Strictly German

[renaissancemedici]

I have finished the first seven Assimil with ease units. This is going very well and I'll keep it up without thinking too much about it, like Italian. I am falling into a good rhythm (finally) after endless "experiments". Besser spät als nie.

I am curious to see if I will finally learn German, because so far it's like I'm cursed. Always something happens and my plans stop. To be fair, my German learning plans have been known to be too ambitious, badly conceived and chaotic. I've learned the hard way that some things require baby steps, and this is one of them.

I am sick of experiments, looking forward to something etc. I need results, I should focus on the destination and not the journey for once. I am kind of sick of everything right now.


I even thought about forgetting Italian and German. People speak great English in Vienna after all, and my Italian is goon enough for a trip there. I thought that I should learn Spanish, a language that I love, that I have never studied before, that is easy enough to learn without too much pain and so very beautiful. And just learn for the fun of it. I was this close yesterday. I will not do it of course. Or maybe I will. Does wanderlust ever stop? Will the need of a change in my life be the doom of my German plans? Because if I don't learn it now that I have the motivation, I never will. In the end, who cares one way or the other? Should we learn for pleasure? Should we learn for practical reasons? Will any of this make a difference in my life? How does one decide? Should I start Spanish as well?


The truth is: I will probably need German. It's a possibility. And I have friends I can talk with. I like it anyway. Italian I don't really need, I just like it. Spanish I don't need either, but it is soooo beautiful. And the music... It's a global language too. Hm... Should I just drop Italian and study German and Spanish? Oh, dear...


The only certain thing is, I am continuing with German. That's is non negotiable. Italian on the other hand is on very shaky ground today.

[renaissancemedici]

I'm tired of wanderlust. I follow only German studies until I finish Assimil (deadline Xmas). After, and only after that's done, do I resume FSI German and perhaps another language.

I am actually watching a report on the elections in Bayern right now, on state TV.

[renaissancemedici]

Achte Lektion fertig.

I have read these lessons before, but I started all over again to do things right. I needed this revision anyway, as I don't remember absolutely everything.

I'm glad that I wrote all that yesterday, because seeing all that mess written down made me make some very clear and calm decisions. It's no good studying many things and half-learning everything. There are so many beautiful languages anyway, that there will always be the next one seducing you. German is also beautiful after all.

I am back where I started from all that time ago, but I don't consider this a waste of time. Everything we learn helps out somehow.

My greatest concern right now is that I start with a solid base in German. I must not forget his, in fact I should make it my signature or something. Yes, I use Assimil right now in order to be able to speak when we go on that trip, but at the same time I am building the foundation for all the things to come (learn proper German). And that should be my mission statement.

The only thing I don't do yet is write things down, but I should. It's important to learn spelling. Writing helps me learn things better, remember everything, and make up my mind when I am undecided or confused. It is too soon to have a real journal in German. Right now I should have a workbook, to write the texts, exercises and perhaps take dictation from the recordings.