Viel Bier

Know this: German beer does not fuck around. This is a combination of the slightly elevated alcohol content, but mostly because they give you half a liter at a time. Since this is slightly more than a pint, an American lightweight such as myself can find himself pretty buzzed after a single mug. A single German beer is worth about three Coors Light (but the Americans always bring four).

Yesterday was our first day at school. I first had to take a placement test, on which I unloaded my German knowledge in a random, shotgun-esque pattern, then I had to do an interview with one of the instructors. This guy told me I speak German far better than I write it, which is a bit like saying that I hum through the National Anthem far better than I burp through it. After all of the results were in, each person in our group was divided into one of nine levels. Because I couldn't quite understand what level the organizer said I was in (this should be a clear indication of what we're dealing with here), she showed me a sheet of paper with a room number written on it. I couldn't quite tell if it said 131 or 137, so I followed three other guys to room 131 and then spent the next 3 hours struggling through prepositions and commands. Today I discovered that 137 was actually the room I was supposed to go to, which is the absolute bottom level of proficiency. We once again practiced prepositions and commands, but on a whole new level of incompetence.

Though we fit the stereotype of loud and tactless Americans, I will say this: we bring the fucking party. Our group alone utterly saved the almost-aborted social function planned for that night, and picked up two more English speakers along the way: Anna, from New York, and Sophie, a charming Brit. I was actually a bit surprised that our group is so outgoing. We attempted to hit the town last night, only to find that the Germans don't really like to booze at 10:30 on a Monday. Who would have thought? The busiest place we could find was actually a supermarket across from the bar. 

The school hosts students from all over the world, so Brits, Spaniards, Aussies, Koreans, Swedes, Swiss, Brazilians, and French (among others) have all had the pleasure of hanging with a group of rowdy Americans. It is very cool, however, to actually use German to communicate through necessity and not just for practice. Using it as a common language for the school adds an element of camaraderie as we all struggle through a second language together.

Another day, another 77 cents. Damn Euro exchange rate.