It’s funny. When Rodrigo asks someone something, and I’m right beside him, the people answer to me. They look at me when they talk even if the one asking the questions is him. It’s probably because I look more German than he does, even if he is the one with German roots. (Of course the above does not apply when the topic is about cars. Men always ignore me when the subject is cars, even if I might be the one asking the questions. I find this funny, but in the same time very annoying. I wonder if there is ever going to come a time when skin color and gender won’t make the difference anymore…)
When I was little, around 5-7 years old, my parents made the good choice to take me to German lessons. Twice a week I would go, together with my cousin Dan, to the house of Frau Trude (the teacher). I remember that her apartment was in an old building, the ceiling was very high up, making the rooms very tall. Before entering the room where we had the lessons, we had to cross a long hallway, old-fashion decorated and smelling like such. The end of the lesson was always marked by a cuckoo clock that used to scare the shit out of me every time. I don’t remember the face of the teacher, but I do remember her style of teaching. She used to have a huge drawing book and on each page she would cross vertical and horizontal lines. In the squares marked by the intersections of these lines she would draw an object (depending on the theme: fruits, animals etc) and under each object she would write the German word for it.
It was perfect for me because I had (and I still have) photographic memory. I know exactly that the Ziege (Goat) was on the top left square for instance. Her creed was to teach us as many words as possible. And it worked. I was quite fluent in German. But then I stopped the lessons and my parents did not subscribe me to the German school, so I forgot 90% of it. I had two more attempts to learn it before I moved to Germany but failed. It never really crossed my mind that I might, one day, move to Germany. I did not want to move to Germany. So I did not consider the language necessary to be learned.
And now? Well, now it’s harder, but it can be done. I just need to have a more aggressive plan to learn it. Press the Turbo Mode and not lose focus nor hit the brakes like before. I can do anything that I set my mind on…with the condition of keeping my mind set on that thing….
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