So getting to the point, I want to tell you about how much I'm still struggling with communication here and how often I practice and watch youtube video after youtube video. It sounds crazy, I know. Especially since everyone says, "Oh you'll be fine, most people speak English or they'll understand what you are trying to say." But that is not always the case. Maybe I'm just unlucky but I've ran into a lot of people that don't speak English. Maybe it's because I like to converse with the locals and I'm not afraid to ask for help. But for the fourth time since I've been here, I've asked for help while buying something in a store and yet again, the person's English is about as good as my German. I have fallen into the trap of buying something I was falsely led to thinking it was what I wanted. And it's definitely not their fault. Not being able to effectively communicate is really bothersome for me.
So onwards with my story, I desperately wanted another pair of leggings. If you're a girl, you understand the difference between tights and leggings. One is made of thicker material and doesn't show skin, the other of course is thinner. If you're a guy, just try to follow along. Well, the package clearly said "leggings" on it, and it was packaged in a way where you don't actually try the leggings on, you just pick your size out. Kind of like socks. You don't remove them from the package to try them on, you just pick your size out and buy them. Okay, same for this. Well I noticed the material seemed somewhat thin, so I asked about them. Yet again, I was led to buying something I didn't actually want. Although, that's not really a big issue. My issue is that I so badly want to be able to communicate and get my point across to someone to where they actually understand me. But German is not an easy language. Some of my classmates comment on how I know so much more vocabulary than them, but that's really not the case. I just happen to pick up on a couple extra words, nothing major. Right now I'm really struggling with making sentences and word order. I also need to practice the difference between asking someone a question rather than telling them my question in statement form. It sounds weird, but that tends to happen to me. For example this often happens when I order food and I want to say "Hello, can I have [blank]...?" but I end up saying "Hello, I have [blank]..." I creates a bit of confusion and awkwardness, but I'm getting better depending on what I say, but it's a really slow process.
Last night my host mom gave me a couple of children's books to practice reading and it's actually helping a lot with basic sentences. Listening to German music seems to be helping too. I've been able to pick up on a few more words as I continue to listen to the songs over and over. So although it seems to people that I'm picking up on German, I really don't feel like I am. Every day I forget a word I learned last week. Or for every German word I learn I forget an English word! I'm starting to mix languages and it's getting confusing. Maybe I need a full three days of sleep, who knows? But all is well and I'm enjoying life in Germany.
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