Thank You

I would at this point like to thank everyone I have met in Köln ensuring that I had the best time possible here. I will not name names as I will leave someone out!

You know who ye are though, the Toytown Crowd, the MultiCulti, the regulars in corners, random people I meet from other countries (yes thats you Lee and other people also!), the mothers on the school run, my host family and their extended family, the teachers at the boys school, random people who stop and talk to me as I speak english, the boys (of course) without whom I wouldnt be here and life would have been very boring without!

Köln and the Kölner people have had a huge impression on me (with help of all of the above) in making returning to Germany and Köln in particular a life goal for me! So this blog will not disappear and I will continue to learn (well really start properly) to learn German!

So keep checking on the blog!

Ciao
Steve

Deutsch, Francais unt/et/and English

Okay this week has been really interesting (read weird) on the language front. On thursday before a coffee meet I went to Subway. As usaul, I had my speil (not game) ready. Then as usual I get asked something I dont know, so I responded in English. The Girl didnt speak English so she spoke to me in French. I studied it for 8 years so its okay. But the problem is I haven't used it in ages. So everytime she said something in French, I responded in German!

We muddled through anyway we the two languages!

Then on friday the old Au Aupir, Rebecca arrived. The thing is shes English, but now lives in France so hasnt had to use English for awhile which means we speak in French! She sometimes speaks german to me which leads the rest of the family to speak to me in German! Its all getting confusing! The thing is I am beginning to understand the German to a degree, I just cant speak it! Ich Sprache kein Deutsch!

When the language barrier gets annoying

Last night I went to a club/bar thing that I go to alot as its closing at the end of the month :( But something happened last night thats really annoying. While walking with my drink, some idiot raised his elbow, hit my glass and it hit my lip. My lip was pumping, in two places, so I ran to the toiletten, were the bathroom attendant started shouting at me in German! I retaliated by shouting that I didnt speak German (in English to annoy her!) eventually she got kitchen role for me.

Last night kind of hit it home to me though. If I am to come back to Germany, which I do plan to do, I'd want to be bloody fluent in the language.

I'm all right now btw (no need to ring mum!)

The Languages of Linie 9

This something I've just realised. Every morning and evening (and weekends) I get the number 9 Tram to school with the boys and out at weekends. I hear lots of languages on the tram and here they are in decending order! I'm not counting English as me and the boys are the only ones who speak it!

1. German (obvious I know)
2. Turkish
3. Russian
4. Spanish
5. French

Five languages, one route. That sounds like a slogan. Im off to copyright it! :P

My Massacre of the German Language continues...

So as pointed out to me by a few people here, on facebook and at TT Meetups, Irelander(in) and Irlandich do not exist. No wonder people didnt understand me! The correct words are Ire and Irin. The langauge is 'Gälisch' and something is 'irisch'. God this language is confusing.

Im going for a lie down I think, too many cocktails (2) at Cyn's Birthday last night!
Tschüss
Steve

Alles Gute zum Geburtstag Papa!

Happy Birthday Dad!

This is my first time being away from home for my parents birthdays. They are 3 days apart so this week will be hard and expect a similar post for the Cork Mammy!

Dad, I hope you have a great day!

Love and miss you!

Tschüss!
Steve

Important: The difference between Irlander(in) and Irlandich

So I finally figured out what I have been saying wrong and confusing the Germans. I normally say (well used to) "Ich bin Irlandich" which means "I am Irish Language!" Ooops! So the proper way to say it is Ich bin Irlander" or "Irlanderin" for those of the feminine persuasion. That means "I am an Irishman" or "Irishwoman". Of course it is easier again to say "Ich komme aus Irland"!

If like me, you dont look Irish (thank you foreign lineage), people get confused and think I am a number of nationalities which I have mapped out below!




I have been told I am from:

• France (Speak French with a French accent)


• UK (Close)


• USA (argh! NO!)


• Ireland (people get it right now and then)


• Italy (Theres Italian blood somewhere back along!)


• Greece


• Spain


• Portugal


• Tunisa


• India


• Pakistan


• Netherlands


• Iran


• Germany (When I was in the US)


• Romania (Could pass before as one of my Romanians friends brother!)

Okay, thats enough about nationalities!
Tschüss!
Steve

Mark Twain: The Awful German Language

Someone mentined this on Saturday after the Ireland V France game and was supposed to post it up on Toytown. Instead I had to go looking for it.

For anyone who is studying (or has studied) the German language it is hilarious. Its the annex from his 1880 book "A Tramp Abroad". Remember he is talking about 19th Century German, but I am discovering the same things! Some excerpts below. Full article here

Surely there is not another language that is so slipshod and systemless, and so slippery and elusive to the grasp. One is washed about in it, hither and thither, in the most helpless way; and when at last he thinks he has captured a rule which offers firm ground to take a rest on amid the general rage and turmoil of the ten parts of speech, he turns over the page and reads, "Let the pupil make careful note of the following exceptions." He runs his eye down and finds that there are more exceptions to the rule than instances of it. So overboard he goes again, to hunt for another Ararat and find another quicksand.

