Default Foreign Language

In a conversation with John, we discovered something kind of humorous.  We both have a “Default Foreign Language”.  Unfortunately, it’s the same language for both of us.  More unfortunately, that language is Spanish.  This would be very helpful if we were stationed in Spain…but alas, we are not. 

This was discovered when we were talking about learning various words and then trying to communicate with the locals.  As it turns out, when we don’t know a word that we want to say, we automatically search our brains for any foreign language substitute for that word.  If you want to confuse a German, start speaking Spanish.

Even practicing with each other while driving…

“Oh, look, ‘caballos’!”

“No!  They are ‘Pferds’!”

(Above mentioned animals are horses.)

In the meantime, whilst I am stuck in Ammerthal with no car, I have been occasionally picking up useful information from a “Learn German the Fast and Easy Way” book that John picked up in the States.  At first, I didn’t think much was happening in my noggin, but then suddenly, I understood parts of the sign above our landlord’s garage, which states that he works on windows and doors. 

Or has a window and door technique. 

Or something to do with window and doors.

Like I said, I only understood part of it.  

John wondered the other night why some words were capitalized in German and others weren’t.  I automatically piped up “Oh, nouns are capitalized.”

“They are?  How did you know that?”

“From the book, I guess.”

I am actually kind of anxious to get back to using Rosetta Stone.  Some things make more sense now that I have some grammatical background…of which Rosetta Stone offers none.  Grammatical…is that a word?

Anyway, using Rosetta Stone will only occur after we have internet.  Which, we may never have.  Even when we inquired with Telekom yesterday in Amberg, just 10 minutes away, they informed us that only the lowest speed on DSL is available in Ammerthal.  384 kbits/s.  Their highest speed is 6000.  We will have an option for 3000….but not until November.  Now, TKS, with whom we do have a deposit with, is offering 1000 kbits/s.  But, they have had us on hold for 2 weeks now.  We keep checking back to see if they even have an installation date for us, and each time we come up with nothing.  Not enough technicians.  (This should change after August when most of the country –continent?- comes back from holiday.  August is when most people take off and do their vacationing.)

Still, it’s frustrating as hell, and honestly, if we had known that internet was so shoddy up here, I’m not sure we would have taken the house.  We have heard stories from people who had terrible luck with the housing office, and went out to find great places to rent through realtors in the area.  The fee is pricey (equal to 1-2 MONTHS of rent –which could be up to 3000 euro!- but reimbursable through finance), but people have found great places unavailable to the housing office.  Still other people had little luck with Vilseck Housing and went to Graf Housing, where they found places, no problem, in locations that were convenient to both Vilseck and Graf.  We are located South of Vilseck, not that convenient to Graf.

This is on the long list of things that no one tells you when you get here.  We have yet figure out TV as well.  We have access to our landlord’s satellite dish.  Which is, what, all German TV?  There is a satellite company called AFN (Armed Forces Network) that has about 7 different channels and compiles selections from different networks from the states into these channels.  But getting a satellite and decoder are terribly expensive for 7 channels.  Then there is SKY satellite, which has some American shows, but is based out of the UK.  Also expensive.

(In the hotel, we had access to a few German channels, one of which played mostly American shows, whether they be movies - like “Twilight Eclipse” or “Date Night”.  I was bummed when they had “Get Him to the Greek” dubbed in German - or reruns.  I watched a few episodes of “Gilmore Girls” and “Friends”.  The show that was on the most was “King of Queens.”  Germans love them some “King of Queens”!) 

You would wonder if maybe the housing office could shed some light on these options, but seeing as they are a government office, they cannot do or say anything that would look like they are recommending one company’s service over another.  It would be easier to research different options online…if we had internet.

It would have actually been easier to research these things online while still in the hotel, but we didn’t think it would be this big of a deal, of course having no way of knowing where our house was going to be, and then, not knowing in what a dead internet area it turned out to be located.  Everything is online.  Especially job search information.  Hopefully the Jeep arrives soon for I will be using my car to hit internet cafes and do research.  And be productive.

Not that learning German isn’t productive.  It is.  Maybe it will even replace Spanish as my default foreign language.