Aakanksha Shirsat (26) left her hometown of Nasik, Maharashtra, India in July 2016 in order to participate the German Teacher Training (Deutsch lehren lernen /DLL) at the Goethe-Zentrum Hyderabad. This month she moved back to Nasik in order to focus on learning German for her C1-exam. In the future she hopes to work in Germany in a job related to the German Language. An interview.
Employland: When did you start studying German? Why?
Aakanksha Shirsat: I have started in 2011, when I was doing my first year of Commerce. Some of my friends were learning French. I always liked to be different, so I chose German.
And I like it. You don‘t only learn the language, but you also get to know about the culture, how the people think, how they behave. In addition to interaction with my classmates, group activities and discussion helped me to grow as a person. My first teacher was definitely a great motivation for me. I have experienced Germany through her. She tells she narrates, she shows videos, etc.
“The Germans planning is really inspring”
Employland: What does your teacher tell you about Germany? How does she inspire you?
Aakanksha Shirsat: What really impresses me about Germans is their appropriateness, the way they think and their perfection, which is famous worldwide. I think they are very thorough planners. From small to big things they plan in detail. And the best part: they follow through with their plans. People don‘t change things all of a sudden. That planning is really inspiring. It is really applicable.
“I’ve only seen Germans and Germany in videos”
Employland: Are there more things you like about Germany?
Aakanksha Shirsat: The Culture. They have theatres, museums, a lot of things which I would really like to know by visiting Germany and by talking to Germans.
I am a Kathak dancer, I also do theatre. I am an artistic person, and I love that. That is one aspect that connects me to Germany and the Germans — the many cultural activities they have.
By now I have seen Germany and Germans only in videos and I have heard a lot about them, now I want to visit. Because there is a big difference between what we learn from books and how things really are.
Employland: Can you imagine living and working in Germany?
Aakanksha Shirsat: Yes, I would like to work in Germany. My job would be related to the German language, maybe as a translator, as an interpreter or maybe as a teacher. If I get a chance, I will do that.
“For me independence means lot”
Employland: Won‘t you miss your family, if you leave them behind? Indian familiy ties are very strong, correct?
Aakanksha Shirsat: I know, but I think I am an exception (laughs). I do miss my family but I don‘t cry or I don‘t feel that I cannot live without them. I already left my family behind in Nasik, which is far away from Hyderabad where I lived all alone in a women‘s hostel. It was the first time that I left my hometown and came so far. My familiy was shocked. My parents were a little bit protective about me, because I am the only daughter among their children.
Employland: But still they let you go.
Aakanksha Shirsat: Yeah, they let me go. And I made them understand, what I went for, what I wanted to do.
“I will convince my parents to let me go”
Employland: How did you explain this to them? What did you tell them?
Aakanksha Shirsat: See, for me, independence and responsibility means a lot. Since my birth, I have been in Nasik, I haven‘t done anything on my own. Since my birth I had been living with my family. So I really wanted to start something independently. So Hyderabad was a new place, I didn‘t know anybody. I felt good and independent.
Employland: Do you plan on moving to Germany for the rest of your life or only for a few years?
Aakanksha Shirsat: It depends on my visit, how the experience goes. But definitely I don’t want to spend my entire life there, rather a few years.
Employland: Are you already looking for jobs?
Aakanksha Shirsat: No, I am waiting for my next exam: C1. I am preparing for that. So my plan is that I have to complete my C1 and C2. C1 for sure I want to complete in India.
Employland: Will your parents let you go?
Aakanksha Shirsat: I will convince them to. (Laughs)
Also on our blog: Don’t ask your boss’s marital status, and survive on a new bread every day (be warned, though, German bread is addictive). For the last nine years, Padma PVL has been a German teacher and language department manager at the Goethe-Zentrum in Hyderabad, India. She sat down with Employland for an interview about her students, teaching German, and the cultural differences between Germany and India.
Also interesting: A renowned faculty for Engineering, an extensive job application process, and living the Indian way in Eastern Germany: Dinesh Kumar Kodavali, a 27-year-old from Guntur, Andhra Pradesh (India), shares his experiences of living and studying in Germany the past three years.