All Things German In California
Check out what’s happening in the German community next!
Its’ Spring and you’ll find festivals and celebrations everywhere inviting you to the outside to enjoy the warmer weather in the company of your friends and family. The German community in CA has been busy to plan some spring events for you. Check them out below: [Read more…] about What’s Next? – Celebrate Spring with German Events
It’s time to get serious about thinking and planning for a summer camp. We had posted some of the camps in February, so this is a re-post with a few new updates. Look through our list and find your favourite pick!
[Read more…] about German Summer Camps 2018 – Deutsche Sommerferien in California (Updated)
YOU KNOW YOU ARE TRULY GERMAN…
…When the phrases listed below make you laugh (or cringe).
Every language has its proverbs. Some well-known English ones include:
Or
Here are some examples that we are familiar with in the German culture:
Or
Now, some of these proverbs can be easily translated into the other language. But there are certain ones that just sound silly if you do translate them word by word. Some of my fellow German readers might have heard of these before. . [Read more…] about You Know You Are Truly German…
YOU KNOW YOU LIVE CLOSE TO HOLLYWOOD WHEN…
… You run into famous celebrities from time to time. I have always been fascinated with the film and television industry, and it was like a dream come true when my parents took me to visit Hollywood for the first time during a vacation back in 1998.
While the Hollywood Walk of Fame may not be the prettiest and cleanest attraction on the planet, during our trip I was fascinated by it. I loved seeing the names of famous people from various fields of the entertainment industry framed in pink stars scattered along the streets. Little did I know that I was actually going to see an actual celebrity just the next day.
We had tickets for the Universal Studios Hollywood. It was a warm summer day, and the park was packed. While we were waiting in line for the Jurassic Park ride, my mom was looking around and faced the back side, where the actual film studios are located. She suddenly let out a gasp and announced that Mr. Pretty Woman aka Richard Gere just drove by on the studio lot.
I quickly turned around, and there it was, my first major celebrity sighting. Even though I just caught a very short glimpse of Richard scooting in a golf cart in between the sets, it was still something I was very looking forward to telling my High School friends back in Germany.
My next major sighting occurred a couple years ago at LAX airport, also known as “celebrity central” (nah, I just made that up, but it suits the location.) I was on my way to visit my best friend in Dallas and was hanging out at the departure gate for my flight.
As it was getting closer to boarding time, I stood up and walked closer towards the boarding area. While I was standing close to a pole and checked my phone, I noticed two women standing close to me, one of them looking very familiar. I took a longer peek over, and then it dawned on me: There, only a few inches away from me stood Kirsten Dunst.
She seemed so normal and no one was bothering her that you wouldn’t have noticed her. She and her girlfriend were just standing there talking to each other. I kept glimpsing over, but since I am generally not the type that walks over to ask for autographs or pictures, I didn’t want to bother her.
What a fun coincidence it was that she was on the same flight as me. But what stood out to me the most was that, instead of sitting in first class and participating in priority boarding, she actually joined the “normal” crowd and sat in Economy Class. This was by far my favorite celebrity moment and showed me again that, at the end of the day, Hollywood stars are just like us.
My latest celebrity experience occurred in 2014 in Laguna Beach. It was on a Sunday, and a couple of friends and I had just finished a hike around the Laguna Canyons when we decided to grab some food. We went to a burger place close to the beach.
I didn’t even notice it at first when we entered the restaurant since all I could focus on at that point was food, but two of my girlfriends started whispering to each other. All I heard them saying was, “there is Batman.” I had no clue what they were talking about and just raised my brows, then put my attention back on the host who was guiding us to our table.
When we all set down, my friends kept peeking over towards the entrance of the restaurant. Since I still hadn’t figured out what was going on, I leaned back in my chair so I could glimpse past them and then realized why they were so excited. There, at one of the tables on the other end of the restaurant, sat Christian Bale with his family.
