My First Day of School

I did it! I made it through without freaking out! Let me tell you why I had a few reasons to freak out...

This morning, I had to get to school to take my placement test. This would be my first time navigating the public transportation without Toni. Gulp. I was pretty confident that I remembered everything we had done the day before but little did I know...

When Toni and I did this yesterday, we tried two different routes. First, a route that would have me walking 5 minutes to an U-Bahn, switching stations to get on a different U-Bahn and then walking about 7 minutes to the school or catching the tram. The second route seems more simple. 5 minutes to the S-Bahn, get off to find the tram which will make a stop just across the street from GLS.

So I got up around 6:30 and left at 7:15. I took the "easier" route. I found the S-Bahn station, and got on the one going in my direction. I got off at the correct stop but then as I was leaving the station everything was completely different. I didn't recognize anything. So I took out my Berlin map that I bought from Barnes and Noble last week before departure (which has proved to be completely useless) to try and figure out where I was. I looked and wandered and stopped and looked and wandered which caused me to circle the outside of the station resulting in my finding out that I had just exited the station on the wrong side. My landmark? Good ole Mickey Dees. But this was not the time for food.

After this I was not panicking. I was still okay. I still had plenty of time to get there. I crossed the street where the tram was supposed to come. I had forgotten what the tram stop sign looked like. There were big yellow H's every so often, but I knew this to be the sign for a bus stop. Later I found out that tram and bus stops use the same sign... So I thought that I could just follow the rails to the GLS street since I couldn't find a tram stop. This would have been a better idea had I been focusing on where the tram was going yesterday. It was a long ride...

It was around 8:10 when I started asking people where my street was. People in Berlin are very nice. The first only spoke German and pointed me in a direction, so I went. This basically only led me to a person who didn't know where it was. And then (angelic music) an English speaking German. He pointed me in the right direction, although it was still far away so after a while I found (angelic music) another English speaking German whose directions finally got me there. I arrived at around 8:45, but it was okay. Many people were still taking their tests and many were just arriving.

The test went well. I finished it rather quickly deciding to avoid the things I didn't know rather than guessing. This really mattered to me though because in order for me to receive 200 level German credit with UAB, I had to at least be at the A2 level. (When studying a foreign language, they place you in levels in accordance with your abilities. An absolute beginner is A0 and I think complete fluency in a language other than your native is C2--- This scale is used in European countries.) I took about 10 minutes to take it. Then I read Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows some while waiting for someone to return with my results. There were many other people waiting as well in the restaurant inside the school. After a little while, a woman came in and gave me my test and asked for a short interview where she asked where I was from, why am I here, where am I staying, how long, blah, blah.

I am a level A2.

So, on to my first class then. Teachers came in and called out the people by their levels. There were many beginners and about 5 A1s, but only two new A2s. We were put with a class that wasn't all new people. They have already been learning for a week or so now... A few of them are only there until the end of this week, so we will see what happens then. Weird. I felt slow, and they didn't give me a book. They are apparently all out of A2 books at the moment, and will make sure to get one to me tomorrow.... So I can't do the homework... I feel behind already.

So, I will have two classes everyday that last 1.5 hours taught by two different teachers. The first class I was in, it seems that he teaches a lot of grammar type things. I wasn't really understanding everything he was saying and responded slowly when he asked me things. The second class was taught by a young woman and I started catching what she was saying, and by the end of class I was understanding, not every word, but every sentence she was trying to get across.

After class, which went by extremely quickly, I walked down towards the U-Bahn station and on my way looked around in a few "funky little places" I passed by, much funkier than anything in Nashville. I was looking for postcards. I found some and bought them. Then later on, I found some better ones and wish I hadn't bought the ones I got. I finally found a place that sold stamps. And then I continued walking towards to U-Bahn. It was lunchtime, so all the places around the station were crazy.... except one. I don't remember the name. I think it was just something like Pizza and Pasta... I don't know. I ordered penne cooked in a special way... I don't remember what I told the guy. I just chose the cheapest one because I didn't one what anything was. I can't believe more people weren't eating there. That was the best pasta! I sat in there for an hour or so eating slowly and writing out my postcards. From there, I went on the U-Bahn to head back home. I was feeling tired. I still don't think I've caught up on my sleep.

I only made a few mistakes. One the first U-Bahn ride I got off one too early and had to wait for the next one to come. Then I got off two too early on the next one, then one too early. But I didn't care. On one of those rides, there was a group of three men who came in with an accordion, a tiny keyboard tied around one of their necks, and some kind of small guitar I think. They played "Hit the Road Jack" singing in English just long enough to get from one station to the next. One of them walked around with a cup of change and some people put coins in. Because it takes about 5 minutes for me to get to where my money is, I did not.

When I got off at the right station, I found my way to the apartment without a problem. I've been here the rest of the day. I got here around 4 or 5. The day has passed quickly. It is 21:37 now. I still need to study some more for tomorrow, so I don't feel so behind. Most of the stuff in the first class today are things that have already been discussed in my previous German classes. I just forget so easily.

Word(s) of the day:  Deutsch lernen > to study German. ex. Heute ich muss Deutsch lernen! Today I must study German.