March 28, 2024

Immersed in nostalgia

I was born in Germany and when I was 3 years old, we moved to the United States. The last time we visited the country was when I was in kindergarten. Yet, I still have a deep connection to Germany. It’s always been a part of who I am.

Since having children, my husband and I have decided we want our kids to also have that connection to Germany. It’s a part of who they are, even if they haven’t been there.

Somewhere along the way we decided we wanted our children to learn to speak German. This quickly became a family adventure in language learning. My husband doesn’t speak the language. I barely do, existing with the vocabulary of what is probably similar to that of a 3 year old. And yet, we felt it is important to embark on this journey.

My husband and I found a German school in Des Moines, Samstagsschule, as it’s called. Every Saturday morning we wake up as if it’s a regular work day, have breakfast and get ready so we can make the drive to Des Moines where our 4-year-old son is immersed in the language fully, learning colors and shapes, singing songs and learning German words for everyday objects.

We’ve done what we can to surround ourselves in German. We’ve set Netflix to the language. My husband and I text message each other in German. My planner is even in German. They’re small things, probably not even noticeable to most, but they help.

It sounds crazy to some, I’m sure, but it’s important to us.

Some days it is difficult. It feels like effort with no progress. I wonder if we started too late or if I know enough to teach our children a second language. I wonder if learning the language will even matter or if it’s a silly task sparked purely by the nostalgia I feel when the memories of the time I spent in Germany come back to me.

Other days I know that this path we’re on is exactly right. When I head to work and my son says, “ich liebe dich” in place of the English words “I love you” or when he counts in English and then repeats it in German. It reminds me of myself at the same age, saying the same words in German, practicing my letters and numbers. Those are the memories that connect me back to my birthplace. My children are forming those memories as well and there’s just something so beautiful about that.