Language

German, is hard.  Everyone here says it, and they tell me I will not learn it unless I try very hard.  So these past few days I have been studying and trying to absorb as much as I can! I am so glad that my host mother's English is so good!  Today I met two girls my age and it was pretty hard to communicate.  They knew a lot more English than I did German, and it seems everyone here speaks a few languages, whether it be English, French, Russian, or another.  I guess it is just us Americans that only speak English, sometimes a little bit of another.  The other part about German that makes it hard is that while speaking, the words are all slurred together, and it is spoken very quickly.  I guess most languages are like this but it makes learning that much harder :).  When I listen to the Deutsch sometimes I can pick out words, but not very often! Often I don't even understand my name said, because it is said with a "z" instead of s, and sounds like a lot of german words. 

I think I am getting better though.  It has only been 3 days, and I think I know a lot more vocabulary and grammar than before.  I wish I had been able to study German in school however, I think it would have made things easier.  The next step is understanding conversation.  I have set some language goals for myself, in the long run, I want to be able to leave here speaking good German, being able to write and hold conversations with ease.  I am hoping that by October I can speak well, and that by Christmas time, I can understand what people say to me, and will be able to have conversations.
Bis Bald,
"Zofeee"
Sophie