Hey guys,
Today we were sitting in our group of five, thinking about what our blog should be called. We came up with the abbreviation “sturty”, which is supposed to be a mixture of the words “study” and “party” because that’s what we students do most of the time ;)
In our blog we’ll tell you little more about being a student at “Hochschule Koblenz” and also about our general German “Lifestyle”.
We are Nadine, Louisa, Linda, Lisa and Alina.
Originally, we come from 5 completely different cities in Germany so we can give you a pretty good insight into the typical German lifestyle. We hope to give you an honest view regarding Germany, German behaviour and traditions.
In this first blog we will tell you a little bit of our new life as freshmen at Hochschule Koblenz.
In order to describe the start of a usual school day in the most detailed way we now start with a division into the three living types.
At first there are the dormitory people. They can sleep until 10 minutes before class and then just walk across the street and be on time almost always. We think we agree that getting to sleep longer is a huge advantage but on the other hand they have a rather long way into the city, because Hochschule Koblenz and its dormitory is located at Karthause, a quarter which is pretty far off the city centre.
The other two types are the bus passengers and the car drivers. Actually both of them are late most of the time. Driving bus isn’t comfortable at all, especially not between so many little kids, which have to take the same bus to their school, which is also located on Karthause. But even this scenario is not as horrible as the morning parking situation on campus. You may think we exaggerate but this picture describes pretty well what the parking lot looks like at 8.30 A.M.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3112/2324127935_12e9bd568d.jpg
Well, when all the people are finally present we can start studying with our throughout very friendly, open-minded and modern lecturers. They manage to teach us the stuff without forgetting to make it interesting and above all without forgetting that they were once young, too. The best example for this is our maths professor. He cancelled our first math course so that we could participate in the yearly freshmen bar hopping. Great man. Why can’t all the professors be like him?!
In all the breaks, our coffee vending machines are carried to their maximum power due to all the students needing something to wake up their still sleeping brain cells.. We have to respect their good deeds as well as the patience our cafeteria-employees have with us each and every day. Hundreds of hungry students standing for minutes in a long queue aren’t the friendliest people at all. So no one can resent them if their smile seems a little bit insincere around 12 to 1 P.M. But it’s very easy to condone this: each day you have at least three choices for a warm meal including salad, soup and dessert plus sandwiches, curd, yogurt, fresh fruit or chocolate for the sweet tooth as a cold alternative which you can buy at the bistro. You can get all of this for low, student-friendly prices.
Between all the studying and sleeping we go partying, of course. Our standard party weekend starts on Thursday, the typical student’s night out in Koblenz. Low Prices, special offers and all the cool students in the city. It’s a nice coincidence (? ;-)) that courses on Friday start at 10 A.M.
Up until now we all have had a great time here, already met wonderful people and are beginning to form friendships.
We hope that in addition to a good graduation we can also form more friendships and intensify the relationships we already have.
We will see what Koblenz has to offer for us.
You will learn a little more about traditions and celebrations that take place not only in Koblenz but all over Germany in our following two blogs.
We hope that you now have a little impression of Hochschule Koblenz and enjoy reading the next two blogs.
The fun part of Germany
We Germans like to party and celebrate! It doesn’t matter if you’re a teenager or a pensioner. In Germany, we have a bunch of holidays and celebrations where young and old people come together and enjoy themselves. That’s a fact many foreigners would probably not believe right away. Besides the German’s bad reputation because of our history, many people from other countries still have a certain stereotype stuck in their head. According to them, Germans are very serious and without any sense of humour, they eat tons of Sauerkraut, wear Dirndl and Lederhosen every day and drink a lot of beer. Well, some of these prejudices are just not true. Others are, but only to some extent!
Probably the most commonly known German celebration is the “Oktoberfest”. It usually starts in September, goes on for about 16 days and ends in October. The “original Oktoberfest”, which is also called “Wiesn” among us Germans, is held in Munich, the capital of a southern state in Germany called Bavaria. This is for most of us Germans the only occasion on which we wear a Dirndl or Lederhosen.
Teenagers in Dirndl and Lederhosen
http://www.playhugelottos.com/uploads/assets//Pictures_2/Oktoberfest_Crowd.jpg
As you can see on the picture above, this traditional celebration is not only popular among older people but also among teenagers. The German “Oktoberfest” became so famous around the world that countries like Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada and India started their own “Oktoberfest”.
