Volkschule and Part Deux

Here is the 2nd installment of my blogtastic writing for you.

When I was planning for my time over here, I wanted to increase my human capital in more ways than on the bike, i.e. I wanted to learn some Deutsch. Being able to converse even a little would greatly ease the stress of living in a foreign land. Most of the private language programs rack up a über unfantastic bill. I tried doing my best to study on my own but I guess I just don't have the same focus or committment like I do with training. As you can guess, I was slacking with my language learning in the formal sense. So after extensive research, I found a Volkschule(vocational school) in Esslingen which was offering a Deutsch for Integration class. This is the class that all new residents of Deutschland must take and pass before they are entitled to live here on a permanent basis. Sort of a checks/balanaces system for assuring that Germany's citizens and workers can communicate with each other on a certain level. I think its a great idea. I missed the original enrollment date but my suave personality and keen ability to overturn policy, I was able to enroll in the class after I crashed it the first day.

The class is pretty interesting. Its a mix of many nationalities: Türkish, Iranian, Iraqi, Columbian, Brazilian, American(me), Pakistani, Russian, Gambia, Cameroon, and Angola. Its basically the UN of language learning. I remain the only one in the class who is enrolled for "fun" or "human capital development." My classmates are enrolled by virtue of the man, or State regulations. I'm just in it for "shit and giggles." But I want to learn. The first two days were pretty slow as we were just learning to say our name and where we lived, and where we were from. Keep in mind, the class is entirely in Deutsch. Its not your high school foreign language class with 90% English, and 10% foreign language. I could understand most of it but some of the discussion, I tended to zone out b/c it was not about me or more likely above my rank. The woman from Gambia sits next to me. She speaks English but I find us speaking Deutsch. I tried to speak Spanish with the Columbian woman next to me, but my mind was pulling from the Deutsch dictionary, not a Spanish one. Gives me a lot of respect for people who can go between 2,3,4,5,6 languages without pause. I'm not quite there just yet.

The class yesterday and today were much better. We have been learning a lot more vocabulary and sentence structure. This is most helpful to me I think. But more importantly its increased my confidence in understanding things and ability to express my thoughts even if its below the pre-school level =) One must start somewhere. Class last for 5 weeks, or 25-3hr sessions. I'll probably be speaking perfect Deutsch at the end as I supplement my schule learning with my at home tutors, the Sanwalds.

Chow,
Matthew