Me-"What can I get for you?"
Teenage Girl- "I'll have the #7 with a Coke."
Woman- "What is in the chicken salad?"
Me- "It is shredded chicken mixed with pickle relish and mayo on toasted bread."
Teenage Girl to her Mom (in German)- "Es ist wie Tuna Salat, nur mit Hänchen.'' [It's like tuna salad but with chicken.]
Me - "Genau." [Exactly.]
All three of us- surprised looks and laughter
Recently I have been worrying (always a silly thing to do) about how bad my German will be when I return to Germany. On my last day of work, one of my customers was this family from Germany! It was encouraging that I heard German and automatically responded in German before realizing what I did.
I still expect to feel like a toddler in my communication skills when I get back to Germany, and to go through a time of getting back to the level of German I was at before. And even when I do get back to that level, there will still be plenty for me to learn and improve on. But still, I am encouraged and know I remember enough to at least order a chicken salad sandwich!
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