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- Kristi
- The Boy, 2 Muttleys and I have finally realized our dream of living 1 mile from the Lindt Chocolate Factory. Leaving Atlanta (the World of Coke) for Zurich (the World of Chocolate) hasn't come without challenges, incredible fun or giggles. Follow along as I chronicle our adventures as we acclimate to this new Swiss lifestyle.
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Thursday, February 11, 2010
Spass mit Deutsch
Roughly translated, this means "Fun with German"...I think. You would think by now I would know this very simple phrase, but prepositions in German are as clear to me as the Hudson River is to a New Yorker. They make a person want to pick up the syringe they found on its shore and shoot up. Depending on the verb they are linked with, they can mean very different things.
Everyday my teacher looks at me and says "this will not translate to English". She then smiles and draws an evil smiley face next to the new grammar or subject matter that won't make sense to me. Her evil smiley faces usually consist partially of giant toothy grins, which mean "this german stuff is going to chew you up and spit you out".
While most days are filled with "What the flip did she just say?" or "How the flip am I ever going to learn this language?", they are also filled with lots of fun and lots of laughs. Well, at least I am laughing. Take for instance last Friday. Friday is test day and there is always a blanket of angst that covers the room. Even though the purpose of our tests are to gauge our progress, test anxiety seems to rattle us all. Lately our tests have consisted of essays and each time they get longer while the time allowed to complete them gets shorter. I was quite pleased with my effort last week and as class was ending, my teacher picked up my paper and read the first few lines. She looked at me strangely and then busted out in a fit of laughter.
In this particular essay, you were to argue for or against staying in school vs going after your dream profession (ie. professional soccer player, famous singer, Jersey Shore character, etc). I of course argued to stay in school but apparently my argument "In order to earn more Hairdryers, you must stay in school" didn't quite translate or get me on the Deutsch debate team. OH, and instead of stating "the economy is bad", I stated that "Science is bad". I have to admit I was a bit embarrassed at first, but there is nothing like a little bit of self deprecation to wash the flushed, red face away.
I joined her fit of laughter because you have to have fun with German, even when at times you are doing it all wrong.
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1 comments:
Keep cool, it took me only 25 years to learn German :-) And for some of us even English is very funny. Or what would you understand if somebody tells you "I think I spider" or "I only understand train station". (translate it back to german and try to find out what it means).
:-)
Christoph
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