What went down at Schloss Dhaun

 Unfortunately, nowadays fewer and fewer English students decide to study languages. Maybe it’s because we live in an English-speaking world, where a command of a foreign language is no longer necessary, maybe it’s because learning a language requires you to demonstrate many different skills, maybe because people mistakenly think that a languages degree will only lead to a career in either translation or teaching, or maybe it’s because the prospect of having to learn verb tables and adjective endings fills a large portion of the population with horror. For whichever reason, languages are on the decline in Britain, something I think is a real shame.

It appears, however, that the German department at my uni is defying social norms, because it is slowly on the rise. There are many reasons why the German studies department may be considered attractive, ( I have a whole list available) but undoubtedly one of the main advantages this particular department has over others, both within the university itself and elsewhere around the country, is its annual trip to Schloss Dhaun, a castle nestled in the hills of Rheinland-Pfalz, where students studying German on their year abroad have a chance to pause for breath, meet up with friends they haven’t seen in a while, do the odd bit of work and generally have a jolly good time.

Last weekend was our turn to venture to the castle. It was so lovely to see everyone again. In some ways, it felt as if only five minutes had passed since we were all last together, and in others it felt as if a whole lifetime had passed since we embarked on our year abroad adventures. I guess, in a way, it has, as we have all had to establish a new life for ourselves in a completely new place; one that for the vast majority of us does not include Warwick or each other. With that in mind, it was so good to hear tales of travels and adventures and also remind ourselves that final year is fast approaching.

Thank you Chandru for the brilliant photos! 

The aim of the weekend was ‘learning through pleasure,’ and I think the department staff did a tremendous job of organising the whole shebang and making sure that a good time was had by all. A Kafka text here, a translation or two there, and a whole load of discussions about life in Germany (and/or France) culminated in a great weekend that gently reminded us just how much work and effort is going to go into next year. It was also fairly daunting, as I suppose the road to ‘the rest of our lives’ started at Schloss Dhaun. Obviously you’re encouraged to think about careers right from the word ‘go’ at university, but this was the first time I realised properly that actually these thoughts are soon going to have to be turned into reality; a scary prospect to say the very least. What am I going to do with the rest of my life? The answer to that at present is I have no bloody idea!

Whenever we talked about the Year Abroad, either in first or second year, for me at least ‘Schloss Dhaun’ always seemed to be a very defining moment in the Year Abroad calendar. For many, it marks the beginning of the end, as we are now three quarters of the way through the year and inevitably have to conceptualise the prospect of going home. For now, at least, I’m going to pretend that that’s not happening. I still have eight weeks – that means there are still countless adventures to be had and German to be spoken in that time.

Happy Easter

Emily