If one thing on this earth can make a stranger in a strange land feel like a complete idiot and foreigner, that one thing is bureaucracy. Thus, being an American here in Europe, I have had SO MUCH paperwork to fill out and make copies of. It has truly been maddening, and like I said before, it has been something that has separated me and my three fellow Yanks from the rest of the international students, the overwhelming majority of which are Europeans.
The Americans here in Eichstätt have a joke for this very feeling: "We are amongst fellow foreigners in a foreign land, but we're Foreigners Plus." This is true in a sense. Since our healthcare and banking systems are so different, we Americans have extra forms to fill out. That already makes me feel a bit more foreign than usual, but then I try to fill out this paperwork and talk about this paperwork... In German. My new European friends have less paperwork to fill out since each country in the EU has similar healthcare and the like. So, they have less paperwork, AND they are better at German speaking than I am; they have had more opportunity to speak with native German speakers and practice. I have not had as much of an opportunity to do this. While each European culture is very different, geographically, each country is incredibly close. All the Europeans I have met here have regaled me with stories of travelling all over Europe and meeting people, and learning language here and there. I envy that, I suppose. There is not that much marked language diversity in my region of the US (at least not that which could be practiced systematically like in Europe. Not to mention that European education systems have VASTLY better foreign language training than American schools). Still, I hear German spoken by many different tongues and with a wide variety of accents. I get excited, and I try to join the conversation, and I stumble, and I bumble, and my German might as well be a carp flopping around on dry land gasping for air.
That might be a slight exaggeration, and yes, I can be hard on myself, but laughter is the best medicine. I do tend to forget words mid-sentence when talking to people, and it is not uncommon for me to take a pause and snap my fingers incessantly while asking "Was bedeutet ......... auf Deutsch?" Most of the time people will be helpful, and give me the German word I'm looking for, but at other times, they will switch to English, and then all I can think is, "Dammit. Yep, I'm a foreigner." This very thing happened the other day while I was getting gelato. I couldn't remember the word for "scoop," so I was standing there repeating "Einmal (one) um...." to the gelato-man. He then said, "One scoop?" I then hung my head and replied, "Yes..." I pointed to the mint gelato, and he handed to me. I thanked him in German, and replied in English, "You are welcome. Don't feel too bad. I am Ausländer, too. I come from Italy. I speak German and look at me now." I didn't know how to respond. So, Mr. Gelato Man asked me to pay, and then he wished me well.
I was terribly confused at that point. I thought about it, and I smiled. Not only did that kind soul serve me a delicious frozen treat, but he also encouraged me to keep on keepin' on as an Ausländer. It's moments like that which staves off the total craving for the familiar.
I have come to this conclusion: I am on this quest, and thus, there will be challenges and there will be paperwork. However, I can overcome these things. My German skills are quite good, but my speaking is choppy. That's natural. I am also very capable of learning. In fact, it is one of my favorite things to do. All in all, I will learn, I will thrive, and I will have a great time here in Eichstätt.
The Americans here in Eichstätt have a joke for this very feeling: "We are amongst fellow foreigners in a foreign land, but we're Foreigners Plus." This is true in a sense. Since our healthcare and banking systems are so different, we Americans have extra forms to fill out. That already makes me feel a bit more foreign than usual, but then I try to fill out this paperwork and talk about this paperwork... In German. My new European friends have less paperwork to fill out since each country in the EU has similar healthcare and the like. So, they have less paperwork, AND they are better at German speaking than I am; they have had more opportunity to speak with native German speakers and practice. I have not had as much of an opportunity to do this. While each European culture is very different, geographically, each country is incredibly close. All the Europeans I have met here have regaled me with stories of travelling all over Europe and meeting people, and learning language here and there. I envy that, I suppose. There is not that much marked language diversity in my region of the US (at least not that which could be practiced systematically like in Europe. Not to mention that European education systems have VASTLY better foreign language training than American schools). Still, I hear German spoken by many different tongues and with a wide variety of accents. I get excited, and I try to join the conversation, and I stumble, and I bumble, and my German might as well be a carp flopping around on dry land gasping for air.
That might be a slight exaggeration, and yes, I can be hard on myself, but laughter is the best medicine. I do tend to forget words mid-sentence when talking to people, and it is not uncommon for me to take a pause and snap my fingers incessantly while asking "Was bedeutet ......... auf Deutsch?" Most of the time people will be helpful, and give me the German word I'm looking for, but at other times, they will switch to English, and then all I can think is, "Dammit. Yep, I'm a foreigner." This very thing happened the other day while I was getting gelato. I couldn't remember the word for "scoop," so I was standing there repeating "Einmal (one) um...." to the gelato-man. He then said, "One scoop?" I then hung my head and replied, "Yes..." I pointed to the mint gelato, and he handed to me. I thanked him in German, and replied in English, "You are welcome. Don't feel too bad. I am Ausländer, too. I come from Italy. I speak German and look at me now." I didn't know how to respond. So, Mr. Gelato Man asked me to pay, and then he wished me well.
I was terribly confused at that point. I thought about it, and I smiled. Not only did that kind soul serve me a delicious frozen treat, but he also encouraged me to keep on keepin' on as an Ausländer. It's moments like that which staves off the total craving for the familiar.
I have come to this conclusion: I am on this quest, and thus, there will be challenges and there will be paperwork. However, I can overcome these things. My German skills are quite good, but my speaking is choppy. That's natural. I am also very capable of learning. In fact, it is one of my favorite things to do. All in all, I will learn, I will thrive, and I will have a great time here in Eichstätt.