Goethe and Big Jim

Today I sat down for my A2 Deutsch Prüfung, the final exam after 8 weeks of intensive German classes. Lucky for me, they matched me with one of my classmates so we knew already each other, our strengths and our weakness. Therefore when we had to sit for the oral part of the exam and exchange question, we were considerate! Still, when Lucas suggested me to buy for our hypothetical common friend’s birthday an “Anleitung”, I felt an urgent need of punching him!!!

Whatever…next week I’ll start B1 and I will have to deal with much more vocabulary.  I will be with Tannis, my classmate from the previous course. Everyone else will be back, next week or next month, in his or her own Country or moving on to new experiences.

Those past two months at the Goethe Institute have been an exceptionally amusing and intriguing experience. Little did I know, when I applied, that I would have so much fun meeting and chatting with so many people coming from different environment and life experience! Here is a short account of them, for my memory (in case, as my son graciously reminds me on a daily basis, Alzheimer disease hits me). Those are just my impressions…I don’t pretend to know them really! I hope no one will take offense. 

Edgar, a medical doctor from Mexico, who is working his way to reach the B2 level, enroll in a German medical specialization school and live here permanently. Initially he was overly concerned about his personal space, to the point that he was bothered when someone would even just dare to touch his shoulder. After just 2 weeks in the class, he became forcibly used to the touchy attitude of the Italians/Brazilians/Chileans, who are orthogonal to the concepts of “personal space” and “boundary”.  In addition, he would only eat Mexican food, as if the idea of being in Germany and wanting to experience new food didn’t cross his mind. The basic notion of not eating native food when traveling in a foreign country is completely witless to him. Once again, we were able to “cure” his fixations. I’m not sure how much German did he learned, but certainly these two moths were a life-changing experience for him!!! I am thankful to him for being so patient with my son when he spent, at my place, almost 2 hours teaching Giovanni how to prepare a Mexican food. Furthermore, for enabling me to realize that my son understands completely Spanish and is also able to keep a conversation! Wow, such a surprising revelation!!!!

Rose, from Cambridge, with her splendid British accent and her big adorable bright eyes!  I’d pay to have her phenomenal skill in memorizing new words… We laughed so much listening to the stories of her forever-unnamed new nephew! I wish I had more time to go around the city with her. I hope I will get in touch with her again in the future, whenever I’ll visit the UK.

Lucas, who studies Electrical Engineer in Brazil but is in love with the languages, so much that he spent several months in New Zeeland to learn English! Always smiling, laughing and with a positive attitude, he had initially a hard time to realize that the seasons are inverted here…. he would show up with a T-shirt, on January, in Berlin, when the outside temperature is – 4 Celsius… Little by little, he added a layer, a shirt first, then a pullover, then finally a real jacket. He has my same determination: to learn this language as much as your mother tongue language. I wish him to realize his dreams, to complete his studies with unrelenting determination and join a group of young and brilliant engineers. The world certainly needs clever minds like his!

Ayaka, from Japan: the most reliable, methodical and structured student in our class. No surprises here for me. She was able to correctly memorize around 60-80 new words a day, never missing the gender, the article, and the past participle. She is most likely the only one in our class who scored 100% in the test. Occasionally, when the guys would target her with their ironical jokes, I felt somehow compelled to defend her, but she always stood up for herself and fought back! A champion of subtle irony, gracious sarcasm and dignified self-confidence. I sometimes wonder if there was a secret additive in the bananas she always pulled out. Congratulations for your upcoming wedding! 

Joaquín, an exceptionally talented student from Chile, currently enrolled in both Math and Engineering College. As if preparing at the same time for a double Major isn’t challenging enough, he decided to engage himself in learning a grueling language. Was für eine Ausdauer!!!! One day in the German class, we were practicing on a specific exercise, where we had to list our childhood activities.  I didn’t check the question regarding “playing videogames as a child” since at that time video games didn’t exist at all. He gave me a disbelieving look and then asked me: “ Sorry, but…. how old are you?”. When I told him my age, he was thunderstruck mostly by the fact that he had spend the past few days chatting and laughing with someone who is only one year younger that his own mother! I’m sure his strong-mindedness will pay back in the future!

