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Rescued from depression
We recently attended a week of Mercedes Benz events in Stuttgart. My attempt to speak German at the hotel and hotel restaurant were met with quizzical looks and then I would transition to English. At this point I felt depressed that years of study had been a failure. I understood them but they didn't understand me. At dinner one evening I was seated next to a MB employee. His proximity and knowing he would bail me out if needed, I successfully ordered in German and was emboldened to make conversation in German with him. I told him I was amazed at my success with German after miserably failing at the hotel and a couple of restaurants. He replied that the reason was simple. People working in the hospitality industry in Germany are frequently immigrants from Turkey and Greece who have good English language skills but poor German language skills. Suddenly my confidence was restored. I would speak German every chance I got, knowing that if I was not understood, it was not because of my inept German skills, but perhaps theirs. My motivation to continue learning German was restored.