According to wikipedia "Emigration is the act of leaving one's country or region to settle in another. (..) There are many reasons why people might choose to emigrate. Some are for reasons of religious, political or economic freedom or escape. Others have personal reasons such as marriage. Some people living in rich nations with cold climates choose to move to warmer climates when they retire." Well, neither of these reasons apply to me, but nevertheless I decided to move from Germany to England where it always rains and the men are not really classified as the most attractive ones in the whole wide world. When you have lived in a foreign country before, you might know how different, awkward, funny and difficult your daily life can become. Here are some highlights of my life in London Town.
Yesterday, I bought some tea and when I opened the box there was the following written:
"If you are cold, tea will warm you.
If you are too heated, it will cool you.
If you are depressed, it will cheer you.
If you are excited, it will calm you."
Tea is a cure-all in England. Whether you have a broken heart or a broken bone, the first-aid will always be: I'll put the kettle on!
It's also the perfect displacement activity in an awkward or uncomfortable social situation. You know, when the conversation isn't flowing anymore or you are supposed to talk about a sensitive issue, well just put the kettle on first.
Tea even effects magicians like Harry Potter:
"Harry found the tea seemed to burn away a little of the fear fluttering in his chest" J.K. Rowling.
So, next time you are cold or hot or depressed or excited, you know what to do.
I'll have a cup of tea now...
Happy New Year to all of you! Ich hoffe, Ihr seid alle gut reingerutscht - as we say in German.
NYE in London is quite overwhelming. There are lots of (expensive) parties everywhere. Too many probably. Because most of my friends decided to stay at home or go to house parties, including me. I couldn't be bothered waiting for 12 hours at the riverside to watch the 12 minutes fireworks at midnight. If you couldn't be bothered either and missed it on TV, because you were too busy celebrating with your friends at your house party, here is the whole spectacle again:
Christmas time was very interesting, too. Every time I went to a Christmas Market I could order my German drink (Glühwein) and German food (Dinnele/ Bratwurst) in German and while eating it, listened to German music. It was amazing. At Winder Wonderland in Hyde Park they even had a Bavarian Village where you could get original French fries from Germany, served by original girls from Germany (they just look Asian):
Another thing I found quite odd, were the Christmas paper crowns. What is that all about? Are we all kings and queens at Christmas? When I first saw a couple of drunk middle-aged men wearing these crowns at a Christmas party at my local pub, I laughed at them. One week later I was wearing one as well at my own company's Christmas party. At least my colleague affirmed me that I rock the medieval look.
You probably ask yourself now, how do you get these crownes. Many Christmas meals in the UK are accompanied by Christmas Crackers. These are brightly coloured paper tubes which are twisted at both ends and two people have to pull on each end and when it breaks the already mentioned paper crown, a small gift (I got a sparkly heart-shaped key fob) and a joke written on a piece of paper appear. Supposedly, the Christmas Crackers have already been invented in 1846.
Ham wa wieder was gelernt!
Before you read any further you have to promise me that you won't tell anyone about this! Promise? OK.
I want to let you in a secret. It's called Secret Cinema
and is a monthly gathering of all
that love challenging and groundbreaking cinema, screening mystery films
in extraordinary locations.
The weekend before Halloween I was at Brick Lane market and a guy approached me in order to invite me to a screening of The Rocky Horror Picture Show in an old church in Richmond. I was rather fascinated and did some research on Secret Cinema. They screen well-known movies at exceptional places and turn the cinema experience into a theatrical experience by letting viewers participate. Watch this video about the screening of One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest in an asylum to get an idea:
Secret audience. Secret locations. Secret worlds. If you want to find out more about it, visit: http://www.secretcinema.org/ But whisper only amongst yourselves. Keep
the motion. Tell-no one!
Oh, and Secret Cinema has just announced a mysterious new theatrical food
experience: Secret Restaurant. Diners will find themselves in a
theatrical world of food, music and mystery. The menu will be kept
secret until the final moment. Somewhere in the city, you will find
Secret Restaurant... If you find it before me, please do let me know. Discretely of course!
The end of 2011 is just around the corner and I haven't updated my blog since September?! Here is my recap of the past 3 months.
Golden October:
October still felt like summer this year. We had over 30°C in London and were still sitting outside in beer gardens and cafés enjoying the last warm days of the year.
The event everyone is talking about in October, though, is Halloween - the night of the dead.
In Germany, it is becoming more and more popular, but it's still not such a big deal as in the UK and the US. I was very impressed by the effort people put into their fancy dresses (I saw a group of guys who were dessed up as zombie smurfs). I have to admit, though, I've always thought "fancy dress" means glamorous outfit. Luckily, I realised before my first Halloween party in the UK, that not a cocktail dress is required, but a funny/ scary costume - that's why I decided to go as Mr. Bean:
Grey November:
I think if you move to a foreign country you should familarise yourself with their customs and traditions.
