Überraschung!

And now for something completely different!

I began learning German when I was in sixth grade.  Part of the curriculum of the middle school I attended included one trimester of each Spanish and German in sixth/seventh grade (ie, you take German in sixth grade for a third of the year and you take Spanish in seventh grade for a third of the year or vice versa).  German was great.  I got a German name (I chose Claudia), my teacher was funny and engaging, and it was something totally different from anything I had ever learned before.

Spanish, on the other hand....  Spanish was taught by a woman who was born (and raised?) in Germany.  She was harsh and short (both physically and in character).  Her only redeeming class was the one day we watched the Princess Bride, which we didn't even watch in Spanish, we just watched because it was supposedly filmed in Spain (I don't know if this is actually true).

In any case, despite the more practical reasons for taking Spanish in eighth grade (we could choose to take either Spanish or German for a full year in eighth grade or no language at all), such as the fact that many immigrants to America are Spanish-speaking (just take a look at an instruction manual next time you buy something -- there's a reason there is a Spanish copy), and that America sits right on top of Mexico and is geographically nearby other Spanish-speaking countries, territories, and communities, I chose to take German. (Whew! How's that for a sentence?)

I did relatively well in German.  Though I struggled with modals, I tended to understand better than a lot of the other students in the class and even tutored one for a while.  I did well enough that I decided to take a test at the end of the year that would determine if I would go into German I or German II in my freshman year of high school.  Although I made a big mistake on the test (it said write it in past tense and I wrote the whole thing in present test) I realized it shortly after taking the exam and asked for it back to fix it.  I was able to fix it and got into German II.

German in high school was different from German in middle school, but I continued to enjoy it.  The teacher I had was just about as quirky as the teacher I had in middle school and I enjoyed going to class.  I took German with this teacher all four years and asked him to write me a recommendation for college applications, which he did.  After German II, I took German III my sophomore year and then Honors German IV for my junior year and AP (Advanced Placement) German V in senior year.  German was the only AP test on which I got five points out of five (I got four for English and three for Psychology, which wasn't totally unexpected because I didn't take AP Psychology, just A-level and I didn't really study for it).

Also during high school, I started taking Latin.  I began in my junior year and followed through my senior year although I struggled with it considerably and much preferred German.

When I was looking at colleges, a large part of my decision had to do with whether or not there was a German program.  While visiting Hollins, I opted to sit in on a German class as well as a Creative Writing class.  The professor allowed me to participate during the visit and I found that I knew some of the answers that the college students did not, even though it was an intermediate class and I hadn't (obviously) done the homework which they were discussing.

Back at home, I took the online test which would determine what level German would be appropriate for me once I got to college.  I emailed the head of the German department who told me that the program was kind of up in the air at that point, even though I had attended a German class just a couple months prior.  I hadn't thought anything of the class size at the time because class sizes tended to be smaller at the university.  There were five or six students in class that day.

Once I arrived at Hollins, I learned that, because of my score on the AP test, I had fulfilled my language requirement.  Despite this, I was still interested in taking a class, largely because I wanted to at least minor in German (which the university website said they had available) and because I didn't want to "lose" it.  I was promptly informed that the German program was no longer available at my university, but I was welcome to take the class at a college nearby.

After speaking again with the head of the German department, we determined I should take the 300-level class being offered at the college, assuming I could find a ride.  I was excited to be trusted as a student to achieve such a high level of German.

I found a ride with a sophomore (who eventually became one of my Ring Night sisters -- if you're reading this, you know who you are and I love you dearly) who was also taking the class.  We spent the semester learning about Goethe's play Faust, during which many jokes were made and many stories told.

Although the class was interesting, I soon discovered that even if I completed the requirements for a minor at this other college, my school would not accept it as a minor.  If I wanted the title of German minor, it would be pointless.  The girl driving decided to do an independent German study on campus the following semester and it wasn't worth the hassle for me to find another way to the other college so I stopped taking German.

Meanwhile, the former head of the former German department at my school was teaching mostly film classes. I took his Introduction to Film as an Art class my first semester and frequently answered quiz questions in German, which he graded in German.  I learned the following year that he was interested in restarting the German program and he did, to a degree.  He opened up a German I class.

I attempted to register for it but was told because of my high AP score that I was not allowed to take the class.  I have my issues with this, but I won't linger on them -- I'm sure you can figure out the senselessness of this concept yourself.

Throughout this time, I promised myself I would go to the library and read and translate at least one German article a week.  That never happened, of course, as there were no real consequences if I didn't.

In October of my sophomore year, the head of the German department/film professor passed away.  It was a sad thing for the whole campus and he continues to be remembered through different venues on campus.

However, I think it may have been something of a blessing to the German department.  The professor's death ensured that the campus had to hire someone to teach German to the students who were in the classes he taught at the time of his death.  Naturally they could not hire someone who did not know German, so they brought back the professor who had been teaching German when I visited the school (the same professor who taught the class I took at the other college).

This year, the school is offering German II.  They still would not allow me to take this class.

Next year, I am praying that they will offer German III, by which time I will have forgotten all of the German I have learned and will no longer be qualified to take the class.  Or for which they will say I have not completed the prerequisites.

And then I will say, "Ich habe 'Guten Tag!' gesagt!"*

"I said, 'Good day!'"