You know those movies where an adult gets to go back and relive high school? Either their teenage years were terrible (à la Never Been Kissed), or their adult years are terrible (à la 17 Again); either way, they go back to high school looking for a do-over. Along the way, they generally make a fool of themselves, become super popular, and learn some valuable lessons.
I am currently living one of those movies, and as of today I have definitely not moved beyond the "make a fool of yourself" stage. I started German class Monday. I am by FAR the oldest person in my class. I don't know exactly the age of the other students (from now on I'll refer to them as "the other kids"), but to give you a rough idea I will tell you that a) the boy next to me is currently, ACTIVELY going through his voice change; and b) another boy is wearing braces (there's only one, not because he's younger than the other kids, but because he's the only American). Much as it was in high school, most of the kids are clearly there only because somebody is making them, so there's a lot of scrambling to finish last night's homework in the five minutes before class starts, snickering at the teacher behind her back, and other assorted tomfoolery. I feel old.
My back to school movie is not going as well as I might hope. I'm not one of those people who long for their high school years, reminiscing about their popularity or their dress size or their innocence. Frankly, my life has only changed for the better since I graduated. But the one thing I definitely had going for me as an awkward teenager? I was good at school. I was no goody two-shoes Hermione look-alike (well, not EXACTLY), but I did well, and teachers liked me. None of this holds true in German class. In fact, I think it's safe to say that I am worse at German than any of the other kids. Even the one who's just now going through puberty. I'm soldiering through, spending hours on my Hausaufgaben and concentrating extra hard in class, but it's embarrassing. Of course, it's only the 3rd day—I'm holding out hope that I'll make some kind of breakthrough.
Also that some really stupid old ladies join the class next week.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
LinkWithin
Posts
You should totally rent Pretty in Pink on itunes!
ReplyDeleteI don't know how your German is, but your comedic skill is first-rate!
ReplyDeleteIs CM in the class with you?
The classic German story of this genre is Die Feuerzangenbowle. I recommend it highly. I read it fairly early in my German speaking career and enjoyed it immensely. In this case it is about a young man who had never gone to Gymnasium because he had been tutored instead. His friends get him to enroll in a boarding school and he ends up creating all sorts of hilarious trouble.
ReplyDeleteIch bin sicher, dass du gnadenlos übertreibst und dein Deutsch viel besser ist als du glaubst. Du wirst sehen: Mit jedem Tag länger, den du in Wien lebst (und mit Menschen sprichst und TV schaust und Zeitung liest) wirst du ganz viel und ganz schnell dazulernen.
ReplyDelete