Today, I was caught in the act. Lost in my own little world watching Peppa Pig, I’d forgotten that my husband was working from home and my son was home sick and they might find this a little strange. That while I am renowned for being a little quirky both on and off the world wide web, watching Peppa Pig was setting new bounds of personal madness even for me. After all, I’m in my 40s and there weren’t any kids around. Surely, I coudl find something more intellectually stimulating, humorous or at the very least grown up to watch? What was wrong with me? Had my brain blown a fuse…or even worse?
However, as Geoff moved closer, that triumphant look of smug ridicule disappeared once he realized that Peppa Pig was making no sense. Indeed, Peppa Pig and friends were speaking German.
This is the first time I’ve watched Peppa Pig in German. You see, my blogging friend, Solveig Werner is teaching German and she recommended it in her Links for German Students. I’d never thought of brushing up my languages using you tube before. Obviously, you tube didn’t exist when I was at school and we were dependent on the very out-of-date German videos. On exceptionally rare occasions, I might run into a German tourist and might be able to have a go. Fortunately, my grandfather was fluent and had even taught German and took great pleasure writing to me in German. He was such a lovely man.
Well, you could ask me why I’m brushing up on my German now. It’s not like I’m about to head over, and there are very few opportunities to speak German here. Well, let’s just say I was curious and wondering how much of it I could understand.
You see, after leaving university, I was backpacking through Europe for almost a year and much of that time, I was in Germany. Indeed, I lived in Heidelberg for around six months with a German family. So, my comprehension of German isn’t too bad, especially when we’re talking about “Bahnhof Deutsch” (Railway Station or tourist German) or cartoon German.
Anyway, returning to the home front. Having given my husband a bit of entertainment, he let our son in on the action and you could just imagine how he reacted when he found out his own mother was watching Peppa Pig!!!! There are embarrassing mums, but this was right off the Richter Scale.
Geoff returned and goads him on: “You have to get her outside for a walk before she goes completely insane.”
At this point, a discussion also started up about how they were going to lure me out of the house. I’m not sure whether it was my husband or son who first came up with the idea. However, our son threatened to remove the kettle to get some movement. Funny that. I wouldn’t have thought I was that dependent, until I saw the huge mountain of used tea bags ready to head out to the worm farm.
To be honest, they probably have a point. It’s actually 2.30pm and I’m still in my PJs on a school day. While even the most devoted fashionista would agree that everyone needs a pyjama day now and then, it could well be the case that my PJ days are flowing together and are amounting to a reality break.
I’m not sure. While today, I’m definitely guilty as charged, I was out and about yesterday and I’ve since got dressed and taken all three dogs for a very energetic run along the beach. I managed to clock up 1.5km. So,I haven’t been bone idle. I’ve also been researching conscription and the Vietnam War. Surely, kilometres of thought must count for something to somebody out there? If so, could you please leave your details in the comments. You’ll be my new best friend.
Meanwhile, Peppa Pig is calling…
xx Ro
Beyond the Flow 
Surely everyone should be allowed to channel their inner P-pig. In German too. And why not. Though the rather non sequitur of the Vietnam war threw me somewhat ( not that reading a R-New post should surprise me).
I o too lived in Germany and love German Peppa Wutz!
In Spanish class we used to watch classic Disney movies in Spanish because it helped us learn the language and trained our internal translators. This is a great idea.
Where abouts did you live in Germany? I was mostly in Heidelberg but worked in Kahlsruhe and spent time in Berlin and Rottweil. Also spend a few days in Grenzach on the German-Swiss-french border. I was lucky because I was able to stay with people I’d met as I traveled, which obvious makes for a much more authentic experience.
So glad you spotted this post as I thought of you when I wrote it and thought it would appeal to your sense of humour.
Sometimes, even I wonder how I arrived at my current research destination and question whether I should tie a piece of string around a tree at the start so I can retrace my steps. I usually try to write something up on the blog as I fly through but am going too fast to even pull that off.
You probably noticed that I found my way back to Sydney Uni last week. Well, since then I found out that the Sydney Uni newspaper has been uploaded and I’ve been revelling in reading past issues like a pig in mud. You could even say like Peppa Pig.
I thought I’d look up what they said about the moon landing (the day I was meant to be born), but on my way there, stumbled into stories about Vietnam Protests. Mum’s sister was still there in 1969 and was a bit of a protestor and has told me that she threw a tomato at the Governor when he visited campus. She’s now the history professor.
