2023 School Magazine

INTERNATIONAL STUDIES GERMAN I remember in Year 7 when we learned the basics—gender, how to count, nouns, adjectives and so on. It all seemed so complicated, but I still enjoyed it. I ended up sticking with the subject from Year 8 to Year 10 because I wasn’t sure what else to choose, yet continued to have fun. Now in Year 12, I still have a lot to learn, but it feels much more familiar. I remember when I started feeling more comfortable in speaking exams, and absolutely nothing feels better than being able to communicate (relatively) well in a different language. In Year 12 German, we began by learning how to talk about our society (Unsere Gesellschaft)—good friends, bad friends, bullying, social media etc.—and other topics. In Semester 2, we discussed our futures (Meine Zukunft), and talked about what we want to do after Year 12, as well as the differences between Australian and German schools. When you learn a language, you’re not just learning how to speak differently, you’re gaining the ability to connect with people you never could have before. I definitely have a personal bias towards German, but learning any new language is incredibly valuable and worthwhile, I can’t recommend it enough. Elise Gianduzzo (12W)

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