Deutschland, Endlich

Hier bin Ich! It was really a strange experience to get on a plane, sit for eight hours, and get off and suddenly speak a language I haven’t seriously spoken for a long time. I had a moment of panic on the plane when I suddenly thought “Holy crap! I can’t speak German well enough to live in Germany!” Immediately I decided to read absolutely everything in the German Lufthansa magazine in the seat pocket. The Berlin airport has some new artwork, apparently. Then I decided that I needed to watch all of “Akeelah and the Bee” in German. Obviously that would solve everything.

It has been okay, so far though. My roommate seems really nice. She teaches Latin and history at a school in a nearby town, and is married to a German diplomat who is stationed in Latvia (I think). Most frustrating about speaking German is that I can’t say big, useful, adult words. Nordrhein-Westfalen, the Bundesland where I’m living, has just started regulating the big test that students all take at the end of 10th grade, which basically determines whether or not they go on to college. My roommate was telling me how people are worried about this, and I wanted to talk about some experiences a good friend of mine has had with standardized tests and curriculum while teaching in Philadelphia. I started to explain, but midway through realized I didn’t know how to say “standardized” or “economic” or “racial inequality” in German. I kept going, but I could tell she had no idea what I was trying to say. I’m going to make flash cards or something to practice.

Another weird thing that’s happened is that as soon as I stepped off the plane, I seem to have forgotten how to spell in either language. And, most upsetting, is that when I think or write in English, I hear my thoughts in that weird English translator voice that they use in airports. “Please secure your own air mask before helping passengers who may need assistance.” That voice.

My favorite part of the plane trip was the card with the seat pocket instructions for things like “Breathe and Relax,” “Reduce Your Fear of Flying,” and “Get Your Circulation Going.” They were very specific. Here, for example:

“Sleep peacefully: Cross your ankles, let the knees relax and fall slightly to each side. Place hands lightly on the thighs, close your eyes, breathe deeply. Imagine sketching the outline of a large ball with chalk.”

These instructions didn’t help so much at the time, but maybe I need more practice imagining sketching a large ball with chalk.