I Thought I Was Learning German
- Duline Theogene
- 5 days ago
- 5 min read
For a long time, I thought I had a love-hate relationship with the German language.
Now, I don’t think that’s true.
I never hated the language. I hated how vulnerable it made me feel.
In 2021, I moved to Germany to build a life there.
Learning the language wasn’t optional. I wanted to integrate into the culture, contribute in the workplace, and eventually stop feeling like a visitor.
Somewhere along the way, I realized I wasn’t just learning the German language. I was learning how to become someone I hadn’t met before.
Growing up, vulnerability wasn’t something I embraced. If anything, I learned to hide it.
Like many people who have experienced bullying, I became good at protecting myself by trying not to appear unsure, making mistakes in private, and avoiding situations where I might look incapable.
Learning German took away that option.
Every conversation became an exercise in humility. I mispronounced words. I misunderstood people. I searched for vocabulary I knew existed but couldn’t quite reach. Suddenly, I was the person asking for help, making mistakes in public, and relying on the patience of others.
As uncomfortable as that felt, it also taught me something I hadn’t fully understood before.
Knowing the theory wasn’t enough
Being a language teacher gave me a strong foundation. I understood the mechanics of language learning and had a toolbox of strategies to draw from. I knew the importance of phonology, immersion, repetition, and consistency.
Throughout my journey, I experimented with different study methods, resources, and learning strategies to find what worked best for me.
What it didn’t give me was immunity from the emotional side of learning.
There were moments when not even my teaching experience could make the frustration disappear.
I still doubted myself. I still felt stuck. I still wondered whether I was making enough progress.
That’s one of the hardest parts of learning anything new.
Progress is rarely visible while you’re in the middle of it.
While I was still living in Guadalajara, I met Sina Schmelter through a friend’s recommendation.
She helped me prepare for my A2 level and strengthen my conversational German before I moved.
At the time, I thought I was preparing for a language exam.
Only later did I realize she was helping me prepare for a much bigger transition.
Germany became my classroom
Nothing prepares you for learning a language once you’re actually living it.
Every interaction suddenly matters.
Ordering a coffee.
Opening a bank account.
Talking to your neighbors.
Trying to understand a joke before everyone else has already laughed.
As if that weren’t enough, I was also adapting to a completely different working culture.
New expectations.
Different communication styles.
Different ways of collaborating.
I wasn’t just translating words. I was learning how to exist professionally in another culture.
Balancing that while studying for my language certifications often felt overwhelming.
There were days when I questioned whether I’d ever feel truly integrated.
But there were also moments that reminded me why I had started this journey in the first place.
The people who made me believe in myself
One of the biggest lessons I learned is that no one learns a language alone.
I don’t remember grammar rules nearly as much as I remember people.
I was incredibly fortunate to work alongside colleagues like Jenny Ritz and Antoinette Turkie, who encouraged me to speak German every chance I had.
They celebrated my progress, corrected me with kindness, and never made me feel embarrassed for making mistakes.
They probably don’t realize how much that meant. <3
When you’re constantly questioning yourself, having someone believe in you before you fully believe in yourself can make all the difference.
One of the greatest gifts Germany gave me was also a friendship I never expected.
During one of my integration courses, I met someone who started as a classmate and eventually became family.
We shared the same fears, the same victories, and the same dream of building a life in Germany. We studied together, encouraged each other through moments of frustration, and celebrated milestones that probably seemed small to everyone else but meant everything to us. <3
When we decided to prepare for the B1 exam at the Goethe-Institut in Berlin, it became our shared challenge.
Around that time, I reached out to Sina again.
She organized speaking simulations that closely mirrored the actual exam. More importantly, she gave us a safe space to make mistakes before they mattered. By the time we sat in front of the examiners, we weren’t trying to remember scripted answers.
We were simply having conversations.
That made all the difference.
What I was really learning
For a long time, I thought German was the challenge.
But I don’t think it ever was.
The real challenge was learning to trust myself before I had proof that I could do it.
Learning to speak before I felt ready.
Learning to ask for help.
Learning to let other people see me struggle.
Learning that making mistakes didn’t make me less capable.
It made me human.
The German language simply exposed the parts of myself that had been there all along.
The perfectionism.
The fear of looking foolish.
The instinct to hide uncertainty instead of admitting I needed help...
But it also introduced me to something much more valuable:
Patience
Humility
Resilience
And the realization that confidence isn’t something you earn before taking the first step. It’s something you build because you keep taking the next one.
Today, when I think about my years in Germany, I don’t remember vocabulary lists or grammar tables.
I remember conversations, people, moments... <3
I thought I was learning the German language.
I was learning how to trust myself.
This story doesn’t end here
As I reflected on those years, I found myself thinking about my language journey.
My lessons with Sina stayed with me long after I passed my exams, and I became curious about the philosophy behind the way she teaches.
Why did her approach feel so different?
Why do some people see German as an impossible language while others learn to enjoy the process?
And how can professionals approach language learning in a way that feels practical, sustainable, and confidence-building?
Those questions inspired me to reconnect with her, this time not as her student, but as someone eager to understand the thinking behind her work.
In Part 2, I’ll share my conversation with Sina, where we explore the biggest misconceptions about learning German, the role of culture in language acquisition, how she prepares professionals for real-world communication, and how AI is changing the way we learn languages.
Stay tuned.
Author
I help businesses turn scattered marketing efforts into clear, scalable content systems. Over the years, I’ve written across industries including SaaS, sustainability, logistics, ecommerce, and professional services, always focusing on content that is strategic, easy to understand, and built to perform.
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