Foreign languages aren't exactly my forte, unlike my multi-lingual, fluent in German so much so he is basically a local, husband. My plan to get by in Germany was to rely on Justin and my handy pocket phrase book my sister-in-law borrowed to me. But after several embarrassing moments and the feeling of isolation, I decided I really should to try and pick up some of the language. So I enrolled in a beginners immersion class on how to spreche Deutsch at the Heidelberg vocational college.
My class resembles a UN meeting with students literally from around the world. I am one of only two Americans and other students hail from Africa, Asia, South America, the Middle East and other European countries of course. I am still in my first week, but I can already tell I will be learning so much more than the German language. When else in my life will I be in a room with people from Bali, Brazil, Gambia, Italy, Pakistan, Turkey and Nigeria, just to name a few? We are all new to the German langague and on an even playing field, so there is a real camaraderie among us. It is truly incredible.
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Old German Alphabet |
The actual learning of the language is shaping slower than my appreciation of my classmates. Like all languages, the rules of German are very difficult. For example, today we started to learn how to count. I could spend weeks on learning the art of saying 34 backwards- vier und dreizig (4 and 30). It is very confusing! It is also funny that I have homework every night. The worksheets remind me of my first year of spanish years ago!
All in all I think enrolling in the course was a great idea and will help immerse me even further into the German culture. I also will be able to visit over 15 countries and get a local's insight on what to do. Pretty cool!
How do you get to visit over 15 countries by enrolling in the course? Or, do you mean just by living there?
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