We are accustomed to the idea that it is good where we are not. However, we are there and there are already many of us. Today, thousands of our compatriots are leaving the country in search of a better life. They quit jobs and friends, sell real estate<\/a> in the capital or provinces, and go abroad. Many envy them: they say, how lucky! But what is it really like to be an immigrant? Not a tourist, for whom a new country is just a bright, memorable episode in their biography. Remember the phrase from a well-known joke: '...comrades, do not confuse tourism with emigration.'<\/p>
How does a person actually live who, being of sound mind and memory, chooses an alluring and frightening unknown at the same time? I will add that this difficult choice is made not only and not so much for oneself, but in favor of one's children and their 'bright' future. It is hard to disagree that people who decide to take such a serious step have not only the opportunity to leave – and this is usually a suitable nationality. They also possess strength of character and courage.<\/p>
Most of my acquaintances, and I believe yours, imagine life in Germany as, if not paradise on earth, then at least the embodiment of all desires and opportunities. And in some ways they are right, because there, beyond the borders of the CIS, desires still more often coincide with opportunities. But it is not so simple... The fates of immigrants are different. Some experience suggests that those of our compatriots who have achieved success here, at home, achieve greater heights there, in conditions that are in some ways certainly more favorable, but also not easy.<\/p>
The first and perhaps most serious problem that citizens who have just arrived for permanent residence face is the language barrier. It is in a sense a paradox – not to know the language of the country in which you are going to live, the language of the majority of your new fellow citizens, and finally, not to master the language in which you will communicate. Communicate not only with neighbors or relatives – you don't have to be friends with neighbors, and communication with relatives, if it becomes a problem, will certainly not be a language one.<\/p>
After some time of forced cohabitation, you will understand each other without words better than in your native Russian (unless, of course, you suddenly acquire local in-laws). From the first days of your stay on the hospitable German soil, you will have to communicate with officials of various agencies at different levels. The organizational issues on which your life depends at the beginning of the 'glorious path', and consequently your future life, you will discuss with them, few of whom know Russian.<\/p>
My friend's father said that when leaving Ukraine, he and his wife could not decide what to take with them: books, dishes, furniture, or just the money from the sold apartment. They wondered what would be most useful in the new place... But after arriving, they quickly realized that their main and most valuable baggage was not money and certainly not things, but the number of German words that the family of six collectively knows. So the conclusion, I think, is obvious – learn the language, gentlemen! Don't wait until you receive the long-awaited and always unexpected entry permit.<\/p>
Learning a language at a frantic pace, 'hammering' incomprehensible words and phrases into your head is unlikely to justify the financial and moral costs. After all, a literate person, and everyone considers themselves such, must understand that learning a foreign language requires regular lessons with a good teacher. In addition, active independent work is necessary. Then the language will no longer be a problem, and knowledge of German will become your main trump card.<\/p>
By the way, the German language that I heard in Germany, its intonations and sound, seemed to my delicate ear very melodious and pleasant, contrary to the idea of it as a sharp and harsh language.<\/p>
And in general, the country itself turned out to be not what I imagined – closer and more welcoming. This applies to nature, weather, and of course the Germans themselves. It's no secret that we are still sometimes dominated by the stereotype that Germany is a cold and gloomy country. Meanwhile, the landscapes here, especially in the southern lands where I happened to visit, are very reminiscent of Crimea with its thujas, cypresses, and vineyards. There are as many vineyards here as there once were in Crimea. They look like huge carpets covering everything around, in a variety of colors: from dark green to almost yellow.<\/p>
The southern part of Germany is a place of absolutely amazing beauty. There are many small charming towns, similar in size to our villages. All buildings seem unrealistically miniature: you want to call houses 'little houses' – they are like toys, yards 'little yards', and gardens 'little gardens'. In the yards sit equally picturesque pensioners, leisurely chatting over a glass of wine. It feels as if you have found yourself among theatrical scenery designed to depict an ancient fairytale city. All this is remembered from childhood, from the fairy tales of German writers.<\/p>
This is a land of wine. Right among the greenery of the vineyards, inscriptions 'Wiengut' (good wine) are displayed, made from bright flowers or twigs. Sometimes shrubs are planted in the shape of the inscription. And since the area is hilly, they are visible from afar.<\/p>
Germans are very careful with their land, as indeed with everything that belongs to them and what they can be proud of. Every, even the smallest, piece of land is used. Here, in the south, there is a cult of wine. And if in the northern lands, somewhere in Bremen, they will proudly offer you local beer, then here in every yard you can try good wine. And if you are lucky enough to come to these parts during a wine festival, that pleasure will also be free!<\/p>
The hospitable hosts will be genuinely glad to see you. I am sure that you will feel deep respect for these people. It is better, of course, if you can manage without an interpreter, then the communication will be truly interesting. And, perhaps, just as in Crimea, in these places you will be able to feel very comfortable, at home. And as they say, there's no place like home!
