Decades ago, when I was trying to learn German, if someone had told me I would find that knowledge/language useful in Texas, I would have laughed, thinking the person was joking. Neither did I expect to be in Texas anytime in the future, nor have the faintest idea I would sing there in German. Mysterious are the ways indeed.
My mom tried to teach me German when I was little. She told me the German words for "a doll" (die Puppe) and "doll pram" (Puppenwagen), and that was the end of my learning in those days. The two German words sound similar to the Polish words that mean totally something else - "pupa" ("bottom" in Polish) and "waga" (="scales"/"to weigh"). Then, being a few years old, I found it very funny, and I just could not stop laughing. Needless to say, mom got very discouraged regarding her teaching efforts.
Last week the town celebrated the 40th Oktoberfest, German language, culture, and heritage.
We had a great time too.
I remember going to a parish dinner at St. Mary's not too long after my parents first moved to Fredericksburg (in 1993), and my dad (whose grandparents were German immigrants) told me there were a number of parish members who still spoke German, even got together regularly to do so.
ReplyDeleteThey still do and are proud of it. My guess is, probably fewer younger people tend to know the language these days.
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