Thu, Apr 10th 2008, 02:41
Dubai
Dubai can either refer to one of the seven emirates in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), or that emirate's main city, sometimes called "Dubai city" to distinguish it from the emirate. Dubai has attracted world-wide attention through innovative real estate projects, sports events, and has become a world business hub. This is probably one of my favorite postcards so far.
The tall building that looks like a ship's sail is called Burj Al Arab, which means Tower of the Arabs. It is a luxury hotel, and is the world's tallest hotel. However, this month a new hotel built in Dubai will steal this title. The Burj Al Arab stands on an artificial island and is connected to the mainland by a private curving bridge.
Nothing new to report. My wisdom tooth surgery is looming in the near future, and so is my trip to Arizona. I will be so relieved when the surgery is over, and I am also looking forward to my three weeks in the U.S.
Last weekend the weather looked half-way decent, so Mike and I decided to go to the center and try to take some nice pictures of the Elbe Panorama and Dresden in general. But as soon as we got there, the sun disappeared and it started to rain, so I did not get many pictures. I took this one of the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady).
I knew that Dresden was bombed during WWII and that many buildings had been rebuilt, but I never realized how great the destruction had been.
I did some research and found these old pictures of Dresden from the Saxon State Library. This one is a picture of the Frauenkirche before the attack. It has been basically rebuilt from rubble.
The bombing of Dresden by the Allies occured between February 13th and 15th of 1945, only twelve weeks before Germany surrendered. The bombing is very controversial, as many question whether it was a justified or necessary action from the Allies. Also, some Right Extremists (or Nazis) have called the attack of Dresden a Holocaust and claim it was a terrorist attack. Some view the attack as a war crime.
The Allies dropped over 3,900 tons of high-explosive bombs on the city of Dresden causing a firestorm. Estimates of civilian casualties vary greatly because there were many refugees in the city at the time, and because some people have over- or under-exaggerated the numbers, but recent publications place the number between 24,000 and 40,000. The Allies say that it was a justified military action because Dresden was a major hub of transportation, and there may have been military factories there. Others claim that there were no military factories in Dresden, only refugees and wounded soldiers, and that the attack was aimed at destroying the last standing city in Germany and to crush Germany's spirit.
War is a terrible thing, and many horrible things happen that we later regret. But hopefully we learn from them. I know that when I walk through the center of Dresden it will be hard for me to forget the history of suffering and violence that occured there.
German Word of the Day
die Wohngemeinschaft- people sharing a flat/apartment/house, WG for short, I do not recommend it!
wohnen- to live
gemein- to have something in common with somebody
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Tue, Apr 8th 2008, 10:29
Wehrdienst military service
wehren to defend oneself
dienen to serve
Germany has conscription for male citizens of 18 years (mandatory military service for 9 months), which they can conscientiously object to (for religious, moral or ethical reasons) and instead do alternative civilian service. Apparently, only about half end up serving, while the rest object or are excused for medical reasons.
Holland
Holland is a region in the western part of the Netherlands. This postcard is covered with stereotypes of Holland. Other regions and cultures in the Netherlands have a negative view of Holland because its culture dwarfs the others' as the view of the Netherlands in general.
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Fri, Apr 4th 2008, 10:51
das Überraschung surprise
Today I was very pleasantly surprised because I received an envelope in the mail. Inside, were three (!) postcards from a very generousPostcrosser in Norway.
The first postcard was a picture of two children fishing.
The second postcard is of the North Cape, Europe's northernmost point. The caption on the front is in Norwegian, English, and German. It says: The eye-catching headland that is the North Cape (Nordkapp) has served as a navigation mark for seafarers since time immemorial, and millions of sightseers have flocked here since the first known tourist arrived in 1664. To stand here 307 metres above the sea on a clear summer's day and watch the sun rolling along the horizon is an unforgettable experience - and Nordkapp can be equally fascinating on a winter's day, weather permitting.
The third postcard is of the Royal Palace in Oslo, Norway.
It was really nice to receive three postcards from one person, I wonder how she can afford it! Maybe because she comes from Norway, one of the wealthiest countries in the world with a fully developed welfare system. This economic progress is caused in part by the development of oil and gas reserves off its coast. Norway was ranked highest of all countries in human development from 2001 to 2006 and also rated the most peaceful country in the world in a 2007 survey by Global Peace Index.
According to my family, I am part Norwegian (also part Irish and English). I am no genealogy expert, but I think it is probably very hard to conclude what the majority of me is, since there are probably lots of different nationalities mixed in there. I think this may be the case with many Americans. It does not seem to be the case in other countries, such as Germany, where people can say almost conclusively that they are 100% German.
