Did you know that over 45 million US citizens list "German" as their primary ancestry?
Thus, Americans with German-speaking roots have formed the largest section of the population since the founding of the USA.
Many German-Americans keep their traditions and language alive with cultural centres and diverse societies. The same goes for the group of Danube Swabians (the so-called Donauschwaben).
Many German settlers inhabited the region near the Danube in the 18th century. They were invited by Kaiser Karl VI. At the end of the 19th century, there was increased emigration, especially to the United States of America, due to the increasing scarcity of the land and associated poverty. The German Language School Cleveland is part of the German-American Cultural Centre of the Donauschwaben in Cleveland, where Americans without a German background can also take internationally recognized language tests. The Language School of the Donauschwaben enjoys a high reputation and being able to speak German is recognized as something special. |
We are all very excited to be able to speak to students in America.
What’s a must see in Cleveland?
In excellent German, the students present their city, show photos of important sights and describe them in detail.
We show photos of Berlin in return.
A lively conversation ensues, lasting well over an hour.
There are many questions on both sides. What sports do you do, what are your hobbies, what are the public holidays, what does a typical school day look like and which profession do you want to pursue one day??
We are really impressed with how well the students in Cleveland speak German.
Encouraged by this, we reply in English a few times.
We really hope to keep in touch with our new friends and to continue our dialogue in the future.
Special thanks to Heike Haddenbrock, principal of the German Language School Cleveland, for the great organisation. We look forward to seeing you again!