Did I ever tell you about the breakthrough I had after almost a year in Freiburg when I finally "understood" Swiss German? I was so proud of my ability to have a conversation with a woman who spoke it, only to have her turn to speak to another Swiss afterwards, at which point I realised that what she had been speaking to me was actually her best approximation of Standarddeutsch.

Have people also been warning you against picking up Berlinerisch? I was honestly stunned to see it so high on the list. As I understand it, it's basically dead outside of the working-class districts of the former East, which doesn't exactly sound like a recipe for prestige.