Friday, January 10, 2014

The typical Irish

Since I have already written about Austrian stereotypes in a prior post I decided to take a closer look at the Irish people in this entry.

TOP 4 IRISH STEREOTYPES

1. Irish people are alkoholics
The Irish pub culture is known all over the world, and the Island itself is instantly associated with the local beer - Guiness. This of course contributes to the stereotype that Irish people are drinking alot. Well, I have to say, when I was in Dublin I had the same impression. I walked through the streets of Dublin on a sunday afternoon (about 6 o´clock) and most of the pubs were stuffed with people, drinking, dancing and listening to live music (There was a live band in almost every bar)


2. All Irish people eat are potatoes
Of course the Irish still love potatoes, they eat them for all dishes, breakfast, lunch, dinner... But I think it is n wonder because since the crop had been introduced in the 16th century it became the main foot crop of the poor. And lets be honest, aren´t they delicious? But of course Irish cuisine has more to offer than just potato. 


3. Irish are redheads
If you imagine an Irish man what does he look like? Pale and ginger haired, right? It is true that there are statistically more people with red hair in countries like Irland and Scottland, but they only make up a small percentage of the population. 


4. The fighting Irish
I have to say that the Irish people I got to know where among the friendliest I had ever met. Even if you are a completely stranger they talk to you and treat you in a really friendly and warm way. So where does the stereotype come from? Maybe, by the time Ireland was ruled by Britain, the Irish were seen as a rebbellious nation. Indeed there were various rebellions against rules that the Irish saw as unfair and unnecessary. 





So there he is, the pale ginger haired, heavily drinking potato lover, that always gets in trouble. What a nice stereotype! At least he doesn´t wear Lederhosn ;)







A little bit about Newgrange

I know I have  been lazy with the whole blogging thing the past few weeks, even though I actually enjoy writing about my journeys and other topics I am interested in. There are many situations in everyday life I think to myself „Hey, this is interesting, I got to blog about it". But since a weekly post or two are not an obligation my priorities lie on other things such as studying for a test or making homework and I kept postponing blog-writing. And if I actually happen to have some time for blogging I have already forgotten the topics I wanted to blog about. But now the Semester goes by and I still don´t have written the required 10 blog posts so I have to get my ass up and type like mad. Dead line is the greatest inspiration, isn´t it ?

The other thing I am really concerned with these days is Irish culture and history. I learned a lot about this wonderful green island and its people but one topic that I am really interested in are the Neolithic tombs especially the tombs with astrological intend so I wanted to find out more about the Newgrange and other similar constructions. Here I will add some interesting extra information ;)

* Newgrange was built about 3200 BC which means that it is older than Stonehenge or the Egyptian pyramids
* the stones in front of the entrance are decorated with spirally patterns. Archaeologists have been speculating about its meaning. while some think the spirals are simply decorative others believe that the patterns have some sort of symbolic purpose because some carvings are in places that are not visible such as the bottom of the rock.

How was Newgrange built?

How did the people in ancient Ireland transport rocks weighting tons? Well the stones were probably brought to the Newgrange spot by sea and up the river Boyne by tying them to the underside of boats at low tide. None of the slabs were quarried, they must have been collected, most likely from the Rocky Beach at Clogherhead, about 20 km away, and then somehow transported to the building site.

There are still many mysteries surrounding Newgrange since there is a lot about scientists haven´t found out yet. There are people that think, Newgrange cant have been built by people, so it must have been some kind of god and they see it as evidence for religious forces.


I found an interesting video on YouTube that shows the illumination of the tomb at winter solisle.








Welcome to LISBOA


Last year my cousin Peter spent a year abroad in Portugal for his architecture studies and his brother and I decided to use this opportunity to visit him and also get to see Lisbon. Although we went there in February, the weather was nice and pretty warm. Peters apartment was situated in the centre of the city and allthough we had to sleep on mattresses on the floor because there wasn´t much space, it was really comfortable. Just the nights were really cold because most of the cheaper apartments in Lisbon are not fully airtight and the only source of heat was a portable radiant heater. 

The first day of our journey Peter guided us through the city he already had become really familiar with. He told us that he really liked it but the mentality and the lifestyle of this people was an extremely different. They are all really tranquil and don´t ever hurry. Especially the easy going attitude of the women and men at the check out counter in supermarkets could really freak out a foreigner because you have to wait in row like forever.  And there was another thing he complained about: the only thing that opened at 7 am in the morning was the university ;)

The city of Lisbon is really beautiful. It is situated on several hills so its always an up and down, passing through the narrow streets of the city. There are this lovely old trams who bring you up some hills, if your legs already hurt from passing thousands of stairs. 



Another thing I instantly fell in love with was Portuguese pastries "Pasteis de Nata"  You have absolutely try this creamy little cupcake like thing if you ever visit Lissabon. They sell them in the hundreds of  little bakeries around the city and they´re simply delicious. What else can I say about the Portuguese cuisine? Well, they toast everything that might be toastable ;) 


Everywhere we went we could here the traditional Portuguese fado music. It is rather melanchonical and mournful singing often about the sea or the life of poor people.  Especially on the sight seeing busses which we used now and then in every speaking pause a certain fado melody was played. Until now this melody is stuck in my head and I could still sing it to you ;) It was just a real catchy tune. 


