My New Home and My First Real German Conversations

I've officially moved into a house that belongs to the seminary that serves as a dormitory. I live with three other students, who are all first-years here at the seminary. They are very friendly, generous, and they are more than willing to help me with my German! The first night I got here, we sat around on the couches and chairs in the living room just talking. They asked lots of questions, which I did my best to answer. They spoke slowly, which was great for me, and they were more than happy to repeat themselves if I didn't understand.

Honestly, going into it, I wasn't sure if I would be able to have a conversation in German, but I think I've learned that it's not so difficult once you start doing it. That's the thing. You can't think about it, you can't prepare, you can't practice lines or memorize text, you just have to jump in and start speaking. I have a great fear of making mistakes, not remembering a word or making a grammatical error, but I've learned that I simply have to let that go. I'm going to make mistakes. That's part of the learning process. They understand that, and they are quite ok with that. Actually, I think they're surprised that an American student can speak any German at all! Many of them have expressed that to me. However, I'm always quick to point out that my German is very limited and I have a long way to go!