Well, I think the Heather of old has returned. For a few days (okay, week and a half) after we moved, I wasn’t exactly sure who it was that was inhabiting my body. I was feeling pretty overwhelmed with the language barrier and quite honestly, I think was trying to make myself as small and invisible as possible for fear someone may talk to me. This is quite unlike the Heather that most of you know (and I’m sure adore.) But…somewhere in between Geneva and Grenoble, a shift took place (actually I think it may have started in that Starbucks) and I moved from being scared as all get-out of this German life—back into gratefulness and excitement for this blank slate I’ve been given. This seems to be a pattern in my life, that when huge changes come about, my first reaction is to completely wig-out. After a few tears one day, my big brother Tom put it something like this. “Heather, sometimes things stink in the beginning, but then turn out really, really great.” (Rather poetic, I thought.) Tom, I’ll let you believe that it was your advice that I listened to, but actually I think it had more to do with this cute new pair of red shoes I bought. It’s awfully difficult to be invisible with bright red patent leather shoes. So anyway, I’m feeling good.
This week has been crazy, but wonderful. I feel like life has truly begun here. First of all—shame, shame, shame on me for not writing during the week. But, I’ve been so tired after my days that the words weren’t coming. I did attempt to write this on Wednesday, but my sketchy Internet decided it wasn’t good enough for the World Wide Web.
“Klaus Haus to US.” “Klaus Haus to Us.” “Come in US...The Eagle has landed.” “We have been connected.”
Internet—check.
German landline—check.
Vonage phone—chickety-check.
Delivery of air shipment—yep.
Arrival of sea shipment—uh huh.
Exhaustion from packing—intense. Please send reinforcements. Over. SOS. Mayday!
That pretty much sums up what’s been going on at home. We now have Internet, phone, and most importantly Vonage. All of you can call anytime (and when I say that, please remember that we are 7 hours ahead of Central Time.) We haven’t quite got all the kinks out yet, so sometimes it boots me off, but that’s a small price to pay to talk to your friends and family for free.
We are slowly digging ourselves out of what feels like a million boxes. I was on the phone the other day when I realized that box number 186 was right in front of me. Ay Carumba! Holy Stuff! But we’ve made serious headway and may only have 15 boxes left. Of course nothing is in a logical spot (toothbrush next to hairbrush…ewww.)
But more importantly, I started my German Intensive class this week. Wow, how to even describe…all I can say is that I just love it. There are 15 students in my class and no two people are from the same country. We have someone from Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Mexico, Canada, Kenya, Mali, Togo, Yemen, Pakistan, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand. There is every race, color, language, and religion, that you can possibly imagine. I’m very lucky that some of them speak a little bit of English, but honestly the common language is German, so we have to use that. I’m just amazed at the number of things that transcend every culture, for example smiling, laughter, blushing, and (Janene close your ears) the word for shit. This is a HUGE exercise in thinking outside the box. Trying to communicate your point with only about 100 German words is very tricky, BUT, as I’m learning, it can be done. If nothing else, this course is boosting my confidence and making me less frightened to attempt German in public. Each day I’m getting better at ordering food, asking questions, heck-I even had a German conversation with someone from my cell phone company today. I may have just signed up for a calling plan to Egypt, but I think she was asking me to buy insurance for my phone. Anyway, the journey has begun.
This week has been crazy, but wonderful. I feel like life has truly begun here. First of all—shame, shame, shame on me for not writing during the week. But, I’ve been so tired after my days that the words weren’t coming. I did attempt to write this on Wednesday, but my sketchy Internet decided it wasn’t good enough for the World Wide Web.
“Klaus Haus to US.” “Klaus Haus to Us.” “Come in US...The Eagle has landed.” “We have been connected.”
Internet—check.
German landline—check.
Vonage phone—chickety-check.
Delivery of air shipment—yep.
Arrival of sea shipment—uh huh.
Exhaustion from packing—intense. Please send reinforcements. Over. SOS. Mayday!
That pretty much sums up what’s been going on at home. We now have Internet, phone, and most importantly Vonage. All of you can call anytime (and when I say that, please remember that we are 7 hours ahead of Central Time.) We haven’t quite got all the kinks out yet, so sometimes it boots me off, but that’s a small price to pay to talk to your friends and family for free.
We are slowly digging ourselves out of what feels like a million boxes. I was on the phone the other day when I realized that box number 186 was right in front of me. Ay Carumba! Holy Stuff! But we’ve made serious headway and may only have 15 boxes left. Of course nothing is in a logical spot (toothbrush next to hairbrush…ewww.)
But more importantly, I started my German Intensive class this week. Wow, how to even describe…all I can say is that I just love it. There are 15 students in my class and no two people are from the same country. We have someone from Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Mexico, Canada, Kenya, Mali, Togo, Yemen, Pakistan, Vietnam, Indonesia, and Thailand. There is every race, color, language, and religion, that you can possibly imagine. I’m very lucky that some of them speak a little bit of English, but honestly the common language is German, so we have to use that. I’m just amazed at the number of things that transcend every culture, for example smiling, laughter, blushing, and (Janene close your ears) the word for shit. This is a HUGE exercise in thinking outside the box. Trying to communicate your point with only about 100 German words is very tricky, BUT, as I’m learning, it can be done. If nothing else, this course is boosting my confidence and making me less frightened to attempt German in public. Each day I’m getting better at ordering food, asking questions, heck-I even had a German conversation with someone from my cell phone company today. I may have just signed up for a calling plan to Egypt, but I think she was asking me to buy insurance for my phone. Anyway, the journey has begun.
1 comment:
Anyone using the words "paradigm shift" has taken courses in Education at sometime. Seriously, who says paradigm?
Post a Comment