“In Wonderland: The Surrealist Adventures of Women Artists in Mexico and the United States”

A landmark exhibition of LACMA on the surrealist movement of women artists closed today! It showed an impressive collection of relevant artworks by major figures of this art movement like Frida Kahlo, Leonora Carrington, Lee Miller, Kay Sage, Dorothea Tanning, and Remedios Varo.

These expressive pieces of artwork deal with self discovery, self analysis and searching for identity . They seem to have a life of its own and put the viewer under a spell, where one can feel the creators’ pain, but also their curiosity in finding answers to life’s questions and dealing with life’s tragic turns.

Having opened in the end of January 2012 the exhibition closed today, May 6th. For the one who didn’t get a chance to see this magnificent art show, here is a slideshow with some of the works displayed at LACMA.

Related articles

• LACMA: In Wonderland (chogirl.wordpress.com)
• Visit Wonderland at LACMA’s New Exhibit (losangeles.cbslocal.com)
• Dorothea Tanning, oldest surviving Surrealist, dead at 101 (dangerousminds.net)
• In WONDERLAND (andreebelle.wordpress.com)
• Welcome to Wonderland (thelemoncake.com)
• Inspiration Friday ~ Beautiful Dreamers, A trip to Wonderland (dailybrilliant.wordpress.com)
• Dorothea Tanning: Painter, sculptor and poet whose work crossed artistic boundaries (independent.co.uk)

When our now eight-year old son was born it was simply expected that he would learn to speak German along with English.  There were several reasons for it. An important one was that I wanted him to be able to communicate with my parents whose knowledge of the English language would not have been sufficient enough for building a deeper relationship with my son, their grandchild. Another reason was that I had raised my older son, who was born in Germany, bilingual, and I naturally wanted to give the younger brother the same advantage of being comfortable in two languages as well as cultures – since with the language comes along also a deeper understanding of the particular culture. I had learned that early on myself that being able to dive into conversations with the natives when visiting a foreign country opens up a complete different perspective, and makes one understand people of a particular country more in depth, including their values and what makes them drive.

Challenges Ahead

What concerned us, we were initially thinking of raising our son trilingual, since my husband’s native tongue is Spanish. As much as our decision of raising our little son with three languages seemed like a very sensible one at first, it turned out to come with a lot of challenges along the way.

Feeling left out

One easily forgets that someone not understanding and speaking the other language might feel left out eventually. This often happens to be the spouse, but also other family like grandmothers, aunts, uncles etc. What we experienced in our family was that following through on speaking German with our little guy demanded a lot of patience and trust of others in the family particularly my husband whose German was limited at that time . Constant open mindedness was absolutely important for both parties in this endeavor, in addition to being consistent with speaking German despite discouraging looks and comments of people around.

Connecting to your child in your native language

Speaking of consistency, we learned first hand how hard it is for the parent who is working full time to follow through on using his/her native language. Since the main “family language” was English among us and our older children, my husband had a hard time to follow through on speaking Spanish only with our little son. He felt he couldn’t connect to his son properly since all the little guy heard during the day was either German or English. Slowly but surely my husband’s Spanish gave way to English in the end. Only now since our son is learning Spanish in school my husband experiments with speaking some Spanish with him also at home.

My child understands but doesn’t want to speak the language

Another quite common challenge I often hear about is that kids sometimes refuse speaking in the second language despite the fact that they fully understand everything. This was also the case with my older son. We had moved to California when he had just turned six years old. Even though he was already fluent in English and German at that time, he hated it when I addressed him speaking German in public. He didn’t want to be different and my speaking German to him embarrassed him in front of his friends. He constantly answered back in English and begged me to “speak normal” meaning using English when conversing with him. I then tried to reduce my German speaking to conversations at home, and ignored the fact that he was answering back in English. Today one of his courses in college is German literature after all.

Once all these various difficulties have been addressed in one way or another, it can be a very rewarding experience to raise a child with more than just one language. In our case it was not only our little son who benefitted from it and now can chat along with his cousins in Germany, but my husband learned to speak and understand German as well.

Constant immersion into the second language is one important key to success  

I believe it is very important to have the other language/s be a constant component in the daily life of a multilingual child. It is critical to implement a natural understanding of the other (native) languages especially in the very early stages of childhood. If my son wanted to watch a movie or listen to a story when he was little,  it had to be in German. Now that he is older and has his friends from school over I am more relaxed regarding German, even though our personal communication continues to be in German.

