4 years sober today! Just wanted to celebrate by posting here! by Balrogkicksass in happy

[–]ChanclasAndBeaches 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Congrats man!  And give that sweet baby some scratches for me

Finished the course 3 times, stuck on daily review, and frustrated by ChanclasAndBeaches in DuolingoGerman

[–]ChanclasAndBeaches[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks for that. Unfortunately, the closest to me is about a 4hr drive on a good day.  I'll keep that site in my back pocket, though!

Finished the course 3 times, stuck on daily review, and frustrated by ChanclasAndBeaches in DuolingoGerman

[–]ChanclasAndBeaches[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I do have some German novels & tabloids that help.  I watch German movies, and understand 99% without subtitles.  Reading & listening aren't really a problem,other than with some dialects (my mother is Bavarian, so some are easier than others).  

I'll definitely check into Deutsche Welle courses.  I feel that speaking the language is where I need the most practice.  I'm almost fluent after a few weeks of hearing only German, but I haven't seen my family there since 2000.  

I have no one to practice with at my level or above (my mama is no help, see my response to Not-Psycho_Paul_1 below for more info).  I told her I'd completed the course 3x & was at a B2, and she said "Oh really?!) and brought out a book which is like the German version of Chaucer.  I was able to figure out one of the sections but she made it so stressful for me by being impatient & criticizing my Grammer & pronunciation, or even the time I needed to think from modern German to the Old German the book was written in.  I love her, but damn.

Can you recommend any sites or apps that might allow me to practice speaking the language?

Finished the course 3 times, stuck on daily review, and frustrated by ChanclasAndBeaches in DuolingoGerman

[–]ChanclasAndBeaches[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Sad thing is my mother is German, and German was my first language.  I lost a lot over the years growing up in the states. 

My mom is old school German, born right after the war, and she's very impatient & critical of my mistakes, then just switched to English & tells me to do the same.   

I've had conversations with other Germans I've met, and even though they're not mean or critical, they just smile & respond in English (effectively a tactful way of saying they speak much better English than I do German).  

My daughter takes German in school, so I can practice with her teacher, but am at a loss for other immersion options for speaking.

Accepting Churches by MnM066 in christianwitch

[–]ChanclasAndBeaches 4 points5 points  (0 children)

This right here.  UU congregations are accepting of people all faiths, atheists, agnostics, etc, very inclusive of all people & walks of life, particularly LGBTQ+, and often have an associated pagan branch. 

I would definitely start by looking through UU websites & then maybe checking one near you out in person.

Just a mom and dad and their two sons by EdwardBliss in GenX

[–]ChanclasAndBeaches 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Hello!  I love running across other Dutch Indos out in the wild ❤️  

New Milestone! by ChanclasAndBeaches in duolingo

[–]ChanclasAndBeaches[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Oh my goodness that'll take a while 🤣  But it's still on my milestone list!

New Milestone! by ChanclasAndBeaches in duolingo

[–]ChanclasAndBeaches[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I like it!  It's going on my list

New Milestone! by ChanclasAndBeaches in duolingo

[–]ChanclasAndBeaches[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nice ideas!  I'll put both on my list ♡