Hallo! Is the way you say Hello in German. This is probably one of the easiest words to say in the German language. On Tuesday October 18, the Association of International Students (AIS) held their German language and culture lesson at Texas A&M International University. The students gathered at the Western Hemisphere Trade Center room 116 from 8:00 to 9:30pm. The class was taught by two of TAMIU’s international students Martin Skrodzki and Wolfgang Hemelamayr members of AIS.
The class was about the culture and language of Germany and Austria. The students learned about the basics of the German language such as words and pronunciation, like Danke which means Thank You. Some of the phrases that were taught were complicated to pronounce, and to enunciate which made it difficult for students. Probably German is one of the hardest language to learn. They also practiced on how to introduce themselves in German. Skrodzki showed the class new letters that are in the German language and words that are hard to pronounce. Hemelamayr talked about Austria in terms of numbers. He said that there are 8.4 million inhabitants and a total of 118 beer breweries. He also demonstrated one of the most well known songs and the ski anthem of Austria, Schifoan by Wolfgang Ambros. Afterwards, the students played idiom guessing. Martin stated that through this lesson he wanted to “…confirming the pre judges about the German language, and also to give them an impression of what the country is like…to wake some interest.”
By attending a language and culture lesson students were given insight into a different culture. Enrique Alvarez, a student stated that “It’s a great benefit to know about the cultures around us.” This helped them to gain knowledge about a person from a different country’s way of life and thinking.
For more information you can go to the AIS Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/AIS or you can contact Cornelius Kipkorir president of AIS at corneliuskipkorir@dusty.tamiu.edu.
You may contact Mayra C. Gonzalez at mayra.gonzalez@dusty.tamiu.edu and Priya Gianchandani at priya.gianchandani@dusty.tamiu.edu.