Language and Thought

Much of the same this week, which is of course nothing but exciting. We had tests on Thursday and Friday for our language course, those went well. A few of us from my building bought German monopoly with intentions of playing it but a game has yet to take place. I did play cribbage last night until two in the morning, under an intriguing stop and go conversation. I’m reaching a cool point, one that I think I’ll involuntarily stay at for quite some time, with my thoughts. After talking German for a while, my English words fade to the very back of my mind, I no longer think in English. However, I don’t have the capacity to really think in German, so I don’t think at all. My head is just empty. I speak German, and when I get to a word or expression that I don’t know, I don’t search through English equivalents and look for a translation, for my English has in the moment gone far away, I search though nothingness, through black and white space in the head. It’s like I have a brand new hard drive installed but it doesn’t have much on it. Nonetheless, it’s the one I’m using. It feels like there is so much more space in my head. Sometimes I like it, I feel free. Sometimes I feel like I’m wasting thoughts because I’m not creating them, when I could easily switch back to English if I took a minute. But I guess that is just a step on the way to learning a language. You have to sacrifice fall backs and contingency plans, like English, in order to build your new language.

I had a rather comical slip the other day, it had me laughing for a while. I was sitting at the breakfast table, there were cigarettes laying next to me. Someone asked if I could hand them to him. I said "for sure, do you need an airplane too?" I meant to offer him the lighter. "Feuerzeug" means lighter, literally "a tool for fire." "Flugzeug" means airplane, "a tool for flying."

woops.

I have an oral presentation tomorrow. I'm going to try and teach the class how to play Gaigel, a german trick taking game. Potenially an epic fail. I'm pumped.

Munsterplatz

Vauban, courtyard infront of my apartment. and a Bunny.