In July of 2002 I was a nearly-broke grad student spending her remaining funds hanging out with friends in Guadalajara, Mexico. While there, I was hired over the phone by a principal in Texas who was desperately seeking a bilingual first-grade teacher. I figured I would work at PLE a year or two, save enough money to go back to grad school full-time, and then quit.
Flash-forward nearly nine years, and my friends at PLE are throwing me a going-away party before I go to Germany. Everybody should get a party like this: not only were my current co-workers and current boss there, but also my former principal and a number of teachers I'd worked with over the years. I felt kind of like a rock star, except that (thankfully) I didn't have to sing.
Auf Wiedersehen means goodbye, but I think if you translate it literally it is something like "until we see each other again". Auf Wiedersehen, PLE, and Vielen Dank!
Not the best picture, but definitely the best cake--white with buttercream icing. Mmmm...
This Bayern-Munchen scarf was a gift and I love it!!! Is it going to get me in trouble in Frankfurt?
In my current job, I work with elementary students who need extra help in reading. With only three weeks of class left, I thought it would be a good time to start telling the kids where I will be next school year.
After the Aww's and the Why? 's, the first graders were curious about my new school (much more than about the country it was in). Both groups of first graders asked what the name of my new school was. The answer was followed by peals of laughter, and one group decided "our school's name is better." Apparently, the word "Frankfurt" is REALLY funny if you are seven.
The third graders had more comments:
N.L.: "Is that near Vegas? I am going to Vegas."
J.M.: "You know, you could adopt me."
S.T.: "You're going across the OCEAN? That's going to take, like, three days!"
People from my hometown probably assume that I am already fluent in German. I did learn some German at home, but it was "nursery-school" German: household items, like Brot and Milch; Christmas carols and children's songs about things like rings and hats; and silly rhymes, like this one that was apparently a favorite of my great-grandfather's:
Ich und du, Böckers Kuh Müllers Esel--das bist du!
(Translated: "me and you, Becker's cow, Mueller's donkey--that's you." Hey, it rhymes in German.)
Needless to say, phrases I learned at home, like "Hast du Geld?", probably won't get me very far in Germany, so I am trying to learn as much as I can before I go. Fortunately for me, there are so many resources out there now. Besides an indispensable textbook and my telenovela, I've found some great resources online:
1. BBC German -- Great for beginners, and it's free!
2. Babbel -- LOTS of vocabulary that I haven't seen in any other program; important words from dasAufladegerät (charger) to derTorwart (goalie) and dieHappy Hour (just what you think). Has a free iPhone/iPad app. You have to pay for full use of the website; it is about $10 a month.
3. Yabla -- Another website that I think is worth the money. Watch videoclips in German (music videos, interviews, commercials, etc.) with subtitles in German and English. The best part is that you can S-L-O-W down the speech, but it doesn't sound warped. Any words you don't know in German go into your "flashcards" for you to practice later.
4. Slow German podcast/site -- Hear Annik's podcasts about all things German, from Advent to Zeitungen. The website has transcripts of all podcasts, so you can read while you listen.
5. Deutsche Welle -- I think this one has a little more for advanced students, which is probably why I haven't used it much. Die Nachrichten, Deutsch lernen mit videos und Übungen...
The first three are available in other languages as well. I think they are all wonderful now, but the true test, of course, will be whether or not I can communicate when I get to Germany.
*Just how important is it to learn another language? Check out this video:
