Just when I am cruising along...

Here's a pop quiz for you:

Since moving to Hannover, Julia does more of this activity than she used to:
a. eating out
b. rollerblading
c. shopping
d. swimming

The answer is...
B - rollerblading. I guess there are several answers I could have added that would also be true. I do more stair climbing, more walking, more baking, more beer drinking, and more bike commuting here than I ever did before we moved. I could have guessed that those things would happen, but I had no idea that rollerblading would be so popular here. Rollerblading in most of the US went out of style a while ago, though in the Twin Cities it's holding on because hockey is so popular. That is nothing compared to the rollerblading in Hannover. Young people, old people, people with pads and helmets, people without, men and women, alone or in pairs - there is all kinds of rollerblading going on. People even rollerblade to the biergarten on a sunny day.

A couple of weeks ago I went rollerblading around the Maschsee. I was listening to music, cruising along, getting a little gutsy with my footwork as I made turns, when, smack. I fell. Right on my butt.

You can call it an accident, or say could happen to anyone, maybe I was just off balance, out of practice, ran into some gravel, or whatever you like. I like to think of it as a metaphor for what happens to me in Germany sometimes, especially after 7 months here. I think I'm pretty cool because I know a few things, then I fall flat on my butt.

For example, when my parents were here my mom and I went shopping and I got a lovely pair of shoes. They turned out to be too small (I haven't bought many shoes since moving here and am not very familiar with the European sizing). Yesterday I went back to the store to return them. I used my best retail store German and told the saleslady that I wanted to return the shoes because they were too small, and could I please try another size, and maybe try this other pair on also (there are a lot of cute shoe styles and shoe stores everywhere here - it's a lot of temptation).

Apparently I sounded pretty good, because a few minutes later, another customer started talking to me. I think that my jaw dropped open and I am sure that I gave her a vacant, deer in headlights kind of stare. People generally don't talk to strangers in Germany and here was this woman saying multiple sentences in a row to me... I was completely unprepared and had no clue what she was asking. Then she said, something like "you work here, don't you?" Even though I understood most of the words she used, it took me another 30 seconds to figure out what she was saying. She wanted me to help her with some shoes to try on because she thought that I worked there. Maybe I had an air of authority as I picked up shoes to look at them. Maybe my German actually sounded that good. Whatever the reason, I was like the girl who wears a red shirt and khaki pants when shopping at Target, but then doesn't speak any English when someone asks her where to find the lightbulbs.

These are the experiences that keep me humble, and remembering that every step I make forward is just a little step. It's not a sweeping stroke of the rollerblade and there is no fancy footwork. I will just be happy if i stay upright.