From Cairo to Berlin: Why an Arabic Teacher Learns German7. August 2024

Please briefly introduce yourself, who you are and what you do.

My name is Ahmed. I come from Egypt and live in Cairo. I am currently in Berlin for three weeks at the Humboldt-Institut to learn German. In Cairo, I work as an Arabic teacher at the DEO (German Protestant School). I am currently on summer vacation and am using this time to take a German course here in Berlin.

Why are you learning German?

My employer, DEO, recommended the Humboldt-Institut Berlin to me as a good language school. Two of my colleagues also went to the Humboldt-Institut Berlin last year and loved it! German is important for my work as I have many colleagues from Germany. I would like to be able to communicate better with them. The principal is also from Germany, so I want to speak and understand German better.

Why did you choose Berlin for your course and what do you think of the city?

Berlin is the capital and it’s a beautiful and big city with lots of sights. It’s almost like Cairo (laughs), only 20 million people live there instead of the 3.5 million here in Berlin.

On the weekend we went to Stralsund and the island of Rügen, which I really liked as well. The air is simply so different by the sea compared to the city. I also like the varied weather in Germany. In Berlin it’s not always hot in summer, like in Cairo, but it sometimes rains or there’s a fresh breeze.

How do you like your course?

My course at Humboldt is very helpful. I speak German every day, I listen to German and I write in German. Even my dreams are sometimes in German. I hope that I can make even more progress in the future. When I’m back in Cairo, I definitely want to continue learning and keep improving my German.

What about the language in general? Is learning German challenging?

German is not easy, especially the grammar with the different cases. I find it complicated and I’m still trying to understand everything. That’s why I’m learning a lot, but you can manage it. In Arabic there is no such thing, there is only one article and not three. That’s why you make fewer mistakes (laughs).

But German is very important and many people learn the language. I’ve also met students from many different countries at Humboldt.

Do you already have a favorite German word?

Yes, lots of them, both simple and difficult. My favorite simple words are schön (beautiful), gut (good), toll (great), tschüß (bye), super. I also learned these words very quickly.

My favorite difficult word is Sehenswürdigkeit (sight). It took me three days to learn it. Entschuldigung (excuse) and Herausforderung (challenge) are also two very nice words!

Thank you very much for the interview and your time! We wish you all the best with your German learning!