I have tried this many times before; the first time was in 2001 when I took a German class at college, thinking it would be an easy A because my husband would help me. How wrong I was. He avoided helping me and at the time he said it was because talking with me felt like he was talking to a wall. He also said that no one helped him learn English and so I needed to do this on my own. I think I got a B- in my class but I got an A on the final oral exam. Because I was so good at having a conversation with my teacher (she understood me and I understood her) I couldn't wait to go to Germany and start talking with Manuel's family.
It turned out that my enthusiasm was too much too soon - I remember being alone with Manuel's grandma and I started talking to her in German and she awkwardly got up and left the room. Then I tried with another family member and they just smiled and nodded (that's the universal body language for "I have no clue what you are saying") and then everyone else responded by speaking whatever English they knew because that was less painful than talking to me in German.
Years later after we started having children, Manuel tried teaching them and would set aside nights that were German speaking only, but over time he stopped doing it because it was easier for him to just speak English.
Finally, this year I am determined to try again! When Manuel came home from work yesterday he noticed these little papers taped all over the house. He smiled and was quite surprised - then he took a pen and went around correcting all the words that were wrong (darn Google translate!).
The kids and I have been having so much fun saying these words every time we walk past them. Will it be enough to have conversations with our family this summer? Probably not - but at least we are trying! :)
DAILY QUESTION:
Do you speak a second language fluently? Was it hard for you to learn? What tips do you recommend?
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