Resistance is futile, and not helpful when living in a foreign country, specifically a foreign country with a different mother tongue. While I have not not tried to learn German, I haven't exactly been actively trying to enhance it beyond a word here and there over the past several months. Mostly, my excuse, and yes it is an excuse, is that I just haven't had much time, with the holidays, my vacation, work insanity. I normally don't make new year's resolutions, but this year, I had to make an exception, I need to put in real effort and learn German. Which means that I need to get over my real problem/ excuse, and that is the constant need to do things perfectly and to be easily frustrated by grammar etc. Now, I have to admit, this is a lesson that I have to learn over and over again in life, sometimes being beat over the head with it. As a result, step one of Deutsch, drive my colleagues crazy with Denglish. What this means is interspersing German words that I'm learning into the English phrases that I'm using. I end up being corrected, repeating after them in Deutsch, but because there is no pen and paper handy, almost immediately forgetting most of it (Sadly, and not for lack of trying this time). One of the things I've been working on this week is setting aside time in the evenings after work to practice Deutsch using the software Duolingo, and as I write this, I'm actually procrastinating again, this time, with the software Rosetta Stone (I haven't tried it yet, and I better get my act together and try it today). One of the other things is during work, if I have down time that can't be filled with work stuff, I practice Deutsch with Duolingo. Co-workers will come up to me and hear a phrase from the computer and give me an odd look until they realize I'm practicing. Then occasionally I get some friends who are overly helpful. I have a pattern, I hear the phrase, I type it like I hear it, and then I listen again for nuances, like did they say Er or Ihr, and some people immediately say 'no you got it wrong' before I can even hear it again. Well intentioned of course, but let me figure it out that it's not correct (at least with the software), because if I can't detect the problem then it does me no good to be immediately corrected in this instance. That being said, everyone is supportive, and one lab has a threshold line that if I cross it to go talk to them, I better bring my Deutsch game, and step up and use Denglish. I realize I'm not going to be perfect, that I will be laughed at sometimes (ask anyone who's heard me try to say garlic- Knoblauch), that it will be a work in progress, and by no means will it be easy. I need to build my vocabulary, and then I can go forth in the world and butcher the language as I try to learn the correct verbs in the correct tense, and the proper grammar, but it is a start.
Now time to stop procrastinating, and realize that there will be times that I'm completely frustrated by the language, but it goes with learning any language. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ejuK8_12Fmg Take for example some Germans trying to say squirrel.... It can be quite funny. Expect me to post some German words in upcoming entries.
Tschüss (colloquial 'bye' in German)!
Sie können es tun!
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