Bildunterschrift hinzufügen
One day we decided to rent a car and go to the other beaches of Lisbon. Peter said it takes only half an hour from the city but we got lost a several times so it took us almost 2 hours. But you know, people without a good sense of orientation get to see more of the world and that was just our case. We drove through beautiful landscapes, lovely little settlements. At some points we had to stop the car and just admire the stunning view and take some pictures. Maybe that is the other reason it took us so long, but in the end we arrived at the beach Peter wanted to show us. It was really windy and in the summer many surfers come to the beaches of Portugal, but in February there was not a soule around. We wandered along the beach between huge cliffs. At a lovely spot we made a break to sunbath and make a little picnic. But suddenly we realised the high tide was arriving and about to intercept our way back to the main beach. We had to hurry and got our feet wet but for gods sake we made it in time. 

We continued to drive along the coast and after a while we arrived at  the westernmost point of Europe. 
This is my cousin standing there ;) 

All in all it was a wonderful trip and I´d definitely go back sometime, if it only was for Pastel de Nata ;) 


Register? huhh?!!

Register? huh???!  vs. Excuse me, would you mind telling me what "register" is about?

I bet you have sooner or later in your school career heard something about  "Register". Well, what is register about? In English, as in other languages you use different styles of writing to address different groups of people. There is the formal register, which is reserved for people you want to be very polite to, like your boss or a business partner. The informal register is more conversational, you use it while talking to friends, writing e-mails to relatives etc. There is also a register that is whether to formal, nor to informal, it fits somewhere inbetween and is called the neutral register.
It is important to use the wright register in the right situation. Or wouldn´t it be kind of strange to end a letter to your best friend with the word "Sincerely" and an e-mail to your financial advisor with "Lots of Love" ? This might give the addressee a wrong impression. (Unless you  have a romantic relationship with your financial advisor)
At school we learned a lot of set phrases fitting in the right register, we learned how to write an informal letter, a letter of complaint, an application and so on..



While searching for some background information about this topic on the web I came across an article that is concerned with the problems of many English speaking students when it comes to register. Many don´t understand the usage, since they would rather talk to everyone in the same way. Maybe this is due to the fact, that in English, other than in other languages like German, Spanish or Italian they dont have a polite form to address someone directly. For us German speakers it is only natural to address people you don´t know that well with "Sie" rather than "You".  Nevertheless the concept of register is not that hard to understand, even for English speaking students. And what's more is, that it is really important and only logical that you talk to your friends in a more conversational way than to strangers.


A world without register - a better place? 

But lets do the experiment and just think about it: what if there were no registers ? Would our society be seen as more equal since there wouldn´t be differences in the way we address people? We would talk to a homeless immigrant the same way we would talk to the Queen. Wouldn´t it be a better world? I guess not.
I think equality is rather a matter of respect than of the right register. You should talk to the homeless in the same  respectful way, you would use while talking to the Queen. But I bet many people wouldn´t and I think there is the problem. Don´t just blame it on the register.

Alright, so here are the hard facts summed up:

Formal register

- complex, more likely to use words with Latin roots
- longer sentences, no contractions or abbreviations
- objective 
- used for rather serious topics
- includes:  Business letters, Letters of complaint, some essays,  official speeches, professional e-mails


Informal register

- simple and conversational 
- might use slang
- short or even incomplete sentences
- contractions and abbreviations
- includes: personal e-mails, letters to friends, most blogs (such as mine for example), diaries and journals

Neutral register

- non emotional
- sticks to facts
- includes: technical writing, reviews, articles, some essays


Thursday, January 9, 2014

I can resist everything except temptation - the rise and fall of Oscar Wilde

Since we have to write at least one blog entry about  Irish culture, I chose to go a little bit into literature and introduce you to a great Irish writer, Oscar Wilde. I have read many of his plays, fairy tales and his famous novel “The picture of Dorian Grey” and I´m really into his witty style of writing. 

 Oscar Wilde was one of the most noticable literature figures of the last century. Even at his time he was famous for his masterful conversation and his amusing plays.  In London he was in great demand in the most fashionable circles of society. He boasted that he could talk about any subject - and proofed it thousands of time. George Bernhard Shaw ( also an Irish writer) once said that he was the finest talker of his time, maybe of all time. 

 Oscar Wild had a shimmering life, but he died a broken man in exile. So what happened?  

Lets start at the very beginning of his life around 1850 in Dublin, where Oscar was born. Already his parents were gifted writers, his mother was a successful poet and journalist and his father wrote many books folklore and archeology. When Oscar was born, he was a huge disapointment for his mother who  always wanted a daughter. To make up for his gender mistake she decided to let Oscar´s hair grow into curls and ringlets, until he was about nine.

