"To Learn a language is to learn a culture"

Today after my German lesson, I walked to the DryCleaners to pick-up my coat.  As I walked in, the man started saying, "Frau Hoff......lkdajdlkajeoirjekrjeoijao;dijfahroeuithoihaosduho (well that is how my brain heard it) Are you kidding...I just understood most of what my German teacher was saying during our 2 hour plus lesson, what is wrong with my brain.  I could not understand a word. As I closed my eyes to conjour up my German vocabulary, ( a bad habit I have developed) the father called his son out front to translate.  The son came out and said, "My Pappa says now your coat glitters clean" and then continued to add nicely, "a white coat may not be such a good idea in Germany with all of the snow and dirt"  I looked at him and smiled as I responded, (in German) "But this white coat will bring you much money."(I had already figured out our first two days here my new white coat was a bad idea)  Then he surprised me when he responded back, "Not many of the Americans we have done work for learn how to speak German while living here, my father says you are speaking good German and to continue because "To learn a language, is to learn a culture." "

I can not help but to continue to ponder this statement as it has really made me think about all aspects of different cultures and what they mean to the people living in Europe.    It is very true how much you miss if you do not understand the language.  Today, during my German lesson my teacher mirrored this thought when she said, "the history of the land plays a big part of the language." It is hard for me to grasp since I come from a land that is only a little over 200 years. My land has not had the history of more than a thousand of years of war and diversity. 

My hunger to learn the German language grew even more today......and to think I had thought it was all just words......