Instant gratification

While progressing through a series of links from the iTunes podcasts, I came across the BBC’s language podcasts. This reminded me of listening to my shortwave radio over 25-30 years ago to hear the German language learning program on Radio Deutche Welle. I used to listen quite often to the program and enjoyed the format at the time. Like many shortwave programs back then, a booklet and sometimes other complementary items to accompany the program were offered to listeners who wrote in. I requested the booklet and eventually did receive it a couple months later. I remember being very impressed to get something from Germany (actually West Germany at the time). The fact it was from another country was far more important to me than the actual content, which was pretty basic and limited.

So I went looking to see if Radio Deutche Welle still does the language program and discovered they have three or four different series of podcasts available. I downloaded the first episode for level one to have a listen. It was rather eerie how similarly it sounded to the radio programs I listened to so many years ago. The content is different but the feel of the program hasn’t really changed after all this time. In a way, I found it rather comforting that it hadn’t changed. The accompanying materials are all available for download from their website so the letter writing  and long waiting times no longer occur.  As nice as this is, I do feel a sense of loss at that personal touch of writing a letter, sending it off and waiting for weeks or months to receive the response.  I wonder if i would have been so dazzled or if my recollections of that experience would be as strong had I had the nearly instant gratification that is available now. I don’t think so…