Yup, its still confusing me

The Germans have another kind of parenthesis, which they make by splitting a verb in two and putting half of it at the beginning of an exciting chapter and the other half at the end of it. Can any one conceive of anything more confusing than that? These things are called "separable verbs." The German grammar is blistered all over with separable verbs; and the wider the two portions of one of them are spread apart, the better the author of the crime is pleased with his performance. A favorite one is reiste ab -- which means departed. Here is an example which I culled from a novel and reduced to English:

"The trunks being now ready, he DE- after kissing his mother and sisters, and once more pressing to his bosom his adored Gretchen, who, dressed in simple white muslin, with a single tuberose in the ample folds of her rich brown hair, had tottered feebly down the stairs, still pale from the terror and excitement of the past evening, but longing to lay her poor aching head yet once again upon the breast of him whom she loved more dearly than life itself, PARTED."

Have come across this yet, thank god.

Personal pronouns and adjectives are a fruitful nuisance in this language, and should have been left out. For instance, the same sound, sie, means you, and it means she, and it means her, and it means it, and it means they, and it means them. Think of the ragged poverty of a language which has to make one word do the work of six -- and a poor little weak thing of only three letters at that. But mainly, think of the exasperation of never knowing which of these meanings the speaker is trying to convey. This explains why, whenever a person says sie to me, I generally try to kill him, if a stranger.

Oh so confusing....

Every noun has a gender, and there is no sense or system in the distribution; so the gender of each must be learned separately and by heart. There is no other way. To do this one has to have a memory like a memorandum-book. In German, a young lady has no sex, while a turnip has. Think what overwrought reverence that shows for the turnip, and what callous disrespect for the girl. See how it looks in print -- I translate this from a conversation in one of the best of the German Sunday-school books:

"Gretchen.
Wilhelm, where is the turnip?
Wilhelm.
She has gone to the kitchen.
Gretchen.
Where is the accomplished and beautiful English maiden?
Wilhelm.
It has gone to the opera."

To continue with the German genders: a tree is male, its buds are female, its leaves are neuter; horses are sexless, dogs are male, cats are female -- tomcats included, of course; a person's mouth, neck, bosom, elbows, fingers, nails, feet, and body are of the male sex, and his head is male or neuter according to the word selected to signify it, and not according to the sex of the individual who wears it -- for in Germany all the women either male heads or sexless ones; a person's nose, lips, shoulders, breast, hands, and toes are of the female sex; and his hair, ears, eyes, chin, legs, knees, heart, and conscience haven't any sex at all. The inventor of the language probably got what he knew about a conscience from hearsay.

you think it be okay to figure out this cause I learned french and its the same idea, but no, they change the genders and add a new one! I am so confused!!!

There are some exceedingly useful words in this language. Schlag, for example; and Zug. There are three-quarters of a column of Schlags in the dictionary, and a column and a half of Zugs. The word Schlag means Blow, Stroke, Dash, Hit, Shock, Clap, Slap, Time, Bar, Coin, Stamp, Kind, Sort, Manner, Way, Apoplexy, Wood-cutting, Enclosure, Field, Forest-clearing. This is its simple and exact meaning -- that is to say, its restricted, its fettered meaning; but there are ways by which you can set it free, so that it can soar away, as on the wings of the morning, and never be at rest. You can hang any word you please to its tail, and make it mean anything you want to. You can begin with Schlag-ader, which means artery, and you can hang on the whole dictionary, word by word, clear through the alphabet to Schlag-wasser, which means bilge-water -- and including Schlag-mutter, which means mother-in-law.

Just the same with Zug. Strictly speaking, Zug means Pull, Tug, Draught, Procession, Markh, Progress, Flight, Direction, Expedition, Train, Caravan, Passage, Stroke, Touch, Line, Flourish, Trait of Character, Feature, Lineament, Chess-move, Organ-stop, Team, Whiff, Bias, Drawer, Propensity, Inhalation, Disposition: but that thing which it does not mean -- when all its legitimate pennants have been hung on, has not been discovered yet.

One cannot overestimate the usefulness of Schlag and Zug. Armed just with these two, and the word also, what cannot the foreigner on German soil accomplish? The German word also is the equivalent of the English phrase "You know," and does not mean anything at all -- in talk, though it sometimes does in print. Every time a German opens his mouth an also falls out; and every time he shuts it he bites one in two that was trying to get out.

There important words, you hear them alot! especially also! I would also add "genau" to this list. It means exactly. I always hear it.

