Your child is going to study and work overseas but you can’t seem to let them go to a different country. You might worry that your child may not be able to adapt to the lifestyle in a foreign land. You may not recognise your child whom you used to know.
Worry no more! Create meaningful memories together and learn about the German culture with your child. Here is a list of fun activities that you can do together before sending them off to Germany in 2021.
Learning the German language
Studying basic German language helps your child to speak fluently with the locals. Start by learning simple terms such as Hallo (Hello), Guten Tag (Good day), Tschuss (Goodbye), Wie viel? (How much?) and thank you (danke).
Duolingo and Memrise (available on the App Store and Google Play Store) are the recommended language apps to learn German. You can also learn German on YouTube such as Easy German and Learn German. These YouTube channels have their podcasts on Spotify and iTunes, too! We also recommend listening to Coffee Break German to Go (available on Spotify and iTunes) for their 20-minute episodes.
Watching German-language shows
Immersed yourself in learning the language and culture by watching German shows on Netflix. Ranging from thriller to reality show, ‘Dark’, ‘Biohackers’, ‘Criminal: Germany’, ‘Nailed It! Germany’ and ‘Sing On! Germany’ are some of the German-language shows to watch.
Alternatively, you can watch German DW News and DW Documentary on YouTube. They have segments of people speaking German with English subtitles.
Trying German food
Savour German delicacies in Malaysia so that your child will get used to eating the local food in Germany. German dishes to try together are schweinshaxe (pork knuckle), kartoffelkloesse (potato dumpling), schnitzel (breaded meat cutlet), sauerkraut (fermented cabbage) and sausages.
Dine-in together with your family at Der Backmeister – Your German Bakery, Weissbrau German Bistro & Bar, Euro Deli, Bavarian Bierhaus and Zum Stammtisch German Restaurant & Bar.
Adapting to the weather
Germany has warm summers and relatively mild winters. Average high temperature is 25 °C while the lowest can get to -1°C.
Be sure to pack enough warm and thick clothing for the winter. Most people keep themselves warm with four to five layers of clothing, including their thermal top and pants. For affordable and good quality clothing that lasts long, you can get them at Universal Traveller and Uniqlo.
Attending Malaysian-German Society’s cultural events
The Malaysian-German Society organises various cultural events to introduce and experience German culture in Malaysia. They have art exhibitions, a library and German language classes to learn about Germany’s art, language and literature. German film screenings are held on the second Friday of every other month.
Mingle and taste delicious German food at the cooking demos and German breakfast. Attend the yearly Oktoberfest and Christmas Bazaar where you will embrace the vibrant German festivities.
Starting the habit of recycling and using less plastic
Recycling is part of the German’s daily routine. It minimises the carbon footprint and loads of garbage.
Take the initiative in recycling by separating plastic, paper, glass and food waste. Stop using plastic by using your shopping bag, drinking without straws and taking away food with containers. Fill up your drinks with portable mugs instead of drinking from paper and plastic cups.
Step by step, you put small contributions in saving the environment.
Researching the places to visit in Germany
The world is at your fingertips so use the time to learn more about Germany on the Internet. Start by looking into fun facts about Germany. Look into the interesting places to visit such as Berlin, Frankfurt, Hamburg, Munich, Stuttgart and Cologne. Germany has a lot of amazing places for car lovers to visit.
Don’t miss out on the specific details such as getting there, eateries (including halal food options), opening times and ticket prices. Bookmarked them or, even better, write them down on paper. It will come in handy when you plan your family trips in Germany.
By doing these fun activities together, you will feel at ease of sending your child to Germany. ICTI’s Vocational Technical Training (VTT) program is a great start for students who dream to study and work in Germany. Read more about what your child will experience while taking VTT in Germany next year.
Students will go through a one-year preparatory course about Germany at ICTI’s Shah Alam campus. Through that, they will be prepared to adapt themselves to the study-work-life environment while finishing the international training module in Germany for 3 ½ years. You can contact us for more details about the course, such as education options and financial assistance (including loan facilities).