I spent from Monday until Wednesday afternoon in Ballingen with Emilie and her husband Johann, another relative of my grandmother. Balingen is in the foothills of the Alps. They were both very sweet and very nice and took me to a castle in Sigmaringen. Emilie is a grandmotherly time who called me 'Meine Lieblings' or 'Mein Schatz' a lot. I have never in my life looked at so many family pictures. Emilie is very interested in family history. Now I'm back in Höpfingen with Erika and family. I got to try Turkish DonerKebap last night. My German isn't really improving much due to the fact that I haven't got any of my grammar books and I'm being exposed to different dialects. The speak Schwabish here, and in Bavaria it's differnt and it will be different in Berlin too. I found out that I'll be staying with a host family in Berlin and I have to travel a half hour on the U-Bahn to and from the Goethe Institute every day. I'm terrified!!
Oh, and if you marry your cousin, it makes life frustrating for those of us who are trying to untangle family history and relations with relatives who speak a different language!!!
2 comments:
Hey, sounds like you're having a good time. You know, it's interesting reading your posts because there is a good chance that I will get to visit Taiwan sometime after I get out of the AF. It's been so long. I mean will I be able to communicate effectively with my relatives? How am I going to fit in as one who's been away, speaking a different language and in a different culture, for so long. Heck I find half the food grotesque thanks to my Americanization. How do you deal with these? Or, to quote Ace Ventura, do you just naturally fit in "like a glove?" Take care and God bless you Steph.
The food here is all good. As far as fitting in, I felt like I fit in better in Baden-Wurtemmburg than I do here in Bavaria. My grandma still makes many of the old German cookies and foods. I dunno there's something about relatives. You share the same blood and thus communicate in a different way. My relatives here are quite like my relatives at home. As for your trip to Taiwan, I really hope it goes well. I'd say, start brushing up on your language skills NOW. I wish I'd studied harder in my German courses and I wish I'd brought all my old notes and German books with me. There's so much I've forgotten. Peace andI'll pray for your trip.
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