An excellent read. Well worth it!

German Txt Spk

I was flicking through one of my german phrase books the other day and I can across a section on texting, or SMS here in Germany. It was really interesting. So here is a few SMS sprechen! Oh they do use alot of English ones such as 4U etc. So if you see these in an SMS from me you will know what they mean!

N8 - Gute Nacht (Good night)
STN - SchönenTag noch! (Have a nice day!)
3st - Das war dreist (That was cheeky!)
FF - Fortsetzung Folgt (To be continued)
RUMIN - Ruf mich an (Phone me)
TWU - Treffen wir uns? (Shall we meet)
BIGBED - Bin gleich bei dir (I'll be there soon)
BSG - Brauch sofort Geld (I need money urgently)
HASE - Habe sehnsacht (Miss you)
DAD - Denk an dich (Thinking of you)
BSE - Bin so einsam (I feel so lonely)
MAD - Mag Dich (I like you)
ILD - Ich Liebe Dich (I love you)
*freud* - Ich freue mich (I'm happy)
*heul* - Ich bin traurig (I'm sad)

Anyone know any more german text speak? send it to me as a comment or an email!

UPDATE: So Joe, my fount of information when it comes to german and germany suggests another two but fogets my German is Scheiße. Thank god for google translate!

he adds

*gg* - Großes Grinsen (Big Grin)
*fg* - Fettes Grinsen (Fat Grin)

he then gives me the link to the Deutsch Wikipedia page on German Txt Spk. Have a look. it might as well be double dutch to me!

Contact Made and Day 1

It is the end of my first day as an Au Pair and it was fantastic. I was collected yesterday after lunch from the hostel and brought to meet the family. What a joy they are. They live in a lovely part of Köln, a good bit out from the city but still on the tram line. It reminds a bit of Ballincollig. Tomorrow is the first day of school after the holidays for the boys so it will be my first early morning and first time taking them to school.

The boys who inform they are now 9 not 8, are two bositerious, full of energy, ruggamuffins, who I must say are the easiest Kids I have ever worked with. I have worked with a lot of Children in my time so I can say that.

The language barrier is something I have noticed and it is a barrier. The parents do not seam to mind as the Kids have to ask me for things in English, but I do not understand any German. It did become a problem towards the end of Sunday in Köln. I am picking up a lot of German, though my Irish seams to be resurfacing. I shouted "Tog a bog e" and "bi curamach" at the Kids. They were mostr confused. I am picking up bits and pieces of German and definately know more then I did on Friday! So things will get better language wise.... I hope!

One good thing about school early in the morning, I get to finish early at night! I finshed at 7:30 tonight! It was great!

Anyway that is it for now as I ma tired and must also get up early!

So guten nacht!

Steve

Frohe Weihnachten (Merry Christmas)

Just a quick post to say Merry Christmas one and all! I am wrecked from work and am about to fall asleep.

Best of luck. I Hope Santa is good! :D

Normal Service hopes to resume on St. Stephens Day or the 27th of December!

Frohe Weihnachten

Stephen
XxX

Über mich, auf Deutsch (About me, in German)

Here we go...

Mein Name ist Stephen Spillane. Ich bin Zwanzig zwei Jahre alt. Ich bin vom Cork, Irland. Ich arbeite in Köln als Au-Paar für twin acht Einjahresjungen. Ich genieße, mit Kindern zu arbeiten. Ich war ein Pfadfinderführer, da ich siebzehn Jahre alt war. Meine Liebhabereien schließen ein: Ablesen, Gehen, Blogging und Politik. Ich genieße auch das erlöschende Tanzen mit Freunden.

In englsih that means...

My name is Stephen Spillane. I am twenty-two years old. I am from Cork, Ireland. I work in Cologne as an Au Pair for twin eight year old boys. I enjoy working with children. I was a scout leader since I was seventeen years old. My hobbies include: Reading, walking, blogging and politics. I also enjoy going out dancing with friends!!

Im getting the basics. Must learn this off....

Die Sprache Deutsch

(The German Language!)

Well I have begun learning German properly today. IE i pout stickers on a lot of items around the house of what they are in German so I associate the objects with the word in German.

Will it work? Only time will tell!

Now I have also learned a few tips for the German Language!

Never ever, ever, say 'after' in a German speaking country, you know why? It means Anus! Thats right!! so be careful!!!

So I havent started learning verbs yet, which could be a problem but I'll get around o it eventually!

When I first started planning on going to germany, I could only count 1, 2, 3, 5. That was it, as the last time I was in Germany there were 5 of us, and I never got around to learning 4!

My one phrase was "Eine Flasche Bier bitte". Yes "one bottle of beer please" was my only German phrase when I agreed to look after kids!! Hahahaha!