OPI is not just nail polish...

I've been waiting to write this blog post for at least two years. And no, I haven't had a blog for that long.

For those of you that know me, if you hear the letters "OPI", you probably think of nail polish. I almost never go without my nails painted and can never seem to have enough nail polishes--so many colors--which yes, is a problem here, because I have to be able to pack my suitcase...

For those of you that know me academically, you also know that for me, OPI has another meaning. I'm not sure what OPI means for the nail polish company, but OPI also means "Oral Proficiency Interview". That has nothing to do with nail polish. For me, these three letters/words have been synonymous with anxiety, frustration, and defeat. In order to be certified to teach in the US, I need a teacher's license. In order to get a teacher's license, at least with my major and minor (German and English, respectively), I need to pass an Oral Proficiency Interview in German. To pass this test, I have to get a rating of "Advanced Low". What does that mean? Good question! It's very ambiguous and extremely confusing, but if you'd like to try to figure it out for yourself, you can look here.

I took the test a few times in the US and always got a rating of Intermediate High, which is one level below Advanced Low. It was extremely frustrating, because there was never a report of what I did wrong or what I needed to improve, and all the websites about the OPI say that there isn't really a way to prepare. They suggest immersion, but since I was living in Michigan, there were few to no opportunities for immersion in the language. They also suggest waiting longer than the minimum 90-days between retakes, and to enroll in an intensive language course if possible. I never waited (much) more than 90 days and never enrolled in an intensive language course, outside of my normal Calvin German classes. Not that I didn't try to improve; these suggestions just weren't readily accessible options for me.

Normally, if you haven't passed the OPI with an Advanced Low, you're not allowed to do student teaching, which would have been a major catastrophe for me, since I was already nearing the end of my fifth year at Calvin. Naturally, I didn't want to wait another year because of some dumb test that I hadn't passed, mostly due to a lack of confidence. (This just goes to prove how importance confidence is!) Luckily, my advisor was willing to waive that requirement for me, especially since I was already planning on going to Switzerland and would take it while over here.

After seven months of being here (almost exactly), and the necessity for a job for next year looming in the near future, my test was scheduled and paid for (thanks to Grandma Boomer, Aunt Barbara and Mom!), and I was ready. Nervous, but ready. Dorina spoke to me almost exclusively in German while we were in France, and then especially consciously when I told her that the test was scheduled and for when it was scheduled.

So, I went into school on a Friday and nervously began my conversation over the phone with a German woman. The interview is supposed to be like a normal conversation, except it's mostly the interviewer asking me questions that I respond to with as much detail as possible to show off my skills, and then there's a role-play situation in the middle, where we have to spontaneously act out a situation and solve a problem. It's somewhat awkward because it's artificial, and somewhat terrifying because you know that the person you talk to and at least two other people will be grading your conversation.

During the interview, I tried my best to just talk like I do with everyone else here in Switzerland and not think too much about what I was saying/how I was saying it (because over-thinking leads to mistakes). I did consciously try to shove in some Konjunktiv II and Relativsätze, but mostly just focused on talking as much as possible.

After the interview, I didn't know how to feel. Since I hadn't passed it so many times already, I was used to the uncertain, unhappy, over-analyzing feeling. I didn't think it went badly, but I kept replaying the conversation in my head and correcting my sentences and noticing mistakes and worrying. But I also kept remembering how impressed people were with my German from the start, how everyone has told me that my German has improved a lot since being here, and that many people can't tell where I'm from anymore when I'm speaking. But since I hadn't passed it so many times in the past, I kept quiet and worried and waited and waited and waited.

Today, I checked the website out of curiosity and impatience, and found my rating was posted: AM. I clicked on the link to download my certificate, and verify what 'AM' meant. And there, in big italic letters were the words: Advanced Mid. I did it! I passed my test, finally! And not only did I pass it, but I managed to score a level above what I needed in order to get my certification.

As cliché as it probably is, I did a happy dance. I gasped loudly and clapped my hands over my mouth. I did a happy dance again. I texted my mom to ask if she was awake and called her, attempting to hold back tears, and told her that I'd finally done it. Relief washed over me and excitement rushed through my veins. I texted a few people and told some teachers, but decided a blog post would be good to share the good news with everyone. I'm still in disbelief and keep checking to make sure it's real. And all the way to my French class at the University and all the way back home, I couldn't help but smile. A really big smile.

Today is a good day, because I've conquered the biggest mountain that I once thought was impossible.
Thank you, God! :-D