What’s Grandma Saying?

What language do you dream in? Can you say something? These are things bilingual individuals hear often. However, this piece will not be focusing on just being bilingual. This goes out to all the first-generation American college students who feel like they are losing touch with their culture. From my experience, the common consensus among us seems to be that our native language is primarily spoken at home, while English dominates our life outside of the house with school, friends, sports, and everything in between. 

 I personally grew up speaking German at home, and being the first-born, I didn’t really speak English until I got to preschool. And even then, my grandparents used to tell me that I would come home during the first few weeks of preschool having not said a word because I wasn’t confident in my English. However, being so young, my brain was a little sponge, and soon I was communicating with all my classmates without any trouble. My family even has the running joke that, from then on, I never stopped talking. But that’s beside the point. While we were young, my mom worked hard to build me and my sister’s German language skills. Whether this was by reading German children’s books with us or watching German cartoons, she wanted us to be able to speak the language well, primarily to be able to communicate with all our family members that still live in Germany. As my sister and I got older, speaking only German at home became harder because so much of our day was experienced in English; however, we made an effort to at least speak German with our parents. While my language skills did decline a bit in high school, I was still surrounded by German so much that I did not really notice a difference. 

In college, on the other hand, it has been a completely different ballpark. I communicate in English 24/7. And while Northeastern is a diverse community in the languages spoken around campus, I have not found a daily German-speaking partner. Using the German language so little has no doubt made a difference in my skill level. It takes me longer to think of certain words, or I mess up the conjugation of some verbs while speaking. Because of this, I now make an incredibly conscious effort to only speak German when on the phone with my parents. I try to email my grandma more often to practice my writing and the fluidity of my thoughts. But even then, I notice that when I go home, it always takes me a few days to get back in the groove of thinking and speaking in German.  

Having noticed this change during the first semester of my 1st year here at Northeastern, I sought a way to reconnect with my native language, and luckily enough, I was able to find the German Club. A group of native German speakers, as well as students who are just looking to learn more German and want to immerse themselves in the language, meet every few weeks. These meetings may only consist of having the time to speak to other members, watching a German movie, or playing a game together, but it has provided me with a community I didn’t think I would find at college. Going into college last year, I didn’t know what to expect in terms of my relationship with my native language, and while it has, of course, changed, being here has provided me with more opportunities to speak it than I could have imagined. Being able to connect with other German speakers at the German club, I can utilize my language skills and bond with other students about their experiences growing up. I have even met Northeastern students who grew up very close to where my grandparents live, so we have a lot of shared experiences from early childhood. The German Club here at Northeastern has given me the opportunity to continue to practice my native language, as well as reawaken old childhood memories from when I was first immersed in the language.  

So, to all first-generation American students who are worried about staying touch with your native language and culture: don’t be. While it takes some work, seeking out and attending these meetings, as well as becoming comfortable with my new environment, has shown me that there is nothing to worry about. I’m so glad to have found such a welcoming community at college where I can be my most authentic self: the me that was raised with two different cultures and two different languages.