I’m a Czech student who grew up in the UK and now lives in Prague.
After some travelling, I’ve found that Germany feels the most natural to me, because culturally it’s somewhere in the middle, which matches how I feel identity-wise. I can speak the language well enough for most everyday and official scenarios, but for socializing I still feel the most comfortable with English (because I don’t have to actively think about what I’m saying). Are there any places in Germany with communities that speak English by default? I’ve been thinking about trying Berlin or perhaps an Erasmus-heavy city like Heidelberg…
In every major city you’ll find communities which will speak only English. But from my experience these are mostly “expats” staying for a few years and leaving again. If you like to stay forever and want to make friends which will be close for an extended amount of time I recommend naturally meeting people, no matter their language. Most Germans I know (Gen X and Millennials) speak sufficient English to converse. In a mixed group it might happen that you will switch languages and you’ll learn it naturally especially if you already have some basic skills.
Hmm ok, will keep this in mind