"Learn German with Real-Life Moments: Winter in Germany | Immersive Practice "

It is winter in Germany. Yay! And winter is not an easy season for many people here. Not for me either. Yes, the days are short. The sun goes down early. The sun sometimes goes away for a few days or weeks. And then we don't have direct sunlight, but only clouds and a gray sky. And it's cold. For me it sometimes feels like the gray days would go into the dark nights and everything would disappear a little bit. Yes, and in order not to fall into a winter hole or a winter tea, I have a few strategies and a few survival tips that I would like to share with you. Tip number one. Meet people. Meet friends. And that may sound a bit banal, but in winter in Germany it is not as easy as in summer to get to know people and to see other people and to get to know new people. In summer the atmosphere is generally more open. Or I see it that way. I perceive it that way. The people are more open in summer. Yes, we all go to parks or to concerts or do outdoor activities. And the weather is good. We are relaxed. And yes, that keeps everything away in winter. And in winter people usually walk through the streets very quickly and we all wear thick hoods and scarves. And yes, the mood is more closed. And that's why I think it's super important to make sure in winter to meet enough other people. For example, I like to meet up with friends or acquaintances and do something cozy at home. Recently I did some crafting with a few friends. We took all the magazines and all kinds of crafting material and spread it out on the floor and made collages out of it. Yes, that's very good for me in winter. And because I work a lot at home alone with my laptop I have to make sure to see enough people and to prioritize that so that it doesn't go down. My tip number two. When the sun comes out, I go out too. And then you should go out too. Although many people do this intuitively because we long for the sun so much. I always try to make it a priority for the day to make it possible that I'm a little under the sun and take a walk or drink a coffee in the sun. That's good every time because then I remember again that after winter comes spring and in spring the sun shines more. And yes, that always gives a little hope for spring and summer to put it a little dramatically. Survival tip number three. I try to plan activities in winter that I can do well outside despite the darkness and the cold. So, for example, go sledding. Or go to the theater. Or go to the cinema. Or go to the sauna. The sauna is a very popular place for many people in Germany. Especially in winter. Yes, it's just good to feel this intense warmth. And it's also good for the immune system. So to stay healthy, the sauna is good in winter. And yes, I try to plan at least once a week a special activity. At least once a week or more to just have variety in everyday life and stay inspired. Despite the darkness. My tip number four is for the afternoons and evenings when I don't meet friends and don't have any activities planned outside. And that is to have hobbies. Hobbies that you can do well alone at home. I, for example, like to bake. I actually like to bake cookies in winter. So the whole winter. Even if Christmas is already over. I just enjoy it and I take the time to decorate the cookies with icing sugar and decorations, sprinkles or learn something new. Like, for example, learning languages. I'm not telling you anything new. You all probably all learn German. I also learn languages. And especially in winter this is a good opportunity to use the dark afternoons and evenings. And I can recommend an app to you that I recently enjoyed using to learn languages. It's called FluentU. There are a lot of different videos about different topics. The videos all have subtitles. And when I click on a word that I don't know then I see a picture of it and more example sentences and also links to other videos. And I think that's great because I can learn new words directly in context. There are also quizzes and I like to play them to learn the new words more intensively. These functions are all created by a professional team. And I also use the Chrome extension. With that I can learn with all YouTube videos and all Netflix films that have subtitles. And sometimes when I'm on the train or when I'm on the road then I also use the app on my phone to learn. And yes, that's really practical and fun. If you like to test FluentU then you can do it for free with the link in the description. And with that you also get a good discount. Have fun with it! So, and because it's already getting dark I don't know if you've seen it but it's getting dark now comes the last little tip number five and that is to dress warmly. Wow! Smart! No, but actually I have found that it's really worth it to invest in good, waterproof, warm clothes in quality, high-quality clothes. Because it does make a difference whether you have a good winter jacket with which you don't get wet and with which you don't freeze so much than if you have a thin one which is not so good. Yes, many winter jackets and winter boots of good quality from well-known brands are very expensive. That's why my tip is go to second-hand stores. So in stores where used clothes are still being sold you can find really good clothes for the winter which is not quite as expensive. Yes, that's worth it because if you're not so cold outside and if you're not so wet outside then you go out more and then you feel better and then the winter is not so bad. So it's a positive spiral upwards and that's what we want not to fall into the winter deep. Okay, I hope there was perhaps one tip or several with which you can start something. Feel free to write in the comments whether you also have a tip or which tip you found the best. And yes, I'm curious what you think. And I look forward to writing in the comments with you. See you, bye! you