My German Experience

It was an experience to live with 60 Germans for a dozen of nights in Taiwan! Did I speak any German during the Regensburger Domspatzen Concert Tour in Taiwan, from April 28th till May 10th?

The answer was yes and no. Whenever I uttered the words in German, the little boys looked up at me with their puzzled eyes full of question marks. Immediately I switched into English. They still looked up at me with the same puzzled eyes of more question marks, but I felt more assured of myself, conveying my message correct! In the end, I spoke less than ten words of the German language, regardless of the painstaking three months cramming on German day and night!

A boy volunteered to teach me German, he reserved a seat for me next to him on the charter bus, he taught me how to pronounce sp and st in German, my stubborn mouth just didn't or couldn't follow orders. Sp was sp and st was st, I pronounced what I saw. Schp, scht just couldn't or didn't come out of my mouth.

There was more to work on the articulation of the German language, the double consonant sound of pf in the pherd, apfel, and so on. I must pronounce the first consonant lightly and stressed on the second consonant. I couldn't help but tangling the p and f in my mouth, and I got choked with two consonants in my mouth at the same time. But I promised the boy, I shall remember the know-how he taught me and practice at home from now on whenever I can.

The boy also volunteered to teach me the vocalization when he heard me sing on the charter bus and when he knew I sang in a chorus. What would have been a better place than a swimming pool? On the Monday morning of free time (hotel facilities), we had a date at the swimming pool on the 7th floor of Tahyi Landis Hotel in Tainan. He demonstrated the magic abdominal breathing in his swimming suit. He taught me how to articulate the five vowels, A E I O U, with the correct position of the tongue in the vocal capacity. I babbled like a toddler with frustrration and excitement. I promised the boy, I shall remember the know-how he taught me and practice singing the right way in the chorus from now on!

Dear F. K., thank you for your friendship! Thank you for the precious tutorial hours of Choral Music when you were in Taiwan. You will make a good Music teacher like Mr. C. H. when you grow up!