Yearly Archives: 2011

Professional Dance-Theater-Art

I must admit that one of the most enjoyable things I’ve done during my stay in Berlin is taking dance classes. It’s usually not hard to find studios offering dance courses, in fact, there are so many that you can’t chose from. However, this one place I found on the Internet I decided to go and check out.  „Placement“ profesioneller Raum fur Tanz-Theater-Kunst und Korperarbeit International was the placed I quickly fell in love with and knew it was right for me. They offer different levels of moder jazz classes which includes choreography, stretching from head to toe, cardio and most importantly beatiful dance moves. The instructors are professional dancers. Most of them speak English, some don’t. But, hey, it’s a great way of practicing German! Carmen Schall, the director of the studio, is one of the most pleasant people to talk to if you’d like to be enrolled. She is full of life and has time for everyone.

Classes are offered at different times of the day: morning, midday, evening. They also have ballet classes for kids. At the end of the class I feel so content and relaxed. Dancing is such a great way of working out without getting tired. I highly recommend the place to anyone who’s interested in dancing and having fun.

www.placement-berlin.de

info@placement-berlin.de

Uhlandstrasse 85, 1 Etage

Little Things Make a Difference

I’ve lived in the U.S. long enough to adjust to the conversion of units of measurments. But I still get annoyed occasionally. It takes only a few months of being away and I need to make readjustments. Life in Germany just seems easy on everyday basis. Going to supermarket means picking out groceries I want to buy. In the U.S. it also means doing calculations in my head to figure out pounds vs. kilogram, ounce vs. grams, oz. vs. ml, etc. Then, another set of calculations trying to follow a recipe to make something by using a measuring cup. The same applies to checking the weather, Farenheit vs. Celcius. It’s easier to count when it’s above zero (I mean 32 degrees) but it gets really complicated when it’s below zero. Then I decide to use a sports watch to measure the distance of my run or use the treadmill in the gym. Oh man! I need to not only figure out miles vs. km, but also how many minutes per mile to set the treadmill for. And finally the pain of finding the right converter and adaptors to be able to use a hair-dryer or other electornic devices. Sometimes I just don’t understand why everything needs to be so different…

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So, that was it! An interesting trip has come to its end. For me, it was quite an experience to share with so many people my thoughts and views.  I just hope it was also interesting for you. During this last month a lot of things had happen in my life, in your life and in the world. Some of these were bad, some others were good. Some made us happy, others made us probably sad or even gave us a hard time. What matters, however, is the trip and not the final destination. They were all experiences that made us wiser and stronger.

Tomorrow, I start my new German course and I expect to meet some of my classmates from the previous course along with some new and as always interesting people. New knowledge and new experiences in the constantly transforming Berlin!

Last but not least, in our“ live in -usually- Berlin“ session, my favorite group of all times… http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9cbyeDx8Ac&feature=related

Für Luka

Today was his birthday. Luka became six years old and he looked like he was having a good time. It wasn’t a usual kid’s party. In fact, all his guests were above 20 years old. Some of them even above 30 or 40 years old.  But all of them share something in common: their love for this 6 year-old kid that was diagnosed with autism 4 years ago. It’s a team of 10 volunteers that  spend a few hours per week to play with him following an innovative therapeutic approach.

It was obvious in their faces that Luka’s happiness is their happiness too. But most importantly, this  happiness is reflected into Luka’s eyes. These big blue eyes that when they look directly in to your eyes you realize what unconditional love means…New members are always welcome in the team, so if you are interested visit http://www.fuer-luka.de/.

So, tonight another exception –they tend to be the rule- the live is from my home town and despite the awful sound quality it worths seeing it to the end…So, für Luka http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YRwx9W0eFJU&feature=related

London Calling

Tonight I felt as if I was in London. It was drizzling and windy and I was walking in Kreuzberg and steering in a hurry to the super market. And this is how I started thinking of the similarities between Berlin and London. Well, except the obvious ones- Berlin and London are both capital cities and they are both written with six letters – I didn’t find any! It’s probably me, but I believe that they are two completely different cities. I am not saying that Berlin is „good“ and London is „bad“ or the other way round. I am just saying they are different. Completely different. I know people that swear they couldn’t live anywhere else in the world but London. I feel sorry of them :) but on the other hand I think I can understand them. London’s „transitional“ atmosphere is something unique – for those who appreciate it…

For tonight, speaking of London I felt like I had to pay a tribute to a   great, great, great musician…. long live Morrissey

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6kNYuhdX-U&feature=related

The End is the Beggining is The End

That was it! The B 1.2. course in Deutsche Akademie has finished and we are now moving forward to B2.1. Such a small difference in written, but such a big difference in the actual level…To be honest I never really liked the labels such as B1 or B2 etc.. However, it’s a practical way to make a general classification although sometimes, this actual level varies considerably. And this is where the teacher’s job becomes really difficult but tat he same time important.