In November everyone was very excited about the fireworks on 5th of November, but no one really knew what it was all about. Here is the explanation from wikipedia:
"Guy Fawkes Night, also known as Guy Fawkes Day, Bonfire
Night and Firework Night, is an annual commemoration
observed on 5 November, primarily in England. Its history begins with
the events of 5 November 1605, when Guy Fawkes, a member of the Gunpowder Plot, was arrested while guarding explosives the
plotters had placed beneath the House of Lords. Celebrating the fact that King James I had survived the attempt
on his life, people lit bonfires around London, and months later the
introduction of the Observance of 5th November Act enforced an annual public day of thanksgiving for the plot's
failure."
So, remember, remember the 5th of November!
The next event English people celebrate in November is Remembrance Day. It is also known as Poppy Day and I was absolutely fascinated for weeks that almost everybody in the UK was wearing a poppy (even I was wearing one in the end). The Brits remember their fellow country men who died in the wars:
Magical December:
The best thing about being in London during Christmas time are the wonderful Christmas lights and decoration everywhere. Especially Oxford Street/ Regent Street as well as Covent Garden are magical in December - if you just ignore the thousands of tourists who walk, well stand around there and get into your way.
I simply had to write a post about that subject sooner or later. It is small talk topic no 1 in England, there are even TV shows about The Great British Weather, and everyone abroad mentions the bad British weather first and the bad food second - even though I really like English food, but this will be another post!
First of all, the English weather-speak is a form of code. It's either ritual greetings, like "Nice day, isn't it?", conversation starters, "Still raining, eh?", or default fillers, such as "Ooh, isn't it cold today?!" I have to admit I use it as a filler quite often. If a conversation gets stuck, I usually come up with the weather talk.
And, I have to say there is a lot to talk about, because the weather here is changing so quickly. Yesterday, I went for a walk in the park. When I left the house, it was super sunny and hot. I was wearing a shirt and sunglasses. As soon as I arrived in the park and sat down on a bench, it started raining. I took out my new umbrella and my cardigan, and decided to walk home. But I noticed no one else was bothered by the rain. The boys were still playing football and frisbee and the parents were still sitting around, enjoying their picnic. I swear it was pouring down when I took that picture:
In England you have to be prepared for everything: sunshine, rain, wind, clouds. I usually carry a big bag with me that includes a cardigan, a scarf, sunglasses, an umbrella, tights and sometimes a second pair of shoes, because you never know how the weather will be in an hour. I consider it as a good thing, though, because if it's raining, it's very likely that the sun will come out soon again. And often it happens at the same time. I haven't seen as many rainbows in my life as in London:
On Monday a week ago, I went to the famous Notting Hill Carnival. I was very excited since I'm a big fan of the Carnival of Cultures in Berlin: http://www.karneval-berlin.de/de/english.175.html
Most of my friends didn't wanna go, though - some are afraid of big crowds, some have still the riots on their minds - and my English friends told me only tourists go there.
But I was intrigued since the Notting Hill Carnival is held each August Bank Holiday since 1966 and is
the largest festival celebration of its kind in Europe.
Every year the streets of West London come alive, with the
sounds and smells of Europe's biggest street festival: http://www.thenottinghillcarnival.com/
So, we arrived around noon and I had the chance to get very close to the parade participants and saw some stunning costumes:
What I really liked in Berlin was, that we actually participated in the parade in the end. There was a truck with electronic music and lots of young people followed it and we all danced and had an amazing time. In Notting Hill, I also discovered a guy who actively took part, at least in the musical side of the parade. He was standing on a balcony, had a couple of instruments with him and played whatever fit the best: drums, guitar etc.
I very much enjoyed most of the parade, but there were also scenes that really annoyed me and I'd describe as "not sophisticated". I think a day like that is a great opportunity to present your culture to a broad audience and you shouldn't miss that chance by performing vulgar scenes.
But all in all, if you would like to get a glimpse of how the Carnival in Rio might be, you like Caribbean food and Latin music, go there next year - preferably early in the day! But don't forget your sanitizers ;-)
Yesterday was probably one of the last summery days in London and I have to admit I spent it inside. I attended a seminar about "Find Mr. Right with the UK's top dating coach?!"
A friend of mine invited me, it was for free (check it out on meetup.com because unlike most of the other girls I didn't pay a penny for it) and you know I'm always interested in:
1) What kind of people, in this case women, go to a seminar like that and why?
2) What is he/ she gonna tell me I don't already know?
First of all, I have to say I was very surprised to find more than one hundred young, very good-looking, smart and charming girls there. I was thinking how can it be that they can't find the right guy? Matthew answerered it by saying that we behave differently around the one guy we actually like - which is definitely true. And some of the girls told me they don't even feel confident about smiling at guys they like. That's also the reason why we always attract the wrong guys. We are relaxed and chilled out around them. Some girls said they even postponed their dates in order to use what they would learn in the seminar. That's how insecure some of them were even though they seem so attractive and successful in other parts of their lives
Second of all, I know exactly why the media (he talks on the BBC, ITV, CNN and is in all big newspapers and magazines) and also women love Matthew. He is very handsome, charismatic and a brilliant speaker. Check him out for yourself:
In my humble opinion, his presentation yesterday was too much rehearsed. But I could see that it worked with most of the other women in the room. He is very experienced in speaking and coaching. He used to be a life coach for over 5,000 businessmen who not only asked him for advice in their professional lives but also regarding dating and relationships. He now coaches women, because he knows men inside out and wants to help women to improve their love lives.
