Today I completed my first entire phone conversation using only German. I couldn´t believe it! So far, when I answer the Röhl´s phone I typically start out trying to speak German, but after a couple "wie bitte?"´s, "tut mir leid"´s, and finally a humiliating "...ich spreche wenig deutsch..." the person on the other line switches to English so we can continue. But today somehow I managed to explain that no, Frau Röhl wasn´t there, and when they asked if she´d be home in the evening I replied that it would probably be very late, at least 21:00. All in German! We said goodbyes, and I was in shock. Did that just happen? True, I don´t think I ever formed real sentences, just broken fragments. I had to ask them to repeat a couple things, and I am 100% sure they could tell I was from the U.S. But even so, I was so elated. I also filled the car with diesel for the 1st time today, without any problems. I don´t know why I thought it would be any more difficult than it was in KS, but I imagined terrible things happening! Small triumphs like this help me breathe. Things really will become more natural someday...
Now I have the afternoon off. Oh, how I love Oma Jutta for wanting to spend time with her grandchildren... I think I´ll take the bike to the post and bank, then ride into the country until I get tired. I borrowed "The Dead Poet´s Society" DVD from the library, and I am looking forward to crashing in front of the film later with some sesame pretzels and nutella, and loudly sobbing without shame at the sad ending. It will be a good day.
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