Becoming a native

I tried to save this yesterday but blip was down... but Friday was a combination of both goods and bad, more good than bad on reflection..
I firstly paid the bill for my change of address and new residents permit. The post office clerk thought I was French. I'm taking that as a compliment. Apparently my German is better than an English persons, and my hats make me look French.

Using the newly acquired residents permit I then procured myself a half price rail card. Unlike the uK, you can use it on any train, at any time, and get half fare! It is quite expensive, but should easily pay for itself over a year, just in trips to Zurich airport.
The gentleman at the railway station was incredibly patient, and put up with my halting german, and helped me with a language lesson on compound nouns derived from verbs... sounds more complicated than it is.l knew the noun for signature, but not the verb, so he talked me though it, and other similar 'writing' words.
The bad was the evening.,, I plucked up courage to go to a newcomers evening in Basel. I turned up at the venue, but of course didn't recognise anyone, and as a Friday night it was very busy.. I sent a message to the organisers, waited 20 mins, then left... so no new acquaintances made.
However, I then came home and did some more language practice with the IKEA catalogue... I am now au fait with under bed storage and over door hooks and Tabletop ironing boards. all of which are just one (very long) word in German!

So.. in the style of Lesley, the goods outweighed the bars.