"My sister Stephanie and I speak German all the time when talking about things we don't want people to know."
-- Katie Clark, RHS Class of 2010 (German III)
-- Katie Clark, RHS Class of 2010 (German III)
"While waiting in the doctor's office, an elderly couple spoke German to each other and seemed very nervous. I asked (as best I could) if they were speaking German, and when they nodded, I sang a German song about ducklings. They smiled and I think were more at ease. The woman, through broken English, told me that her mother used to sing the same song when she was little."
-- Gina Petrous, RHS Class of 1999 (who, incidentally, never took German formally in school, but picked up enough from family friends to communicate effectively)
-- Gina Petrous, RHS Class of 1999 (who, incidentally, never took German formally in school, but picked up enough from family friends to communicate effectively)
"Online games I play have a very mixed culture and many languages. I was able to work well with my teammates in a
particular game because I could understand the German they were typing and we won the match!"
-- Jeremiah Jabour, RHS Class of 2010 (German II)
particular game because I could understand the German they were typing and we won the match!"
-- Jeremiah Jabour, RHS Class of 2010 (German II)
"My grandfather knew German and when he passed away, nobody else was able to translate the letters from relatives that my grandmother received. I was able to roughly translate them for the family... and help write a letter back to let them know how the family was doing. My grandmother was very excited to be able to respond back to them, and I even taught her a few phrases along the way."
-- Christine Lamberty, RHS Class of 2005 (German IV)
-- Christine Lamberty, RHS Class of 2005 (German IV)
"My parents always would say, 'Why would you take German, when are you going to use it?' Well, we fly out to Montonegro every summer, and we usually fly in to Germany and then fly to Montenegro from there. Long story short, the airline messed up our tickets and our whole family was stuck in Germany for a few days and when they did not know what was going on, I did."
-- Albana Nikprelaj, RHS Class of 2007 (German I)
-- Albana Nikprelaj, RHS Class of 2007 (German I)
"When my brother's lung collapsed and he had surgery, the doctor who performed it was from Austria ... he asked me a few questions and the look on his face as he told me I spoke German so well made every day for the 4 years that I took your class worth it!"
-- Kevin Nichols, RHS Class of 2007 (German IV)
-- Kevin Nichols, RHS Class of 2007 (German IV)
"My favorite German teacher just happened to be Nikolas, the 5 year old where I was staying in Germany. He was so cute and corrected me constantly (whereas adults tend to have social grace and carry on with the conversation). I loved Germany and would go back in a heartbeat! But I am thrilled to still speak German with my pal Frau!!!"
-- Senora Stacia Ford, Spanish teacher at RHS (who does indeed speak German quite well)
-- Senora Stacia Ford, Spanish teacher at RHS (who does indeed speak German quite well)
"Sometimes I sing 'Silent Night' in German to my roommate.
My sister likes to attempt German and I have to tell her that "Muktar" is not "March" in German.
My German professor is amazed at my skill. He writes 'Ausgezeichnet!' on all my essays. I never forget verb position thanks to you. I want to study abroad in Germany and could possibly get an internship which is going to be killer for my resume, especially since I want to be an engineer."
-- Rachel Malburg, RHS Class of 2010 (German II)
My sister likes to attempt German and I have to tell her that "Muktar" is not "March" in German.
My German professor is amazed at my skill. He writes 'Ausgezeichnet!' on all my essays. I never forget verb position thanks to you. I want to study abroad in Germany and could possibly get an internship which is going to be killer for my resume, especially since I want to be an engineer."
-- Rachel Malburg, RHS Class of 2010 (German II)
"In Munich I was speaking English in a shop with the people the I was traveling with, meanwhile getting the evil eye from the person at the shop. I went and asked how much it cost (auf Deutsch). I ended up buying the hat from a very surprised shopkeeper.
I also had a rather 2-year-old-level discussion with a bartender in Budapest whether our group had ordered 4 beers or 8 beers."
-- Mike Howe, Chrysler LLC
I also had a rather 2-year-old-level discussion with a bartender in Budapest whether our group had ordered 4 beers or 8 beers."
-- Mike Howe, Chrysler LLC
"After I studied abroad, my mom flew over to tour Germany with us. The first day in Frankfurt, I had an allergic reaction to something and my ankle was swollen pretty bad. We went to urgent care. I was able to talk to the person at the front desk about insurance and my symptoms in German while translating for my mom. Then I talked to the doctor about my symptoms, allergies to prescription drugs, and her treatment all in German. At the end she spoke English to make my mom feel better and I was pleased with what I had understood from what she had said in German."
-- Mary Orczykowski, RHS Class of 2007 (German IV, Germany Trip 2006)
-- Mary Orczykowski, RHS Class of 2007 (German IV, Germany Trip 2006)