I feel that I have to congratulate our teacher, if not for anything else at least for trying so hard -and succeeding- in keeping everyone interested and in the „loop“ of learning. It can be extremely difficult when one has to deal with ten different personalities and -despite the fact that we were all at the same class- ten actually different level of understanding and language knowledge. Keep up the good work Michael..

For tonight, a song that I felt identified yesterday night after the end of my favorite’s football team match…Long live Panathinaikos!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PORQVyZrB8c

The Flying Highlighter

Some of us are using highlighters when reviewing an article or just reading the course material. Highlighting is becoming increasingly popular nowadays. Not just literally but also metaphorically: with so many information available to us every moment in every place, the option of virtual-highlighting could solve some problems. The idea is simple: keep the substance, leave the rest.  Browser favorites, Twitter, Facebook like button, liking are just different forms of „highlighting“ what we find important, what we believe is worth sharing with others. It is like a road map for our brain with signals of different meaning. Without it we would be lost. But the question is who is highlighting what…

An interesting live is taking place tonight. The Norwegian electro-terrorists MoHa! team up with Idan Hayosh & Anu Vahtra in what they call a “Fire & Ignorance” performance http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9J6RmIUKOy4

Last but not least, a small something from the youtube closet. Ladies and gentleman, the most famous Australian live in Berlin http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k479ct48ZW0

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Another gray cold winter day became „past“. It’s one of the days that Berlin is showing its melancholic yet incredibly charming face. I feel like an „extra“ in a black and white silent movie that is playing on the background of a Berliner cabaret… The idea of a passer-by that observes without being observed was always an attractive-one for me. Not really hiding but rather becoming one with the surroundings and living in the creative routine of the metropolitan anonymity. In Berlin I have found all the necessary conditions to experience this way of living. I don’t know for how long but then again I am not really interested to know. For the moment I am just trying to experience it to the maximum…Foreground or background is a totally personal decision. The choice is yours.

For tonight ’s music section a stunning performance from a young but promising group…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25df8d1dQgY

Superbowl

Super Bowl Sunday is a religion in the US, or at least my husband tells me so. Super Bowl Sunday is when the American Football championship takes place. They crown the winner “World Champion”. I find this ironic as they only play football (American-style) in the US. However, as my husband is a fan I make an effort to get excited each year while watching the game.

While American Football has not quite caught on in Germany it is worth checking out at least one game a year. And if you are going to watch one game make it the Super Bowl (Feb 6th at 24:00). There are a few bars in Berlin that show American Football. My husband likes Belushi’s, near the U-Bahn Rosa Luxenbourg (per my last post you should definitely read a little about her struggle and untimely murder). While you may not get to practice your German you will definitely have a cultural experience.

This year the Pittsburgh Steelers are playing the Green Bay Packers. They are two of the oldest teams in the league. While the atmosphere will not be like Olympic Park during the Deutschland-England acht-final…it should still be fun.

The Sound of Music

I first saw this flash mob video taken at the Antwerp Hauptbahnhof (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQLCZOG202k) a year ago. The music is from the Sound of Music. And recentlydecided to rent the movie.

The movie itself was great and seeing all of the scenes filmed in Salzburg was the best part of the movie. I had just been in Salzburg for Christmas and spent a great deal of time walking the city. Watching the movie was filled with “I have been there” moments.

This is one of the great benefits of living in such a history-rich place like Berlin, and to a greater extent Europe. Reading history books or watching historical movies brings our surroundings to life. I definitely recommend reading some fiction or non-fiction books about Berlin. For non-fiction read an historical account about the Berlin Wall. Then walk the route and explore the street names you encounter. For fiction try “Alone in Berlin”, a great book about one man’s struggle against the Nazi regime. Or, watch the Sound of Music and visit Salzburg if you have the chance.