Lessons in Immersion

The weather seems to be clearing up again here--definitely a relief for me, who definitely could have brought more sensible shoes. Today was sunny and in the '60s, and it was comfortable weather for walking. It was a very nice day...we had our first test in Bärbel's vocab and culture class. It went well, and most of us treated ourselves to our favorite Haci's Kababs down the street after class. Around here, we eat almost as much Turkish food as Austrian food!

Tuesday afternoon also means that the advanced students have Austrian Literature class with Herr Pertlwieser across town. It was amazing to see how much I've learned in a week. This class--which seemed almost impossibly intimidating last week, now I think will be much more doable.

I think it has to do with the learning curve around here. That's the funny thing about learning a language. Living here, in the heart of Salzburg, and being immersed in the speech at all times really has taught me more about the German language than I could ever have learned from a textbook. I realized today that Herr Pertlwieser's speech patterns and dialect sounded more familiar to me, even though it's only the second time I've ever met the man. My ears are getting used to not just the German vocabulary and grammatical structures (although that too), but to the inflections that these Austrians use when they speak, which words they abbreviate or say very quickly, and colloquial (or slang-ish) terms I didn't know before. In addition to hearing them better, I really feel that I'm learning new words everyday: from signs, from others in my group, from the strangers on the bus from whom I ask directions, and even from listening to moms and kids talk in the grocery store. Learning a language is so much more about living it. When we began to talk and pick up English as toddlers, we didn't have flashcards and we didn't have tests. We were surrounded by our relatives, parents, and neighbors and our ears picked up the accents, the slang, and the grammatical structure. I, of course, am still far from completely fluent. But today I realized I am well on my way.