How much money do you spend on food?

Have you ever thought about how much money you spend on food per week? Well, I did. And it's not that much, compared to what a family of four or five would spend. Additionally, there's a yawning gap between the amount of food an American family, for example, and a family in a rather poor country consumes.

To illustrate, I'd like to show you some photos of families of various countries, all presenting how much food they need per week. Likewise, I will try to name some groceries and foods that are shown in the photos. At the very end of the post, I will tell you how much money the families have spent on the foods they show in the pictures. Try to guess the amount of money first when you have a look at the photos.

At this point I would like to express a big THANKS to Peter Menzel who came up with this idea and shot these gorgeous photos. If you are interested in his work, click here.

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Our journey starts in Europe. This is the Melander family from Germany. Look at all the food they have! There's frozen pizza, lots of sausage, milk (I guess that these are milk cartons in the back), some bread, cheese, vegetables like pepper and tomatoes, lots of salad,... There is very little fruit, though, just bananas and some citrus fruits. It seems that they spend some money on drinks like beer and wine. They have, however, very little soft drinks. At least I can't make out any soft drinks, can you?
How much money did they spend on this amount of food? Can you guess?

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Say "Ciao" to the Manzo family living in Sicily, Italy. This family of five obviously consumes a lot of bread per week.  There is also lots of fruit like bananas, plums and pears. Can you guess what these red fruits are? They look similar to pomegranates, but I'm not sure. It looks like they have a lot of tinned food and some soft drinks in the back. Have you had a look at the shelf behind the family's father? There are some cereals and I think a glass of Nutella. What else can you make out?
Do you think this family spends more money on food than the family from Germany? In theory, they would spend more than the German family as they are five people. We will see...

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Going back west: North Carolina, United States: The Revis family.
All these groceries look so colorful, don't you think? What can you see there? What is different to the preceding families?
For the first time we have McDonalds and Burger King food. They also had pizza delivered. Unfortunately, there seem to be very little vegetables and fruit, except some tomatoes, apples and grapes. What's more is that they have this huge Coke bottle (or whatever that is) in the back. Can you see it? They also have crisps, tinned food, lots of sauces and some meat.
What would you say about their diet? Do you think they spend a lot of money on that kind of food?

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We're taking a trip to a country in Central America: Mexico. The Casales family says ¡Hola!
As you can see, this family of five has a great variety of fruit: bananas, lemons, limes, watermelons, pineapples, oranges... They have very little sweets, but lots of soft drinks instead. Would you say this family has a healthy diet? Why?

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We're now travelling to the western part of South America. These Ecuadoreans seem to have very little food compared to how many people the family consists of. What do you think is in these large white sacks? Do you think all this food will be enough for nine people for one week?

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Aren't you interested in what Asian people tend to eat? And how much money they spend on food weekly? Here's the Ukita family from Japan. Admittedly, there are several foods that I can't recognize. I can, however, see that there is a variety of seafood and very little vegetables and fruit. Can you recognize what all these foods are on the right handside? Do you think the seafood is expensive for them?

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Going from Japan to the western mainland: Mongolia. The Batsuuri family, consisting of four family members, seems to consume very little food in one week. There are plenty of eggs and potatoes and some bread and meat. Do you see any sweets on this photo? Can you guess how much money they spent on this amount of food?

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And this is the Aboubakar family living in Chad. No comment.

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So how much money did they spend?

It's really hard to take a guess, isn't it? You must be curious about the answers on how much money each family spent. So here's the solution:

German family (1): € 375.39 or $500.07
Italian family (2): € 214.36 or $260.11
American family (3): $341.98
Mexian family (4): 1,862.78 Mexican Pesos or $189.09
Ecuadorean family (5): $31.55
Japanese family (6): 37,699 Yen or $317.25
Mongolian family (7): 41,985.85 togrogs or $40.06
Chadian family (8): $1.23 (!)

I assume you were as shocked as I was when I first saw these photos. How can a family of six people (African family) survive with so little food and water? For me, it's quite hard to imagine to do without all the food that we're used to eat. Do you think you could manage to live with so little food?

