. . . and Again . . .

This Tuesday I went to the Dutch Cafe for a third time.  I was the only student there again.  It is a shame that more people aren't taking advantage of free Dutch language practice.  On the other hand, though, it does mean I get loads and LOADS of practice.  This time there were two of the teachers there--my teacher and the teacher who was there last week.

We talked about organic farming, needlework, home-ec and the "home-arts" schools that girls in the Netherlands used to go to instead of, or in addition to regular school, to learn how to make a home.  We talked about when and why women's suffrage came to America and the Netherlands, milk and dairy product production in the US, how you say "butter" in Dutch, Dutch history, and the way that the Dutch Language program works.

(The "butter" question was important--I tried to find butter at the store on Tuesday and could not find it.  So I asked a clerk who didn't speak much English.  And I couldn't remember learning the Dutch word for butter, so I hoped that it might be similar to the French word (since, because of Napoleon, there is a fairly large incidence of French words in Dutch).

"Waar is de beurre?"  I asked.
She looked puzzled.
"Beurre? Berrrre? Buuuurrrrrrrr?" I said.
She showed me where the batteries were.

Then I had a lightning flash of inspiration--the Dutch use the same word for margarine as we do.  I could use margarine instead of butter or perhaps the margarine would even be stored next to the butter.
"Margarine?!" I asked triumphantly.
She looked puzzled and started talking to a customer standing in the check-out line.
"Markhgareen" said the customer.
"Ohhhhhh" said the clerk.  And showed me were it was.  It was next to the "boter".)

I could tell that it is harder to remember language things after not using them very often.  I haven't gone to the library, or watched Dutch TV, or listened to Dutch radio in a while and I think that it showed in the fact that it took so long for me to come up with sentences.  And in the fact that many of my sentences were grammatical nightmares.  So, back to the Asterix and Obelix comic books and the dubbed over Sponge-Bob-Square-Pants television shows I go.

It's for homework.

I promise.