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All Things German In California

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Engage your Kids with Learning German during Covid-19

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Usually, we love hearing the words “School is out!”,… but at the start of summer. This year is different. School has been out for quite a while now and summer hasn’t even started yet. It’s been some challenging weeks for children and parents alike.

While having (more) free time sounded very appealing at first, many kids now actually yearn for some academic challenges and guided intellectual interaction during this ongoing pandemic with its shelter-at-home restrictions.

To keep your children engaged, GASA (German American School Association) is starting Online German Classes geared towards children 4 years & older. A minimum of 8 students per class is required, so grab a bunch of your children’s friends and form your own virtual German learning group with the help of GASA.

Classes start already next week, with Session 1, May 11th through June 6th. Session 2 is scheduled for June 8th through July 4th.

Check out the flyer below for more information. Bis bald!

Image: Chuck Underwood from Pixabay

FREE Live Concert Celebrates Transatlantic Partnership & Solid Friendship During this Pandemic – April 30th

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Bremerhaven – New York: “Voice Over Piano” plays in the ‘Grand Central Terminal’ 

Live – Online concert from the “Grand Central Terminal” at German Emigration Center Bremerhaven with Sara Dähn and Band on Thursday, April 30th, 2020, at 12 p.m. EST on Facebook and Instagram 

Something that seemed impossible these days suddenly becomes reality: The band Voice Over Piano with lead singer Sara Dähn and pianist and entertainer Thomas Blaeschke presents songs by Frank Sinatra, QUEEN, and their own original material. The concert takes place in ‘New York’s Grand Central Terminal’ at the German Emigration Center in Bremerhaven, which hosts the exact replica of NY Grand Central Terminal at their exhibition space.

The two musicians have been transmitting a concert once a week from various locations in Bremen, a city in Northern Germany, via their “Voice Over Piano” account on Facebook and Instagram reaching thousands of viewers – not only in Germany, where the Band is based in Hamburg and Berlin but also in the USA. 

“Be it rock, pop, funk & soul, chanson or musical, we blend together all of these genres in one performance on our world wide concerts bringing together people from all different backgrounds, colors, ethnicities, and belief, and even more so during the time of the CORONAVIRUS pandemic,” explain Thomas and Sara their mission and vision for these online concerts. 

The German Emigration Center in Bremerhaven

The German Emigration Center is situated on a historic site in the New Harbor, which opened in 1852 and was the departure point for approximately 1.2 million emigrants to the New World by 1890. 

Along with Bremerhaven’s Mayor Torsten Neuhoff and members of the City Council and Bremerhaven Tourism (BIS) it was decided that the world known Emigration Center would be the most perfect location for a unique concert celebrating Transatlantic partnership and solid friendship during this pandemic. “We are thinking very often of our dear friends and colleagues in New York, still the American epicenter of this pandemic, hoping the best for them and are very pleased that Governor Andrew Cuomo, is doing whatever is needed to overcome this terrible situation.”

“Ultimately, it’s about friendship across borders, encouragement to continue and stay healthy and above all to thank the first responders, the nurses, doctors, police officers, firemen and – women, everyone who puts her or his life on the line to help us survive. Thank you and we are proud to sing and play music to all of you,” says Thomas. 

The show can be followed live by everyone on Facebook and Instagram or viewed again on Facebook and YouTube sometime later. 

The broadcast will take place on Thursday, April 30, 2020, from 12 p.m. EST 

Live:
Facebook: “Voice Over Piano” – Instagram: “VoiceOverPiano” 

Media library:
Facebook: “Voice Over Piano” and “Thomas Blaeschke” YouTube: “Thomas Blaeschke / VoiceOverPiano” Instagram: IGTV “VoiceOverPiano” 

Information at http://www.VoiceOverPiano.com 

At Sommerfest Federal Chancellery Berlin

The Voice Over Piano contributors are: 

Sara Dähn – vocals and moderation, Thomas Blaeschke – piano, band leader and moderation, Stephan Werner – electric bass, Mark Wetjen – drums, Frederic Drobnjak -electric guitar

Text and Images: ©VoiceOverPiano

GASA’s Summer Camp 2020 – German Adventure for Kids

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Southern California’s German-American School Association, short GASA, has its overnight German Immersion Summer Camp scheduled for June 2020.