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If you found this article both intriguing and shocking, please don't thank me for providing this information and photos to you. Be grateful to the man who came up with the idea and made all these amazing photos.

source of information & photos: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/5/26/102458/137/70/522670/#

Five ways to spice up your Blog

Howdy, language learners!

Today, I am going to give a few hints and tips how to make your blog (posts) even more intriguing to read. I hope you can take something personally for you from here.

1. Content

When deciding on a topic to write about in your blog, you should choose something you are really interested in. Your readers will notice if you're not really into a topic. For example, if I wrote about soccer, people would immediately see that I am neither interested in that kind of sport nor do I know the rules of it. Seriously, I really don't know the rules. Knowing that guys are running after a football is enough information for me, haha!

Long story short: Try to choose a topic that you love to talk, read and write about! If you write about a topic you like, people will like to read your thoughts about it.

2. Length of Blog Posts

At first, I would like to mention a helpful acronym: KISS. No, we're not talking about kissing here, guys. I am talking about

K - keep
I - it
S - short (and)
S - simple

Personally, I like to read blogs that keep their posts interesting, but simple. Going too much into detail might show that you really are into a certain topic. Your reader, however, is more likely to glance over or even stop reading your text if you get lost in details. That's why you should keep your posts "short and simple". Mention everything that's necessary for the reader to understand what you're trying to say. This can be difficult sometimes, I know. But hey, we're all learners here, so let's give it our best shot!

3. Style and Register of Writing

The reader of your blog should see that you are talking to them. I'm, for example, always trying to say "you" instead of "one": "you shoud", "you could", etc. What's more is that asking questions will get your reader's attention and they are more likely to keep reading: "Have you ever tried these?", "Have you ever been to Barcelona?", "Have you ever heard of this website?" etc.

When we talk about register, it's absolutely important to adapt the register to the situation and the person you are talking to. I.e. when you are talking to your boss at work, you will use a rather formal register. Instead, when talking to a friend, you would use an informal way of speaking. Therefore, a neutral register would be appropriate in terms of blogging.

4. Add photos

"A picture is worth a thousand words." Of course, we should focus on writing here and not on adding nicely photoshopped pieces. Pictures are a crucial part of a blog post, though. When adding a photo or infographic to your blog post, people are more likely to read through your texts. It is a natural habit of human beings to concern oneself with a text when there are pictures included. Let's be honest, none of us is fond of reading a 600-page book without a single picture in it. That's just tedious. Pictures jazz up your blog posts, so try to add at least one or two! But: Don't overdo it!

5. Template

Try to find an eye-catching template that makes your blog special. Keep it simple though, your template should offer a clear view. What's more is that you shouldn't use kitschy or neon colors. I guess your readers won't be that grateful for suffering from an eyestrain after looking at your blog. Along with the proper choice of colors, try to use a font that is easily legible. You should know that serif fonts are only used for printed papers. Sans serif fonts, however, are used for texts written for e.g. the world wide web. It's easier for our eyes to read sans serif fonts on a screen.

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And now, it's my turn...

to tell you what I would like to improve about my blogging habits. Firstly, I would like to write a lot more and about different topics. My preceding blog posts dealt with my favourite TV-series, places I've been to, my job within the Red Cross and all that jazz. That's all well and good, but as I said, I'd like to tackle some other subject matters in this semester. Secondly, I tend to just list some points about a certain topic instead of writing a paragraph. Writing a paragraph is more beneficial when learning a language, I believe. I need to practice paragraph writing for our progess checks anyway.

All in all, I will try to spend more time on blogging, write about diverse topics and focus on writing paragraphs instead of just listing some words or phrases.

Talking about Register

Before I came to study TKK at the University of Graz, I had never really paid attention to register. Now that I am an English student, register became an essential issue, especially when you're not writing to friends or relatives.

Firstly, I want to briefly talk about the three different types of register. Afterwards I'll show you what kind of register I've came across in lyrics.

1. Formal register

The register you use always depends on the social setting, the people you are talking to and why. It goes without saying that register also depends on your age and dialect. The formal register is used when talking to business partners or people of a higher status.

