So what if you have to give a talk? Well the ward has someone assigned to translate for you. So if I were to give a talk I would say one sentence in English and then wait while it is translated into German. It is annoying but if you think about it to deliver a 20 minute talk you really only need to prepare 10 minutes of material.
What is the translation like? Annoying! A lot gets lost in translation. Everything is really basic, and often times the translation is scratchy and so it is hard to hear. I have really learned to appreciate the basics of the gospel, and for the first time in my life I have learned to love Sunday school (remember it is in English). The kids don't even bother listening to the translation in sacrament meeting, and I don't blame them. So they get to look at church magazines, and scriptures during sacrament meeting. Chris is lucky because he doesn't need translation.
How does Primary Actvities work? Hallie is so awesome because she is the only english speaking girl in activity days. Keep in mind that none of the girls speak any English, and Hallie doesn't speak any german. There is one leader who speaks German and some English (English is her 3rd language). She is really good about telling Hallie what is going on. The first time Hallie went to activity days the girls had to bring in their favorite story book and then listen as they were read in German. I was waiting in the foyer and had decided that if she hated it she didn't have to go back. I felt like it was too much to ask. She has now been lots of times and has never complained once. I am proud of her!
How Does RS Activites Work? RS activities are in German. I feel bad making someone translate for me and so I usually only go if it is an activity where we make something.
What about Callings? My favorite quote of all time came from our Bishop. I hope he is not mad that I am posting it on my blog. When asked about callings in the ward his response was "Do you think that I feel comfortable or adequate to be Bishop. No I don't so why should you? He was laughing while he said it, so he may have been joking. But the bottom line is that German speaking or not they don't care and will find a way to make a calling work. So right now we have an English speaking Primary President who relies on her counselors to translate for her. American Elders quorum president and first counselor, etc. I made the mistake of mentioning to the Bishop that the worst calling in the ward is Sunday school teacher, a few weeks later guess what I was called to . . .Sunday school teacher. I am beginning to think that maybe the bishop wasn't joking :)
What about everything else? It is funny because we tend to not know what is going on a lot. For instance we missed tithing settlement because we had not heard that it was going on. They do it a bit differently. We missed our cleaning assignment because we didn't know that it was on the ward bulletin board (in German). We signed up to feed the missionaries but didn't realize that you were to feed them lunch (the biggest meal of the day in Germany) instead of dinner until the day of . . . that was fun! But we are lucky because our Bishop speaks perfect English and is really interested in making church more comfortable for us english speakers. So I think things will get better!
All in all I love our ward. Everyone is SO NICE, and a lot of the adults speak some English. It really does feel like home :)
Our beautiful building. It is lovely but really quirky, it has a tiny foyer, and lots of winding staircases that lead to random rooms and hallways. I swear I find a new room or hallway every time I go to church. It was recently outfitted with an elevator, and all the children love to ride it up and down after church and between class. It also has a soccer field in the back and a fire pit.
1 comment:
This brings back memories of living in Japan. I remember when visitors would ask me to translate and I just thought, "oh you poor thing, you are going to get such a bad translation!!" :).
But this adventure of yours is so cool! I'm envious! By the way, we will be in Tuscany for the month of April. If you're looking to make a trip to Italy... :)we have extra room.
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