beginning is a disaster.

Learning German in German

Just one example

I would say Germans are quite rational and not stupid people, they are not flying somewhere high in a sky like some other more sensual nations in South or East of Europe. Also they had difficult historical lessons about nationalism, so are not supposed to be so stubborn like French or Polish then it comes to their native language.

But how would you explain me this. I was looking for German language courses in Berlin. I thought if I am already here, why not learn at least basics. So I did my googling. And my discovery was that offering you to learn German, schools provide information about their courses also in German! My logic says if a person wants to learn German, there is quite a possibility that she/he doesn’t speak this language, so will not be able to understand info provided in German. But Germans don’t think so. Part or sometimes even all info about German language courses (yes I clicked on a little UK or USA flag or a symbol EN) they present in German.

Even more, in same schools they also teach English, so I presume they have people there who are fluent in English and could translate all that material.

But I thought maybe it’s just about websites. So I went to one of the schools. And for my surprise, lady in an office was speaking just German. Somehow we were able to communicate. But again, this school offers both English and German language courses. So how come this office lady from this school gets no free English courses to be able to communicate with customers like me, who come to learn German.