When it comes to linking words or sentence adverbials that you use in a writing, you need to be very careful with the appropriate usage of these words. For instance, the words hitherto, by contrast, conversely, nevertheless, nonetheless, accordingly, with reference to, hence, etc. are of a high register. On the contrary, adverbials like Mind you, So, And, I mean, That reminds me, Anyway, Anyhow, By the way, etc. wouldn't be used in a formal register, but rather in spoken English.

2. Informal register

The informal register is very common in spoken English and if you are texting people who are close to you. For example, when I am writing to my Irish friend David, I would start like this: Hey David, how you doing? I would never use these words when writing to my former working colleagues in Zurich, Switzerland or when writing a business letter.

3. Neutral register

The neutral register is, as can be assumed, kind of a middle course between the informal and the formal register. It's generally used when talking to people you don't know very well and still want to be polite with.

There are numerous sentence adverbials of a neutral register and can therefore be used in either a formal or an informal conversation. For example: beforehand, eventually, lastly, subsequently, on the one hand, on the other hand, despite, though, regarding, as a result, and so on and so forth ...
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Let's have a look at the the song Royals by Lorde now. I'm aware that the register of this song is on purpose. The reason why I am searching for informal words and suggest formal ones is because I want to practice it!

For some words and phrases I have found a synonym of a higher register. I've underlined these words in the lyrics and explained them afterwards.
[Verse 1]
I've never seen a diamond in the flesh
I cut my teeth on wedding rings in the movies
And I'm not proud of my address,
In a torn-up town, no postcode envy

But every song's like gold teeth, grey goose, trippin' in the bathroom
Blood stains, ball gowns, trashin' the hotel room, We don't care, we're driving Cadillacs in our dreams.
But everybody's like Cristal, Maybach, diamonds on your timepiece.
Jet planes, islands, tigers on a gold leash.
We don't care, we aren't caught up in your love affair.

And we'll never be royals (royals).
It don't run in our blood,
That kind of luxe just ain't for us.
We crave a different kind of buzz.
Let me be your ruler (ruler),
You can call me queen Bee
And baby I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule, I'll rule.
Let me live that fantasy.

[Verse 2]
My friends and I—we've cracked the code.
We count our dollars on the train to the party.
And everyone who knows us knows that we're fine with this,
We didn't come from money.

[...]

Words and phrases that are rather informal

• Several times, contractions appear in the writing such as I've, I'll, we've, etc.
• In the second paragraph, it says trippin' instead of tripping.
• The phrase to not care is quite rough, I think it would be nicer to say to not bother.
• Kind of wouldn't be used in a formal writing, but in spoken language (I guess..)
• The word luxe is normally followed by a noun, but here it isn't.
• To crave sounds also fairly informal to me; I believe that to desire sounds better.
• The word buzz I am not sure about. It doesn't sound formal to me. I guess it depends on the context you're using it. Here, however, the word fits.
• In the first line of verse two, the phrase to crack the code sounds rather informal. Instead we could say to decode.
• The phrase to come from money in the very last line is not of a high register, at least that's what I assume as it can't be found in a dictionary.
• In general, the lyrics don't consist of any (or very little) formal words that derive from Latin or French
• ...

I came up with very little informal words or phrases in these lyrics. This was the first time I took a closer look at lyrics. I will, however, look at some other lyrics every now and then to increase my lexicon and to have a look at the song's register.

For those of you who are now in the mood to listen to this song, here is the link to the YouTube video:

 

Comparison of two Red Cross Societies: Austria and America

As some of you might have read in this blog article, I am a paramedic at the Austrian Red Cross. Since I have read and heard a lot lately about American culture, people and geography, I became curious about the American Red Cross Society. So I asked myself the question: What does the American Red Cross do compared to the Austrian Society?

What they have in common:

1. Blood Donation: Both the American and the Austrian Red Cross Society provides a Blood Donating Program.
2. Training Services: The Austrian Red Cross provides First Aid courses as well as Babysitting courses. The American Society, however, goes even further: they offer Family Caregiving, Child Care, Pet First Aid, Water Safety Education, Swimming Lessons and many many more.
3. Disaster Relief: Both National Societies provide food, shelter and health care in case of a natural or man-made disaster. Even beyond their state borders they're helping out. The Austrian Red Cross, for example, provided victims of the Tsunami "Ketsana" in the Philippines in November 2013 with food and water - see pictures here.

