The title says it all. I've now completed my 13th week of German lessons and am still a horrible German speaker. I had higher hopes for more comprehension and better speaking abilities but at the end of my course (3 weeks to go!), I will just be glad to have completed the class. German is a tough language and I never thought it would be something I would be learning. 5 days a week, 90 minutes a day has been a real challenge. Not having a "leave the house" job in the past 3 years, I forgot what it was like to get up and go somewhere everyday. Getting me and my son out of the house with breakfast eaten, clothes on, snacks, diapers, school materials, homework done and bundled up for the winter all by 7:40am took some getting used to. I am ready to return to the days of staying in my pajamas just a little longer and not gulping down my morning cup of coffee.
However, I am debating whether to take the next course. At first I think I must be crazy. There have been many days I contemplated quitting. A lot of English is spoken here in Basel and you can get by without German. But then I think about how much of the world has opened up for me here because I can understand even just a little bit of what is being said. I can read billboards and signs on the tram and even vaguely understand what some of my mail says (which is a big improvement!). The time spent learning the basics has been worth it, even if I can only get a few sentences into a conversation before switching to English.
I have 3 more weeks to decide what to do. If I stop, I'm afraid I'll lose what I've learned and I don't want that. But if I stop, it might make life a little easier. Hmmm. Decisions, decisions. I'll keep you all posted.
:-)
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