Wenn wir ein Halloween Party haben…

Last week Dennis and I had a Halloween party in our apartment. It was VERY fun and we noticed that out of 3 parties we had in our apartment, 2 were a type of costume party. Some people just never dress up and other of course always impress me. But this realization made me think of why some people like to dress up. Well, at least some people. I tried to look up online “why do people like role-playing?” “Why do people like to wear costumes?” and so on. Surprising, there isn’t much. So I resorted to Yahoo Answer and …

Many people just think it is weird. I guess those are the people who never dress up to our parties (nothing against you if you are reading this). They cannot understand why you would pretend to be someone else for a night and if you do like to dress up, it is “because [you] don’t like who you are in real life” or “you are not happy with [your] own live.” Hmm well, maybe some people, but I have to disagree, because I’m a pretty happy person and I love dressing up. Some might argue that it might be an unknown unhappiness, but I don’t believe that all the people who enjoy our parties are unhappy, it just doesn’t seem plausible. Have you never pretended to be someone else? If you didn’t, you are missing out. Remember when we were kids and we pretended to be the TV presenter or we pretended to be a princess or super hero? It is not because you grew up that you can’t pretend to be someone else. Or maybe, you are not secured enough with yourself and pretending to be someone else is too scary and embarrassing. Someone said “you’re afraid that [it] is going reveal things about your inner self and you don’t want that because maybe it is as fragile as you secretly fear. Well step into the light kid and take a risk for once in your life. You never know, you might just like it.”

So there is still hope for us that enjoy the costumes moments: there were more positive comments than negatives. Costume parties, Halloween, medieval exhibition… are just a way to use your creativity and imagination. It is a way to put in practice all we learned in books and films. Also, these occasions give us an ‘excuse’ to do so without being judged. It is as if allowed territories where we are free from ourselves and can be like we imagine those people/creatures to be. In the day-to-day life, people normally are scared of being the odd one out and get too much attention for being different, so these occasions give them (us) a reason to get out of this situation. This way we can experiment how it is to be someone or something else. “Sometimes it is good to get away from yourself.”

Lastly, some people just do it for fun. “It’s not weird or strange just fun.” Yesterday, during our night walks, I asked Dennis why does he like to dress up in costumes, and that’s exactly what he said “just because it is fun,” just as we passed by a child dress up as an elephant =)

Do you like to dress up? Why? Give me your opinion!

Wenn ich entscheide, dass mein Blog ein Fokus brauchst…

When I started my blog I thought I had a focus: to talk about my life as a post grad that moved to another continent. It is an interesting topic, but I realized that maybe I was not ready to write about all my fears, plans, and anxiety on my blog in such a personal way. I think this is a phase that I didn’t really have concrete plans for and it was hard to admit. Especially because then I thought how “everyone” could read this and maybe I didn’t want everyone to know all that was going on in my head.

All this was to say that I might have found a focus, a focus not really THAT focused, but good for now. I am very interested on people (what they do, how they feel, how they live) and I want to try to have my focus on people. Of course, this involves tons of things, but I want to somehow tie back to people.

The blogs that interest me are about people and their lives. One example of what I mean is Penelope Trunk’s blog and Young House Love (Allison gave me the tip about this blog). They are both about different topics. The first is about career planning and the latter about a couple transforming their house through DIY. However, describing them like that actually doesn’t describe them at all. They talk about failures, family life, daily life experiences they go through, the different ways in which people learn and mature, and so on.

People and their feelings are in everything, but sometimes I feel like people forget. Some focus so much on success, titles, jobs, routine, money… they forget that there are other things that matter (or, at least, SHOULD matter).  All this might sound silly, but this is my new idea: to connect everything to people.

Let’s see what happens.

Als ich mich entschieden habe eine Englisch Lehrer Kurs zu machen…

I might be changing the subject of my blog these next couple of posts. I think it will be interesting to post about subjects that I’m recently focusing on, such as becoming an English teacher, languages, how learning languages can change the world, cultures, education as a whole, and career options (of course). I have always been interested in languages. Not only out of a necessity because of my family craziness about traveling and moving abroad, but also because I was always into literature and cultures. A new language shows you different perspectives and a new way to communicate with others. Well, besides an improvement to your resume =) So with all this in mind, I decided to register to a six months CELTA course. With this I will have a certificate to teach English to adults. I’m super excited, but also scared. Apparently the job market isn’t super good because many language schools hire unprepared teachers for a cheap price and also because many people learn English in school. But I am positive. I feel that an English teacher can do a lot more than “just” teach English.

First, many things are learned in a language class than just a language. The articles, discussions topics, activities, and more can be chosen by the teachers/students and they will learn about politics, environment, culture, music, literature, social issues…anything pretty much.

