Train ride with Clemens

The Mitfahrgelegenheit* I used to get to Freiburg gave me the unique opportunity to converse with a seven-year-old German boy. The man I had contacted really just arranged the trips, and he paired me with a middle-aged widower and his son Clemens for the group ticket. On the train, the father wanted to sit facing backwards for reasons of comfort, but his son wanted to sit facing forwards, so I agreed to share a pair of seats with Clemens.

Clemens turned out to be a very active and talkative kid. We talked about lots of things, ranging from figuring out the train schedule to Star Wars movies. He could understand everything I said, and he himself spoke very clear Hochdeutsch. I wonder if that has anything to do with his father being a Ph.D. I even learned a few words from him, like Ohrläppchen (earlobe). There were a few awkward moments, such as the time I had to convince him not to stab at the upholstery with his collection of plastic cocktail swords, but mostly it was fun. I must admit I came away from the experience a little proud that my German is good enough to hold a conversation with a kid.

* This word doesn’t really translate well. It refers to an opportunity to drive or ride along with someone else that is set up on the web.