What the American Red Cross does additionally:

1. Supporting America's Military Families: Military members and their families are supported by the American Red Cross. They help them to prepare for their military service or take care of wounded persons.

 image source: http://newsroom.unl.edu/announce/files/file4567.jpg

What the Austrian Red Cross does additionally:

1. Ambulance Services: When somebody calls the ambulance because they're hurt, a Red Cross ambulance car will soon arrive to help out and bring the patient to the hospital.
2. Health & Community: Numerous people are not able to carry out everyday actions anymore (e.g. to prepare breakfast). The Red Cross sends some kind of "nurses" to the person's home.
3. Tracing Services: The Red Cross supports people who lost someone during a war, a natural disaster or because of migration.
4. Development Cooperation: After a war, the Red Cross doesn't only want to give the victims first aid, but provide them with water (drinking-water purification) and all the other goods so as to make the victims independent again (so that they're not depending on another country or organization).
5. Youth Red Cross: Kids should be aware of dangers as early as possible. For this reason, the Red Cross teaches First Aid to kindergarten kids and primary school kids.

image source: http://www.climatecentre.org/images/images_training/austrianredcross.jpg

 

What I found interesting...

...is the motto or slogan of the two societies:

American Red Cross: Together, we can save a life

Austrian Red Cross: Out of Love (german: Aus Liebe zum Menschen)


...is the number of full-time employees:

American Red Cross: 35,000

Austrian Red Cross: 7,200


...is the number of volunteers:

American Red Cross: 1,000,000

Austrian Red Cross: 59,000

Here's a nice advertisement of the American RC. Check it out!

For further information, have a look at the website of the American Red Cross Society here (that's where I got the information from).

Switzerland - more than chocolate, cheese and banks

In 2011, I had the unique opportunity to live in Switzerland for almost four months. Why? The high school I attended from 2008 to 2013 wanted every pupil to do an internship. Since the school is focused on communication- and media design, the internship should be interned at an advertising company or any firm that has something to do with graphic design. I applied to a company called connex.io, which had its company headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland.

I have lived in Zurich for almost four months, so I dare to claim that I know the city and some characteristics of Switzerland well. Even the final assignment I wrote within my high school diploma was about Switzerland's economy and it's diplomatic relation to the European Union.

Facts about Switzerland

• Switzerland is located in middle Europe, but not part of the EU
• Switzerland is officially called the "Swiss Confederation" (Latin: Confoederatio Helvetica, CH)
• Austria is twice the size of Switzerland, but Switzerland has almost the same population as Austria
• Switzerland has no capital, but a federal city (de facto the capital, not de jure) called Berne
• Switzerland consists of 26 cantons which all have a constitution of their own
• In the Swiss Alps there are more than 73 mountains over 4,000 meters
• There are four official languages in Switzerland: German, French, Italian and Rhaeto-Romanic
• Switzerland has a direct democracy, and in two cantons they have a so-called "Landsgemeinde", where people vote by raising their hands
• Switzerland is globally known for its stable economy and wealth
• liberal labor market, hence a low unemployment rate
• several successful economic sectors
• political stability
• good education system
• Since 1815, Switzerland is officially a neutral state
• Due to the fact that Switzerland has been neutral for many years, some international organizations have settled in Switzerland:
• UNO (United Nations Organization)
• ICRC (International Committee of the Red Cross/Red Crescent)
• WTO (World Trade Organization)

Zurich

Zurich is located in the northern part of Switzerland. As the largest community of Switzerland, the city has a population of 379,915. Zurich lies on the north-western edge of the Zurich Lake, hence it provides loads of leisure activities like renting a boat or going swimming in the Zurich Lake. Apart from that, there are numerous other activities. Going shopping, for example, is something many tourists do. Providing that your income is accordingly high, I would recommend to go shopping in the Bahnhofstraße and enjoy the great range of goods offered.

