Willkommerika is not a German word…

That’s what my father probably would have told me, when Dr. John Conway and I set forth the idea to help Germans coming to America by offering them courses, programs, and services designed to make their transition as pleasant and comfortable as possible.

When my father arrived in the U.S. as a Fulbright scholar in the early nineteen-sixties, he needed all the help he could get. Despite an excellent education, he still struggled with the English language, and beyond that, he was confused and stifled by the cultural differences between America and his homeland of Germany.

Over the years, he made many American friends, some of whom had themselves emigrated from Europe. With their help and their community, my father learned American culture, language, and norms. After marrying an American (my mother, who wished to move to Germany) my dad convinced her to stay in the U.S. instead. Here they made a life together, and in 1972, he became an American citizen.

Moving to a new land is never easy, but it is dramatically less stressful when you have friends and support. I think of all that support and of those friends my father relied on to help him navigate life in America. When he needed to buy a car (and negotiate!) a friend went along to show him how to bargain with car salesmen. And when he went to bag his own groceries, tried to find a “daunendecke” for his bed, mow his lawn for the first time, and tried to understand why people said things were “par for the course” and people were “on the ball,” his friends were there to help and explain.

Most of what my dad knew about America was through Karl May books and the movies. And while he could read a bit about life in America before his journey here, he had to learn the majority of his lessons the hard way. My father’s experience turned out well in the end, but I always wondered how those less fortunate than he was, those without a group of friends and a community, fared when they came here.

My dearest friend and college roommate, Dr. John Conway, and I learned a lot from my father’s story. He was a strong, confident man, who became a success in America. He also loved to tell Germans about the joys of the United States: Jazz and Blues music, art, writing, and the overwhelming beauty of our mountains, beaches, and cities. As Dr. Conway and I develop our courses and programs, we always try to keep my Dad’s sense of wonderment alive about all this country has to offer.

Over the years, my family welcomed a steady flow of relatives, visitors, and friends from Germany. My father made sure we understood how challenging for them it was to be in a foreign country and that we had an obligation to treat our guests with outstanding hospitality and genuine respect. That is the same commitment we hold today to our clients at Willkommerika.

If you are relocating to the United States for any reason or any amount of time, we want to be your source for help, friendship, and community. If you’re not moving to the U.S., but do business here, communicate often with Americans, and need insight into the way we do things and how we think, we want to help. Our goal is to make Germans like my dad, and you, comfortable—to be that family of friends who help you through, advise, guide, and give you the foundation to thrive in America and even start a life here.

I know there’s a lot of content out there. If you go to Youtube or anywhere on the internet, you’re going to find videos and websites about learning English and the differences between Germany and the U.S.A. At Willkommerika, we LOVE that there are likeminded people out there who want to share their experiences about the U.S. and Germany. We support and admire these great content creators.

What we offer you, however, is somewhat different. At Willkommerika, you get a holistic approach to learning and understanding another culture. We take our expertise in American and German culture, teaching English, and communications to give you a comprehensive experience that is more than just a language course or a series of videos.

We bring you our own original ideas and content while also curating what we think is helpful from other sources. Most important, we are an exclusively German-focused service that gives you the personal support and assistance you need both short and long term.

We sincerely hope you will explore what we can do to help you in your transition to the U.S.A. or your business dealings here. We offer services including English conversation sessions, private (auf Deutsch) consultations about life in America, online courses and content with top instructors, and longer-term programs that give you the time to learn and grow before, during, and after your move.

Reach out to us soon and let us be your friend in America. Please call, email, or click through our Website for more information.

Kurt Haenicke, Co-founder, Willkommerika.