Big success today everyone. I had a little test today, and I think that went well. There were a few verbs about which I wasn't completely certain and a few articles that I'm not sure if I nailed, but all in all, I'd say it went well.
That, though, was not the big success. Our class ate lunch together at this nice place just down the road from our school, and afterward, I sauntered over to the KaDeWe to look at fountain pens. Thanks to my father, I have become fond of fine writing instruments. Something about the way they glide across the paper is really remarkable. If you haven't tried one, I'd seriously consider it. I have two, and after much thought, I decided that Berlin would be an appropriate place to add to my collection.
I had already been to the KaDeWe once and knew that they had a very, very large selection of pens (not to mention, my dream pen), some outrageously priced and also some in my price range. Before I left, I had my eye on a couple of pens by Waterman and being the largest department store in Europe, the KaDeWe had it. I perused the cases of pens, weighed my options, and was ready to strike. Only one problem--I was in Germany. The saleswoman spoke German, not English.
I started slowly and just told her up front, "Hi, my German is bad. I am going to try to buy a pen." She essentially told me that the only way to get better is to practice, and we looked at some pens together. Initially, I wanted a red pen with some gold trim. It was smooth and everything seemed a-ok, but I thought that was too easy. I asked if the pen came in any other colors; she said it did and showed me a blue one and brown one. I thought the brown pen was much more handsome than either the red or blue so I told her I was ready to go. Not only did I manage to test out a couple of different colors, but I also asked about the nib size, ink color, and loading type (cartridge v. converter. I went with the converter). I picked up an ink well, checked out, and headed back with my newly purchased Waterman fountain pen.
The pen is great. I've been writing with it since I picked it up, and I'm very satisfied. But, what's more is that I had a real sense of accomplishment after all was said and done. I'm sure I really didn't say that much, and it really is just a small incident, but I felt good afterward (and not just because I bought something). I successfully navigated an educated purchase in German, and I managed only to call the saleswoman a man once. She was right--the more I practice the easier it will get. And that's why I'm over here. I'm here to get as comfortable as possible using German, and each day everything becomes a little easier. Who knows what's next. Maybe I'll head over to the Mercedes dealer and see how easy that is.
Deutsches Wort des Tages:
erfolgreich -- successful
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