Hello,
I will be living in Ratingen for 6 months from January-early July 2010. I am curious about functioning in the city with a very very weak grasp of German. Do most people speak (and willing to speak) English if I should need any assistance? I previously lived in Brussels where English was quite common because of the EU and NATO, but am worried that in a smaller city such as Ratingen, English may not be so common. Thanks for any info!!
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Smaller city? The Ruhr metropolis, which is more or less one single city despite adminitrative divisions, is far larger than Brussels...
Good schools exist everywhere. People under 60 can be expected to have learned at least some English at school. How much they remember and if they are still able to use it actively, is a different question. You cannot expect everyone to speak English, although many people do, and very well.
Anyway, I%26#39;d like to encourage you to learn some more German. You still have 3 months to go, and taking a language class while you are in Germany is also a good idea. You will somehow get by with just English, although with some difficulties dealing with landlords, bus drivers, office clerks, grocers... now and then, but you won%26#39;t understand the country%26#39;s culture and way of life. Learning foreign languages is highly valued in narrow Europe. No German would move abroad for six months without at least an attempt to learn the host country%26#39;s language, so we expect the same from people who want to live here. Showing some effort will have a positive influence on people%26#39;s attitude towards you, plus enrichen your stay in Germany a lot.
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Thanks for your response.
I was referring to %26#39;smaller%26#39; city as Ratingen itself versus the city of Brussels itself. Though the total surrounding area, Ratingen seemed to be smaller to me; not a bad thing, just different.
I completely agree with you regarding learning German. I learned as much French as I could before I lived in Brussels, but still struggled at times. It was much appreciated when locals could help me figure out what I needed to say.
On another note, what is Ratingen like? I have only been there twice, and both times were spent entirely at work. I%26#39;m a single guy in my early 20%26#39;s who enjoys going out and seeing different places, but hoping there is enough in the area to keep me interested for the duration of my visit.
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You might want to look on Toytown, which is a great expat website for English speakers who live in Germany. Tons of valuable information to make life easier and also enable you to make some friends, go to get-togethers, stuff like that.
http://www.toytowngermany.com/forum/index.php
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Hey Michigan,
I have a lot of experience in Germany, and my advice to you is the same as above, get into Berlitz immersion and learn some German. You will show with your attempt at German that it is OK for the locals to also attempt some English. Lot%26#39;s of folks can speak it, but why should they, as you are the visitor and they are at home!!! Rosetta Stone is also good, but Berlitz or some other immersion is far better.
Good luck and viel Spass. You will have a wonderful time.
ZB
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While Ratingen, on paper, is a far smaller town than Brussels it is pretty much sandwiched between Düsseldorf and Essen. You can treat the Ruhr area as a single city, as there is no %26quot;rural%26quot; parts in between; big cities adjoin each other from Düsseldorf to Dortmund. So, you have a direct access to the entire Ruhr area.
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