Fairground
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This photo shows you the “Oktoberfest” fairground and you can see that it is very crowded, even by night. Every year the organizers count about 6 million visitors. When we Germans celebrate the “Oktoberfest” we do drink a lot of beer but that does not mean that we stick to drinking beer on every occasion…
In wine-growing areas we also celebrate the so called “Winefest” every year, which means that the different winegrowers of the region set up a little stand and give others the opportunity to taste their range of wines. Mostly the “Winefest” is accompanied by concerts and other activities, what increases the fun, which automatically comes with the winetasting. As you can see, Germans also care for other beverages besides beer.
Another popular celebration that often shows that Germans can be proud of their heritage is the so called “Kirmes”. In Germany, big cities and even the smallest towns celebrate their own “Kirmes”, which used to be about celebrating the day on which the town’s church was inaugurated. Today, it is mostly about having fun and coming together as a community. Small towns still have their own “Kirmesgesellschaft”, which means that every year teenagers voluntarily lead the community throughout the celebrations.
“Kirmesgesellschaft”
On the picture above you can see what a typical “Kirmesgesellschaft” looks like. We usually wear a checkered shirt and hats with flowers and feathers on them. I guess when asking a German teenager why we dress up like this you’ll always get the same answer: We have no Idea! But it became a fun tradition throughout the years and it helps us to identify each other in the crowd.
Many towns even have their own fairground where they build up carousels, lottery booths and a big tent in which they sell food and drinks.
Kirmes in Frankfurt
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For some of us “Karneval” is the celebration that is the most fun. “Karneval” describes the time before Ash Wednesday where many parties and parades take place which are accompanied by music and costumes. The maybe most commonly known “Karneval” celebration is located in Cologne. It starts on November 11th (11.11) at 11:11 o’clock.
Celebration in front of the dome in Cologne
http://www.n-tv.de/img/77/7722211/O_1000_680_680_jecken.jpg
Here’s an interesting video documentary in English showing you a little more of the cologne carnival:
During the parties and parades everyone dresses up, dances and sings. After experiencing a German “Karneval” it becomes obvious that Germans can be very outgoing and humorous.
This tradition mostly exists in the southwestern areas and people who grew up in Northern Germany do often feel awkward being surrounded by people dressed up as nuns, devils or nurses and being pelted with candy from people on wagons. At this moment it’s like we’re from different countries.
We guess you’re thinking the same as our northern compatriots right now but for us it’s an awesome time. We meet our friends, pick out costumes and spend the whole day singing and partying. We really recommend you coming to Germany to experience “Karneval”!
Christmas time- Wonderful time
Christmas, or how we call it - "Weihnachten", is a quiet time in Germany. People are in a thoughtful mood. Houses are usually scarcely decorated. You might see some lights in a window, or figures painted on windows with snow spray, but usually nothing too fancy. Christmas is the most cheerful and important season of the year.
Starting on a Sunday, called the first Advent, 4 weeks before Christmas, the greatest time of the year, the time before Christmas Eve begins. It is called “Adventszeit”, Advent time.There is so much going on! Christmas markets, concerts, baking cookies, drinking hot spiced wine,...Everyone’s preparing for the big celebration on Christmas Eve.
There are a lot of traditions held in the Advent time. One of them is the “Adventskranz”, Advent wreath. A typical one is made of evergreen branches and decorated with pine cones, red tapes and 4 usually red candles, one for each week of Advent. Many families set it up on the first Advent Sunday to start the season and traditional families still gather around it on each Advent Sunday to light the next candle and sing Christmas carols.
There are a lot of traditions held in the Advent time. One of them is the “Adventskranz”, Advent wreath. A typical one is made of evergreen branches and decorated with pine cones, red tapes and 4 usually red candles, one for each week of Advent. Many families set it up on the first Advent Sunday to start the season and traditional families still gather around it on each Advent Sunday to light the next candle and sing Christmas carols.
A typical advent wreath
http://www.wand-und-beet.de/sites/default/files/styles/480x360/public/img/9273875.jpg
The “Adventskalender”, Advent Calendar!
Starting on December 1, children get to open one door each day, 24 in total, until Christmas Eve. Usually it contains chocolate or other small presents to make the wait easier. For example, our parents put in cassette tapes, little toys, small books and other great gifts!