Going hiking on the Uetliberg is a nice opportunity to enjoy a fascinating view over Lake Zurich and Zurich. Although the mountain itself is ony 900 meters high, it's well worth a visit. What's more is that Zurich offers a great variety of museums and art galleries. One of the most known museums is the Swiss National Museum. By the way, have you ever heard of the art movement Dadaism? The movement was started in a small bar called "Cabaret Voltaire" (been there!) in Zurich in 1916.

There are lots of beautiful churches in Zurich that give you the possibility to enter or simply take a picture from outside. In August, you can attend the Street Parade, which is one of the biggest house and techno music parades worldwide (also been there!)

Although Switzerland is definitely worth a visit, you should spend your money wisely!

Here are some photos I took during my stay in Zurich:

 

See more photos of Zurich and other cities of Switzerland here!

 

My Personal Rating of American TV Series

Are you also a great fan of watching TV series? Then you've just found a soulmate. Here is a short list of


1. American TV series I like

2. American TV series I don't like

3. American TV series I would like to watch

1. TV series I like

Modern Family

year: 2009

imdb.com rate: 8.6 / 10

plot: The series tells the story of three families which turn out to be extraordinary in many ways. Mitchell, for example, and his partner (two guys on the bottom of the picture) adopt an Asian child. Jay is married to a Colombian woman who is way younger than he is - they have a son called Joe. Last but not least, the third family consists of Claire, who is married to Phil, and their three children.

reasons why I like it: The exclusive constellations of the three families, who are, by the way, interrelated, makes the story very entertaining.

image source (1): http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/5/53/Modern_Family_Promo_Season_1.jpg





Pretty Little Liars

year: 2010

imdb.com rate: 8.0 / 10

plot: One girl of a clique consisting of five friends suddenly disappears and no one knows where she could have gone. Because of this mysterious incident, the other girls kind of break up their friendship with each other. One year later, the girls receive weird messages (or let's say threats) from an unknown sender. The girls start seeking this anonymous person who keeps sending them threatening messages.

reasons why I like it: From the very first episode, I was extremly curious about what will happen next. Until now, I have just seen a few episodes. That is, however, enough for me to tell it's nicely done.

image source (2): http://www.30somethingmel.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/ABCFamily-AndrewEcclesPrettyLittleLiars1-e1305357367585.jpg





Unforgettable

year: 2011

imdb.com rate: 6.3 / 10

plot: Carrie Wells, a detective of the NYPD, has a special gift: Hyperthymesia. She remembers everything of her past live, even which day it was or how the weather was like. This turns out to be a beneficial gift for her job as a detective. There is only one thing she cannot recall: the day her sister Rachel was murdered. However, every now and then, Carrie remembers a tiny piece of what had happened on that very day.

reasons why I like it: The fact that Carrie has Hyperthymesia makes her clearly distinguishable from other detectives of TV series. Carrie doesn't give up to search for Rachel's assasin. That keeps the series interesting and worth following.

image source (3): http://www.serien-load.de/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/unforgettable_xlg.jpg





O.C., California
year: 2003

imdb.com rate: 7.3 / 10

plot: A kid named Ryan Atwood steals a car together with his brother. Sandy Cohen, a public defender and attorney, helps the boy out by bringing him home to his family since he feels somehow connected to this boy. After a while, the Cohens adopt Ryan to their family. Since then, Ryan lives in one of the wealthiest areas of California: Newport Beach. If only the girl next door didn't have a boyfriend...

reasons why I like it: Ryan Atwood is accused of stealing a car, his mother throws him out of their home and is brother is going to jail. The boy has no prospects, until Sandy Cohen brings him home to his friendly wife and son. It's very impressive to see how Ryan changes his attitude so that he can stay with his new family in Newport Beach.

image source (4):http://www.smileys-film-liste.de/img/filme/oc-california-staffel-1.jpg





Grey's Anatomy

year: 2005

imdb.com rate: 7.6 / 10

plot: Meredith Grey has just finished her studies at unversity. That's why she starts working at a hospital, among a few other newcomers. What she doesn't know: One of the doctors of this hospital, Derek, is the guy she has just spent a night with.

