post 10

“Good Bye, Lenin!” ist ein Deutsche Filme. Es ist in 1990. Ein mann musst sein Mutter ab ein tödlich schreck gegen absichern. Er musst ab sein Mutter die Welt sich verbergen. Vor kennt sein Mutter nicht die DDR gefallt. “Good Bye, Lenin!” ist sehr gut und es ist vielbewundert.

post 11

Mein leiblings urlaub war nach Irland. Ich habe mit meine Mutter und mein Vater um 2006 nach Irland reisen. Wir haben in Dublin auslanden. Wir haben für drei tage in einem Hotel in Dublin übernachten. Wir haben Trinity Kollegium und das ``Buch des Kells`` gesieht.

Dann haben wir nach Killarney gehen. Wir haben die Killarney National Grünanlage gesieht. Ich habe ein Foto gehabt dass habe ich auf die Grünanlage in schwarz und weiß gemacht. Ich werde ein groß Fotoabzug mit ein nett Gestell gemacht.

Wir haben für neun tage in Irland gesteht. Ich finde das urlaub mein Leiblingsurlaub.

post 12

Looking at German culture, I realize that my culture is not very different than German culture in some ways and very much like it in other ways. It may have to do with the fact that when Germany lost World War II that the allies reconstructed it and certain cities in Western Germany got rebuilt by the United States and allied nations. So a lot of the people who prospered under the Allies tended to model their culture after them. Where it varies quite a bit, would be in the area where it was under the control of the Soviet Union.

I am part Hungarian, Polish, Greek and Irish, so studying German doesn’t really have that big of an effect on my identity. It does make me think, though, about European history. And since all my backgrounds hail from Europe, it is interesting to see how Germany affected the history of Europe.

It changed my perspectives on German culture significantly. Not gonna lie, I held most of the American stereotypes about Germans: Oktoberfest, constantly drunk off beer, rude, etc. But listening to these interviews of real Germans, I realize that they’re normal people (albeit the fact that they get 40 days of vacation a year). The other important part is that not all of them are alike. North, South, East, West, are all different and that stereotypes of Germans are from different parts ever.

I didn’t really stereotype foreigners living in my home country. Except when I saw Russel Peters.

Blog 12

Through learning German, I have learned how another culture views my native culture. Germans tend to think that Americans are flashy and overly friendly. This is true, but it has not really been brought to my attention before. It is interesting to see the difference in opinions between Germans that have never met an American and Germans that have interacted with American culture. The ones that never met an American don't really like us, but the ones that met Americans seem to like our culture.

Since I am half German, learning about German culture has helped me understand my German identity. It has made me proud to be a German.

I have learned that there are several different German cultures: the East, West, North, and South. I wouldn't really expect a small country like German to have very different cultures within it.

Honestly, learning about German does not change my persepective on foreigners living in my country. This is probably because foreigners come from so many diverse backgrounds, you can't judge all of them based off of one culture.

German Candies

When I met Emily Joy I thought she was on speed.

I could not fathom anyone who was so interested in learning German and repeating after the teacher every single time. When I came out of German 101, my enthusiasms for language had wore off, the novelty of an immersion class had faded and I faced the grim reality that the language was no longer a guessing game but rather a paramount task . So I was extraordinarily put off by the aforementioned as well as the rest of the class, all riled up about the language. Granted, I feel like one of the quieter people in class, I can surely say that my enthusiasm now matches Emily Joy Rothchilds or even surpasses it.

German 102 is really the class I look forward too. Though I may have fudged a few Auf Gehts! by simply pressing 'richtig!' over and over again till I got it right, I really feel something of a bound with the language now. It's a very valuable language. For the native English speaker, German is the third most important language that one should learn according to the Steinke Language Index. You could argue then, whats the point in taking the time to learn German if another language is more valuable?

This class has taught me that Germany is our twin. While each twin has its own distinct personality there are glaring similarities. I never any notion that Germany was some Nazi filled paradise. These beliefs were long torn aside for me after numerous History Channel specials watching the Berlin wall come down. It was one of my dad's favorite things. German 102 furthered the idea of verisimilitude and kept me further along this path of understanding. Rigorous language development is the only way to understand another culture. Withi this ability you can then get behind the eyeballs of that culture and truly understand the way they percieve things and interact especially with us. Auf Gehts! really stressed this inter cultural development and that truly is commendable of the textbook because that is probably the most crucial part of the whole language course altogether.

I had alot of trouble with comprehension. I think it was because I found it difficult to study. This is mostly my personality. I cannot simply practice problems and memorize theme, it has to be hands on for me. So for German, studying in an English country, that certainly proved to be difficult when you can't just get up and talk to somebody. My regret for this class though, was to do just that, I wished I had asked more from y peers and tried to garner more practice for myself so that I could have a fuller experience with the program.

I did have one big grief in this class, and I do feel that it is best expressed by a passage from Mark Twain's essay, "The Awful German Language". Twain, as well as myself and I'm sure my colleagues, is frustrated by the genders of words that simply do not connect:

Every noun has a gender, and there is no sense or system in the distribution; so the gender of each must be learned separately and by heart. There is no other way. To do this one has to have a memory like a memorandum-book. In German, a young lady has no sex, while a turnip has. Think what overwrought reverence that shows for the turnip, and what callous disrespect for the girl. See how it looks in print -- I translate this from a conversation in one of the best of the German Sunday-school books:

"Gretchen.

Wilhelm, where is the turnip?

Wilhelm.

She has gone to the kitchen.

Gretchen.

Where is the accomplished and beautiful English maiden?

Wilhelm.

It has gone to the opera."

Eine Geschichte die Deustchland

Wenn ich in Salzgitter-Bad fur drei Woche war, ich hat ein gutes zeit. Aber die besten Teil war dass, ich ein Auto fahrt.Ich weiß dass, es ist verboten, aber ich siehe tun. Ich fahrt ein Lieferwagen. An der Autobahn fahrt ich, ich hat viele Angstern. Wurde ich liebe? War ich totfleisch? Es ist mir völlig egal! Ich wollte sehr schnell fahren. Meine Deutsche bekannter sagt, "You must go faster!" (er sagt in Englisch, letze Jahre ich sprecht nicht deutsche). Ich denke, er wurde sagt, "Du musst schneller fahren!" Ich hat große Angst vor schneller fahren. 120 km/Ohr! Diese Lieferwagen war sehr schnell. Fußballspielers muttern in Amerika habe keine Lieferwagen als schnell. Ich war der Mann der Autobahn.

Ich habe in 2000 nach Deutschland feiern. Meine Familie haben mit dem Fleugzeugh nach der Frankfurt Flughafeln geflogen. Es war sehr kalt, wenn wir warren in Deutschland. Es hat geschneit. Mein Vater hat ein Auto gebraucht und er hat sehr schnell auf der Autobahn gefahren. Wir sind zur Hotel gegangen. Es war klein, aber schon. Spater, wir sind zu das House von meine Grossmutter und meinen Grossvater geganger. Sie war sehr frohlich. Es war Weihnachts und wir haben den Tannenbaum gedeckte. Der nachter Tag, wir haben einen Schloss gesehen. Es war sehr schon. Der Schloss heisst Mespelbrunn. Fur abendsessen, wir sind zu einen Restaurant gegangen. In die Nacht, es hat geschneit. In der Morgen, alles war weiss.