As luck would (and did) have it, my car on the train was filled by a high school group of Germans, who were loud, and my seat was only two rows away from the smoking section, with 2 panels of glass between the seats as separation, but an entirely open aisle way (not even the option of a glass door) -- how this keeps smoke out from the non-smoking seats with no windows that can be opened, you ask? Oh, it doesn't. Not remotely. Thanks, team. The German students took frequent trips past me to the smoking section to lighten their suitcases a pack or two at a time, and I wrapped my scarf around my nose and eyes, and tried to go to sleep.
..."Tried" being the operative word. The students had decided to play Taboo - across the entire car, so it was a loud game. Although it was the German version, many of the words thrown out were in English - it always surprised me how English words have been assimilated into other languages. It also made me start considering my German: namely, that it's not good enough.
If we had host families instead of single rooms, it would be easier to learn German, but there are always drawbacks to that as well -- namely privacy, personal freedom, and the chance that you don't get along with your family.
Regardless, I find myself considering changes for the remaining semester - reading in German, taking more LMU courses, not speaking English... I'm sure Jay'd be happy with the last one, he's probably just as frustrated as I am. But whether I actually follow through is another matter entirely. We shall see.
On a different note, I love French. I loved Paris. French came more easily than I thought it would (sort of like Spanish with a German "r", except not quite), and I didn't get the same responses as I do when I ask for directions (or food in a bakery) in Munich (What? I can't understand you... indications of my horrid accent), so that is encouraging. As the metro to the Eiffel Tower went above ground and we were afforded views of the city, I felt an attachment to the city - a pull, a longing. I could love this place, given the time to know it better. I wonder if this reaction was a result, in part, of my dad's love for Paris. Regardless, i want to learn French - maybe I can find time to audit a class at some point. And Italian. And Greek and Russian and Chinese and Japanese and Arabic... Really I just need a way to retain these languages at the same time as I learn more. Despite the strong urge I have to learn more and more languages, I know the frustration involved with the more advanced study (past the introductory grammar stages), and the ease with which languages can slip away.
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