Name: Arthur Laciak
E-mail: alaciak@nd.edu
Location of Study: Bremen, Germany
Program of Study: Goethe Institute
Sponsors: J. Patrick Rogers & Earl Linehan

 

A brief personal bio:

In the fall of 2012, I will be a sophomore. I am majoring in Political Science and Mathematics with a minor in German. I am from Lemont, IL, a south suburb of Chicago. At Notre Dame, I am involved in Student Government, the German Club, and the Polish Club. In addition, I enjoy participating in all Notre Dame has to offer, such as charity events and dorm sports.

Why this summer language abroad opportunity is important to me:

A personal goal of mine is to become fluent in German and receiving this grant will benefit me with my goal. Over the summer in Germany, I will gain more confidence in my speaking skills and learn new techniques to help improve my language. This grant will also benefit my academic goals. The skills I learn will make it easier for me to complete a minor in German. Gaining fluency in German will benefit me greatly with my future career goals. My interest in Political Science is international relations, especially the relationship between the U.S. and Europe. Therefore, knowing German would benefit me in research and would allow to work in Europe, as well. I would have the ability to work in the European Parliament.

What I hope to achieve as a result of this summer study abroad experience:

The greatest thing I want to achieve from my summer study abroad experience is to gain speaking skills. I would like to speak German with less hesitations and to be able to hold longer and more complex conversations on a broader set of topics. In addition, I hope that my reading and writing skills will improve from my experience. I also want to experience Germany, itself. I have not visited Germany before and I am looking forward to the visiting Bremen and other cities and experiencing a new culture. It will be a wonderful opportunity to see the historical scenes of Germany, first hand, something that I always wanted to do.

My specific learning goals for language and intercultural learning this summer:

1. At the end of the summer, I will be able to speak, read, write, and listen at a level of proficiency equal to one semester beyond my current German coursework placement at Notre Dame.
2. At the end of the summer, I will be able to engage in conversation with native speakers on German politics.
3.  At the end of the summer, I will be able to describe elements of the German state, history, geography, culture, etc. in German.

My plan for maximizing my international language learning experience:

To “hit the ground running”, I will use every moment I have to speak German, especially with my host family. I know that during the first week, speaking with my host family will be hard, but I hope I can progress quickly and in the end speak complex conversations with them. I would want my host family to correct whenever I make a mistake in my speaking. I will also try speaking to others around the city, by forming polite conversations when in public. This I would do on a bus, when ordering food, etc. I will also refrain from as much English as possible when in Germany and only use it when absolutely necessary. This even means searching online in German and even making Facebook statuses in German!

Reflective Journal Entry 1: 

This is my last night in the United States for the next five weeks. I will be flying to Bremen tomorrow and arriving there Monday afternoon. I have a mix of emotions now. I am excited to go to improve my German skills and to experience the German culture, but I am also nervous because for the next few weeks I will only be speaking German, no English! There is also some sadness for leaving my family and friends at home. I am ready for an adventure! I am sure I will have the time of my life and I will learn much, but now I need some sleep to prepare for my adventures! Good night USA!

Reflective Journal Entry 2:

This first week in Bremen has been awesome. I am no longer nervous living in Germany. The very first day had so many blunders. I landed at the Bremen Airport with no Euros. I tried using an ATM, but my card wouldn’t be accepted and the currency exchange was closed for the next two hours. I started freaking out. With no money, how was I supposed to get to my host family and the Institute. Luckily, the ATM finally accepted my card and I was able to buy a train ticket. I was so nervous though during the first day. I could barely form a German sentence. Only single words came out of my mouth, like Fahrkarte? However, contrary to expectations and stereotypes, the Germans here were very friendly to me and kind. I didn’t even have to ask and a man showed me how to buy a City-Train ticket and a woman on the street approached me and game directions to my host family’s home. To them, I probably looked like a helpless dog, but after they helped me, all I could say with a big smile is “Danke schön!” Now, just a week in, my speaking has improved, but I still do have many problems. I have a much easier time understanding Germans speak to me, though. My host family have told me that my speaking is much more fluent and I do not speak with such a great American accent, that I am pronouncing words actually like a German. I find this to be my greatest success becuase I really try hard to not sound like an American. However, ä,ö, and ü are still very difficult to pronounce. I was pleasently surprised when a few times, people came up to me and asked me questions, assuming I was from the city, but all I can say was “Ich weiß nicht. Ich bin nicht von hier.” (“I don’t know. I am not from here.”)