The other angle to this is that my Dad was called up to go to Vietnam but got off on medical grounds. He’d been in a car accident and fractured his pelvis. Before the medical, he worked on his bad back but it wasn’t necessary.
I have wondered what it was like when his number came up but he doesn’t say much. So, I’ve been delving into these old newspapers and then the general press patching the thing together. Telling a story always seems to be much more complicated that you expect.
Doing all of this, I also realized that I know nothing about the Vietnam War so I’m rectifying that as well.
Did England get involved in Vietnam at all?
Hope things are going well at your end.
Best wishes,
Ro
I lived in Bitburg and Trier, in the Rhineland. I lived in the upper floor of a family home. We were military.
Initially I was up in the attic at their place but ended up in the cellar. I didn’t get to either of those places. While I lived with a German family, I used to go to the Baptist Church which was American military and spent quite a lot of time with Americans. I even did an aerobics class on base which was interesting because it was miliary style with: “move it! Move it! Move it!” and the routine also incorporated square dancing, which wasn’t something we really did in Australia. INdeed, my time overseas was a real immersion in quite an array of cultures and something that would be difficult to do now that I’ve “grown up”.
I really enjoyed Germany. Though there was local connection being military is it’s own community. I travelled a lot so that was great. Never been to Australia, a dream of mine!
Ah Rowena, it seems that insanity is catching.
This blog inspired me to watch Peppa Pig in French, and it was surprisingly entertaining.
I don’t have PJ days, it is so warm here that I don’t wear them.
I do however have ‘research’ days; you know when a day drifts by and you have just footered about and achieved nothing?
Research.
Always research.
PS As a young lass you were a bit of a babe! For an Aussie, of course.
CE, I know exactly what you mean about research days. I’ve actually coined the phrase: “Research for Research’s Sake”, which is becoming my modus operandi and I’m trying to make sure I write up my notes before I get sidetracked now.
I’ve actually been working on a post for a couple of days now about research journey I’ve been on over the last couple of weeks and pointing out that there is actually a thread running through the lot because every time I rise to the surface for air, it looks like I’m off on another unconnected tangent.
I don’t know about you, but I have what I call: “Creative Overdrive”. It sounds like I’m showing off but it’s just the reverse of writer’s blog and I know heaps of people with it and it does concern me that it can get out of hand and really can cause people some serious mental health issues, especially when they do all those things recommended to counteract block. I’m working on a list of recommendations to post next. I’m not usually one to put together lists like this but it’s something I’ve been looking into for a few years and I don’t hear people bringing it up.
BTW thank you most profusely for the compliment. Sadly, I didn’t know or feel any of this at the time and was like too many young people, very unsure of myself.
You’d better watch out with all this Aussie knocking of yours. I might have to raise the artillery.
Best wishes,
Rowena
Oh Rowena, I didn’t expect you to go onto a Peppa Wutz binge 🙂
I even lend daughter’s Peppa Pig book to my students, because believe it or not Peppa Pig is super informative when it comes to everyday vocabulary, the bases are covered.
Thanks so much for the shout out. I will post some more links in the future that will be more suitable for people that already have a solid base in German. You know quite a few of my students learn German only to exercise their mind or to not forget what they have learnt in the past. As they know no German person/or the Germans they know don’t correct them, they come to me to practice and be told that they have been making the same mistake for the past 40 years…
Did I tell you that I have family in Heidelberg? My aunt has a company that’s actually called “Frau Heidelberg” https://www.frau-heidelberg.de
I lived close to Heidelberg in the little town of Wiesloch for 5 years.
I hope that you will find time to leave those PJs behind!
Hugs,
Solveig
I love the idea of learning German through kids shows on u tube. My son and his girlfriend may end up in Germany for her schooling, they are actually taking German in College courses right now, but I texted them about the idea of watching kid shows on u tube.. and there is absolutely nothing wrong with a grown woman in her jammies watching a children pig show in another language, in the middle of the day…LOL its called relaxing..LOL
That’s what I thought. Vive la Pig and Les PJs!
The kids are away at a pre Scout Jamboree camp this weekend and Geoff and I actually went out together for dinner tonight to a nearby Italian restaurant. Had a great night. I posted an extensive post tonight, which I think you’ll find interesting touching on some of the stuff I’ve been researching lately.