Yesterday I took the exam for the end of my B1 German class. I’ll find out the results on Monday, but I’m 99.9% sure I passed. After this I have to take the Orientierungskurs (Orientation Course, kind of like the citizenship course in the US) and take the official Deutsch-Test für Zuwanderer (German Test for Immigrants). I have also decided to take the next month-long course at my language school, toward B2 German. Because I took an intensive German class, I am still eligible to take one more subsidized course. Might as well take advantage of it!
I also really put my German skills to the test today. My husband has trouble with corneal abrasions from time to time, and today he woke up in a lot of pain from one. It wasn’t getting better, so he asked me to call the hospital nearby to see if they could help. I got on the phone, explained the problem, and the receptionist told me about a nearby eye center that can help. It was such a small interaction, but it means that I clearly explained what was going on and could understand her information about the eye center, the doctor there, the address, and the times we could go there. (And thankfully, both the hospital and the eye center are just blocks from our home.)
I would feel silly about feeling proud about such a little thing, but I know that this is the kind of thing all expats experience. And the only thing I had to look up before making the call was the term for “corneal abrasion.” Woohoo!
Expat Linguist 
Hi! I know that its been a while since your B1 Test.. but I was wondering if you could help me understand the diff between the test for Zuwanderer and the standard B1 test? I need to take the test for zuwanderer.. is it easier than the standard B1 test? Thanks
I have no idea what’s on the standard B1 test, so I’m not sure how it compares to the DTZ test. I do know that the DTZ is scored A2/B1, so in that sense it may be easier. There are specific rules about how well you have to score to pass the test. (You don’t necessarily have to score B1 on every section of the test to pass it.) I’d recommend talking to a language school that offers both tests about the exact differences. 🙂