Anyways, these 3 lovely postcards almost make up for the advertisement card I received recently from China. I was quite disappointed to receive it, because it was not pretty and I feel that it is unfair that I pay for postcards and this person did not. My postcard hobby is becoming a bit expensive. I think I was mailing too many, too frequently. I will have to slow it down to one a week, which also means I will have less to blog about :) I know you're all disappointed.
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Thu, Apr 3rd 2008, 06:41
das Weltbild conception of the world
According to a new BBC World Service survey of international opinion, Germany is held in higher regard than any other large country when it comes to influencing global politics. (Read Der Spiegel Article: Germany Tops International Popularity Poll). On average, 56 percent of people questioned had a positive opinion of Germany, compared to only 18 percent who did not.
The average percentage of people saying that the US has a positive influence has risen to 35% from 31% a year ago, according to the survey. (
Read BBC News Article: World views US 'more positively'). Those saying the US has a negative influence fell five percentage points to 47%. The poll shows that views of US influence in the world are still mainly negative, though they improved in 11 out of the 23 countries also polled a year ago.
The poll is part of a regular survey of world opinion. More than 17,000 people are interviewed in 34 different countries.
The survey period was the three months up to the end of January 2008.
The BBC survey has been tracking opinion across the globe since 2005, with 23 countries regularly polled while others change from year to year. This year is the first time that it included Germany and discovered that Germany is viewed more positively than negatively in all 34 countries.
I encounter preconceived ideas of each country quite often, either through the stereotypes that I have for Germans, or the stereotypes they have of Americans. I am not surprised by either finding. I never thought anything very negative about Germany before I came here. in fact, I didn't know much about present-day Germany at all. I expected the US opinions to be low because of our president and the Iraq War. The articles speculated that the small rise in favor of the US may be due to the approaching presidential election and the hope for a new administration.
What do you think about the survey's findings? Were they surprising or not? Do they match your view of the world?
Word of the Day
ärgern to annoy ärgerlich annoying .
Mensch ärgere dich nicht is a German board game, much like the game Sorry! That means "Do not get angry" (literally Do not get angry, man or Do not get angry, buddy)
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Mon, Mar 31st 2008, 23:04
So...when I came up with the title for my blog, I had no idea that the word "Ami" was so controversial for some Americans.
I was pointed to several blogs of Americans living in Germany where they had discussed this topic. Is Ami just an abbreviation? Or is it derogatory and racist?
American im Odenwald is of the opinion that it is a derogatory word.
AmiExpat (obviously) does not think so.
Papa Scott doesn't either.
Lisa's Blogalso thinks it is a derogatory term.
So, what do I think? Well, obviously I am not very offended by it, since I used it in my title. I must admit that when I have been called an Ami, it was in a critical manner, usually when I was "behaving strangely" or like an American. It was a bit annoying at first, but I informed the person, and since then I have not been called it to my face. It wasn't the word that bothered me, but the fact that I was being ridiculed for the way I behaved.
I think, with the world opinion of the US these days, if all a person does is call me an Ami, I am lucky! There are a lot worse things a person could be called.
Most of the Germans I know have told me it is an abbreviation, and they mean no harm by it. It is only their use of it that makes me question this. I even heard from someone that it was borrowed from the French word for friend, and that during the occupation of Germany everyone started calling the Americans "Ami" as in friend. I have my doubts, but I guess it doesn't really matter...
Anyways, if you have an opinion, I invite you to share it. But I am pretty sure I will keep my title.
Word of the Day
schwarzfahren: schwarz black, fahren to go, to drive, to ride
Riding the tram, train, or bus without a ticket or pass, like I did yesterday when I forgot my wallet
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Last weekend the weather looked half-way decent, so Mike and I decided to go to the center and try to take some nice pictures of the Elbe Panorama and Dresden in general. But as soon as we got there, the sun disappeared and it started to rain, so I did not get many pictures. I took this one of the Frauenkirche (Church of Our Lady). 
I did some research and found these old pictures of Dresden from the Saxon State Library. This one is a picture of the Frauenkirche before the attack. It has been basically rebuilt from rubble. 
The Allies dropped over 3,900 tons of high-explosive bombs on the city of Dresden causing a firestorm. Estimates of civilian casualties vary greatly because there were many refugees in the city at the time, and because some people have over- or under-exaggerated the numbers, but recent publications place the number between 24,000 and 40,000. The Allies say that it was a justified military action because Dresden was a major hub of transportation, and there may have been military factories there. Others claim that there were no military factories in Dresden, only refugees and wounded soldiers, and that the attack was aimed at destroying the last standing city in Germany and to crush Germany's spirit.
War is a terrible thing, and many horrible things happen that we later regret. But hopefully we learn from them. I know that when I walk through the center of Dresden it will be hard for me to forget the history of suffering and violence that occured there.