reasons why I like it: To be honest, I normally don't watch all these medical dramas. However, Grey's Anatomy has aroused my interest. I find it very intriguing to watch how the actors manage their stressful job in the hospital. What makes it even more amusing is that Meredith, the protagonist, obviously has a crush on Derek, who is working in the same hospital as a doctor of neurosurgery.

image source (5): http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/81DaXog16dL._SL1500_.jpg



Gossip Girl

year: 2007

imdb.com rate: 7.3 / 10

plot: The story is mainly about five youngsters living in Manhattan: Serena, Blair, Dan, Chuck and Nate. There is, however, obviously someone else: Gossip Girl. The curious thing about this person: Nobody knows who it actually is. Gossip Girl has a website that is followed by almost every kid in Manhattan. No matter who or what is new in Manhattan's elite - Gossip Girl will write about it on her blog, so that everybody is immediately informed.

reasons why I like it: There's a lot of nonsense going on. This nonsence makes the series quite interesting, though. It's a fabulous idea to base the story on a mysterious person called "Gossip Girl". I've started to watch this series as the producer Josh Schwartz did a nice job with O.C., California a few years before.

image source (6): http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/graphics/news3/GossipGirl_S1_flat.jpg

 2. TV series I don't like

American Horror Story

year: 2011

imdb.com rate: 8.4 / 10

plot: A family, consisting of Vivien, Ben and their daugther Violet, moves into a house in Los Angeles. The house, that should actually support their idea of starting over as a family, seems to be cursed. Mysterious things are going on within this house and the people who had been living in there.

reason why I stopped watching: After watching a few episodes of it, the series became too macabre for me. Regularly watching a series like this would scare the sh*t out of me. I prefer watching a softer thriller or horror movie every now and then.  
image source (7): http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/71xSPFFI1iL._SL1500_.jpg

3. TV series I want to watch soon

Breaking Bad

year: 2008

imdb.com rate: 9.5 / 10

plot: Walter White, a chemistry teacher, is diagnosed with cancer. When meeting his ex-student Jesse, he suggests to produce and sell meth in order to provide for this family.

reason why I want to watch it: This TV series has a 9.5 rate in imdb.com (place 1!). That is definitely worth taking a closer look at it.  
image source (8): http://media.mightyape.net.nz/images/products/2793379/Breaking-Bad-The-Complete-First-Season-15099913-5.jpeg



 



Mad Men

year: 2007

imdb.com rate: 8.7 / 10

plot: The series tell the story of an advertising agency in the 1960s. The publicity expert Don Draper, is working for the agency called "Sterling Cooper" and thus plays a leading role in "Mad Men". It's not just about him, though, but also his relationships to people around him.

reasons why I want to watch it: It seems to me that "Mad Men" is completely different to others. I've never heard of a series that is about an advertising agency and is set in the 60s.
image source (10): http://www.dvd-forum.at/img/uploaded/kinoplakate/large/126379397377491100.jpg

Irish "Lord of the Dance" and "Riverdance"

Have you ever heard of the two Irish dancing shows "Lord of the Dance" or "Riverdance"? If not, this is a good opportunity for you to get to know these two shows.

Riverdance

In the dancing show "Riverdance" people dance to traditional Irish or Celtic music. The typical Irish dancer does tap-dacing, which means moving the legs very rapidly, while body and arms stay rather rigid. Mostly, there is not just one person dancing but a group of 20 or more. The Riverdance was first performed during the Eurovision Song Contest in 1994 in Dublin.
Here is a YouTube video of the Riverdance performance in 1994:

 

Recently, I found a video on YouTube of people dancing to Riverdance music during a flashmob on St Patricks Day in 2011. Looks really nice!

 

Lord of the Dance

Established in 1996, "Lord of the Dance" is also a widely known Irish dancing show. The producer, Michael Flatley, had been dancing in the Riverdance show until 1995. One year later, he created a dancing show of his own. He even took a leading part in the "Lord of the Dance" show.

Traditional Irish Music

Since I was talking about two Irish dancing shows, it seems appropriate to me to write something about traditional Irish music as well. Initially, I wanted to write about Irish dance moves, but all these different bars seemed really complicated to me. That's why I am now emphasizing on a few important instruments of traditional Irish music:

The fiddle is actually a violin. In Ireland, however, it's played differently than you would play a usual violin.