Second, an English teacher can easily work with translations and editorial work, as well as non-language areas, such as business, administrative, and development work. English teachers (and teachers as a whole) have great presentation and people skills, as well as good writing and communication – characteristics greatly appreciated in these careers that not everyone can offer. Also, they have good critical thinking, work great with teams, know how to manage people, and are mostly fast learners (so they can learn the little details they don’t have experience with).

Third, they have a great knowledge about cultures and how to work with them. And, even though they have all of these skills, many do not appreciate them enough. I feel that because many travelers take this job as a way to make money while traveling; businesses and students are not taking the “real” professional seriously enough. Of course not only English teachers, but also other language teachers, as well as educators as a whole. In Brazil most teachers (elementary, middle, and high school), as well as many professors, do not get paid enough. And when I say enough, I don’t mean they don’t get to have the latest car in the market. I mean enough to be able to live like other professionals. Public school teachers in São Paulo are most likely to have a salary below 2,000 reais. If you can speak Portuguese, this blog carries a few discussions in the subjects of English teachers in Brazil: http://denilsodelima.blogspot.com/2010/08/professores-de-ingles-qualificados.html

And here is the website of English teachers in Munich: http://www.melta.de/

What do you think about the subject? Leave me a comment and I will reply right away.

Was ich freue mich darauf, im Herbst und Winter

Once spring came, I wrote this very exciting post about how happy I was for having sun again. Well, months went by and here I am anticipating another scary German winter. Fall isn’t here yet, I know. But the temperature dropped like crazy and it made me think about seasons again.

I never thought I would say this, but I’m slightly excited about fall and winter. I do miss longer summers, but let’s look at the positive side of all this.

So here are the things I look forward in a “real” fall and winter:

-       (hmmm ok, this is kind of hard) …

-       ok, serious now: Christmas Markets.

They are my favorite part of the German/European winter. I especially love the ones in smaller towns because of their original style and welcoming environment. The food is great, the glühwine makes you warm and cozy, and sometimes the markets also have little dancing/singing shows. I particularly don’t like the big ones in key tourist centers (Marienplatz and Karlsplatz) because they don’t offer a lot of original food and drinks are not as good.

-       Snow.

I have a love/hate relationship with snow. Around December last year I couldn’t wait until we got snow, after a month I was over it. But for some reason, this year I already can’t wait to have tea in my apt while looking the snow falling outside. It sounds cheesy, but it is truly great. Also, I think many towns in Germany look WAY cuter in the winter, it just adds to the whole atmosphere. Also, with snow comes sliding afternoons and maybe this year, even skiing lessons.

-       More time inside my apt.

I know this is odd, but because the summer here is so short that I was always outside trying to absorb every heat and sun available. Now I want some down time for reading books (suggestions: Hundred Years of Solitude, Yes Man, The Help), painting, knitting, watching great movies (suggestions: The Whistleblower, The Interpreter, Almanya), and having cooking projects (good website: All Recipes).

-       Wearing tights.

I love socks and tights, sometimes I wear so many together that I break my boots’ zippers =/ It is a long story, but hopefully I won’t get too excited and break another one this winter. If you are looking for an awesome tight store in Munich, there is this one at the beginning of Herzogstrasse coming from Münchener Freiheit.

-       House parties.

I love just going to a friend’s house to drink, eat, and talk. Some call me too old, but this is my favorite way to spend time with friends. Dennis and I are thinking of a Halloween party on our apt this year and more game nights this winter.

I hope you all have fun with your fall and winter activities, let me know of other fun ways to spend the colder seasons.

Ein paar Tipps für Expats

I’m back in Munich and enjoying the last days of summer.

I have looked through some expats forums around the world to figure it out how they are organized and what are people’s worries and needs once moving to other countries. Even though I lived in California before moving to Munich, I never used any expats forums while living there because I had my family and family friends to help me. I also went to college right away, where it was easy to make friends and not a lot to figure it out.

However, once in Germany as a “non-student” I noticed how useful these forums are. For example, to find volunteer work, good German classes, work, events, and more. Of course I always tell people who move abroad that they should not just stay with the people from their own country. They should try using the new language and hang out with those from different cultures to get the full experience and eventually feel more comfortable in the new city.

If you are in Germany, a very good website to check is Toytowngermany. You can find pretty much everything here, from job listing, to daycare, to meet ups, and many forums about various topics (knitting, cooking, skiing). One think I like about Toytown is that it is very active; people are always participating, making questions and giving tips (of course a few more helpful than others). I tried to look at some other expats sites and they were hard to get around and not a lot of updates.

However, I found another two that might be helpful as well in a world scale. One is the Internations website. Apparently they have a lot of countries, so you can choose yours and take a look at what is going on. However, I’m not sure if everything is free of charge. To take part, you either have to be invited by someone or request an invitation, which they will consider and send you an email.

The other site is Expat Exchange. Here you also have to select your city since they congregate tons of countries. This site also offers blogs by users, facts about living in other countries, such as salaries and life style, and tips on repatriation, property and living overseas.

