Gisele Bündchen

"I was born in Horizontina, a town in the backcountry of (Brazilian) state Rio Grande do Sul. The town was once mainly colonized by Germans. In the school which I attended, learning German was actually obligatory from third grade on. But being out of touch with the language for such a long time, I unfortunately forgot it.

My parents, on the other hand, still speak German today. When they meet their brothers and sisters, they often speak only German. I belong to the sixth generation of my family in