Thanksgiving in Germany!

Over the weekend, me and Johanna H made our first "Thanksgiving in Germany" dinner! We made a whole dinner with Turkey, Mashed Potatoes, Green bean Casserole etc...  She invited all of her friends over and they got to experience their first Thanksgiving ever!

  Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Johanna's Article!

http://www.derwesten.de/nachrichten/zeusmedienwelten/zeus/fuer-schueler/zeus-regional/muelheim/Das-Energiesparlicht-geht-auf-id3919932.html 

Check this article out! My Friend Johanna wrote it for her city's newspaper! I am very proud of her. ;-)  Its in German, so maybe run google translation on it.

Culture Clash

The "give and take" of cultures that occurs abroad is, I think, the hardest aspect to deal with. You know what your own cultural norms and traditions are. These norms in turn define you, make you "you". But now you are presented with this new way of life, and it starts to make a new "you". However this way of life is only temporary. So, then the question becomes, does one lose herself entirely to the new way of life. Does she hold on to her old self, knowing any changes are temporary? Is there a balance? How do you find that balance?

For example, I am usually kind of an independent person. I like to do things by myself and make my own decisions. However in Germany, I live in a flat with 5 other people. So any decision I make effects them, so a lot of times I have to ask them before doing anything within the flat. I think that in America, we are so used to making independent and quick decisions, that to ask 5 other people seems so annoying. But thats they way it is here, so do I adapt my way of my decisions? Do I gather a lot of info and opinions before I make a decision or do I stick with the american way? :"Quick, looks good, lets do it"

How to make your German Lesson crash and burn, like the Hindenburg!

1. Make sure your students have a loose and shaky grasp on the standard German pronunciation.


2. Teach them dialect in 30min and then test them 10 min later on it.


3. Make them listen to a noisy and constantly dialect switching program with native dialect speakers who sound like they are drunk. Also make sure they speak fast and have really strong accents. Almost to the point of total distortion but not quite!


(Note: If ALL the students have blank looks on their faces, just ignore it. Its all good)

4. Then one at a time, with their 30min of knowledge, expect them to pick out words amongst the chaos. Then state which specific sound, in the word, differs from the standard pronunciation. And to say what the words mean in english!



5.If they student cant ( But come on, how could they not?) you pick out random compound words that no one would know unless they were a native speaker. Then tell them how this unknown only differs slightly in the "a" sound and then draw a picture to help then visualize the word.


6. Then make sure you picture is so ambiguous that anyone who might have had a clue, now is completely lost!


AND that my friends is how to make the worst German dialect lesson ever!!!

Cultural Things I find interesting!

Pets in Germany: Okay, my favorite aspect of German life. You can take your dog, literately anywhere. Even inside shops! I have seen dogs being walked inside of, drug store, butcher shops, clothing stores,etc! You name it a dog can get in! It does my heart good to see a country that treats its dogs as true members of the family!

Clothes Shopping: This is the bane of my existence. All the shops are small and cramped, so that means that when even a decent amount of people enter the store, its like fish trying to swim in too small of a bowl. You constantly collide, push and bump into people. And the cultural rule of giving people space, doesnt go here. You can be two inches away from a person, and stare at the same thing that you have in your hand!  And the sizing information is confusing as hell, so you spend like 30 min trying to find your size and.........(head explodes)

Men: Girls, you need to approach them. Cause a majority of them feel that if they approach a girl, then they are seen as too aggressive!

Deutschland the Land of Opportunity!

Online, I have been offered by a Bulgarian man to "bed" with him after a Scooter Concert....

I have been offered to marry someone's brother ( Joke)

I have been offered  to date someone's creeper.....(again joke)


So there, don't let anyone tell you Germany isn't the land of opportunity!