This is excellent advice. I moved to Germany many years ago, and picked up the language along the way. Yes, people often speak English, but they subtly dislik

This is excellent advice. I moved to Germany many years ago, and picked up the language along the way. Yes, people often speak English, but they subtly dislike the burden of translation to be shifted upon them. People became markedly nicer when I no longer needed English, even if I stumbled often. It's harder to get things done, harder to make friends, harder to know what's going on. You're missing an awful lot of the country's rich cultural context. You end up sheltered in the very real "expat bubble". As you said, expect to put a lot of work into it. I worked harder than many to learn German, and I'm still ashamed of where I stand. If you start in the expat bubble, your colleagues and your friends speak English, and regular practice is more difficult. I tell people about as much on my website about moving to Germany. Your comment gave me much better words to explain it. Thank you!