My Ancestors Would Approve

The semester is in full swing now for all college and grad students.  For the first time in my life, I am not a part of this.  Though working and applying for jobs has kept me very busy, my brain is still in the "I have to learn something because that's what I've been doing for 20 years" mode.  Though I have several anthropology and art history books begging to be read, and a kindle with a bunch of free books downloaded on it and waiting for their turn to enlighten me, I have decided to divert some time from that to making my own class for myself.  In learning the German language.

Yes, I have decided again to start back on learning German.  This time, I'm not alone.  My current boss is brushing up on her German and therefore we were planning on practicing together some time at work.   I also have a few friends who speak German, and parents who will write random things in German on my facebook.

Why would my ancestors be proud of this?  Well, because about half of them spoke German.  That's right, I'm about 1/2 German/Swiss and have the last name to prove it (which for those family members reading, it's Swiss in origin according to countless hours on ancestry.com and google searches.  And going through the family history book).

So, how do I plan on learning German (and actually sticking with it after stopping 3 times before)?

1. Learning German in the car.

If you haven't seen the VW Passat commercial, watch it here.  While I do not make more than 1 roadtrip a year to visit peeps back home, I do spend a good deal of time in the car going to and from places.  I've almost memorized one conversation from one of the cds included in my lesson book (bonus: I know the translation too).  Doing just the car thing will probably give me just under an hour's worth of practice every day.

2. At home practice.

I also have a lesson book that came with the cds that helps me learn grammar and sentence structure (the hardest thing for me to learn for a new language).  Also, my boss let me borrow a children's book she has to learn some German vocabulary.  The best part is: it has pictures.

3. Time to practice.

Aside from job-hunting, I actually have free time after work.  I plan on trying to dedicate 4 hours a week (1 hour 4 nights a week) to studying.  That's not including while driving.

4. Practice makes perfect.

Lucky me knows a few people who speak German, therefore, I can practice with some.


I figure if all else fails, and when I get a real job and have the money, I can always sign up for a weekend German class as well.