 At university Oscar Wilde proofed himself to be an brilliant poet and an outstanding performer, but the real fame came after his journey to America. He played everywhere, in front of cowboys, miners or of screaming mobs of women. Later he would tell the world that while in America he had to hire two secretaries. One One to write his autograph and to answer the hundreds of letters and another whose hair was brown to send locks to ladies who requested his, he was rapidly becoming bald. 

Back in London he was a Superstar. He married, got two children and gained a lot of money through his popular plays. But Oscar Wildes live changed rapidly when he met the young and attractive Oxford student and poet, Lord Alfred Douglas, called Bosie. He seduced Wilde, who now had to face his homosexuality. They began an affair, often argued and broke up but always came back together. Bosei was a spoiled young man with expensive demands and used Wildes affection for his advantage. Douglas also introduced Wilde into the Voctorian underground of gay prostitution.  

Homosexuality had been Illegal in Britain for hundreds of years and was seen a crime which was punished with imprisonment or worse. When Bosies father found out about the relationship between his son and Oscar Wilde he accused Wilde of Homosexuality.  

The three trials of Oscar Wilde went down in history. Oscar Wilde presented himself in his typical self confident way and really made the dock his stage.  Many of his responses drew loud applause from the audience. But when Bosies father showed up with several male prostitutes as witnesses, that had sex with Oscar Wilde, his situation became helpless. He was sentenced to two years of hard labor. 

 This very famous and sad poem was produced in these two years of prison. 

“And all men kill the thing they love,
But let all this be heard,
Some do it with a bitter look,
Some with a flattering word:
The coward does it with a kiss,
The brave man with a sword.”   

After his release he went in exile to Paris. There he met Bosie now and then, but during the years in prison both had changed and the passionate love was gone. In 1900 Oscar died of meningitis in the a hotel in Paris. Although he was penniless the owner placed him in the best room and he was given the best meal and the best wine. It is told that his comment was: “ I am dying as I have lived. Beyond my meanings” His last words are said to be: “This wallpaper and I are fighting a duel to the death. One of us has to go”. 



This is a trailer of a really well made film about the extraordinary life of Oscar Wilde. The film is really worth watching and is nothing like a boring biography.

The Importance of being Earnest was the first play I read of Oscar Wild and I instantly fell in love with his style of writing. It is a really amusing and ironic story and I can only recommend it.




Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Christmas in Istanbul

This year I spent Christmas with my family at home in Carinthia. Not so last year, when we decided to leave all the Chrismas stress behind and go to Istanbul over Christmas.

We arrived at lovely 20 degree and wonderful weather. From the roof terrace of our lodging we had a brilliant view over the the city and Hagia Sofia. Hagia Sofia once was a Christian church, later a Mosque and today it is a museum.
I was glad we visited Istanbul in winter because there are less tourists. No hot sweaty trips through the city, no standing in line for hours. In December it was really easy-going, but yet there were still more tourits than I had imagined. 

Istanbul is just awesome. The city spans across 2  continents and two culteres, the European and the Asian are bumping into each other, so it is a very diverse place. It´s history goes back to the 6th century, and since then this significant city has had many names. Originally called Byzanz, under Konstantin the I, the city was rechristened Constantinople and today it is known under the name Istanbul. It served as the capital of four empires: The Roman, the Byzantine, the Latin and the Ottoman empire. 


But, back to our trip: here and there we could see a few windows that were decorated in the European manner, but besides there was nothing that made you feel like it was Christmas. Really refreshing ;) On the 24th we went out for dinner in an Asian restaurant. We sat on carpets around a really low table (my dad had some problems with putting his legs somewhere) and enjoyed the delicious asian cuisine. 


Istanbul is a city of cultural diversity and history, and (at least I had the impression) .... of cats. Seriously, never in my life I have seen a place with so many cats. They were everywhere, and in great number. Sleeping in the sun on benches, on parked cars, scaring or pleasing some tourists....

 
 

During our trip we visited as much famous places in Istanbul as possible. 


Blue Mosque

The Sultan Ahmed Mosque also know as the "Blue Mosque" is the only Mosque in Istanbul that has 6 minarets ( minaretes are the spires around a mosque). As a woman you have to cover your hair if you want to go inside and see the impressing interior. We visited the Mosque around midday and dozends of male Moslems were kneeing on beautiful carpets and praying, oriented towards Mekka. 




From the Minaretts men called Muezzin call the Moslem popoation to prayer five times a day. They usually have beautiful voices and you can hear their melodic calls in the whole city. 

Grand Bazaar

To get into the Grand Bazaar of Istanbul you have to enter a tiny, inconspicous stone gateway. But what is behind is simply stunning. Hundrets of stalls one close to the other, selling EVERYTHING you can imagine. Carpets, jewellery, bags, souveniers... anything your heart desires. 
In Turkey it is a custom to negotiate about the price of the item you want to buy. I tried my luck and got a bag for a pretty good price. 
The Bazaar is huge and its not hard to get lost in its labyrithine corridors.


Our trip ended after 5 days so we went back home where  snowy cold weather welcomed us. Istanbul was a city that really impressed me personaly and I will definitely come back - maybe next Chrismas :)