Australia

German is a part of my history, a fact that I am fiercely proud of. My mothers’ side of the family is German and we continue to celebrate German traditions like Heilig Abend. However, living so far from our German relatives has meant that we rarely speak the language. Unfortunately, I am the only grand-child who continues to learn German. On a personal level, learning German is my way of maintaining living, breathing relationship with my extended family.

Professionally I have found that having an awareness of the difficulties of learning a second language has made me a much more empathetic physiotherapist. I have had a number of humbling experiences when working with German-speaking patients and witnessing their gratitude for my basic attempts at communication. I also hope to further my physiotherapy hands-on skills by studying at a world-renowned centre in Munich.

I hope that I have demonstrated that German is very important to me. Learning German has allowed me to speak more articulately with my Oma and it has allowed me to grow as a physiotherapist. I have made a real effort to continue learning German after VCE by first working in a German-speaking nursing home during university, and now by learning at the Goethe-Institut.