On Presents

Valentine's Day made me think of presents, probably because I usually ignore this day. It is not a traditional German festival and seems to have been invented to make card manufacturers and flower shops happy.

But there are other occasions for presents. Presents are something nice, they are supposed to be a joy for the one who receives them and give satisfaction to the giver. But they often cause stress: you are obliged to give one, you don't know the person you are giving something to, you feel you must give a present you cannot afford, you simply have no idea what to give

My idea of a good present is like this:

a) It is given voluntarily. Not as an obligatory return task, not as the pre-Christmas shopping horror. It is given, because the giver had the perfect idea for someone and therefore bought or made it.

b) It is a meaningful for the person you are giving it to. This means you know the one you are giving something to well or it refers to something in your common history. It need not be expensive, of course, a true present does not depend on money. Writing a poem, doing the washing-up, baby sitting... there are a lot of meaningful gifts that don't cost a lot of money, but they mean giving time, i.e. part of your life.

c) It is received with gratitude as a sign of friendship or affection, but not with a bad conscience and the thought "OMG, what can I do in return?" One day the occasion for returning it will arise, but it should not be forced.

Of course, there are obligatory presents and in this case, flowers and chocolates are never wrong. But maybe we can avoid them for the ones we love -- and if flowers, maybe a single rose and a long talk is more appreciated than an expensive bouquet.

Happy Chinese New Year

xin nian kuai le-
gong hay fat choy





Happy Chinese New Year to everybody who celebrates.


More Chinese greetings can be found here:
http://www.discoverhongkong.com/eng/interactive/huichun/index.jsp

Before the lesson.....

5th year English. Before the lesson has officially started:

"Mrs K., the page of my exercise book is full, may I use the next one?"

"Mrs K., Max always breathes loudly in my direction."

"Mrs K., I cannot find my pencil case."

"Mrs K., err, hmm, what did I want to say, oh yes, I remember, hmm, you see, my dog......"

"Oh, nice picture on your note book, Mrs K."

" Mrs K., Max is eating !!!!!!!"

" Mrs K., do we have to learn the vocabulary on page 170 ?" -
"Yes, page 170."
"Only 170?" -
"Only 170!!"
"And page 171?"

"Mrs K., Max has taken my pen !!!"

"Mrs K., hmm, err, well, my dohog has ....."

"Mrs K., may I use a pencil for writing?"
"Yes, of course."
Another pupil: "Ahhh, I have forgotten my pencil!! What am I supposed to do now?"
"Take a pen."
Third pupil: "How about a pencil?"

"Mrs K., listen ! My dog has , hmm. err. eaten. hmm...."

"What is our next lesson?"

"Mrs K., what is our maths homework ?"

"MY DOG HAS EATEN MY ENGLISH BOOK !!!"

*Mrs K., why are you lying on the floor and crying ???"


*sigh*
I love my job !!

(Picture: a poster on friendship (Freundschaft) made by students, 2009

Jackie is on Twitter

I have thought for a long time if I should post this, but then, why not? Jackie Chan is on Twitter and the fans are going wild. News from him around the clock. WOW !!!!!!

Hmm, I must admit, I am not that enthusiastic. Yes, it is amazing that this man, who a few years ago said of himself that he was a computer "illiterate", now posts something by phone or computer or however. But, well, do I really want to know what he is doing every minute of his day ? It might be cute or wonderful for other people, it is not really for me.

Because, what are the Twitter "news" ? Short sentences, little snippets of trivia - let's face it, how many interesting things happen to you in one day ? If I was on Twitter, it would be "Just cleaned the kitchen," or "School was tiring," or "Auntie rang," or things like that. Does the world really need this avalanche of information? I don't think it does, so I am not on Twitter.

In a way Twitter is typical of our times. Fast information, quick to digest, nothing that really matters - and then move on. No pondering, reflecting, philosophizing. No need to really think about the words you use, to carefully select and re-write to get the best effect. It is like fast food - convenient, fast and tasteless - as opposed to cooking yourself with fresh ingredients, which makes you feel a lot more satisfied on so many levels, not only as far as filling the hole in your stomach is concerned. And we all know that fast food leaves you hungry in the end, craving for more. Twitter has the same effect, at least on me.

