As a non-native speaker, there are certain moments that make me break out in a sweat when speaking German. These moments have traditionally included when showing my passport at immigration, spelling my name and address on the phone, and any time I have to use a microphone.
Now, there is a new one, to top all others:
Writing anything at all to my daughter's teacher.
Eek!
It's like I fear she will give up teaching my child completely as soon as she figures out it's not worth the bother, given her mother's lack of German skills. Obviously, this is an issue better saved for my therapist than my blog, but I bet some of you out there can relate.
I had to write my first excuse for my Rebecca's absence today, and I am including it below as a sample for the rest of you. (This is for a child missing school due to illness)
My husband proofread the German, but take that for what it's worth, considering the insane dialect he grew up speaking.
Sehr geehrte Frau xxx / Sehr geehrter Herr xxx,
meine Tochter Rebecca / mein Sohn Robert konnte am 22.01.2013 krankheitsbedingt nicht am Unterricht teilnehmen. Ich bitte dies zu entschuldigen.
Mit freundlichen Grüßen
(signature)
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