I used to be bilingual... sort of...

[thelibraniniquity]

Another day at Keele, another day in procrastination, although in my defence, the book on the Maasai is deeply, deeply boring, and I have made notes on the conclusion. Sort of.

Today's highlight, though, was going food shopping with the German Best Friend, and her German Best Friend. Here, anyway ;) But anyway, I sat quietly in the back of the car daydreaming about the dS vid bunny contemplating Thursday's History seminar while the two Germans in the front babbled about stuff, sometimes in English but mostly in German. It wasn't until we were on the way back from the supermarket that the German Best Friend and I started talking about sisters, and school, and crappy teachers. I whined some more about the German A-Level Teacher Who Hated Me, and then my friend suggested - jokingly, to begin with - that she and her German Best Friend start only speaking German around me, to re-bone up my vocabulary and speaking skills.

I have a feeling this is one idea she's going to remember in the morning, in which case she was actually being serious when she pitched the idea to me earlier.

So.. any ideas? Opinions? Is it worth me taking the German Best Friend up on her offer and proving the A-Level Teacher Who Hated Me wrong in her utter dismissal of me as a German student?

Anything??

Comments

[explodedpen.livejournal.com]

Go for it sounds like a giggle :D

[thelibraniniquity]

I'm giving it some serious thought at the moment, because as the German Best Friend pointed out - where else am I going to get effectively eight or nine months of continuous tuition without actually paying for it??

[wihluta.livejournal.com]

You know, that first part of your narration (sitting in the back of the car, while two people talk in a different language in the front) reminded me of the trip I took with two french girls while I (and them) where Language Assistants in Britain. They talked french all the time and I didn't understand a word and I was pretty pissed by the end of the day, because they basically completely ignored me, unless they needed me to tell them which way to go (I had been there before). But whatever - that's my story...

About the German - well, it depends on how much you want to brush up your german and how considerate those two girl would be about your limited skills. If they just ignore you and talk german all the time it would be annoying very soon. If they actually actively help you, then I'd say go for it.

[thelibraniniquity]

because they basically completely ignored me, unless they needed me to tell them which way to go
Ouch. That sucks. The German Best Friend and her friend asked me several times whether I was bothered by them talking only in German, which I wasn't.

and how considerate those two girl would be about your limited skills
I know the German Best Friend would be all about the teaching, because she knows I did it for seven years at school, and has heard the story about the Evil A-Level Teacher several times over the last two years (I'm bitter, what can I say?). It's just I'm not so sure whether I actually want to take her up on the offer or not, as I have like zero confidence when talking in foreign languages (or even just typing basic German when talking to T'eyla over IM), which is probably the key legacy the Evil A-Level Teacher left me.

If they actually actively help you, then I'd say go for it.
:)

[wihluta.livejournal.com]

I have like zero confidence when talking in foreign languages
I know what that feels like. I didn't dare talk for about 2 days the first time I was thrown onto the Island all alone for four weeks. ;-) But if you don't have a choice, you learn quickly that it's not as hard as you think... :-)
Maybe it would be a good idea to try it anyway, even if you are scared. I mean, intellectually you know nothing bad will happen, it's just the fear of making mistakes, which is kinda the point of learning. Making mistakes and then correcting them. And if they are nice and not too overbearing(is that the right word?) then you won't have to feel stupid.
But it's really up to you. :-)