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All Things German In California

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School is back in session! Viel Glück im neuen Schuljahr.

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Schultüte

We are starting the second week in September, and the truth is… Summer is over now! Even if it’s not the official end of this favorite season, it sure feels like it.

Once all kids are back in school again and you don’t hear the laughter of children playing in the streets all day, the beaches are deserted, and the freeways are crowded again, I know,… the serious side of life is back.

All children in California are back in school as of last week. Some were lucky enough to enjoy their summer vacation until right after Labor Day, others had to go back to school already in the middle of August.

German language schools in California are back in session as well. If you are interested in enrolling yourself or your children, go check all of them out on our website. No matter where you are, Northern California or Southern California, we have many of them listed here.

Here is the latest news from some of them:

Congratulations, German Pacific School San Diego! GPSSD just received WASC accreditation!  WASC (Western Association of Schools And Colleges) is the official body responsible for the accreditation of public and private schools in all of California. This accreditation means that students officially can get middle and high school credit for their German classes taken at GPSSD. The younger students will benefit from a program that utilizes WASC approved structures and mechanisms to ensure continuation of high-quality education and care. GPSSD is the only supplemental German language program in San Diego with WASC accreditation. Congratulations GPSSD! This is quite an accomplishment.

German School Campus in Newport Beach (GSC) started its new school year already way back in August. This year the school introduced its first PreK-Kindergarten class for the school year 2018/19. Way to go!

And…

German-American School Association of Southern California (GASA), serving the German community with several German schools throughout Southern California, just added a German language class for adults in Torrance at the Los Angeles Turner Museum and opened the doors to a brand new German language school in Temecula. 

Nice work!

Schulranzen, German School backpacks

Let us know what’s new at your German school and we can include you in future updates on German Schools in California.

Image Credits: ©CaliforniaGermans

Following Your Dream – A Challenging Experience at Times! (Interview)

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DSC_5917XPAT Spotlight – Interview with Franziska Steinmetz originally from Barleben near Magdeburg in Saxony-Anhalt.

Persistence, flexibility, and determination mark Franziska’s path of making her dream of living in California a reality.

When she traveled to the USA for the first time as a teenager, Franziska was bewitched by the beauty of California and decided to check out the U.S. as soon as she had finished school. She chose to become an au pair to find out if living in the United States was something she would like to pursue.

Today, Franziska lives in Alameda, CA, but her search for a way to make California her home forever isn’t over just yet. 

Read about her challenging journey in our interview. [Read more…] about Following Your Dream – A Challenging Experience at Times! (Interview)

Travel Life after AirBerlin : Norwegian is the Way to Go

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Robbed Of Our Favorite Choice to Fly to Germany, We Were On A Mission to Find A Replacement.

AirBerlin used to be our go-to airline for years whenever Germany was calling . Even though the leg space between seats seemed to have shrunk a bit each time we booked another flight, we appreciated that it was an airline that would only have one stop-over (depending on the destination), and that one was already in Germany.

Besides, AirBerlin always surprised with a special touch like giving out chocolate hearts upon boarding or sometimes upon arrival, or delighting kids with little toys like stuffed toy airplanes and such. Best of all was that it was an airline that proofed reliable, at least to us, and was not breaking our bank; an important factor if you travel as a family with kids in tow.

Unfortunately, Air Berlin filed for bankruptcy last year, in 2017. “Now what?”, was my first desperate thought. Knowing we would fly to Germany in the summer of 2018 I was determined to find an airline option that would offer me a similar service at a price that would still let me enjoy my vacation. [Read more…] about Travel Life after AirBerlin : Norwegian is the Way to Go

The Captain – A new film by Robert Schwentke on the true story of the Executioner of Emsland

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THE CAPTAIN, a new German biopic, is based on the true story of the Executioner of Emsland in the final days of WWII . It opens in Los Angeles on August 10th at the Nuart Theatre with a Q&A session with director Robert Schwentke to follow.

About The Movie:

Based on the arresting true story of the Executioner of Emsland, THE CAPTAIN follows a German army deserter, Willi Herold (Max Hubacher), after he finds an abandoned Nazi captain’s uniform in the final weeks of World War II. Emboldened by the authority the uniform grants him, he amasses a band of stragglers who cede to his command despite the suspicions of some. Citing direct orders from the Fuhrer himself, he soon takes command of a camp holding German soldiers accused of desertion and begins to dispense harsh justice. Increasingly intoxicated by the unquestioned authority, this enigmatic imposter soon discovers that many people will blindly follow the leader, whomever that happens to be.
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Simultaneously a historical docudrama and sociological examination with undertones of the absurd, THE CAPTAIN presents fascism as something of a game to be played by those most gullible and unscrupulous.
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Director: 
Robert Schwentke (Red, Insurgent, Tattoo)
Main Cast includes : Max Hubacher as Willi Herold (Night Train to Lisbon), Milan Peschel as Freytag (The Manny/Der Nanny),  Frederick Lau as Kipinski (Victoria),  Alexander Fehling as Junker (Inglorious Basterds)
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Watch The Movie for FREE !

Claim one pair of tickets from us that invites you and a friend to see the movie at the Nuart Theatre starting August 13th. (More information is printed on the ticket)

Send an email to californiagermans(AT)gmail.com with “Let me watch The Captain for Free” in the subject line. We will select one winner at random from the first 10 people who email us.

