Dambisa Dube

I’m fluent in German and was introduced to it at the age of 5 due to a life changing opportunity that my father got in Heilbronn, Germany. The course of my life changed instantly and I naturally understood the significance of this much later in life. I struggled with identity throughout my life and this language skill felt like a heavy burden for a good chunk of my life. But when my motivation was low my teachers and the Hermannsburg – Deutsche Schule / School community always stuck by me and encouraged me to continue learning German. I struggled through German Mother Tongue classes throughout high school and shed a lot of tears till the finish line. In disbelief I was awarded the “Annerkennung der guten Leistung in der Matrikpruefung fuers Fach Deutsch als Muttersprache von der Deutscher Kulturrat” (award for obtaining the highest mark in the German Home Language exam in Matric) and instantly had a new found love for this language which seemed like a burden throughout my life.

But it wasn’t all sweat and tears. There were many benefits that this access to another culture afforded me. To give you background – my school fees throughout my time in Hermannsburg was funded by a group of friends in Germany who wanted to give back and had coincidently connected with my parents during our brief time there. I am still not sure what they saw in me but their decision to invest in my future changed my life forever because those funds meant I was afforded an education that I would have otherwise never had access to. This included various school exchanges and volunteer exchanges.

Spending time away from home not only intensified the need to give back and contribute directly to my community in SA but it also shaped my intercultural skills and this amongst many things contributed to my decision to pursue Political Science. I am certain that the experience and education I received at HMB, the challenges post matric, the impact of exchange, my ability to overcome challenges with optimism and my ability to speak German fluently contributed to my approach to everything in life and deliberate attempt to do my ‘bit’ to make a change.

I am still hoping to contribute more towards my community and to make a change because I am where I am because people took a chance on me. It is difficult to put into words the impact of exchange but what I do know is that having navigated intercultural spaces my entire life has given me an utmost second nature understanding for various challenges and situations.

This is purely my own experience and story, but I am certain no one is left unchanged Post Exchange…one way or another.