My German Class

After meeting 4 hours everyday for 3 months, my German class finally finished last Friday.  It is amazing to me how much you can enjoy learning when there is no pressure of getting a perfect grade or cramming for quizzes (maybe it is just a sign of getting old :-)). There was a big test at the end with different components that included; listening, reading, writing and also 3 different speaking portions. The test lasted most of the day, but I won't find out for a few weeks how I did. Hopefully I passed the B1 level (which concludes to the German Government and everyone else that would care that basically you are proficient enough in German to stay and work here). It really doesn't mean too much for me either way, but I am just really happy having learned so much over the past several months.

Not only have I learned a lot more about the German language, but I also have a new insight and appreciation for all of the people in my class too. My class literally represented the world - different countries, different religions, different families, different stories. There were mostly asylum seekers in my class (so interesting - yet also sad -to hear their stories). Starting over from scratch in a new land with a new language is not an easy thing. It is really nice though because all of their basic needs are met here and their potential for a nice life is definitely possible here. Makes you very grateful for what you have though.  And definitely makes you see the world in a different way!!!

A couple of funny things...

 **It was funny because on the big test day everyone was nervous - my friend from Czech pointed out the fact that we all have such different backgrounds, yet in the end, we are so similar (we all get nervous for a big test :-))

**It is funny too because, often I look at the car that I drive and see it as an old, dirty car - and wouldn't it be nice to get a new one. My classmates saw it in a completely different light (I had to drive one day on a field trip and they saw it as a unique solid car that was a good brand). You don't even need a car here to live (and of course almost none of them owned a car) and so I decided to change my attitude about my old, dirty car and be grateful that it is paid for and that it has safely taken my family to so many amazing places here in Europe. The car doesn't matter - it is the experiences and people that matter!

**One of the reasons it is so difficult to solve the worlds problems is because people come from such different backgrounds (even within the same country). Etiquette can be completely different. So I was sitting around a table and a girl from Africa and a girl from the Middle East were sitting there too. The girl from Africa literally poked the girl from the Middle East in the belly and said "you have fat - no worries - I do too!" A perfect example of why people don't always see eye to eye. I guess in some African countries, that might be perfectly appropriate, but I am not sure I would have taken it so well... Amazingly different!!!

In this picture - I am the only one from North or South America - amazing how interesting it is when you bring so many countries together... Can you guess where everyone is from?