Daria from Ukraine – Winner of the Humboldt Advent Calendar8. July 2019

Daria from Ukraine won a two-week German course during the latest issue of the Humboldt Advent Calendar. She decided to take a B1 German course in Berlin.

For two years she is studying German and English at the faculty of translation and interpreting in Kiev. She started learning English in school and only started with German at university level. She heard of the competition from her fellow students who shared a link with her. When Daria receive the notification that she won the first prize, she was very excited since it was the first time she ever won a prize!

Shortly before her course ends, Daria tells us about her experiences in Berlin.

Have you ever been to Germany?

I have been to Germany before. In October 2018 I spent a week in Munich together with friends. That was also my first trip abroad. I was totally thrilled by the German sausages. Interestingly, I prefer Berlin’s Currywurst to the Bavarian Weißwurst!

How do you like Berlin?

I like Berlin very much. It is much larger than Munich and has distributed impressive sights throughout the city. I liked the East Side Gallery and the zoo – for me the best in the world – the most.

What do you say about the German lessons at the Humboldt-Institut?

If I compare the lessons at the university in Kiev and at the Humboldt-Institut in Berlin, then I like that the German lessons in Berlin are intense and you can learn so much in a short amount of time. There is much more language practice at the Humboldt-Institut as teaching is not as theoretical as in Kiev. In addition, I met many new friends from all over the world in Berlin.

All in all, I can highly recommend the German classes at the Humboldt-Institut. There are a lot of practical German lessons, the teachers are very nice and you can improve and apply your German quickly. It was a wonderful experience!

Thank you for the interview, Daria!