Gottesdienst und Kinderdeutsch

I'm really enjoying the city. I like the fact that many of the buildings are so entrenched with history. So far one of my favorite events has been the historical tour. Even though the weather is cold and often rainy, it hasn't put me too much out of spirits, because I actually really like cold weather (maybe it's just the fact that I've been starved of it from living in Texas my whole life), and we were pretty well prepared by Dr. Wasser for the weather, so I haven't minded it much at all. I'm still trying to figure out the layout of the city, though. Unfortunately, tours don't really help me because as long as someone is leading, I just follow and don't attend at all to where we are. The best way for me to learn my way around is to wander by myself for a while.

I've already experienced the gratification of one of my expectations, which was to see old churches, today when I went to mass at the Münster. It's very beautiful inside as well as out. I also got to experience my first mass, or Gottesdienst, which was all the more interesting for the fact that it was in German.

Speaking of German, I feel really bad for not speaking better German. A lot of people have said how frustrating it is to not know the language and to try and learn, but I have the added indignity of having studied German and still not be able to hold a conversation. If they speak very slowly and use only Kinderdeutsch (as my high school teacher used to say), I can follow fairly easily, but I'm very annoyed with myself because sometimes I can almost understand, and I think that if I had just worked harder I would be fluent by now. On the second or third day, I was at the Galeria by myself, looking at calendars, and a lady standing next to me commented (in German) how expensive they were. I had just been thinking the same thing, so I sort of laughed and said “ja,” and then she said something else, and I was really pleased that I was at least understanding, until she started talking too fast and using words I didn't know. Then I had to reveal my ignorance by saying “wiederholen, bitte?” and she asked if I wasn't German! So I guess the good news is I can pass for German, so long as I don't open my mouth. But I was disappointed because I thought if only I spoke better German I could have gotten away with it. On a happier note, today after mass I successfully ordered ein Käsebrötchen at the Bäkerie and spoke only German to the lady behind the counter. Baby steps, I suppose.