Alive and....

Kicking... It's been two weeks now since my German classes started and, while I would like to say that it is a breeze and that I am learning so much and meeting a lot of great people... well, let's just say two out of three ain't bad.

Here's a background. There are six internationally recognized levels when it comes to learning a language. A1 and A2 discuss the basics, which enable you to have a minimum capability for conversation. B1 goes into more dedicated grammar and text, and B2 allows you to cover topics that will enable you to work in that language. C1 and C2 go on to further hone the mastery of the language and, in time, maybe allow you to publish and/teach in that language as well. A test is administered when you enroll so you are evaluated and placed in your level of capability correctly.

By some fluke, maybe because I chose the letter C out of all the multiple choice answers for the last 15 questions (I kid, I kid), I managed to score high enough to make people think I belonged in the B1 class. For those of you who are shrugging and asking what the big deal is, this is the big deal:

1. I have never spoken more than two sentences in German. Ever. Ask my husband and his family and friends.

2. My husband is too much of an intellectual-in-a-hurry to be able to teach me grammar properly. He is ace at pronounciation though, so my teacher says. After all, he did teach me how to say "ich" ("like a snake, like a snake, ihhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh").

3. I have always struggled with the idea of having to learn another language so late in my life, where I thought I would have no major use for it (this was obviously before I upped and moved to Germany for love, or whatever it is that makes the brain stop being logical).

So, that said, here I was, on the first day of class, being called to attention in German. In B1 and onwards, no English conversation is allowed inside the classroom. The teachers, tutors, learners and even the people from other classes are warned not to converse in any other language aside from German. Henceforth, all questions I had were phrased in German and, what's worse, all the answers back are in German. One such (long) conversation between myself and the teacher were as follows (translated into English):

Julie: Excuse me, what is the meaning of that word x?
Teacher: X means (and lets loose a string of German words I am unable to translate).
Julie: (picking up on a word that teacher used to explain the first word) Excuse me, but what does that word Y mean?

It was a good thing (and still is) that our teacher has the patience of a saint, otherwise she would have opened the sturdy German windows fully and slung me out. It wasn't helpful, however, having two classmates in class who were obviously at a higher level practically, but who had scored too low on the test. Our first week revolved around the two of them answering the questions they were already familiar with. By the second week, their chairs were empty and we learned that they had moved onwards and upwards to B2. Good riddance!

So now I am in class, from 9 to 1230 (with a 30 minute break in between to drinks tons of coffee, refill water bottles or commit hari-kiri), with an afternoon tutorial session that lasts just as long. We are given tons of homework for grammar purposes, and each day we are required to either interview someone or write about a part of our lives and present the text in class the next day MEMORIZED. Suddenly, at 33, with a husband and one nine month old daughter, I was suddenly back in show-and-tell mode.

Still, looking on the bright sides... I am lucky to be in a position to learn something new, especially when it is something as old and inherently complete as the German language. I also consider myself grateful that at this time in my life I am able to slow down and look at life from a different perspective... not everyone can do that so late in the day, maybe not even me.

But it is not for want of trying or, as my first thought goes at the beginning of each day, "It beats going to the gym."