Of course especially the kids are really excited for Christmas, so we Germans came up with an idea:
http://www.weihnachten-frohe.de/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/adventskalender-basteln.jpg
One of the most exciting days in the Advent time is St. Nikolaus Day on December 6. The kids prepare for that day by placing their boots outside of their bedroom the night before. According to the story of St. Nikolaus, you’ll find your boots filled with presents and sweets the next morning if you had been an obedient child but if you weren’t good, you’ll get a rod. The second case usually doesn’t happen... At least it hasn’t to us!
This is a picture of St. Nikolaus. As you may have noticed, he has a big similarity with Santa! And it has one really easy reason: The figure of Santa Clause originates in St. Nikolaus!
http://www.kirchen.net/upload/18125_nikolaus.jpg
Christmas markets in Germany
Every year when advent time starts, there can be discovered a certain phenomena in German cities – little stands distributed all over the market places and streets as well as people mingling and spending hours out in the cold.
These are the Christmas markets!
Little feasts, with lots of small huts selling beverages, food and Christmas decorations. On top of that Christmas music or even little concerts to prepare people for Christmas time.
Usually Christmas markets start on the weekend of the first advent and last from one week (the smaller ones) up to four weeks (in the larger cities) and end the latest on the 23rd of December.
Besides all kinds of Christmas decorations from ornaments, over candles up to little Christmas figures, the most important point about a Christmas market is food and drinks.
On the first place of the things which make a real Christmas market is hot spiced wine, traditionally consisting of hot red wine with
Now to the food: Of course the most famous German food- the “Bratwurst” is the top seller.
Besides that, sweets also play a big role: Christmas cookies and ginger bread are only two examples. Also well liked are waffles or crêpes.
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A Christmas market is usually organized by the city it is hosted in. In larger cities stands are usually commercialized and run by smaller companies and there can even be found carrousels. In small towns stands are often done by local clubs, which aim to earn a little money out of contributing to the community.
The most famous Christmas market in Germany is the Nurnberg Christkindlesmarkt. It is traditionally opened by a ceremony with the Christ child, who is played by an actress.
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Christmas cookies! Everybody loves them! And the best part of it is the fun you have making them! In my family we have the tradition that we start baking tons of cookies even before the Advent time starts, so we’re prepared to give them to our family and friends as soon as the first Sunday of Advent is there!
There are so many different types and you could probably find thousands of more recipes!
Making ginger bread houses is also a really fun baking activity.
When we make it it’s usually not that pretty but it’s always a lot of fun!
Christmas cookies! Everybody loves them! And the best part of it is the fun you have making them! In my family we have the tradition that we start baking tons of cookies even before the Advent time starts, so we’re prepared to give them to our family and friends as soon as the first Sunday of Advent is there!
There are so many different types and you could probably find thousands of more recipes!
Making ginger bread houses is also a really fun baking activity.
When we make it it’s usually not that pretty but it’s always a lot of fun!
Christmas days
In Germany, unlike as in other countries, the evening of the 24th of December- Christmas Eve is the climax of Christmas time.
That night the arrival of the Lord, in Germany called the “Christkind”(Christ child) is celebrated.
Of course, every family has its own traditions, but we will try to sketch a “typical German” Christmas Eve for you:
The evening starts with going to mass (which is always crowded on Christmas)at about 5 p.m. Afterwards there usually is a small gathering in front of the church or in the village, where people wish each other “ Frohe Weihnachten” – “Merry Christmas”, drink spiced wine and in some cases listen to small Christmas concerts given. Back at home a Christmas dinner is prepared and eaten together with all family members. An example of a very common Christmas food in Germany would be Duck loaf with dumplings and red cabbage, but of course there are lots of others and every family has their own tradition.
Following the meal the whole family is gathering around the Christmas tree and for the children, the most exciting part of the evening is coming closer.
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In lots of families Christmas songs are sung or the story of nativity is read until the part of the evening all children are desperately waiting for – the gift giving. In Germany it is said that the Christ child brings the gifts.
The rest of the evening is spent with family or ( for the younger generation ;-)) with going out.
Following Christmas Eve, which is not a holiday, there are the 1st and the 2nd day of Christmas, which are official holidays in Germany. These two days are mostly spent with eating a lot and meeting family and friends.
We hope you enjoyed getting to know Christmas time in Germany.
We´re looking forward to reading about Christmas time in your country!
Here you can find some more information about Christmas in Germany:
http://www.germanculture.com.ua/library/weekly/aa120298a.htm
http://www.thehistoryofchristmas.com/traditions/germany.htm