I think we all can use a little cheering up these days. So, let’s look at summer and the potential of all the beautiful things you can do here in Southern California. If you have children and don’t plan on traveling overseas, you might be looking for something fun and entertaining for them. GASA’s German Immersion Camp offers all that and more!

Planned for June 14th-June 20th, 2020 the overnight German Immersion Camp will take place at the Irvine Ranch Outdoor Recreation Center in Orange, CA. The camp is geared towards kids, ages 8-16 years.

During the 7 days and 6 nights of adventure, kids will have plenty of fun with special activities like zip-lining, wall climbing, and swimming. They will learn about the Germanic people and their struggle to remain free with “The Battle of the Teutoburg Forest” and they’ll learn useful skills in a planned Hye Katch Do art of self-defense class. On top, fun activities such as nature hikes, dancing, singing, crafting, campfire, baking, sports, games and fishing round up the German camp experience. All activities will be conducted in German.

Ready to enroll? Check out the link: http://germanschool4kids.org/camps/

Image: ©GASA

California has over 9 Billion in Unclaimed Assets. Do Some Belong to You?

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Did the past holiday deplete your bank account and left you feeling you have started January with a little hole in your budget? Then go check out if the California State Government’s database has listed some unclaimed assets that possibly belong to you! You might just find yourself ending up with some extra cash.

“How can some of my assets end up with the California State government”, you may ask?

“Businesses like banks and insurance companies are required by law to transfer property to the state controllers office if it goes unclaimed for a certain period of time, generally three years. ” (NBC Los Angeles)

What is considered “Unclaimed property”? 

It is generally defined as any financial asset that has been left inactive by the owner for a period of time. Among the most common types of “Unclaimed Property” are: 

  • Bank accounts & Safe Deposit box contents
  • Stocks, mutual funds, and the like
  • Insurance benefits
  • Uncashed cashier’s checks and money orders
  • And more…

There is no time limit or fee for filing a claim! So it’s for sure worth a try to carve out some time to search the database provided by California State Controller’s office. You may be pleasantly surprised. At least, I know I was when I checked the database, just for fun, and found out that apparently I had some unclaimed assets of about $100. Okay, okay,… it’s not groundbreaking, but hey, who doesn’t welcome a few dollars that he didn’t know he had in the first place!

If you want to give it a try, here is the database URL to try your luck!

To find out more about how you keep your property from being turned over to the State Controller’s office, check out the California State Controller’s website here

Image: Pixabay.com – Resources: California State Controller’s Office, NBCLA

“The Medea Insurrection: Radical Women Artists Behind the Iron Curtain” at the Wende Museum

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To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, The Wende Museum in Los Angeles has put on a special exhibition in collaboration with the Goethe Institut. “The Medea Insurrection: Radical Women Artists Behind the Iron Curtain“ is also part of Wunderbar Together and is on view until April 5th, 2020.

Medea: the controversial archetype of female strength and passion from the East. In the years before the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, East European writers and painters often turned to ancient mythology to express their discontent with authoritarian rule. Their interpretations of mythological figures like Medea, Cassandra, and Penthesilea were crucial in shaping contemporary images for women, and sometimes they were straight-up punk. Working under the radar of the accepted art establishment, the artists in this exhibition provoked, protested, played with fire, and experimented while refusing socialist and bourgeois stereotypes.

The Medea Insurrection was conceptualized and curated by Susanne Altmann for the Albertinum (Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden). It has been adapted by the Wende Museum for its Culver City appearance. 

The Medea Insurrection: Radical Women Artists Behind the Iron Curtain is part of Wunderbar Together: The Year of German-American Friendship 2018/19, an initiative funded by the German Federal Foreign Office, implemented by the Goethe-Institut, and supported by the Federation of German Industries (BDI).

The Medea Insurrection: Radical Women Artists Behind the Iron Curtain.

WHERE & WHEN:

The Wende Museum
The Armory, Culver City, California
November 10, 2019 – April 5, 2020

Image: ©The Wende Museum

“Liberty Train – Next Stop Freedom” DocuDrama at Alpine Village

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Commemorating the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall the Consulate General of Germany and the German American School Association invite to a special film screening of “Liberty Train – Next Stop Freedom” at the Alpine Village, Sunday, November 17th, 2019.

