Sprichst du Deutsch?

We do!! Well, kind of.

The Army has given us a great opportunity: German Immersion classes! The session lasts 4 days; we've done 2 already and have Monday and Tuesday left. Each day is 8 hours of lots of learning. Then on Tuesday we get to go on field trip to Amberg, complete with ordering & eating at an authentic German restaurant: Bergwirtschaft.

So far it's been a lot of the basics: how to say your name (Ich heisse Frau Clark: I am Mrs. Clark), where you live & other personal information, numbers/time, restaurant/food terms, basic greetings & questions, etc. Our teacher has also told us about a lot of German customs/habits so we aren't subject to too much culture shock. We even have learned about the lay of the land here in Germany, and even some quick facts about surrounding countries. We are inspired to travel now more than ever.

Eric and I have been filling our workbooks with lots and lots of notes, and getting fairly good at the basics of German. Dare I say we are the 2 best students? It's been a great experience so far and we are anxious to learn more and go on the trip with our class.

Here are some fun little tidbits, and proof that we are actually learning something.

1. You know how in America there is the phrase "junk in the trunk" for women with a large hind-side? Well, here in Germany there's the phrase "firewood in front of her hut"--which I am sure you all can decipher. However, our teacher refused to teach it to us, haha.
2. A phrase I think we'll be using a lot: "Bitte, sprich langsam." Meaning: "Please, speak slowly." One I hope Eric says sometime: "Möchtest du tanzen?" Meaning: "Would you like to dance?"
3. Grafenwoehr, where we will soon be living & working, actually is the old site of where the S.S. troops were trained. Slightly eerie? Yes.
4. There are a lot of letters used in the German language, making spelling a lengthy process. For example my age (22) is written out as: "zweiundzwanzig". Catchy right? Haha.
5. Radler Biere (beer) is a very popular beer in this area, and is actually half Sprite.
6. Grocery stores do not provide bags/baggers for your groceries. So bring your own people! Or, in our case, just shop on base.

Well, that's all for tonight. We plan on returning back to Nuremberg tomorrow now that we have a better idea of what to expect.

Leb wohl! Gute Nacht! (Live long! Good night!)