The guitar is also a very common instrument in Irish music. Some musicians play the bouzouki, which is actually a Greek instrument.

The banjo, an instrument we already know from the people living in Appalachia, is also widely used in Ireland.

The flute (there even exists the Irish Flute) is a wooden instrument and often used in Ireland as well.

The harp is very traditional for Ireland and Irish music and had already been used by the Celts.

Irish fiddle

Banjo

Harp

 

Image Source (1): http://www.lighthousestringband.com/images/fiddle.jpg

Image Source (2): http://az58332.vo.msecnd.net/e88dd2e9fff747f090c792316c22131c/Images/Products26868-1200x1200-353709.jpg

Image Source (3): http://static.musiciansfriend.com/derivates/19/001/251/070/DV020_Jpg_Jumbo_475019.914_natural_maple.jpg

The Clancy Brothers, The Dubliners and The Chieftains are very popular bands in Ireland. In the 50s and 60s, folk music started becoming famous in the U.S. and later on, even in numerous other countries all over the world. According to wikipedia.org, The Clancy Brothers even had an impact on many musicians, e.g. on American singer-songwriter Bob Dylan, who is nowadays widely known for songs like "Blowing in the Wind", "Like a Rolling Stone" or "Knocking on Heavens Door".

 

How I got the idea

A friend of mine, David, who is from Dublin, once showed me some moves of an Irish dance (Irish dancing can be really exhausting by the way). David and me, we both are supervisors at the International Friendshipcamp of the Austrian Youth Red Cross (read more here) in Langenlois (Lower Austria). That's where and how I first got the chance to listen to Irish music and try out Irish dancing. Thanks a lot for that, David, and keep on dancing! :)

My American Dream

Most Americans dream about raising a family or having a successful career. Since I am not an American citizen, but fond of the U.S. and the American culture, I am now referring to the famous term "American Dream".

My American Dream is to explore the following destinations:

1. Grand Canyon National Park, Arizona

Got the idea from.. friends who showed me pictures of their visit in Arizona

What I find impressive.. are the beautiful colors of the Grand Canyon. It seems unbelievable to me that a river has formed the Grand Canyon - a river called the Colorado River (and it's tributaries of course). What I find absolutely remarkable is the landscape of the Colorado River flowing through the colorful layers of the Grand Canyon.

A must do.. is a flyover in the Grand Canyon National Park - provided I can afford it one day. I would take thousands of photos of the fascinating landscape and show off to my friends ;-)


Image Source (1): http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f9/USA_09847_Grand_Canyon_Luca_Galuzzi_2007.jpg

Image Source (2): http://ecology110fra.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/river_of_life_colorado_river_page_arizona.jpg




 

2. San Francisco, California

Got the idea from.. a computer game called "Midtown Madness 2" that I used to play when I was a child. You basically drive through a city and scare people to death due to the excessive speed you're driving at. One city you can "explore" is San Francisco. In addition to that, I used to watch the TV series "Charmed" when I was younger. The "Charmed Ones" live in a Victorian house in San Francisco, which is also a reason for my curiosity about this city. 

What I find impressive.. is the Golden Gate Bridge, the famous Lombard Street (you could drive along this street in "Midtown Madness 2"), the so-called Painted Ladies (see on the first picture) and Alcatraz Island.

A must do.. is to go by the famous cable cars that are still manually operated and visit the Alcatraz Museum.

Image Source (1): http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/Painted_Ladies.jpg

Image Source (2): http://www.meinemarie.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/lombard-street-picture.jpg

3. Katmai National Park and Preserve, Alaska

Got the idea from.. surfing the Net! I was reading through articles about the country of Alaska and thereby stumbled upon the Katmai National Park. It is widely known for it's great number of volcanoes and brown bears. Though, it's only the fourth biggest National Park of Alaska. For me, it's the most appealing one.

What I find impressive.. are, as mentioned before, the volcanoes and especially the summit crater lake of Mount Katmai (which you can see in the first picture on the right handside). The brown bears, especially the Grizzly Bears, are something I would love to see in this National Park.

