Kirsten’s Story

1. When did you arrive in Dubai?

We arrived in Dubai in the middle of July 2006 so our one-year anniversary in Dubai is coming up soon.

1. Please introduce your family and the languages spoken by each family member.

My husband Darrin is Australian and speaks English and German (which he picked up since we met and lived in Germany for 2 years). I am German and speak German, English and some French. We have one son Kai who is 16 months old. Darrin and I mainly speak German to each other and we each speak our mother tongue to Kai.

1. What are the language goals for your kids? Why is it important to you that your children learn these languages?

Our language goals for Kai are that he reads, writes and speaks English and German to the level of a native speaker. To Darrin and myself it is equally important that Kai grows up bilingual. English might seem as the natural choice and sufficient due to its importance and because we will probably always live in an English speaking environment. Still, there was never any doubt whether Kai should learn German as well because we agree that the mother tongue is a very important part of your individuality and identity. We believe that speaking the same language creates a very strong bond. I remember when Kai got his Australian passport, I felt a little stitch in my heart because I felt left out and I thought Kai is different to me. I pictured Darrin and Kai waiting at the “Australian passport holders only” counter and me queuing at the “All other passport holders” at the airport. This example might seem ridiculous to some people but it made me realize how important it is to me that we all speak each other’s languages.

1. How did you hear about the multilingual network? When did you become a member of the multilingual network?

A friend of mine discovered the site of the multilingual network while surfing the Internet and told me about the “How to raise children bi-/multilingual” workshop. After attending the workshop in February 2006, I became a member.

1. Did you attend the “How to raise children bi-/multilingual” workshop? Did attending the workshop have any impact on your language goals? Did you implement any changes afterwards?

Yes, I’ve attended the workshop and loved it. Before attending the workshop, Darrin and I made the most common mistake of mixing languages when talking to Kai. Kai was born in Australia and most of my friends there can’t speak any German so I thought I was being rude talking German while they were around and I felt they were left out. In the shops I experienced that people wouldn’t talk to Kai if we spoke German compared to speaking English. I also have to admit my silly fear that my own English would become worse and my German accent stronger if I spoke German all the time again. Darrin often spoke German to Kai because before our son was born we only spoke German at home. It was our house-rule so that Darrin wouldn’t forget his German. Thanks to the workshop we are now both very strict about only speaking our mother tongue to Kai. Thanks to the workshop I have realized that bi-lingualism doesn’t necessarily come naturally and that quite an effort from both parents is required, especially if you would like your child also to be able to read and write all languages. I have started to think about how Kai will learn to read and write German and made me realize that I will possibly have to teach him myself. Going back to Germany this summer I might look into doing a course on teaching German if that exists.

1. Do you attend the multilingual network meetings? What motivates you to attend?

So far I have only attended the April network meeting, as Kai was sick in March. We intend to go to the May meeting because the topic is very interesting and we met lots of nice people at the last meeting. It’s great to meet people with a common interest. It’s easy to get talking.

1. How often do you use the multilingual website? What do you use it for?

I find myself using the website more and more often. I especially like to look at the language resources and the forum but I will definitely keep an eye on the case studies, too.

1. Where are you now in relation to the language goals you have set?

I think that Kai is well on the way to bi-lingualism although it’s still a very long way. Sometimes you can see in the way that Kai reacts to what I am saying in German or what Darrin is saying in English that he already understands words/simple sentences in both languages.

1. Do you face any problems that keep you from achieving your language goals? What else would help you to achieve your language goals?

I am sure that we will encounter problems in the future but at the moment achieving our language goal seems very possible. Fortunately, it is not difficult to get your hands on language material for German.

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