Language Practice and International Encounters in Peipsiääre

The German Studies Department at the University of Tartu is an important partner of DBJW Estonia. It is especially encouraging to see how closely this cooperation has developed and how strongly students from rural regions of Estonia benefit from it. International encounters, practical language situations, and shared activities create valuable opportunities to experience the German language in a lively and authentic way.

Through GERDA — a network for German as a foreign language coordinated by the University of Tartu — new connections regularly emerge between schools, teachers, students, and international guests. Erasmus students studying in Tartu are also encouraged to take part in school visits and actively contribute to German lessons in Estonian schools.

As part of this initiative, two medical students from Hannover, Malte and Simon, together with DBJW Brand Ambassador Mari Johanna Ruut, visited the municipality of Peipsiääre and joined German lessons at the primary and middle schools in Pala and Vara.

During the day, they spent time with students from grades 6 to 8. The lessons focused on vocabulary games and interactive language activities connected to the topic of food and drinks, allowing the students to actively use German in a relaxed and playful environment. The beautiful weather also allowed parts of the programme to continue outdoors, where informal conversations and a spontaneous basketball game with the students contributed to a relaxed and welcoming atmospher

This kind of direct language immersion proved especially valuable for many learners. Even beginners were able to realise that, despite having a limited vocabulary, they could already understand quite a lot and participate in simple conversations. As German has only been taught in the municipality of Peipsiääre for three school years, the progress and openness of the students are particularly remarkable. Malte and Simon were also positively surprised by the students’ active participation and by how confidently they were already communicating in German.

Such encounters help reduce the fear of speaking and allow young people to experience language as something alive and practical. Especially for students in rural regions, these experiences demonstrate that German is not only a school subject, but also a way to build international connections and gain new experiences.

After the school visits, the guests also had the opportunity to visit Alatskivi Castle. The castle’s director, Laura Lillepalu-Scott, kindly took time to introduce the young visitors to the history and atmosphere of the castle.

Alatskivi Castle is also an important and reliable partner of DBJW in the region. Laura Lillepalu-Scott actively supports German language education and international youth initiatives in the municipality and regularly makes the castle available for school and youth events. This creates further opportunities to experience the German language outside the classroom and to connect young people through international encounters.

The shared German-Baltic history that historically connects Estonia and the German-speaking world gives this cooperation a particularly meaningful dimension. The visit to the castle therefore became a fitting and memorable conclusion to an inspiring day in Peipsiääre.