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An English musician's life in a German orchestra

My name is Maddy and I moved to Germany two years ago to take up a position as oboist with the Südwestdeutsche Philharmonie in Konstanz in Southern Germany. I now live and work in Dessau, which is in between Leipzig and Berlin. I find it amazing that such a small town has so large a theatre. We perform everything from Wagner operas to musicals, including symphony concerts, chamber music and anything in between. Generally the musical profession is much more respected in Germany, no questions like "So you're a musican... but what do you do for a living?" No problems getting car insurance. Learning German was a challenge for someone who didn't even have an O level in a foreign language, and who was convinced she couldn't "do" languages, but I love the challenge, and after just six months fairly intensive coaching in England before coming here, I was thrown into speaking, writing and reading German on a daily basis. At first every little achievement gave me a real buzz - even something as simple as buying a railcard. There is quite a big difference between West and the former East Germany. I find people over here very friendly, and there is a real sense of community, although they are not so used to hearing foreign accents as in West Germany. Living abroad has helped me to grow immeasurably as a person and is something I would recommend to anyone. Not to say there aren't things I miss about the UK, but being away has perhaps helped to appreciate them! Macht's gut!

Sent by: Maddy

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