A must do.. is to take a picture of a bear catching a fish, exactly like in the second picture on the right handside. I'd also like to explore more of Alaska and the way of living of Alaska's citizens.

Image Source (1): http://www.redorbit.com/media/uploads/2013/03/Katmai-National-Park-and-Preserve.jpg 

Image Source (2): http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/Brown_bear_Brooks_Falls_Katmai.jpg

4. Holmes County, Ohio

Got the idea from.. the website www.discoveramerica.com. I was browsing this site so as to get to know some places in America to visit one day.

What I find impressive.. is the fact that Holmes County has the highest percentage of Amish people living in the United States.

A must do.. is to talk to as many Amish people as possible to get to know their way of living (regardless of the fact that they might be annoyed).

Image Source: http://www.rlrouse.com/pic-of-the-day/berlin-oh-amish.jpg

5. Sanibel and Captiva Islands, Florida

Got the idea from.. my aunt, Barbara. Over the christmas holidays, she spent a few days in Florida. When we were talking via Skype, she told me how astonishing everything was. She didn't visit the Sanibel and Captiva Islands, but when she told me about Florida in general, I had a look at some photos of this state on the Internet. So acutally, I came across these islands on "Google Images"! ;-)

What I find impressive.. are the white-sand beaches that remind me a bit of Hawaii.

A must do.. is to just stay there for a few days, enjoy the beach, the sun and the ambience!

Image Sourge: http://www.bellavistaluxuryrentals.com/Portals/86275/images/captiva-island.jpg

Out of Love

Howdy again!

I have been thinking a lot lately what I could write about in my blog. Finally, I decided to tell you something about what I do within the Austrian Red Cross.

More than five years ago, I started as a Youth Red Cross member at my former school to organize small events in order to collect donations. After some time, I attended a national Youth Red Cross camp to learn more about how to organize projects and the Red Cross itself. Today, I am a supervisor at this camp, which means that I am training youngsters to become an as good organizer as I was back then.

The Austrian Youth Red Cross also organizes the International Friendship camp which takes place in Langenlois (located in Lower Austria) every year. More than 50 Red Cross/Red Crescent members, coming from all over the world, gather for two weeks in Langenlois to exchange their experiences and learn something about the other participant's cultures. Since three years, I am a supervisor at this camp as well.

Although I am still working voluntarily as a supervisor at these two camps, I have become a little too old for the "Youth" Red Cross. That's why I started the training program in October 2012 to become a paramedic. Recently, I finished all the courses and passed the final exams. Now I can proudly announce that I am a paramedic of the ambulance service of the (Upper) Austrian Red Cross.

Back in Linz, where I live, I do (night) shifts regularly. After a shift, I am always exhausted and tired, but I am glad that people placed their trust in me and that I was able to help them.

Loads of people keep asking me why I am working as a paramedic voluntarily. Here is a very nice TV spot "Out of Love", done by the Austrian Red Cross. It basically tells one very good reason for being a volunteer of the Red Cross Society.

¡Me gustaría volver!

Barcelona. A city I would love to live in. While spending only three days in Barcelona in September 2013, I've been astonished and favorably impressed by this gorgeous city. The beautiful city itself, the beach, the architectural highlights and "el ambiente" persuaded me to come back soon to this wonderful place.

However, what I found a bit challenging was the language. I've been learning Spanish for four years now, which is quite a long time. People in Barcelona speak Catalan though, which is very close to Spanish but often differs a lot from it. Nevertheless, if habitants notice that you are not familiar with Catalan, they immediately change from Catalan to Spanish.

As you can imagine, there were loads of reasons to visit Barcelona. For me, there was another very particular reason to come to this place. My favorite author, Carlos Ruiz Zafón, was born in Barcelona and tends to write about the city in his novels. As I've read several books of this inspiring person, I was highly curious to explore this intriguing city.

I've fallen for this city and hope I can soon be back to explore even more. If you like to see more photos I took during my short stay in Barcelona, feel free to visit either the gallery on my website or on my gallery on flickr.com.

Barcelona is a very old city in which you can feel the weight of history; it is haunted by history. You cannot walk around it without perceiving it.

Carlos Ruiz Zafón