Credits: Images and Video by Music Box Films
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Reaching For The Stars! Hollywood Here I Come. (Interview)

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XPAT Spotlight – Interview with German Actor Constantin Cascante

Graduating German high school (Gymnasium) with accolades and having won prizes in subjects like Economy, French and Latin, Constantin Cascante was expected to continue his path in the academics and go for a career in medicine, business or law. But to the surprise of everyone and against all odds Constantin chose a much unexpected path.

He decided to pursue his passion since childhood. Acting!

In search of the ‘American Dream’, he set out for his adventure and left Germany at the age of 19. After stops in Oxford and New York, he finally ended up in Hollywood – a dream come true for all actors.

Born in Tübingen and raised in Stuttgart, Constantin now lives in Studio City in Los Angeles.

Constantin, you’re living THE dream! You were in the midst of preparing for entrance exams to get into Oxford when you suddenly changed course and decided to follow your childhood dream of becoming an actor.

Instead of Oxford, you set out to make it in the film industry. Today, you are in fact successfully working in the industry. I am sure it wasn’t just as easy as it all sounds… [Read more…] about Reaching For The Stars! Hollywood Here I Come. (Interview)

XPAT Spotlight – A New Interview Series Starting this Friday

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XPAT Spotlight – A New Interview Series Starting this Friday

To celebrate our new website we are launching a new monthly series this Friday:

 – XPAT Spotlight – 

Following our principles to offer you a personal look into living here in California through our stories, articles, and reports on things, that we experience here in this beautiful State ourselves, we have feverishly worked on this new series for you.

We are so excited that it’s finally happening and we have some interesting stories for you lined up. Every last Friday of the month we will surprise you with a new installment of our XPAT Spotlight.

Ever wonder what brings other expats out here to live in California? How do they make life in California work for them? What do they do for a living? And, how about if a wave of ‘Heimweh’ is catching on to them?

This and more you’ll read in our interviews with expats, who have left their home in Austria, Germany or Switzerland to come live here in California.

People, like you and me, share with us their stories and adventures of making California their new home. You learn of their struggles and get to celebrate their successes. You witness how some have reinvented themselves while others came here with a firm idea and strong conviction of what they want to accomplish here.

Read for yourself and be touched by the experiences of other expats. Get inspired!

Our first XPAT Spotlight is all about famous Hollywood and the world of acting! 

 

Image Credits: pixabay.com

In Love with ‘The Sun’ featured in the Transitions Lenses Commercial

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WHO IS PAROV STELAR?

Do you know that feeling? You are watching a commercial on TV and suddenly you can’t get enough of it.  You are just waiting for this particular commercial to come back on the screen. But not so much because of the commercial but rather for its SONG!

That is what’s happening to me right now when I hear or see the Transitions Lenses Commercial. And, depending on the channel you are watching, you can actually see it quite often these days!

What drew me in to the commercial was the spirit of the song, which is by the way masterfully paired with beautiful images. (Thumbs up for the Transitions’ marketing department here.)

My family doesn’t much watch TV usually, but sometimes in the evenings the TV just seems to be on almost to provide some ‘white background noise’. On one of these days, this particular song lured me out, made me stop whatever I was doing, and beckoned to just listen… [Read more…] about In Love with ‘The Sun’ featured in the Transitions Lenses Commercial

Ilka Sternberger and Tivoli Rainbow Garden Preschool celebrate 10th Anniversary – (Interview)

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Rainbow Garden Preschool in Los Angles celebrated its 10th Anniversary this past weekend. We interviewed Ilka Sternberger on the occasion of this event.

June 2, 2018 marked a special day for Ilka Sternberger. Her preschool Tivoli Rainbow Garden Preschool in L.A. celebrated its 10th anniversary and Ilka herself was honored by her school community. A school community that has become family over the years and has turned parents into friends.

Ilka, a gifted educator, who immigrated to the United States from Wiesbaden 29 years ago, has become indispensable for families of the German community in and around Los Angeles. Parents love her for creating a warm and welcoming atmosphere for their children while being immersed in the German language and learning all about German traditions as well.

That’s why parents wanted to make sure to let her know just how grateful they are for her creating such a wonderful and peaceful learning environment that sparks the imagination of their children every single school day. The 10-year anniversary party this past Saturday was full of surprises. From special speeches to a video full of memorable moments and special dedications.

In our interview, Ilka Sternberger shares with us how she started Rainbow Garden preschool 10 years ago, and what an impact this had not only on her life but on so many others as well. [Read more…] about Ilka Sternberger and Tivoli Rainbow Garden Preschool celebrate 10th Anniversary – (Interview)

A New Look For CaliforniaGermans.com

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We are changing the look and feel of our website!

It was about time for CaliforniaGermans to finally get a ‘facelift’. Well, we are so excited to let you know that we finally did it!!  We will be changing to the new layout over the next few days.

Should you encounter any problems loading our site or not find what you are looking for, please let us know. Send us a quick note via our Contact Page!

With the new design, we hope to make it eventually easier for you to find what you are looking for. It’s a work in progress and even after the design-switch we will still continue making several updates to our site. Please have patience with us!

As always, we welcome your input and suggestions and would love to hear what you think of our new look. Let us know in the comments 🙂

Celebrate with us the new face of CaliforniaGermans!

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