Now why in all that is good would you want to plunge into another week of hell? It's such a good question. So good, infact, that my answer seems to be not enough. My experiment left me in shambles by friday and I really did feel just like quiting. But you know the age old saying: What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. And that's just what that week did. I'm dwelling on that week more than I would like to, but it is important. As Kyle's dad said (AFS exchange student's dad) it's "...yet another of a long series of self-discoveries." (quote can be viewed under comments from previous post).
So what really made you want another week of hell? Well, my friends actually. I was sitting at lunch today and one of the girls said "Vi snakker dansk til hende." (We speak danish to her.). What was most interesting is that she is, of the three girls I hang out with most, one of the ones who tends to ignore me. I think she is the most uncomfortable with her english so it makes sense that she would want to speak danish. We made an agreement during thoes 15 minutes of eating - "Hvis jeg snakker dansk til jer, må I snakker meget langsom til dig." (If I speak danish to y'all, y'all must speak very lowly to me.)
Do you think your danish is improving? Honestly?, I can't tell. My best answer is that I know more than I did when I left and thank god for that. I'm continually saying that it's hard and frustrating and that is because it really is. When people talk to me they have to speak slowly and pronounce properly. Even then I have to be given a moment or two to register what they have said, saying it over again in my head so I can comprehend the meaning. Sometimes words are so close that I think they say something different or a word has another meaning so I'm confused. There are times when you use animal and times when you use expensive. It all depends on context because in truth they are the exact same word. Walking down the street I have to remind myself that it is an animal hospital not an expensive hospital even though I'm sure it actually is. The learning process of this crazy language is 1) reading 2)writing, and lastly 3) speaking.
Do you have any expectations for this up-and-coming impending day of doom? Well sure. My biggest goal is to handle the isolation better. The only way to fix it is to talk and then I will only talk in danish. I think I learned a lot from the previous week. It has made me stronger in some ways. I understand what it means when people say you have to fight for what you want - really fight for it. Now it's my time to apply that.
When is D-Day? 6. June 1944 at 06.30 hours. Oh, wait... 17. nov 2008 at 00.00 hours. (my attempt at some humor - laugh with me, not at me)
Wish me luck!
6 comments:
Hi Jen,
It's Aunt Donna, Good for you on your total immersion in Danish! Don't get too discouraged though - maybe you could allow an hour of English a day to save your sanity?
I tried to mail a package of peanut butter but it was sooooo expensive. The package would have cost $$$ for one jar. I'm afraid you'll have to wait on a PB&J until you are Stateside! I'll get some postcards and photos out soon.
Keep blogging! love ya!! Donna
Thanks for the peanut butter even though I won't ever get it. It's the thought that counts. I've kinda come to terms with the fact that I won't be eating peanut butter for another 8 months...
hey, you probably don't remember me from the NY orientation, im one of the norway kids...your blog is neat, i definitely dont have the patience to write all that! so im curious, can you understand norwegian too? bare skriftlig norsk, jeg har hørt at muntlig norsk og dansk er ganske forskjellig, men skriftlig er nesten samme. Er det riktig? Den er kult hvis du kan forstå på norsk (og kanskje svensk også?)!
uansett...lykke til :)
Liz Conway
Hey Liz,
I'll be honest, I can't remember your face, but your name definitly rings a bell! :D I'll have to look through some of the pictures I took during the gateway orientation. I have little patience for writting this, but my family and friends back home want me to, so I do. Jeg kan forstå at hvad du skrive! Min dansk er ikke så godt. Det er rigtig. Lærer dansk or norsk or svensk (swedish) er let. It's the pronounciation of things that is different. :D So how is everything going in Norway. I would have commented on your blog but you have three and I wasn't sure which one to comment on. Can't wait to hear from you!
Hei! Det er kult at du kan forstå meg og jeg kan forstå deg, når vi snakker forskjellig språk! (Og nei, din dansk høres flott ut...eller 'leses', kanskje)
I was one of the girls from alaska with curly brown hair...were we roommates in NYC?
Yes, danes sound like they're talking around a mouthfull of marbles.
Norway's pretty cool, I'm liking it. School is so relaxed... that part actually bothers me a bit, but i gather its nothing like as informal as danish schools.
oh hah yeah i dont really check my blogs, the two that are just mine are really old/sort of irrelevant...plus there's one that's mostly my friends' blog.
hey you should write to me some in dansk! (just, like, anything) because that way you can practice and i get to read dansk, and its cool to see the differences between dansk and norsk.
Liz
Hej Jen!
Hvem af de tre piger var det der ignorerede dig? ):
- Hanne.
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