Third of all, he actually gave some interesting insights and points, e.g. the 3 step process how to attract a guy without obviously doing the first step and getting yourself in a possible zone of embarrassment:
1) Give him the look
Look at him for 1sec and then look at him again for 1sec with a playful smile
When Matthew first asked around for how long you should look at the guy someone said 30 sec, lol.
2) Get Closer
This one is about comfort zones and he explained that when someone stands in front of you, he/ she is too close, but when someone stands next to you, for example at the bar, it's even ok that this person touches your shoulder, right?!
3) Ask for a favour
It's easier to talk to someone if you ask him a favour, like could you hold my coat for a sec. Then you can say thanks and start a conversation. Plus, men like to provide and protect, so they feel great if they can help us with something.
This "Secrets of Attraction" seminar was just a little taster of the insights and practical advice that Matthew and his team of coaches deliver on the "Women's Weekends" which costs about £750. I didn't sign up for the weekend, but probably 2/3 of the girls there yesterday did.
I'd say your love life is very important and if you have been unhappy in a long time, then I think it's good to get some advice. But if you just want to know some little tips and tricks, check out Matthew's website: http://www.gettheguy.co.uk/
Brick Lane in East London was once associated with poor slums and prostitution. It's known as the area where Jack the Ripper (also called 'The Whitechapel Murderer') was up to mischief. Nowadays nothing in this vibrant and colourful neighbourhood reminds you of its old, dark days.
In my opinion Brick Lane stands for street art, galleries, markets and vintage stores. Oh, and it's also called "Banglatown" due to its large Bangladeshi-Sylheti community. If you wanna have a real Indian curry, you should go to Brick Lane.
The first time I became really interested in Brick Lane was when I watched a documentary called "Graffiti Wars" that featured Banksy and Robo - 2 rival Londoner graffiti artists. I found out that Brick Lane is very famous for its graffiti which features artists like Banksy and D*Face. This is one of my favourites:
Graffiti belongs to pop culture and pop culture has always been influenced by popular TV shows such as Sesame Street. For instance, The Simpsons and Family Guy have spoofed Sesame Street. And since Brick Lane is full of pop culture it kind of makes sense to have Sesame St E1 right in the beginning of this street in East London. Brick Lane has also been used in music videos such as "All these things that I have done" by The Killers:
As I've mentioned before, Brick Lane is furthermore famous for its vintage stores and food. Here is a culinary tip (no, no Indian curry): You should go to Brick Lane Beigel Bakery which is a local institution. It's rated by some as the freshest and most delicious bagel you will ever have and is highly recommended by my friends for a post-clubbing snack.
I couldn't really find something weird or unexptected about Brick Lane to be honest. It just reminded me of Berlin with all its graffitis, street markets, vintage clothes and street artists. The East End felt exactly like Prenzlauer Berg or Kreuzberg (with the Indians replacing the Turks).
There is so much to discover, though! At every street corner you can find something worth seeing:
When you move to a foreign country, you have to meet some challenges, like finding a room/ apartment, a job, friends, a favourite place, moving all your stuff, changing phone provider etc.
One of my toughest challenges so far has been getting a bank account!
I think I had about 7 or 8 meetings at several British banks. They all requested lots of different documents. But not all documents at one time - no, every time I went there they asked for something else. It already became a running gag at work.
In the end they even gave me a questionnaire that included questions, like "How much money do you spend on clothes per month?", "How much money do you spend on entertainment per month?"
Wow! I had no idea how hard it can be for a foreigner to get a British bank account. All in all it took me 2 months to open up a simple account and when I finally accomplished this mission, I received each document in a separate letter and had another meeting with the bank employee to make sure that everything has arrived!
I've been to Berlin last week and had quite a hard time to readjust to the German culture. I've discovered a couple of differences I haven't consciously noticed before or have already become used to.
First of all, I tried to pay with £. I arrived at 6pm and it was still 30°C. We went to a nice German beer garden that night. But in my wallet were only £.
The next morning I had to take the tube and almost missed it, because I was waiting for the doors to open up automatically. But in Berlin you still have to push the button. At least you can use your phone during your journey, because the underground is not as deep as in London.
I really like the concept of standing on the right, walking on the left when using an escalator in Britain. And I know some friends of mine get really angry if tourists stand on the left and block their path. But in Berlin this concept doesn't really exist. Everyone is standing and walking wherever they want.
In most restaurants in London the tip is already included in the bill, so you don't have to bother about tipping your waiter. So, sometimes I just forgot to tip in Berlin and was very embarrassed about it afterwards.
Oh, that reminds me of another British habit I have adapted. When someone passes me, I've started to apologise - even though I didn't even touch them.
Last but not least, if you need to buy groceries or anything else, you should think of it already on Saturday, because unlike in London all shops are closed on Sundays in Germany.
The day before I left, it rained all day and I was already looking forward to going back to England!
