Deutsch lernen – Locale Difficulties

Ja, I have been trying to learn German for some time now. Unfortunately, it’s turned in to a significantly more difficult adventure than at first I would have thought.

In the couple of years that I have been trying to actively learn the language, I’ve realized that some of the problems that are occuring are actually pushing my attempts down to a level that is near to non-existent at times. In that, I mean that I live in a place where there are seemingly few German speakers, and pretty much no courses available to me locally.

That said, my desire to learn German has never faltered, but it proves to be quite hard to do when I can only learn through limited online resources. I have tried some German learning books, and had no success there. I expect that the best solution would be an immersion type learning of the language, and yet that is not an option either, as a move to Germany is not feasible at this time.

So, I truck along with it, finding what resources I can to learn, and yet realizing at the same time that none of them are sufficient for what I need. Or so it would seem, as a couple of years have gone by and I have yet to obtain any noteable level of comprehension. I am, however, determined to find a solution. I’m certain one is out there, just eluding me thus far.

As a native to Texas, I am exposed to the overwhelming number of Spanish speakers, and yet do not speak Spanish fluently. Sadly enough, my Spanish is significantly better than my German. Of course, in this environment, there are more Spanish classes than I can count, and native speakers abound. Perhaps it is my own fault in choosing to learn a language that would be so challenging based on my locale, but I am not planning to give it up during this lifetime.

Perhaps I merely need to find a better muse, or a better tutorial.

~Nicole