The world over information they provide the canyons to express g. W. On facebook and twitter up to date and in touch follow us home. Get hard pon that is hard work its like being back in school the 63 year old has dictation today. Wants to finally be able to read street signs. To me its hard for me. For decades he hid the fact that he cant read and write but he wants to change all that. Way my dream is to write my daughter a letter. What does that say. Youll use. It the street sign up there its really hard its always difficult to read. What you did with of course its different for people who can read but. Now i just cant. Also got the numbers there i can read them. Every tuesday get hardpan that attends literacy classes. He knows the way there by heart he knows which buses to take and hes familiar with the street names. But if he has to go somewhere new its more difficult. Sometimes i invent excuses because im a bit ashamed that i put on a swiss accent voyage excuse me please could you help me im not from around here. Then they help me so tricks like that yes theyre the kind of tricks you have. It usually works people are friendly and they help me. In germany there are about 6000000 people who cant read or write properly places like the lan cafe or learning cafe in berlin and. To help. The cause. You know how it works 1st i read a sentence and then you repeat it. Then you write it down from memory so listen carefully yes we put too much salt on our supper. We put too much salt on our dinner. Supper. No question this is hard work teachers is on the on good smiles encouragingly. Trying there are just words oh help you dont worry. Shes determined to get the most out of her students get hot is roughly twice her age we. Despite 9 years of schooling get hard pon that didnt learn how to read or write. So we. But paul at what. Point. In this is not the 1st literacy course they get hot has attended he finds it very difficult to turn the words he hears into written language it takes more than a half hour for him to write the complete sentence in his exercise book. To soften her period initiative. Well done. But theres one problem the sentence is meant to be error free. Will have to try again. You know i did well. Happy yes of course i think i learned something. Its tiring sure. Im already 63 and its really difficult to get things to stick in my head. But i enjoy it anyway. My reading has improved a little. With the easy words. But i couldnt write Something Like that disqualified. Normally there are 6 students in this class but none of the others wanted to be filmed do you need the others in the class arent as far along as your heart who says he has no problem being open about it. Many people are ashamed and dont want people who they know or maybe their employers to find out. This. Like many others with this disability has almost always worked mainly temporary jobs often for years he now has a permanent job with a Nonprofit Organization that seeks to provide work for people like him. How did you have a dream job i wanted to become a bus driver. But i didnt because of the difficulties that i had with reading and writing. That and then i wanted to become a plumber. And i tried to learn that trade but i wasnt really coping with vocational training. And so i thought it was so after 3 or 4 months my boss said to me that i should go back to school and learn how to read and write. Then it would be better. But then again i didnt do that of course as well. So i was sad that i didnt learn a trade. But things are looking up. And now you know how i collect trash but i also enjoy that because of being outdoors and all that. And its great if. We have a lot of freedom its great. Hes almost the only one here who is so open about not being able to read or write. But there are others who work with similar problems. But most keep it as secret. As if it was noticed. Men talk about it more openly than women and yes the women tend to talk about it less theyre really ashamed to unfortunately. The men are also ashamed but the men tend to be more open about it. At least thats the case with me i decided that something had to change it. Is divorced and lives alone hes a recovered alcoholic 10 years ago he decided that it was time to come clean no more secrets. My decision triggered by the fact that his daughter was just about to start school. Unfortunately i wasnt able to help her and apart from math i could help her there but thats not enough. Reading and writing are very important skills these days and i have always wanted to be able to write but i cant at least not without making mistakes but ill keep on trying im only 63 but if when im 65 ill definitely write her a letter to. His daughter didnt want to appear on camera but shes proud that her father is addressing the problem. And making food when i see the planes flying past i always think youll have to fly to sweden again someday. I start daydreaming. Its beautiful up here. The view is wonderful. He has fond memories of sweden he spent some of the best days of his childhood there going to school in berlin was a painful experience. There were 40 of us in one class back then and it was really hard to learn with so many pupils. And the teacher who was probably a left over from the war used to hit our hands and make a stand in the corner. With the case standing in a corner is not so bad. But hitting our hands was a lot and that was what i had to go through there were 7 of us children in my family. Then my mom sent me away. I was sent to sweden i was 8 years old i lived with auster parents until i was 16 and all those years i was allowed to travel to sweden summer and winter. Of course that was good i learned swedish and i can speak perfect swedish whenever i speak swedish and i also think in swedish. School report. Their condo or though they think. I want to shows that youre intelligent. People who are illiterate the ones who find reading and writing difficult arent stupid they remember a lot of things really theyre pretty smart because they remember so much stuff the others have to check their phones where street such and such and you just know that the street is to the left or to the right. What do you do when you get mail my girlfriend helps me out. She reads it for me. When and if i have to i go to the job center or i call and ask and. Unfortunately she hasnt seen this letter yet ill have to remember to take it with me so she can read it through. Thanks to this is this dense he has his paperwork pretty much under control these days but before he came clean about his illiteracy things were different there were heaps of an open letters. 2 boxes full moving boxes really big ones. There was stuff from the job center inside from the local authorities but Youth Welfare office. I didnt throw anything away. And also stuff about my pension and bills were in there too. On top of that got into debt but hes put those days behind him and he no longer feels under pressure to conceal his disability. I used to say id forgotten my reading glasses or ive got another appointment and no time to fill this out now or ill take it with me things like that. Stressful yes its stressful of course it is when youre nervous you really need to fill out some form and that creates stress. But one thing thats really close to get his heart these days is raising awareness about adult illiteracy today hes in a pub garden the mobile literacy project the alpha male b o has a quiz for visitors anyone can take part and theres a prize. Well. I think the fix but i think theyve got the fight. Im just not buying it every year we put on 160 events like this across germany and one or other of you always help out a lot by approaching people on the street and telling them and say if like us you maybe didnt learn to read or write particularly well then have the courage to do something about it. Its particularly important when people like are there to tell their personal stories. About my daughter knows that i cant read well and i always wanted to read her a story but i couldnt im still working on it shes 17 now but everything will be ok i will read a story to her one day just before. Thank you. Yeah hardpan i knows that his life could have been very different if he had learned to read and write at school and hes very keen to pass on that message to others but with. The one law. And one of 5. Or the other. It feels. Good. Trendy not only for interior design but as a Building Material as well and in australia the 1st luxury hotel made entirely of wood. The romantics. D. W. For. Every 2 seconds a person is forced to flee their home. The consequences have been disastrous in our documentary series displaced depicts traumatic humanitarian crises around the world. Forget them i dont think i meant i didnt go to university to kill people and i think the impact of that day i mean a handful of people feel for their lives and their future so they seek refuge abroad but what will become of those who stay behind. Displaced starts october 16th on g. W. Youll. Find out how i enjoyed some fine dining in a hot air balloon thats coming up on later in the show. Hello and welcome to another edition of your romance with me your host meghan lee heres a look at what else weve got in store for you today