The documentary reconstructs historical events that started with Hans Dietrich Genscher’s announcement on September 30, 1989, that the East German refugees occupying the West German embassy in Prague were allowed to leave for West Germany. Special trains should bring the refugees from Prague to West Germany but via the GDR. Dramatic events happen when the trains travel through East Germany, with people trying to jump onto the ‘Train to Freedom’ to the passengers inside fearing they would be taken off the train when Stasi members are getting on the train and start collecting passports.

[Read more…] about “Liberty Train – Next Stop Freedom” DocuDrama at Alpine Village

FEUER (Ein Gedicht von Claudia Tichy)

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Feuer

Es graut, es riecht – streng – Feuer?
Die Tiere, seltsam, anders
Der Sturm stört, weshalb diesmal? Sonst doch nicht?

Es graut, es riecht – Feuer?
Vorne und hinten, es fühlt sich gefährlich…
Bestätigung ja, zwei, gefährlich?
Nein, wir doch nicht, doch nicht wir!

Doch! Gemeinsames Essen, was tun? Jetzt?
Sortieren, was ist Dir, was ist Mir – WERT?
Gefühl oder Verstand?
Ersetzbar oder Nicht?

Wann gehen? Sorge – die Tiere!
Wohin – check – klar!
Packen – loslassen – verabschieden
LIEBE ja LIEBE

Ankommen, sicher? Gedanken, nein!
Folgen im Jetzt…die Tiere?!
Alles gut! Alles gut?
Nein! Es kommt wieder, es kommt!

Weiter, die Tiere, weiter
Die Nacht, dunkel und gefährlich
Der ständige Rauch in den Lungen
Unwichtig, wohin, die Tiere?!

Wieder ankommen, morgens, alles vorbei?
Jetzt sicher? Die Tiere geschützt?
Ausatmen, kurz endlich schlafen…
ALARM!! Wieder Gefahr…

Weiter, packen, wohin? Check!
Verkehr dicht! Panik und Flucht spürbar…
Unsicherheit – alles verloren – egal!
Egal? JA – wir sind! WIR leben!

Ankommen – aller guter Dinge sind drei?
Bleiben und langsam erholen…
Ungewiss, was kommt danach?

Danach wohin?Wie?
Hilfsangebote überall – überwältigt!
Oberfläche – keine Spur!
Ernsthafte mitfühlenden Kraft und Unterstützung…

Das andere Kalifornien?
Auf diese Art näher gebracht?
Plötzlich verbindend und gefühlt?
Zusammen gehörend?

Miteinander fühlend, trauernd sich freuend
Diesmal tief und ehrlich…
Dankbarkeit und Verbundenheit
Aus diesem gemeinsamen Schicksal

FEUER

.

©Claudia Tichy

Image: Pixabay.com

——————————————————————————————————————–Claudia_Portrait

Claudia Tichy, originally from Steyr, Austria, lived in Southern California until March 2019. She experienced California’s wildfires in the fall of 2018 first hand, which inspired her to write this poem. In spring of 2019 she moved back to Austria. Read more about Claudia in our XPAT Spotlight Interview with her husband. she now lives in California. Her stories are inspired by her experiences as an educator, a mother of four children and her therapeutical work. Children and families have always been the most important component of her work. Her innermost desire is to share all her experiences with happiness and love. That’s also how her first book  Tesha Discovers The World came about, a book that takes into consideration the sensibility but also the simplicity of the soul. The book reflects Claudia’s intention: not to seduce the mind but rather touch the soul… and with it start a healing motion in the reader’s life. Connect with Claudia Tichy and HealingSystems here.

 

Summer Adventures Revisited

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Two days ago was the official start of FALL! Yes, can you believe it? Summer is over at least according to the calendar. But don’t we all love to take a look back to these blissful days of summer, recalling our adventures?

That’s exactly what Eric Goldston and Kai Levato did. These two teenagers attended GASA’s German Summer Camp at Irvine Ranch Outdoor Education Center and had such an inspiring experience that they felt compelled to share their adventure with you!

GASA Camp June 2019: Der Zauberlehrling

By Eric Goldston (17) and Kai Levato (15)

[Read more…] about Summer Adventures Revisited

German Summer Camps in San Diego at GPSSD

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GPSSD German Summer Camps for Kids – A creative way to Learn German in San Diego

A few years ago, a brave woman from East Germany started a project that is now a wonderful meeting place for many German-speaking families and families, who are interested in the German language: The German Pacific School of San Diego.

