Pick-A-Day

January 2005
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Re-Immersion

So today I went over to the grocery store, where without meaning to, I managed to buy exactly enough groceries to stuff my bag to capacity.

Since I was last there (in December, I believe), the store has rearranged itself. I knew something was slightly off when the cheese was where I expected to find the chicken. I managed to find the chicken almost immediately (it was where the cheese had been). A few minutes later a woman started staring at the contents of my grocery cart. I wasn’t really paying much attention, although it occurred to me that perhaps I was blocking her way, so I went to move my cart a few inches to the side-only she pointed at my chicken and asked me something.

I can only assume it was, “Where did you find that?” To which, I gave the answered to her assumed question, by pointing over my shoulder at the display case behind me. She seemed relieved and kept chatting at me in German, to which I smiled.

It’s amazing both how much I’ve retained and how much I’ve forgotten since I basically left for a month.

Yesterday, after a dismal lunch at the office cafeteria, I decided to go out for dinner at the Res-and I had a different waiter for the first time since… well, I don’t know when. He was cute-unlike the woman who normally helps me. (The woman is competent. The guy’s chief ability was to be cute-other than that he was the typical waiter for this part of the country-ignoring me and other customers until we practically tripped him over.)

It was strange as it was the first time in awhile that I really had to force myself to think in German. I managed to do ok reading the menu, but I probably mangled the name of what I ordered. I also ordered Budweiser, and reflected that of the last two Buds I’d had, only one was good. The previous was at the Cat’s Meow down in New Orleans. I just wish the Czech Budweiser would obliterate the St. Louis Budweiser. One’s beer, the other is not. (There’s a beer brewed here in Weimar, but I find it a bit too bitter for my taste, so I have done my best to avoid it.)

On a happy note, I am starting to whittle down my stack of email and will soon have answered all of it. My apologies to those of you waiting for an answer. It’s coming soon.

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