Half a Year

Exactly 6 months ago, the kids and I arrived here in Berlin.  This isn't temporary.  We live here.  It's real.  We got Visas.  And driver's licenses.  That's how you know. ;)   


Jason's job was technically on a probationary basis for the first 6 months.  Then either party was allowed to say "never mind".  But now, it's apparently much much harder to lose a job.  We are staying. 


We have found a church.


We have found friends. 


We have found a home.


We have found schools.


We have found our way around.


If I'm being totally honest, I thought we'd be a lot further along with our German.  Especially my three little sponges.  But, nope.  They weren't really exposed to much German till they started school.  But then Easton didn't even have a German teacher till half way through October.  Autumn was only in school for a month or so before Christmas break and her teachers mostly talk to her in English.  These kids don't know nuthin'. :)

I think that Dalton might understand more than he realizes he understands, but I'm not certain.  I know some of his teachers speak to them in German and I assume he follows along to a degree without realizing, "Oh that was in German".  You know?  Like his brain hears it and he just processes it.  But I could be wrong. 


Sometimes they answer us in German.  Without really thinking about it.  Just little things like they didn't quite hear what I said so they'll go, "Was?" (what?)  Or, something will go wrong and they'll be all, "Oh nein!"  (thanks to German Mickey Mouse Clubhouse).  Easton can rock the numbers all the way up into the thousands in German now.  When we arrived, I (and the kids) could count to 11.  That's it!


I definitely find us tuning out less too when we hear German.  Before someone would speak to me and I would look at them blankly all, "Sorry".  Now I can understand a lot more from waiters to grocery clerks to people asking me for directions.  I'll recognize a lot more words here and there.  I got through checking in at a doctor, having blood drawn and an EKG all in German.  I was able to tell a cashier I needed three gift cards and the different amounts to put on the gift cards all in German.  I got through a guy coming to look at some broken windows, schedule a follow up, and give him my new phone number all in German. 


But still, I had higher expectations language-wise. 


Now that we live in the former west, people really do all seem to speak some English.  It's funny because you can ask, "Do you speak English?" and they'll be all, "A little".  Except "a little" means, "I understand everything you say and might just sound a little awkward and feel uncomfortable responding to you".  If I say I speak a little Spanish, I really do mean a little.  And I've learned that even now that I know a little German, if I say that to a German, they think that means the same as their "a little" bit of English.  So, I just say no German. We have neighbors, teachers, and such that know " a little" English and they can completely communicate except they'll get stuck on the random word.  Like "stroller".  Or, Autumn's teacher got stuck on "cake" or "pretzel".  The other teacher couldn't think of "change" as in diaper.  (Lucky for me, I know all those in German.)  The kids' doctor got stuck on "standard deviation".  You know, I think even native English speakers get tripped up with that one. ;) 


Anyway, I'm pleased with how we're doing here overall.  The kids especially.  The novelty has started to wear off and we're still doing okay.  Jason went to Munich for work recently and realized he was ready to come "home"...to Berlin. 


Berlin is home. 


Wow.