Tannis, good-naturedly amiable Canadian. I loved the way she innocently exclaim:” Oh good Lord!” or “That is lovely!” or “This is delightful”! She looked timid and reserved but that is just the superficial impression. As soon as you interacted with her, she was ready to capture your attention with countless stories from her own life experiences, to discuss the stereotypes of Canadians... By the way, just as I imagined most Canadians to be, she was very proud that she did things a little different than her downstairs neighbors! She was always genuinely concerned for your well being and wanted you to have a good day. Makes you want to visit that Country! I look forward to spend other 2 months with her in the next B2 level course.

Niccoló, the proud Italian, even more, “il Romano”! It’s astonishing that someone like him, who has spent most of his life in foreign countries such as Somalia, Albania, Burkina Faso, Congo, France, Switzerland and other that I don’t recall, still retains such a strong, beautiful accent from Rome. We had so similar experience in life. Just as I did, he lived in very different environments, he experienced at very young age disparate cultures, he constantly moved with his family, he played with his siblings more than he played with other friends, he learned to swiftly readjust to his new surroundings and to retain the best from each adventure. He gave me the impression that he doesn’t feel the need of being attached to one particular place on Earth, that he is willing to move and face as much as he can before settling down, perhaps one day. As if he is not looking for his Ithaca jet, he seems to be still navigating and following new, perhaps uncertain winds, with the solid belief that all this experience will make him a better surgeon and man. Good luck with your life, Niccolo’!

Karen, from Brazil. Intriguing personality: strong willed and determined but at the same time delicate and sensible. Usually quiet and discreet, although she enjoyed the company of her peers, she participated in the group, she got along well with everyone and had a radiant smile and joyful laugh! It was a pleasure to talk with her and talk about our future. 

Pier Andrea, the other Italian in the group, a layer from Venice. I have the feeling that we will meet again, here in Berlin. He indisputably shared with Rose and Ayaka the premium for the most extensive knowledge in German vocabulary. Furthermore, he demonstrated an extraordinary commitment in learning every possible detailing fact of this city, its history, its artistic background, its monument, and its culture. He seemed to be sincerely fascinated by Berlin and its inhabitants. That said, my most memorable image of him is the puzzled expression on his face when our teacher would ask us to play another card game! I always thought that, one day, he would throw them all at her face…instead, he remained patiently seated, withholding his frustration and trying his best to conceal his immensurable boredom! Another time, after seeing the ballet “The Giselle”, we went together with Tannis and another student to a “Knipe” for a late night dinner. When the other girl in the group told us that she had to rush home because she feared terroristic attacks, his dropping jaw and astonished eyes was something to pay for! I hope for him that he’ll figure out a way to take advantage of his natural skill in learning a foreign language and travel around the world, without restrains or remorse.

Renn, the youngest student in our class, from USA. I didn’t have many chances to talk to him, aside from when I suggested him to go to the hospital to have his hand properly treated…Despite the young age, he was the only one in the class to have a clue of what “Big Jim” was. That certainly took me by surprise. I expected the other guys in the class to have recollection of this old action figure toy produced in the 1970s-1980s…I was so wrong! He probably learned from some of his American relatives. Everybody else looked at me as if I were talking an alien language.

Last but not least, Bera, from Poland. Exuberant, unworried, chirpy, euphoric, blatant, vigorous, extravagant, flamboyant, alluring, tantalizing, occasionally provocative, but always in a humorous way, as you expect from a young woman who has some experience in life…or was she only pretending she knew so much? One of a kind!

Oh, wait, there's Kays, from USA…even though I'm not really sure... I can’t say much. I interacted with him only once in two months. I never saw him remove his jacket. I observed him pacing in the corridor, every day, silent, curmudgeonly, not talking to anyone. He talked to me once…to him I would say: “Let it go, wont’ you?”. Here is the best picture I have from him....

Together we laughed, had brunch, lunch and dinners, we went for outings... and, of course, together we occasionally studied!   

I'd like to thank them all, each one of them, for the wonderful time. Viel Glück!!!