Reluctance to Speak

I had a really good day and participated in my Psychology course at the university by speaking up in discussion and talking to the professor after class. I got the impression that he really supports my taking the course as an international student and is eager to have me in the class to provide a slighlty different perspective. My current experience with intercultural communication and the reaction of the Germans I talk to is that no one expects me to be perfect - except for myself, due to unrealistic expectations - and that they are more interested in the content within my sentences. This, of course, is a relief, although I do wish I could articulte myself more clearly and professionally.

It is interesting to observe how the university system and class structure here work. I am so used to speaking up in class all the time and would do so more often here if the language barrier didn't exist. This reluctance to speak is something only around native German speakers, because at my LC courses, I always say things in class, which is maybe because I feel comfortable speaking in a familiar group that is composed of people who are also at the intermediate level in German.

I had a hard time realizing that although I am younger than all of the students in my class, I have had more semesters of college than many of them. What's more, I found it very weird and shocking how the students sometimes just stared dumbly at the professor when he asks a question. Yet there are a few really interesting people who always have commentary, and after the initial lag in discussion, people contribute insightful thoughts. I was surprised however, when the professor mentioned an experiment or theory with which the students were unfamiliar, and it made me realize what a good education I am getting in the US and how I take a lot of the things learned in my classes there for granted.


On another note, I had vegan sushi today, it was remarkably good. I think it was also raw... hah, different meaning when there is no fish involved. Two friends and I had a late lunch at Saf, a delicious vegan restaurant near Marienplatz. We all moaned with delight at the quality of food, sampled one another's dishes frequently and switched rapidly back and forth between English and German. I also rode my bike again for the first time in far too long. I often miss the freedom and quirkiness of the Portland bike and cafe culture.