To be fair, it can be fun to get quick information and convenient to grab a burger when there is no time. But I also need more substantial food - and more substantial pieces of writing.

Heart Warming

I am one of the Protestant teachers at a Catholic school of the diocese of Mainz. Before the winter break, one of our music teachers asked if a group of students and colleagues would sing at the Bishop's New Year's reception, which was today. I agreed to take part, because I like singing and Bishop Cardinal Lehmann is one of the Catholic bishops in Germany I like and respect a lot.

In his short speech he talked about the terrible earthquake in Haiti. He talked about how Haiti became one of the poorest countries in the world and he talked about the responsibility that we in the Western world have. How our exploitation made countries like Haiti poor. This was kind of remarkable, because I had not expected a Catholic bishop to be so outspoken on political issues, but, as I said, Bishop Lehmann is a special person.

Anyway, the choir sang very well. It was wonderful to see these young people who had sacrificed free time for rehearsals and a Saturday for the event. In the end the choir was given an envelope with 200 Euros to spend on some fun activity. The man who gave it to them said explicitly that this money was not for the music department, but for the members of this choir.

It took them five minutes to decide to donate the money for the earthquake victims in Haiti. None of us teachers had anything to do with it, it was the students' own decision.

Seeing this made me very happy - as long as there are young people like these in this world, we can be hopeful.

(Photo: Mainz Cathedral, www.mainz.de)

Consider the source

We are under siege! A terrible danger threatens Europe !!!! DAISY is coming !!

Before you get worried: it is winter. It is cold. There is snow. And "Daisy" is the name of the current low pressure area that, I admit it, brings a lot of snow as well as wind, and this storm is what makes it dangerous. But I want to talk about how weather like this is covered in certain types of media, in certain newspapers and on certain TV channels.

"Why are we afraid of Daisy ?" asks the headline of an online article of Germany's biggest popular newspaper, BILD. Well, because you tell us to? "Snow Chaos" - "Supermarkets empty" - "Daisy has Europe under control " -- the headlines make it sound like some kind of war preparation. I remember a similar winter in the 1970s. Yes, there were reports on TV and advice how to prepare yourself for emergencies, but I cannot remember that this kind of panic was created.

Don't get me wrong: I know it is dangerous to drive on icy roads or in a blizzard. I have got matches, candles, a battery powered radio and some food stored in the house. I stay at home if possible. I see that I am quite lucky and that other areas of Germany are hit worse by the snow. And I look across the Atlantic to my American friends and the battles they fight with that kind of weather every year. But the news coverage makes me angry - one headline more sensational than the other which only fuels unnecessary panic. Selling the news, the paper, the time on TV, that is what it is all about, not factual information.

Let's be a bit more critical. Consider the source, if I may quote the advice of a friend's mother. Look for factual and serious information and advice.

Be prepared, be careful - but don't panic !

Internet is not only bad

Internet is not only bad. Despite all the warnings about meeting potential rapists and murderers on Internet notice boards, I have been around quite a few of them and have made a lot of new friends. Of course, you should be careful with what you publish about yourself. You should not give your real name, address and phone number to strangers. But when you observe these basic precautions, you can have a lot of fun.

Some people my age complain about the anonymity of Internet. That you cannot see the person you are talking to. I find that this is at the same time a danger and a great asset.

There is the danger that someone you talk to pretends to be someone he/she is not. This is particularly annoying when you are looking for a partner on the Internet: if the one you are interested in presents a completely false picture of himself, you waste a lot of time.

But when you are simply looking for interesting people to talk to, this "anonymity" can be a great advantage. It can enable you to find chat partners you would in real life never have considered. I have had the most fascinating conversations with younger people, who in real life would probably not want to be seen talking to a middle aged woman. Looks, age and sex don't play a role, what counts are the thoughts and ideas you want to discuss. I can share my life experience and get some fresh views - horizons are widened and new doors are opened.

Definitely, Internet has a lot of positive aspects !