Reflective Journal Entry 3:

Two weeks down so far and two more weeks left. I am enjoying my time in Germany so much. I have found that my German has been getting better. My greatest improvement has been in listening. I am able to understand more and more every day. During the first week I had to ask for people to repeat things, but as of now I am able to understand more. Last week, I saw the movie “Lachfischen in Jemen” (“Salmon fishing in Yemen”) and I was outstanded that I was able to follow the whole plot from the beginning to the end without many problems. Also, I purchased Harry Potter 1 in German to improve my reading. I am a huge fan of the Harry Potter series and I figured that I should read the books in German. I already know the story, so I am able to concentrate on the German, itself. I read the first chapter of the book pretty quickly and I understood about every word I read. When I read, I no longer have to translate the words back to English in my head. I find this a great success. This means that German is really sinking in. My speaking has improved. I am able to hold conversations, and I am trying to make my sentences more complicated. I still have trouble and I have to speak a little slow, but I’m improving.

Reflective Journal Entry 4:

Reflective Journal Entry 5:

Moin Moin!
Just 20 minutes ago, I finished my German A.2.2 Exam. It was a little bit difficult, but I was able to handle it. The first part was a 20 minute listening section with three different exercises. The second was a reading and writing portion lasting 50 minutes and the final part was a speaking portion. I found the listening the most difficult out all three portions. For the speaking portion, I was paired up with my friend Alex. First, we had to give introductions to our two proctors, which was just a small description of ourselves. Then, Alex and I had to speak and ask eachother questions about a chosen theme. Ours was shopping – not a really good theme for two guys. And then we were given a scenario of choosing a gift for our friend Peter’s birthday. We ended up planning a trip to one of the Spanish Islands in the Mediterranean Sea, a popular place for Germans. We are such great “pretend” friends!
I am leaving tomorrow morning for a week stay in Poland to visit my family. I am so looking forward to it. And today I get to watch Germany in the Half-Finals against Italy!
I had a great time in Germany and I learned so much!
Tschau

Reflective Journal Entry 6:

I finally returned to the States. I had a wonderful experience and I enjoyed every second of it. I would like to thank my sponsors, J. Patrick Rodgers and Earl Linehan, for providing the funds for my trip. Without them, I would have not been able to attend the Goethe Institut.
After a month in Germany, I am more confident in my language abilities. My host family told me that I have improved so much over the month. I have also been complemented by other Germans in the city, such as a shop-keeper. I was so ecstatic when I heard these complements. I now know that my experience in Germany has paid off.
This is the end of my journey. Thanks to all who have read along.
Viele Grüße!

Postcard(s) from Abroad:

Reflection on my language learning and intercultural gains:

My German language skills vastly improved through by summer language abroad experience in Germany. Now, I feel much more confident speaking German and I speak with greater fluency than before, which was one of my goals. I learned that much time has to be put in when learning a language and a full immersion allowed me to do so. I participated in many cultural activities, so I was able to get a first-hand experience in speaking German. At first it was a struggle, but after spending some time in Germany, I was able to learn more language skills rather quickly. I met my goals because I really focused on learning as much German as possible.

Reflection on my summer language abroad experience overall:

I learned very quickly that even Germany is vastly culturally different than the United States. How society functions was at first unusual for me, but I quickly adapted to it. By the end of my trip, though, the locals thought I was German and would come up to me and speak to me, even though I was still learning. My advice is that before going abroad, students should research the cultural standards of their country and to be prepared for whatever their travels give them.

How I plan to use my language and intercultural competences in the future:

I plan to continue learning German at Notre Dame because one of my life goals is to become fluent in it. Hopefully, I can return to Germany in another summer for an internship, so I can improve my skills again. In addition, I would like to use my German skills for my career post-graduation. My SLA Grant experience taught me how to learn and interact with Germans, so I would be able to use those skills later on.