A great support not only for the child but also the specific parent I found, is initiating friendships with other children who grow up learning the same language. Join a German mother-child group or a German Immersion Kindergarten or start your own. Find some resources here on our website. Helpful in finding likeminded families can also be attending one of the German Saturday schools throughout California.

Find creative ways to immerse your child into German to strengthen those language skills. Have him/her listen to German books on tapes which make car rides fun. Watch German kids movies or TV series like Biene Maja or Die Sendung mit der Maus , and enjoy reading to them in German as well! There is great reading material out there and so much new kids & youth literature to discover, be it by German or English authors. Just get the book in German instead of English. We for example can’t get enough of Cornelia Funke’s books these days, but also can’t wait for the next book in Michael Buckley’s series “Die Grimm Akten” (engl title: “The Sisters Grimm”). They are all being read passionately in our house.

Finding adequate reading/movie material

The Goethe Institut in Los Angeles has an extensive media room and offers children even to rent out German movies. They host book fairs and Saturday movie mornings for children. There is also plenty of literature online these days, try the online libraries of the Gutenberg Projekt for example, which offer 10,000 titles for free including a great selection of Märchen and other children stories. If you are looking for a particular book or movie, try Amazon.de, they will send German movies oversees.

Should you worry about your child not learning English properly?

My experience is that since we are living in the U.S. and we are surrounded by people speaking English, one shouldn’t worry. The environment our children are growing up in is infused by the English language. Wherever they go they will most likely be addressed in English. They will have neighborhood friends who will speak English. And, as soon as your child attends Kindergarten or school he/she will make even more English speaking friends and therefore easily  learn to transition into English whenever needed and master it in perfection as well.

So dive into the fun of (re)discovering German literature and movies for your child and for yourself, and make it an enjoyable learning adventure for everyone in the family.

Finding a German Kindergarten, School, German Immersion School

Check out CaliforniaGermans Resources

http://californiagermans.com/resources/german-schools/

Further Reading Material of Interest:

Article on Language Immersion Programs for Children:  http://www.pbs.org/teachers/earlychildhood/articles/language.html

“Global Communication Begins at Home” http://www.multilingualliving.com/2012/04/24/the-abcs-of-multilingual-parenting-the-letter-t/#more-8222

Language Development – Bilingual Children http://www.babyzone.com/baby/language-development/raising-bilingual-children_73233-page-2

Foreign Language Learning for Adults: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/03/120328172212.htm

“Better living through Language Immersion” http://socialexpat.nymgo.com/?p=1242

Article on Raising a Child Bilingual: http://forward.com/articles/154652/why-my-daughter-isnt-bilingual-yet/?picks_feed=true

“German in a Multicultural World” http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/15/education/edlife/german-in-a-multicultural-world.html?pagewanted=2&_r=4

“What Role Does German Play Internationally”       http://www.magazin-deutschland.de/en/artikel-en/article/article/welche-rolle-spielt-deutsch-international.html

Online Gutenberg Book Catalog:  http://gutenberg.spiegel.de/buch/5502/1

Related articles

• What Kind of Multilingual Parent Are You? (germanintheafternoon.wordpress.com)
• Speaking Your Mind (psychologicalscience.org)

Easter Surprise 2007 (Photo credit: otzberg)

When I was a child, Easter used to be not only a religious holiday but also the holiday that rang in springtime, finally. After all that cold weather and snow, the time around Easter reminded us that winter was not here to stay for good after all. Looking out into our garden I felt happiness and excitement seeing all the different little color spots of flowers stubbornly pushing their way through a tough soil that was still hard from a long winter time. Yellow and purple ‘Krokus’ (crocus), together with ‘Schneegloeckchen’ (snowdrop flower) and yellow ‘Narcissen’ (Daffodils), that even carried so rightfully the other name “Osterglocke” (Easterbell).  Among the sparse young fresh grass peeking out here and there, these delightful little color dots were a refreshing sight, and offered the perfect back drop for a fun Easter egg hunt early on Easter Sunday morning.

Leading up to Easter it is tradition in Germany to create your own variety of Easter eggs and decorate a bunch of ‘Palmkaetzchen’ branches (branches of pussy willow) with these as ornaments. After an early morning egg hunt, Easter Sunday  often started  out with a church visit where, especially in Southern Germany,  a sampler of the foods , later enjoyed during the Easter Sunday breakfast, got  blessed by the priest during mass. In the evening the family gathered for the “Osterbraten” , which at my home traditionally was the roast of a lamb shank with delicious deserts to follow.

