Yesterday I returned from my great trip to Koeln, which is one of the larger cities in Germany. I saw the main downtown area, the Dom of Koeln (spectacular piece of architecture), and the old town as well *check out the pics on flickr soon*. I was only there for a short time so I didn't get too much time to explore everything, but all the same it was a lot of fun. I also got to meet some friends of my good friend, Jen. We stayed at their place while staying in Koeln and they showed us all these sites. But what I thought was so awesome was that I got to experience someone use German in a way that was very comical. His name was Thomas and he would make goofy voices and would switch between German and English (which I have been informed is considered Denglish) and it was completely hilarious. It seems strange that I'm so interested in this fact, I mean obviously people who speak English aren't the only ones who try to clownish it's just that I have never seen or heard anyone do it in a different language before.
And now I think I'm rambling... haha
Yesterday, I made my final move into my apartment and out of Jen's hair. I really didn't realize how much I relied on her for my survival around here. She translated everything for me, knew where everything was, and was a great person to hang out with and get my mind off of my longing for home. Sadly the reality of the abroad experience hit me hard. I'm going to be studying German as much as I can on my own time, it's the only way I'll be able to make it. It really give me a whole new perspective on things. There are so many people in Germany and around the world that learn English as a second language that most Americans expect everyone to understand them. When I think about that whole concept it's completely absurd, if I am the visitor in this country I should be able to speak and understand at least the basic parts of German. So, the German lessons shall begin tomorrow for me (self taught lessons, that is).
A goal of mine while on this whole adventure is to be accepted as an American who can respect the German culture that everyone lives by. Plus, I can't stand being lost in translation anymore. Look out Germany, I'm going to be speaking your language!
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