Bolivia

Finally, I made the decision!!! After many years of postponing this very important business, learning German has become my number one goal. I’m Olivia from Bolivia and I will briefly tell you how speaking German could have changed my life.

Since I can remember, my father has lived in Germany. I have been going to visit him almost every two years since I was eight years old. I really did not need to speak any German because my mom would leave me at the airport in Bolivia, with a big orange sign around my neck, and somehow flight attendants would know what to do with me until I arrived in Germany where my dad collected me. Embarrassing as it sounds, I carried the sign until I was 15. At my dad’s home we spoke in Spanish because even his wife learned it to be able talk to me. I never really made friends. I didn’t go out to explore the city. I didn’t have the experience I could have had had I spoken German.

This situation is going to change soon and I will be able to meet Germans, read books, understand art, understand music, explore places and experience Germany as it should be. Isn’t it interesting to see a foreigner visiting your country, speaking your language, and knowing things about your country that you did not know?

By the way, after I finish getting my Masters in the USA, I am planning to visit my dad for a couple of years. But, shhhh…. It’s a surprise; my father does not know I’m learning German.