Presentation day

Finally, after a period of delays we had our presentation of the chapters 7, 8 and 9. Unfortunately, our third member Anja couldn't come because she visited her relatives in Bosnia. Nevertheless, Maja and I split her part and tried to represent her honourably. I've learnt a lot new and interesting about Ireland: the potato famine, the education system and the Celtic mythology. I believe after hearing all presentations we will be almost experts in Irish culture. The only thing missing is the first-hand experience itself. Maybe the next holiday destination... Ireland, we're coming!

Gilmore girls

Gilmore girls is the only series I watch regularly since its beginning. As rumours are afloat this is the final season and there are only five episodes left to see. I sincerely hope it's not the end but time will show.

Review

Last weeks episode, Hay bale maze, was about Rory attending her first real job interview. She felt really confident and in the end she got the job. But having the opportunity of a fellowship at the New York Times, makes it hard to decide whether to be the big fish in a pool or the small in the ocean. Also, she and her boyfriend Logan visit her hometown, Starshollow, where the annual Spring fling is due to come. But instead of the traditional festival a giant hay bale maze is awaiting them.

Vocabulary

maze- a complicated system of paths or passages which people try to find their way through for amusement; a Labyrinth

bale- a large amount of something such as hay, paper, wool or cloth that has been tied tightly together

gazebo-a small decorated building, usually in a garden, giving a good view of the surrounding countryside; a pavilion

torso- the human body considered without head, arms or legs, or a statue representing this

stilt- one of two long pieces of wood with supports for the feet which allow you to stand and walk high above the ground; (die Stelze)

Jaywalking-Part 1

Jaywalking with the Irish is a book written by David Monagan, an American Journalist.

My great passion is travelling and I am dreaming since my childhood to emigrate myself. This is also the reason why I study languages- it brings me a step closer to this ongoing desire.

The topic of this semester are expats- what is also the story of Monagan's life-changing decision to migrate to Ireland.

I have never read a book of an expat before and my expectations were high. Therefore I wasn't surprised that I absolutely loved the book; I read the first few chapters in a row. Though the language is quite difficult for it is full of Irishisms, the plot and Monagan's gift for capturing descriptions couldn't stop me to read on further. Maybe there are to many information (about Irish history, tradition etc.) that I would like to know more about and I wish I had some background knowledge because checking them out would take an eternity (or it would be really boring to put the book down at every other page to Google the topic).

Soon my group will have its presentation and I guess I'll learn a lot new about the Irish.

I have found an interesting article about the book with a short biography of David Monagan on this site:

http://www.emigrant.ie/article.asp?iCategoryID=49&iArticleID=40276

Masters of Horror-Takashi Miike

My absolutely favourite genre is horror. I have watched probably all of the "classics" and I try to keep up with the new films. Last year I have discovered the Japanese director Takashi Miike, a master of torture and violence. His internationally successful film Itchy the Killer is brutal and although I can watch all kinds of surgeries a feeling of sickness came over me.

Masters of horror
For the first time the foremost names (writers and directors) in the horror film genre have joined forces for the series consisting of 13 one-hour films each season. Also Takashi Miike had his American debut with Imprint.
Plot: Set in the mid 1800s, Christopher is a young American journalist who ventures to Japan to search for the Japanese prostitute he loved and abandoned years earlier. But when he ventures to an island off the coast, he sees that human demons and whores rule the land where a deformed courtesan awaits his arrival leading to a tale of extreme cruelty and perverse vengeance.

I thought it was very interesting because of the film being English speaking although only one actor was American. Watching it without subtitles was difficult at some point due to the strange accent. But in real life it is like this; you will rarely hear or translate from perfect English. Have fun!

Amazon-a new challenge

I could not decide on which book I should read and as it goes all books were sold out. It is also impossible to borrow them from the library. Therefore I tried (for the first time) to buy something over the Internet. Related to this, I have some questions: Is it possible to buy English books at Amazon.de? I found all titles but it took me a while to realise that McCarthy's Bar. Mein ganz persönliches Irland. probably means that it is translated into German. Sometimes it takes me longer... Also I would like to know if it is cheaper to send it to Austria than to Slovenia or if there are any differences whatsoever. Well getting a credit card number is another thing...
Let's see if it really takes only one day!

Every beginning is hard

I have postponed this first entry for days. I guess every beginning is hard.
The aim of this blog is to practice my English outside class and note it down in form of a learning portfolio.The skill areas I need improvement in are: speaking, reading, listening and writing.
I will try to make this blog as interesting as possible and to learn a lot out of it. So let´s get started!