English Purpose of this subforum

Hello @ all,

today in the evening I´m going to the citycenter to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Peaceful Revolution. The ring road will be turned into an area of art projects among which visitors can move around. Along the historical route of the demonstrators light, sound and video projections, dance, performance and music will establish and challenge relation between 1989 and 2014.
I think of the exclamation when the protestors called out loudly -"We are the people" and "No violence!". It´s still an emotional moment and it will be long remain in my memory.

Greetings, Bärbel

Deart „Girls“ just wanted to let you know I am well and have not many chances to get into internet. Maybe I get thrown out here as well. We are now near Malaga moving towards Morocco in af ew weeks. Take care and don’t forget to write here once in a while. Love Yoli

Dear Maxi,

"We are the people" and "No violence"! Yes, perhaps it was the best revolution all over the world!

When I see Syrien today, with the civil war since years and the violence there. It's such a pitty. So many Syrien People have to escape and then have to live owing to circumstances as refugees in other contries!

Angeli

Hello @ all,
hello Angeli,
you are right, the poor people of Syrien - it makes me sad. It´s a problem to shelter families of refugees. They never know what the future will bring. There are no hope to be back home.

Yesterday I read the report of the British Museum in London. It has opened an exhibition about Germany´s 600-year history "Memories of a Nation". The exhibition will examine elements of German history from the past 600 years in the context of the fall of the Berlin Wall 25 years ago.
There are many political changes - from the Holy Roman Empire through unification in the 1870s and the troubled 20th century to today.
For this reason the cathedral in Güstrow borrowed Ernst Balach´s sculpture "Der Schwebende". It´s a bronze memorial to the dead of the First World War. (BTW: a copy hangs in the Antoniter Church in Cologne).
I think the exhibition provided an opportunity for the British people to better understand the history of Germany. It´s not the time of the National Socialism only.

Greetings, Bärbel

To Yoli, have a good time and enjoy yourself.

Hi Bärbel, it`s interesting that the British Museum in London has such an exhibition now. For a long time, over decades English people had great problems with Germans. I`ll tell about this exhibition to my granddaugther because she is half an English woman. Perhaps this will interest her. I know the sculpture „Der Schwebende“. I remember, in the seventies Chancellor Helmut Schmidt was in Güstrow and there he had seen Barlachs „Schwebenden Engel“ (Hovering Angel). At that time I had seen a fotograph with Helmut Schmidt and „Der schwebende Engel“ in „Die Zeit“. It’s long ago and we did’nt think at that time that between both German countries it could take an aproximation!

We shall hope that in the future in Germany, better in all European countries will be peace. But we can’t see in the future. We only can hope, shall hope.

Angeli

Hi Angeli,
did you know that the sculpture "Hovering Angel" was melted down by the National Socialists? It was to be effected as "degenerate art", because it was created against the political trend during the rise of Nazism. Luckily there was a copy in Cologne. It could made a print for a new sculpture. This sculpure was given to the Ev.-Luth. Domgemeinde Güstrow in 1953 as a loan from the artist´s son.
Wolf Biermann was inspired and recorded the "Balach song" in the late 1960s, in which he refers to the climate of political repression as a time when "the angels fell to their death".

I think the exhibition is very interesting. It´s open till 25 Januar 2015.

Greetings,Bärbel

Hi Bärbel,

it`s interesting! Most for me that Wolf Biermann`s song is connected with the sculpture „Hovering Angel“. I did`nt know, but I knew the song. And the refrain of his song I know until today: „Was soll aus uns noch werden, uns droht so große Not, vom Himmel auf die Erden fallen sich die Engel tot.“

But I fear my granddoughter, half German, half English, will not be interested in it. More important for her are her difficult child and youth welfare work, her boyfriend - and perhaps her smartphone and all the contacts there!

Angeli

Hallo Karl,
ich antworte mal in Deutch:
ich liebe diese rubrik und lese sehr gern die englischen Witze. Danke!
lg yamina1

Hi Everyone!

This is my first adventure into the Seniorentreff. I find it all a little intimidating and very confusing, so please excuse me if I am in the wrong place, saying the wrong thing!

I am an English native speaker. I never learned German at school or formally, so it is a little rough and ready. But my husband and his family are all German, so I am fluent in "Nannadeutsch" and most people understand me when I talk. Written German is another matter. Mann bzw. Frau schämmt sich!

Since 1977 I have lived in Berlin, Wiesbaden, Vaterstetten nr. Munich and Flensburg, where I now live. My real home is North Wales, which is why I also speak Welsh.

If anyone has any questions concerning their English, please feel free to ask me. I taught English as a foreign language, so I should be able to answer you. I also will correct you, BUT ONLY IF YOU REQUEST ME TO. I do not want to turn any conversation into an English lesson or embarrass individuals! I just thought I would mention that from the beginning.

Greetings from the cloudy North

it´s nice, that you found this thread so soon - I hope you will have fun and like it here

Welcome aboard !!

chris33