Du Liebst Mich? Vielen Danke.
How’s that for some uncertain German? It’s been over a decade since I’ve practiced any kind of gutteral projections resembling this fascinating language, but I was thrilled to receive the Liebster Award just so it could tickle my throat again.
Elizabeth at LazyHippieMama nominated this blog for the Liebster award, and I am so honored. She’s a dynamic writer on several topics of genuine interest to me – faith, homeschooling, and lazy hippie efforts. Her skill at breaking down complex christian issues is remarkable, but it is her personal challenges to herself to grow spiritually that are inspiring and lovely. She has even started a new, and appropirately titled, blog at The Curious Theologian to openly discuss 52 weeks of christian living. Ah-mazing.
According to LazyHippieMama, the Liebster award is for blogs with fewer than 200 followers (check!). The German word “Liebster” can mean sweetest, kindest, nicest, dearest, most beloved, lovely, kind, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome. So…all good things. Thank you.
There were several guidelines involving the number eleven with this award, but I’m just going to provide the eleven random facts about myself and pass it along. Since I’m a bit giddy about the German connection, I’m going to provide eleven random German-related facts from my experience. (My apologies in advance for any and all misspellings in German, it’s been a while. Hopefully they are good enough to give you the gist.)
1. My German instructor asked how tall I was and I replied “Ich weiss nicht auf kilometers” (my attempt at saying “I don’t know in kilometers”). Incidentally, I don’t know how tall I am in miles either.
2. After a month studying German, I went into a bookstore and found a copy of Mark Twain’s That Awful German Language and laughed until I cried reading it.
3. Austria (Vienna and Salzburg) were two of my favorites cities to visit (right behind Paris, France where I studied for a semester).
4. I slept on the floor of a train from Munich to Berlin – probably the closest I have ever been to feeling like a bona-fide hobo.
5. I had the privilege of staying with a missionary family in Mannheim Germany for a couple weekends – what a unique experience to worship in a German church.
6. Unfortunately, the family’s daughter was dealing with some sudden medical issues so I also got to see the inside of a German hospital while I was staying with them.
7. The class that I took in Heidelberg was a wonderful assortment of people – a few U.S. students, a student from Costa Rica, a few Swedish students, a Mexican couple, and a Palestinian woman.
8. Pretty much the only extended sentence that I remember from my class was the German equivalent to “I Spy” – “Ich sehe was, was du nicht siehst, und das hast die Farbe…blau.”
9. Met a Swedish girl who told her favorite “stupid American” story as the time someone approached her and asked if they had a real problem with polar bears breaking into their igloos. I know there are a lot of smart Americans out there, but for the record, this is a pretty bad question.
10. It rained a lot in the four/five months I was in Europe – I went through four umbrellas.
11. Enjoyed writing in my black journal next to the Neckar River. Also enjoyed the occasional Studentenkuss chocolate – so named because it was a way for flirting boys and girls who were not allowed to speak to one another to pass along a little “kiss” to the person of their affections.
And, here’s where I take “lazy” to a whole new level. If you are reading this, have under 200 followers, and would like to receive and pass along an award, it’s all yours! If I’ve not met you or visited your blog yet, feel free to leave a hello in the comments, and I’ll stop by!
Vielen danke!
2 Responses to “Du Liebst Mich? Vielen Danke.”
I’ve only had a short visit in Austria (on a VERY cheap European tour my husband and I took early in our marriage), but I remember it being gorgeous. I’d love to go back.
I didn’t know what to expect in Austria, but I was stunned. I looked back through my journal of that time and was reminded that it was also the place where I had the nicest encounters with people and one of the meanest. I would definitely love to go back!