Photo by Suhyeon Choi on Unsplash
by Melissa Phua, German Studies Program Assistant
It’s 5 pm on a Tuesday. Bailey Brantingham makes his way to the lounge of the Department of Central, Eastern and Northern European Studies right after his last class for the day to join Stammtisch, a weekly German conversation hour organized by and for UBC students and community members.
Stammtisch has been an important space for UBC German Studies community members to come together and chat in German. Bailey is a second-year undergraduate student at UBC, majoring in International Relations and minoring in German, and is a regular participant of Stammtisch. I spoke to him to find out more about his involvement in our event.
What motivates you to come to Stammtisch every week?
Stammtisch is a great environment to just listen to German and practice speaking it. The variety of people who attend bring all kinds of conversation topics and inflections that help me expand my knowledge of the language in a low stress setting.
Why do you think others should attend Stammtisch?
I think people should attend Stammtisch because I believe that the most important thing when learning a language is to speak the language and have confidence in your ability to do so. I think Stammtisch is an ideal environment to build that experience speaking a language outside the context of the classroom and practice, because it is a very relaxed environment, where most people are learning the language themselves, and understand the difficulties of that process.
What do you enjoy most about coming to Stammtisch every week?
What I most enjoy about Stammtisch every week is talking with the myriad people who attend and the variety of conversations that we have about whatever is interesting at that moment, along with the great view [on the ninth floor of Buchanan Tower] and tea.
If you are interested in participating, do not hesitate to drop by on Tuesdays from 5-6 pm during the Winter terms! All members of the UBC community who speak German, regardless of level, are welcome to join us in our cozy CENES Department lounge (Buchanan Tower 910) and enjoy some tea, coffee and snacks!
Questions? Reach out to ubc.german@ubc.ca.
For more information about the UBC German Studies undergraduate program, reach out to Dr. Ervin Malakaj, German Undergraduate Director.
