I am convinced that good things always come in big envelopes! Always. It never fails.

Joe received his “big envelope” back in July (click here), which was, in all honesty and reality, much more important than mine. However, the Deutsche Post kindly delivered a big envelope to me today and a girl’s gotta’ take the victories where she can, right?! I am going to unabashedly toot my own horn here for a few paragraphs, so just enjoy the celebration with me!

I have been enrolled in German class for 15 solid months. The very first day, I walked in not knowing a single word, with absolutely no prior classwork (click here to laugh at my expense). Thank goodness no one told me what I was getting into, or I might have turned back at the Philly airport.

Language learning is broken down into different levels, as follows: (A = basic, B= intermediate, C = advanced)

A1: don’t know a single thing to forming basic sentences and using basic tenses

A2

B1: minimal level required for employment in Germany

B2

C1: minimal level required for University study in Germany

C2: this level is not offered at any institution other than the Goethe Institute, but is required if you wish to endorse legal papers, open a business, and other things I will never need/want to do

In October 2011, I started at A1. This past December, I decided I was going to take the national C1 Goethe Institute language examination. Here is what my teachers said about it:

• Only 1 in 5 pass the test.
• It takes the average student 3 years to master this examination.
• If you haven’t been reading the newspaper everyday up until now, it is too late to start now. (Whoops! That was me!)
• Trysta, I don’t recommend that you take this test because I don’t believe you can pass it. (At my school, you have to acquire written permission from a teacher stating that you at least have a shot in hell of passing.)

Good thing one of my teachers believed in me and signed my paper. If the teacher quoted above was one of the teachers I work with professionally, he would have heard, “You’re fired!”

So, fueled by the low expectations of a poor educator, I went for it!  I can’t wait to show that teacher just how wrong he was.

Results say… “Gut – 80%”   I’ll take it! I never got higher than a C in Organic Chemistry, and German and Organic Chemistry have some pretty strong similarities in my opinion, so I feel good!

With this piece of paper, I have proudly accomplished one of the goals I set for myself at the start of our second year (click here). Maybe now I will have the confidence to talk to that cheerful homeless man on the street.

On another note, while I have been rockin’ out and making “Victory Dance Playlists” to my favorite Flo Rida and Justin Timberlake songs, Joe is sitting in class, diligently learning all things political and German. There is no one I have seen work harder in the past year and a half than him. He also landed in this country speaking absolutely no German. We decided against using a combined experience of 10+ years of Spanish acquisition to our advantage, and instead decided to tackle a new challenge, together. Neither one of us was raised to seek out the easy road. The expectations in Freiburg are exceptionally high and the time limit is intimidatingly short. Joe has made it happen, better and faster than me.

As I pat myself on the back and celebrate my small accomplishment, it is really only because of him. I don’t really believe in public gushing. I think it is more important to tell someone directly how much they mean to you, how proud of them you are, etc. than to tell everyone else. However, today I feel like shouting from the rooftops just how lucky I feel to have him in my life and how proud of him I am for everything good he contributes to this world. I know I wouldn’t be alone on that roof either. Joe’s Grandpa Yañez has been telling me for years that Joe is “the smartest man alive.” I think we know where he got it from.

Since the day I met him, Joe has made me a better person. Recently, he has also made me a better German speaker. I’m really proud of you Joe. Thank you for your selfless support.