In the beginning, Wiebke Elbe, a former pharmacist, had just a few resources but managed quickly to connect with a number of similar oriented projects in San Diego and other parts of California.

With growing know-how, she started one German after-school-class in a small facility in Clairemont followed by the first German Summer Camp in San Diego.

Within six years the school has grown and now has 4 locations in La Jolla, Clairemont, Carmel Valley and Poway with more than 200 students attending classes from 4 to 6 pm during the week and Saturday classes.

Our founder Wiebke has started a new project in Norway! But she has put so much effort and energy in our project, that today GPSSD is thriving and continuing attracting more and more germanophile families that attend our school.

Wiebke has always made a point of creating a relaxed and stimulating learning atmosphere. She had a discreet manner to inspire our teachers and helpers. She induced them to the philosophy that German lessons and German summer camps should be a fun experience, where children should be inspired and helped to develop their own initiatives and creativity.

With our new principal Christine Johnson, we are continuing this philosophy, and we are still getting a lot of support and help from Wiebke and her husband Hauke.

What about our German Summer Camp?  

Summer Camp 2019 will be amazing! This year it’s all about magic!

This year’s GPSSD camp will be at a wonderful location at the French American School in La Jolla! It’s a campus that offers a lot of space for many outdoor and indoor activities.

GPSSD 2019 Summer Camp’s Topics and Activities

Depending on their interests, the campers will dive into a magical atmosphere where they can learn magic tricks, create their own theater play or even create their own video ( 3rd week)! We would like to give our campers impulses and inspiration and then encourage and help them to create their own play or show.

In our magic oriented group,  campers will read and listen to magic stories and plays. The magic flute might appear from time to time to enchant us with new ideas. Campers will also be surprised by magic tricks and then learn and practice them for a little end of the week show.

In our theater oriented group, campers will get inspiration by German plays and stories, ways to perform a play, and materials they could use. Our camp teacher Heather has a broad spectrum of ideas and ways to carry away our campers imagination. They can choose to create a performance that matches their interests, from a simple puppet show or a self-performed play on stage.

In our third week, campers will create their own small video with the stop motion film making technique.

“Creating a Movie”

A lot of crafting, painting of props and other hands-on activities are always part of our summer camps. All groups will liven up their activities with fun games and a lot of music and entertainment. We will also do Karaoke and will not only use the airy sports field but also the playground to do our outdoor activities. And, of course, our camps are full immersion German language camps.

That means that we will help our campers to better understand German words and sentences by repeating, describing and explaining German expressions. We will also help our campers to produce German sentences and to speak German by their own initiative.

We are looking forward to a relaxed and fun summer event, that will take place from June 24 to July 12, 2019 from 9am to 4 pm. And there is also aftercare available for working families.

Weekly sessions can be booked online at www.gpssd.org. Call us for more information at 858-461-9118 or send us an email, germanpacificschool(AT)gmail.com

Text: Vicky Ripart – GPSSD Camp Team

Images: ©GermanPacificSchoolSanDiego

German Summer Camps for Kids In California – 2019

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HAPPY SUMMER – It’s Camp Time!

Have you chosen the perfect summer activity for your child yet? Here are some German Summer Camps to choose from. We will add to the list as we hear of other summer camps out there. Let us know, too, if you hear of one!

GPSSD German Summer Camp in San Diego – from June 24 to July 12 – 3 weeks to choose:

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GermanSchoolCampus Summer Camp in Newport Beach – June 17th -21st – Math Camp or Dance Camp:

MATH CAMP :


Summer Math Camp – $295/week covers fees and materials. Camp will proceed with a minimum of 6 Sign-ups, maximum 12.

DANCE CAMP – Rumba / ChaCha / Samba / Waltz

Learn dancing Rumba, Cha Cha, Samba and Waltz with Martine. Find more info on their website

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GASA’s German Immersion Overnight – Camp at the Irvine Ranch Outdoor Education Center Irvine – June 16th to 22nd

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Tivoli German Summer Camp for Toddlers in Santa Monica – from July 29th – August 2nd

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Let us know about a German Camp near you!!

Featured Image: Pixabay.com