Baffled by Bavarian

Even though this native of Texas has now been living in Regensburg for three years, some things still manage to surprise her.

Baffled by Bavarian
As if tackling the German language isn’t enough of a challenge, don’t be surprised that when you set foot in the streets of Regensburg, you may not understand a thing.
The Bavarian language, is unique entity, dating back to the early middle ages established by a Germanic tribe called Bavarii. It has amazingly taken shape over the centuries through families, towns, changing in accents and vocabulary throughout Bavaria. This is why I can’t understand the bus drivers.

As I was new to the city, a friend and I spent the day job hunting and got on the wrong bus. Ok, so that happens, but we soon noticed that we were on a school bus shuttling children home. How was I to know? It wasn’t the typical, massive yellow bus that said “School Bus”, like it does in America. In my broken German, I tried to ask how I could get the right connection, as my friend behind me was fretting at the millions of eyes looking in our direction. The bus driver was trying to inform me, but I got the immediate sinking feeling in my stomach, at the fact that I didn’t understand what he was saying. Both of us began to babble at the same time with our heads shaking in frustration.

Suddenly, in a matter of seconds, a little German boy half my size runs up to the front of the bus and holds out his hands as if ready to negotiate, and says, “Ok, so what is the problem? How can I help you?” Then the boy goes on to translate what the driver said, the bus driver now smiling in relief, and now the whole bus is laughing. A kid half our age could speak better English than our German. Defeated, red faced, and the laughing stock of Bavaria, we got off the bus and waited for our connection twenty minutes later.

Yes, Bavarian is hard to master unless you live with a Bavarian family for about a year or two, and then we have our American school systems to blame for our lack of second languages. But there is nothing greater than opening your doors to new friendships, opportunities, and immersing yourself in another culture just by learning a language. So if you’re just trying to get around Regensburg, get some courage and spit out a few German words if you know some. The locals appreciate it when you try.

31.10.08 - online redaktion