What did you do, eat a clown for breakfast?

Yup, this is an actual German saying, according to my teacher.  The exact words are "Hast du einen Clown gefrüstückt?"  It´s generally a way of acknowledging that a group of people have what one might refer to commonly as "the sillies" or "the giggles".

The German language is chock full of wonderful sayings, colorful words, and ridiculously specific verbs.  One of the most interesting things about the language is one of its grammatical quirks in which verbs are often relocated to the end of sentences.  It gives the language a sense of anticipation... a little bit of, well, excitement.

Whereas in English one might say, "Do you know the man, who ate a clown Monday before brushing his teeth, buttoning his shirt, tying his shoes, driving to work, attending a meeting and laughing uncontrollably in front of his boss for two and a half hours?"

In German one would say, "Do you know the man, who Monday before brushing his teeth, buttoning his shirt, tying his shoes, driving to work, attending a meeting and laughing uncontrollably in front of his boss for two and a half hours a clown ate?"  

See what I mean?  It´s a pretty suspenseful language. (I admit that was a terrible example, but you get the point, Suspense!!!)

With all of this in mind, sometimes it´s hard to tell if I am actually making any progress in my pursuit to speak German.  I don´t have too many conversations with Germans quite yet.  Mostly I just talk to the other fellows and the teachers.

They say you will know when you are really absorbing a language when you dream in that language.  Well, I can definitely say for sure that I am dreaming in German.  The trouble is, I can´t understand a word that´s being said!  It´s like my subconscious is a foreign film without subtitles.

In an effort to improve our ability to speak and understand in German, today we played the game taboo.  As my Russian classmates were unfamiliar with the game, one of my all time favorites, I had the pleasure of explaining the rules.  The group divides into two teams.  Each team takes turns trying to help their teammates guess words that are written on flashcards.  Some common words that might be used to help describe the word are also listed, but these words are taboo (hence the name taboo), and if you say those words, you lose a point, or a turn, or something.  The goal is to expand your vocabulary and ability to free associate in German.

Problem 1: My dear wonderful Russians seemed to miss the point of teams.  They all wanted to guess and help each other during every turn (thanks a bunch communism).

Problem 2: They insisted on using Russia and Russian references to explain every other word.  I wish I were kidding.  Here are some examples of interactions during the game:

"This is a problem that Russia has been experiencing in the financial sector since 2008..."  Word: Crisis

"This is something that is happening in Moscow right now..." Word: Fire

"This is a place that shares a border with eastern Russia..."  My guesses: China, Mongolia, various countries ending with Stan.  Actual answer: Japan.

JAPAN?  Seriously?  Ok, I could not control myself anymore.  In some of the best German I have displayed since arriving here I explained to them that Japan is a nation made up of  islands.  It can´t share a border with Russia or any other country for that matter!!!

Finally it was my turn.  Of all things, I got the word Parka.  So, I gave it a try.

"This is something you might wear in the winter to stay warm if you lived in Siberia "  Answer:  Blank stares.  Five confused Russians sat before me.



That was when our teacher made a new rule.  The words Russia, Moscow, and Siberia, permanently taboo.