Resuming until it hurts

This was written on 10/5/09 but somehow I never published it.

Oh poor little language learning blog! I've neglected you again as I had my German studies. It's understandable, since I started grad school in September and have lately figured out how to reincorporate the pastimes of my last life into this new crazy one.

I feel good about my German studies at the moment. I wasn't sure how to reprioritize it until I spoke to a couple different students in my program who speak German from extended stays there. Well that was enough to rally me back to the Küchentisch, that big wooden surface in my kitchen, and sit down with the book over breakfast. Somewhat startlingly, I keep returning to German after these little motivators. I seem good at recognizing a good opportunity when it hits me upside the face.

On a related note I had a party Saturday night for about 40 people and made my room the coat room. One of the students that showed up commented on my Hebrew alphabet chart, and wanted to know if I knew the language. After explaining my brief foray that was interrupted by German, he offered to teach me should I ever be interested. This was less of an opportunity than it might seem, since I don't really see the point in being taught until I get myself through all the FSI courses. Too many times I've painfully witnessed beginning language lessons. Much like teaching your girlfriend a little guitar, it typically doesn't lead anywhere. It's not that teaching a beginner is worthless, it's that the beginner needs to prove to themselves that they are really interested by putting in some solid hours alone before seeking out a teacher. I must have played guitar for four years before I sought out instruction. I went into Spanish cold turkey in university and it was quite painful for the duration. I'll never do that again, unless my company ships me off to live in Rangun for a year on short notice.

So here I am, feeling back in the language driver's seat. I'm continuing to apply the same techniques and finishing off the first FSI course in German. I've started listening to an all German music radio station (painful) and I'm going to try to learn to sing some basic songs, such as Eidelweiss and Hopp Hopp Hopp, Pferdchen Lauf Galopp, which is an old folk song that my grandfather used to sing to me on his knee (how cute is that?)

I'm not going to write anything tonight in German, but I'll do so in my next post and it will be awesome.