Sprechen Sie Englisch???

Do you speak English? That's the question I ask in almost every conversation... I've never spoken so much German in one day... not even when I was learning it....

Early in the morning:

Called the telecom company to inquire about the termination procedures of the telephone & internet contract. The operator said she could speak a bit of English, which mean less than a hand full of words... Service termination has to be in written form, thank goodness they accept English letter, otherwise Phil won't have the nerves to write it. There are still 5 days for me to finish this.

Called Phil's lawyer to reactivate Phil's lawsuit against his company. I had been hoping that the receptionist spoke some English, so that I could explain our situation more clearly to her. But to my disappointment she didn't. :( After much struggling with my broken German I asked, "You understand?" "Almost." Good, telephone appointment with the lawyer arranged. Well done.

In the afternoon:

Went to the local foreigners office to inquire about my application status. I never like going into there in the past, but with Phil by my side I was calmer, and able to conduct a short and simple conversation with the staff without any problem. Phil stood by my side, hardly a word, so that I had no choice but to speak for myself.

Went with my father-in-law to the health insurance to seek assistance on Phil's hospital bill. Like his son, my father-in-law just sat beside me, not one word, and let me take the lead. I looked twice towards him for help, he smiled and nodded, and so I knew I had to do the talking myself again. Extremely broken German, cuz this is a totally new set of vocabulary that I still don't have. With hardly any idea how the system works, I went blank when the insurance lady asked me what exactly my question was. I was boiling inside: Didn't I just tell you what happened? Can't you see our problem?

But Germans, like machines, often need exact questions before they can solve any problem. Different questions can be derived from the same situation. So they need the exact question you have in mind, not what they think you have.

So on and on I tried to make myself clear, after a few minutes talking and clarification, the lady sent us to another desk, and there I had to do the whole talking all over again, with my exact question of course. Finally got the form for the doctor to fill out, afterwards we will find out how much assistance the insurance can offer.

In the evening:

Called the landlady to ask about the renovation. In Germany tenants are required to renovate the apartment before moving out. But with Phil in hospital, the painting of this 65m2 apartment is too much for his father and me. So I had to ask whether I could pay the landlady to get it done somehow. After some explanation of how Phil's situation was, we agreed on a mutually beneficial deal. Well done.

Living in a foreign country where English is not widely spoken... I have figured out the best way to start is to just open my mouth and forget about how ugly and broken my German is. Then I can at least get things done!