Fist of Fury

Ugh. German class begins again tomorrow. Different school, different set-up. Same sad, sad story.

I just got back from taking my 1 hour "placement test" for the course I've signed up for tomorrow. It was one hour where I was handed what John calls "The Wu-Tang Clan Fist of Fury." There were verb tenses, prepositional phrases, and loooong strings of sentences to which I never remember being exposed. On the second--yes second question--I started trying to remember tricks from college about how often "C" is the right answer in multiple choice questions. Oh, and it was timed! Fifteen minutes for 77 questions and 20 minutes to answer what my vacation was like in German. My written response looked something like this: "Last May (chosen b/c I couldn't remember how to spell October), I drove to Dresden with my Friend. We drove my car. When we got to the hotel, we went to see our room. In Dresden, we saw many churches (or did I say "cherries"? I'm not sure). They were pretty. Dresden was very nice. I liked it." Brillant. A linguist in the making.

Now, I will admit to be a perpetually lazy student. Not just in German but basically in all areas of academia. I enjoy class (well, occassionally) because I feel like I'm making an effort to learn by just showing up. But when it comes to studying or exerting some self-propelled effort I am sorely lacking. I never studied for the GRE b/c I didn't want to sacrifice my "free time." That's why I never went to get a Masters. And I basically switched majors my Junior year of college because studying every night for, you name it--Chemistry, Biology, Statistics--was not idea of what university was all about. I mean, I am a well rounded person, I can not be caged. Oh, and I also have a test phobia so I always assume that no matter how well I know a subject I will fail it. A good way to approach tests. Don't you think?

When the teacher started grading the test, I looked away. It panics me to see my personage evaluated on paper. Really, sir, I'm not as dumb as I seem. Just tell me I failed and send me to remedial German. I can take it.

So, tomorrow classes begin and I find out whether I'm in a class with the people who've never been exposed to German or with the ones with learning disabilities, like me. Should be fun. Five hours a day of non-stop Deutsch for five days a week for a month. I'm really looking forward to it. Wish me luck!