For those of you who find screwball translations humorous, that title is the rough translation for:
"On the road again"
I amused myself on our 16hour car trip by translating random things into German because, as we all know, everything is more laughable in another language. Arrived at German camp today, only two more nights until I have to sign away my native tongue and assume the position of one in a foreign society trying to make do, saying please and thank you and excuse me and how do you say I'd like to sit here is this seat taken? in a language that's not completely your own. Yet.
They tell me that by the time week 7 is over, I'll be reading and writing with more fluency than I thought possible. Hopefully.
Tomorrow morning I rise at 7am and prepare myself for the four hour placement test that will tell me how much or little German I know. And to Cristi - they have a fizzy water machine in the dining hall. Tell me that this isn't a few steps below Heaven - fizzy water and chickpeas and fresh fruit and Ben & Jerry's ice cream oh my!
The blogging will be sporadic after Sunday - unless you read German, of course.
4 comments:
my little piece of encouragement-- the six weeks i spent in quebec city were absolutely formative for my french ability. I'm talking exponential improvement. if you are serious (and i know you are), have a good background in grammar (i know you do), you will be German Pro Fesh in two to three weeks. enjoy, and when you're done you can teach me some
Just don't say "Ich bin ein Berliner" or people will think that you're a pastry. Is this some kind of totally submersive German experience? Are you guys going to have to eat braunschweiger and love it?
Wir mussen nichts essen die braunschweiger! Wir mussen essen die gute essen in der Mess.
Okay, my German is veeeery rusty:
"We must not eat the braunschweiger! We must eat the good meal in the (Mess hall? Cafeteria?)"
I thought the first sentence should be "Wir mussen essen die braunschweiger nichts!". Doesn't "nichts", when translated as "not", always go at the end of the sentence it's negating?
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