A beloved specialty during Easter is by the way the Easter bread, called ‘Osterstriezel’ or ‘Osterfladen’ - depending on where one lives, in the north or south of Germany. Should you like to try baking one, here is a recipe:

Happy Easter!

Check it out and let us know what you think.

We hope you like it!

But every year in March the Californian desert means much more than dry weather and sunshine. It transforms into the world tennis’ center stage and Indian Wells becomes home to the fifth largest tennis tournament in the world, the “Indian Wells Masters tournament, a.k.a. the BNP Paribas Open (previously the Pacific Life Open), a joint event of the ATP World Tour and the WTA Tour“ (wikipedia)

For a couple of weeks Indian Wells turns into the playground of the world’s tennis elite crowding up at the Indian Wells Tennis Garden, an impressive tennis facility that was built in 2000 and has 20 tennis courts, including the 16,100-seat stadium court. It is the second largest tennis stadium in the world.

The BNP Paribas Open in March is the fifth largest tennis tournament in the world outside the four Grand Slam tournaments. With its six easily accessible practice courts BNP Paribas Open offers viewers the great opportunity to watch their favorite players up close during a warm up session or a practice match and secure an autograph right after.

For the Californian, Indian Wells Tennis Garden offers a convenient way to watch some world-class tennis just a couple of hours away from Los Angeles and Orange County. The BNP Paribas Open takes place every year in March. This year it started on March 5th and will continue until March 18th, 2012. The tournament has something to offer for every tennis enthusiast. It certainly is an unforgettable experience to the seasoned tennis player and the novice alike to see the players in action so close up front. Not to mention the educational benefit. It is just amazing what one can learn just by watching the pros.

Like last year we took our eight-year old, headed out to Indian Wells, and spent a few days on the tournament grounds. We were thrilled to witness such a close match between Victoria Azarenka who got challenged by the young German Mona Barthels, who almost upset Azarenka. The match eventually, got decided by a tie breaker with a final result of V Azarenka (BLR) d M Barthel (GER) 64 67(4) 76(6) (http://www.bnpparibasopen.com/Scores/Results.aspx ) 

After having watched Djokovic on the main center court, we felt so lucky when we caught a space in a front row of one of the practice courts to watch not only Roger Federer but also Rafael Nadal in a practice with their coaches as well as in a warm up session with another player.

One of the many highlights of the trip was Federer signing our son’s hat. Our eight year old was gleaming, and it was hard to convince him to take off his hat at night. All the endless hours in the melting sun were worth it after all, even in his eyes. He is ‘sold’ on Indian Wells and definitely ready for next year’s event.

 Click to view slideshow.

Related articles

• Federer, Nadal advance at Indian Wells (alternet.org)
• Azarenka scrambles win at Indian Wells tennis (alternet.org)
• BNP Paribas Open Presents the BNP Paribas Open “What’s Inside” Quiz Sweepstakes (prweb.com)
• Nadal, Azarenka, Sharapova advance at Indian Wells (seattletimes.nwsource.com)
• Federer gives Raonic Indian Wells master class (reuters.com)

January is widely known to be the busiest month in the health and fitness industry. Many gyms actually double their sign-ups during that month. But come February or even March many have given up on their new routine and lost their initial motivation and interest. Keeping up your motivation is important but so is having engaged in the right sport or fitness program in the first place.

There are so many great programs to choose from nowadays. From Yoga to Kick boxing, to Pilates and Pure Barre, just to name some exotic ones as well. Pilates and Pure Barre seem to be leading the line these days, and are part of the “in” fitness programs. While Pure Barre is a fairly new exercise technique, Pilates has been around since the beginning of the 20^th century.

Pilates used to be an exclusive training program for the professional dance community to condition dancers, but also to help them when they were injured. Joseph Hubertus Pilates, a German national with Greek roots, had invented and promoted his Pilates method of physical fitness in the early 20^th century, and refined his technique after he had left Europe and settled in New York where he founded the first Pilates studio.

According to Wikipedia, Pilates conditions the body helping it “to build flexibility and long, lean muscles, strength and endurance in the legs, abdominals, arms, hips, and back.”   It “… is a method of exercise and physical movement designed to stretch, strengthen, and balance the body.”  (www.pilatesmethodalliance.org/about-pilates)

Having started out as a very special training regimen for only a particular group in its beginnings, Pilates is now widely available, and is being offered at many Fitness studios as well as dedicated Pilates studios. One can find many books on the technique as well, but joining a class definitely helps to get the basics down.