These are my fast tips for those looking for some expats websites. I’m sure there are many others out there, so if you find some interesting ones, please feel free to let me know!

Kiew Tag der Unabhängigkeit

It is the second time I am in Kiev this month. Odd, I know. I never thought that I would ever come to the Ukraine, but Dennis has been working a lot here on a project, so I came to visit him. The city is very interesting, especially for those who speak English and are used to being understood in most countries they travel to. Besides the hotel employees and maybe a VERY few others, no one could understand us and we couldn’t understand them. The only word I know in Ukrainian is спасибі (thank you). Anyway, the story about our lack of Ukrainian skills will come later.

We were lucky enough to be here during their 20 years Independence commemoration. There were many events happening in the main street, Khreschatyk, during the whole day. There were graffiti competitions, traditional dance performances (and some African too), orchestras, children games, concerts, and a lot more. It was a super fun to see how they enjoy this day. Compared to the other countries I have been, Ukrainians had their independence very recently, only 20 years ago. Most of the people who were there lived years under other governments. Many of the older people in fact, went through a lot in their lives. I know very little of Ukrainian history, but I know that the early 1900s were not an easy period for them. With wars with Poland, then Russia, WWII, then the Soviet Russia, Chernobyl…the peaceful independence commemorations seemed to me more than deserved. The people seemed genuinely happy and I was happy to share this day with them. At night, Dennis and I decided to stop at this restaurant to eat and drink something. Everyone there were Ukrainians, so we decided it would be very local. We ordered food that we had no idea what they would taste like, in a language that we can barely say 1,2,3…but we were enjoying the adventure. After we ate, this very tall guy in his 30s approached us and asked something (in Ukrainian, of course), we looked lost and made it very clear we couldn’t understand him and tried to be as friendly as we could. Well, 2 minutes later he came by and sat with us and just started talking. He ordered us beers even though we said we had to go, but he didn’t understand a word we said. Somehow, after almost an hour of talking, we exchanged some things about our lives (don’t ask me how). He fought in some internal wars, his grandfather is 102 years old, he loves Vodka, and he is from a small city around Kiev… I’m sure he told us his whole life because for some reason he couldn’t believe I didn’t understand Russian or Ukrainian, after all, my name is Paulina. After this, Dennis and I decided we will create another name for me while I’m in Easter Europe, this way people don’t think I’m lying and start talking to me like I’m a local. I don’t look at all like I’m Ukrainian or Russian…they get really confused, I can see in their faces. It was very fun though, he was super nice and we thought it was funny trying to make him understand that we could NOT understand him. But he just kept talking to us.

Walking to the hotel we were surprised by fireworks! It was so pretty and that brought a perfect end to a very nice Ukrainian Independence day! I’m happy I still have one more weekend here; we will see what other adventures I will have. I think the best of traveling is actually going to places you thought you never would. It makes it so much more fun to not have any idea of how things might be. Maybe next time I plan a trip, I will randomly pick a country in the map.

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Borders Schließen von Türen und die Bedeutung der Bücher

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I would be most content if my children grew up to be the kind of people who think decorating consists mostly of building enough bookshelves. ~Anna Quindlen, “Enough Bookshelves,” New York Times, 7 August 1991

Border is closing. I know it is old news, but I’m still thinking about what that means to books. When I say books, I mean the object books, the one you can grab, write on, see the mark of your tears when you open that sad story again. I know this has been an over talked topic, the end of newspapers with the Internet and technology like iPads and the end of books with the eBooks. But for some reason, when Borders said they would close their doors, I was shocked. Not because Borders was really my type of book store (I prefer small ones), but because what this really means to the book business and to my feelings of nostalgia.

I have this argument all the time with my boyfriend, a totally addict to his Kindle eBook, but I really believe books will not end. I know that history has shown differently with other items, so thought, irreplaceable objects. One example is VHS. First, I believe that maybe this symbolizes the end of the “big businesses” of books. Since books are now only one way in which you can read stories, there either need to be bookstores with more aspects than just selling books or bookstores need to reduce their sizes. I always preferred to go to second hang bookstores in my neighborhood or even just smaller bookstores with a good atmosphere. Bookstores owners got to the point that the mere action of selling a book isn’t enough anymore, they need the whole package. New and old books, eBooks, events, good atmosphere and whatever is out there.

I could list many aspects of why I just LOVE books, but many people love books because of the stories they tell. But I also love the object book, not only the stories. I always did. I remember I used to go every Sunday with my friend to second-hand bookstores and that’s how we spent our afternoons. There were days that I knew I wouldn’t buy any book, but I would go anyway. They inspire me just to look at them. So to imagine a world where there won’t be the object “book” anymore makes me sad. I have no “real” reasoning to why they should not end. I know things change, technology comes, that we will save trees and all of that; but I feel like a stubborn girl tapping her foot and saying, “I want books to stay how they are.”