Things Happen For a Reason

I came in this morning a little early to work on some things. Because I have to much to carry, I didn't bring my coffee with me. I planned to buy the Big Gulp version at one of the on campus vendors and carry it to the nearest worktable. Usually, if I buy coffee (which doesn't happen often), I go up and buy it from the coffee cart in the library. The woman who runs the coffee cart is like the law school mama. She fusses over us and takes care of us like a mother hen. There are some days when you go to the coffee cart just to get a little love. But today, I decided to stop elsewhere-- the coffee cart inside the dorm to be exact.

Not that I live in the dorms. The lobby area is more of a thouroughfare. The Law School is on a one way street and these dorms are bordered on the east by that one way street and on the west by another one way street running in the opposite direction. My bus lets off on this street in the morning, so I always walk through the lobby of the dorms to cross the street for the law school. There is a little coffee cart just to the side of the lobby doors and it's usually staffed by people who are too busy having a conversation about where they went drinking last night to take your order.

Today, however, while waiting for the young man behind the counter to pour my coffee, I noticed that the book from which he had been reading prior to my arrival was in German. So of course, I had to start: "Lernst du Deutsch?" (Are you studying/learning German?). He did the double take. Finbar and Julia know what I mean. And so we launched into conversation. His German was really quite good-- great grammar and a passable accent. People wouldn't be distracted by the "amercian-ness" of it, although they wouldn't be fooled into thinking he's German, either. It was really nice to have a chance to stretch my long un-used German muscles.

Of course, it didn't occur to me to, you know, see if he'd be interested in meeting for coffee and conversation, either. Or to ask if there's a "German Club" on campus that I just don't know about. If I get time later, maybe I'll go back over and see if he's still there. And even if he's not down with a little Deutschstunde, at least I got a fun start to my morning. It's always good to be reminded of something that you're competent in-- makes a nice contrast to law school.