Pilates, Yoga and Co. is of course not to everyone’s liking, and many may just prefer a traditional workout. To keep the momentum going, and not call it quits already early in the year, make it fun and choose doing your workout routine in the outdoors, for example at the beach: Jogging along the sandy beaches or a training session with a personal trainer, who knows you and can work solely on your specific workout needs.   Los Angeles based German fitness coach Christian Klugmann offers exactly this: A training session right at Venice Beach. See for yourself in the RTL – Explosiv interview.

Get inspired and keep these muscles working… Happy February!

More to read up on:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/01/01/business/new-years-resolutions-recycled-are-a-boon-for-business.html?pagewanted=all

http://meditationyogapilates.com/joseph-pilates/

Related articles

• The Latest Revolutionary Pilates Fitness Method: Fuse Pilates (prweb.com)

On another side of the exhibition hall, James Peterson’s spectacular installation ‘Hypoxia’ is attracting  admirers of all ages. Children are in heaven here since the artist actually encourages them to touch and experience his artwork. In fact interaction with his installation is necessary to bring the installation ‘to life’: Touch causes certain lights to turn on in parts of the installation while sudden blows of air create unexpected movement.

The LA Art Show is open today, Sunday, January 22, 2012, from 11am – 5pm

This upcoming Monday is part of Target Free Holiday Mondays, which offers free entrance to all LACMA shows and a variety of children activities throughout the day. Not only will you get a look at this amazing architectural design gem, but your kids will have a moment of awe and can continue the day at LACMA with all kinds of other fun activities.

NEXGEN the LACMA Youth membership lets accompanying adults visit for free

By the way, should you have children at the ages of 3-18, get them a NEXGEN membership. It’s a free membership for children and allows one accompanying adult per child to visit LACMA for free.

My son and I just spent a great day at LACMA and actually could take a sneak preview on Metropolis II on Friday, when LACMA offered a special member preview day before the official opening of Metropolis II yesterday.

We continued our LACMA adventure with viewing the art collection at the Broad Contemporary Art Museum. Already the building with its contrasting red elements and the steep escalator, that my son named the ‘escalator to the sky’ is a delight for the eye. Inside, one can experience  the fascinating paintings and sculptures of so many famous artists like Jeff Koons, Baldessari and more.

Should you love Expressionism, then walk over to the Ahmanson building. The Rifkind Gallery for German Expressionism offers quite a selection of Kirchner, Pechstein and Co. An entire small exhibit is dedicated to Ludwig Meidner: Ecstatic Expressionism, which will be on view until April 15^th. Quite an impressive selection of other representatives of modern art can be found here on level 2 as well. From Picasso, Klee, Otto Dix to Motherwell, Rothko, Pollock, Sam Francis and Liechtenstein.

“Telling the story of the birth of the LA art scene” – PACIFIC STANDARD TIME at LACMA

German design bei Kem Weber - Desk & Chair

California Design, 1930–1965: “Living in a Modern Way” is another exhibition that should be on your agenda. As part of Pacific Standard Time: Art in L.A. 1945-1980 it gives a chronological overview through the many historical highlights that shaped California Design.

Related articles

• What’s On: Metropolis II (itsnicethat.com)
• Inside peek at LACMA’s ‘California Design’ (laobserved.com)

Image via Wikipedia

January 5th in 1933 marked the day when construction for the Golden Gate Bridge began. Five years later on May 27, 1937 the Golden Gate Bridge opened to pedestrian traffic and became a world known landmark.
“May 27, 2012 marks 75 years for the Golden Gate Bridge and a wonderful opportunity to recognize the history, beauty, and ingenuity of this famous span…” (GodenGateBridge75.org) San Francisco is getting ready for the 75th anniversary celebrations.
The two-day Golden Gate Festival, from May 26-27, 2012 will recall and tell the story of the bridge. If you like to see what kind of activities are planned or want to read up on the Golden Gate history, or read about some fun facts, check out these links: Golden Gate Bridge 75th Anniversary & Golden Gate Bridge Research Library.

Take a virtual walk over the Golden Gate, in case you are not in San Francisco…

Related articles

• Today’s Special (ohmsweetohmdotme.wordpress.com)
• Golden Gate Bridge celebrates 75 years throughout 2012 (gadling.com)
• Golden Gate Bridge is the best bridge … wait, what? (sfgate.com)

Have a great start into 2012!

Happy New Year !