I was a huge fan of The Dark Knight Rises, and so were my friends. While I was just enjoying being in the same restaurant as the latest Batman actor, my two girlfriends were arguing to go over and ask for a picture with him or not. I was totally not up for it, obviously because I am always too shy to ask and second because he was there with his kids and wife.
My friends eventually decided against it and we just indulged our food until it was time to pay. Christian Bale and his family had already left, but our waiter was pretty excited about the whole situation as well. When he came to give us the check he blurted out, “Did you guys just see that Christian Bale was here?!” We all started laughing and then asked him a million questions about how it was to serve such a famous actor.
So whenever you are going on with your life in Southern California, be aware that around every corner a celebrity could be awaiting you.
Images: pixabay.com
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Anne-Kathrin Schulte is a contributor for CaliforniaGermans.com. She writes about her personal experience of the American Dream as well as on working as an au pair in CA. She was born and grew up in Düsseldorf, Germany, where she completed her degree as a state-approved Kindergarten teacher. After her au pair engagement in the US and a quick return to Germany, she decided to attend university in California and moved back to the United States. She has been living in Southern California since 2011.
If you would like to contact Anne-Kathrin, please send an email to californiagermans(at)gmail.com and place her name in the subject line.
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A FRIENDSHIP FOR A LIFETIME
Recently, I have talked about a friendship that unfortunately didn’t survive the long distance between Germany and the US. Luckily though, I was able to maintain the majority of my relationships, even though it is sometimes really hard to stay in touch. One friendship I have been very blessed with is the one with my best friend.
Let me tell you, my best friend and I had quite a few bumps on the road that we had to overcome, but nothing was able to destroy our bond (even if it might have seemed that way in those particular moments). We have been through many, many ups and downs together, including losses of family members, severe illnesses, broken relationships, and pregnancies. But let’s circle back to where it all began.
We were four years old when we met in a German kindergarten in the town we both grew up. We also were in the same class during elementary school. Throughout these two stages of our life, we were friends, but not BFFs. We had occasional play dates, but especially during the later stages of elementary school, we had one particular “friend” interfering with us.
What basically happened was that this one girl was pretty jealous whenever my best friend and I were hanging out. Eileen (name changed due to privacy) could not stand it if she wasn’t involved, and she became mad and mean.
I remember one specific time, when I was about to have a sleepover at my best friend’s house, and Eileen called and told me that if I would go over there, she would stop being friends with me. Gosh, we were seven, eight years old at that time, but she acted like a jealous boyfriend. With her behavior, she drove a wedge between my best friend and me.
When we graduated elementary school, my best friend and I went on to different schools, while Eileen and I continued our path together. But her behavior didn’t change. I remember one time when we were changing after P.E. class, and she asked me who my parents had voted for in the recent election. I told her that that information was discrete and I wasn’t going to disclose it.
Instead of accepting my response, she threatened me that she would not give me back my stuffed animal horse I had borrowed her. When I think about this now I start laughing, but back in the days, I didn’t think it was funny at all. It is probably not a big surprise when I tell you that we are not friends anymore.
So, to make a long story short, throughout High School, my best friend and I kept in touch but we weren’t that close at the time. Some friendships will take their time to grow into a strong relationship, which is how it was with us.
After finishing High School, we continued on to different schools to finish our education. Luckily, I lost touch with Eileen and didn’t have to deal with her mean ways anymore. During that time, my best friend had her first boyfriend. I was there for her when the two of them broke up, one of the major milestones our friendship has been through.
Unfortunately though, shortly afterward, I messed up with my best friend’s trust big time. No, I didn’t get involved with her ex, but I disclosed a piece of information to him that was very private and brought her into trouble.
I wasn’t sure if our then-damaged friendship would survive this. She was very mad at me, and she had every right to be. I don’t remember exactly how we overcame this, but we did. It took a while for her to forgive me and to rebuild trust, but we were able to move on.
A couple of years later, we were faced with the next challenge. She landed a job in eastern Leipzig, while I was living with my sister in Olsberg, a small town in the Sauerland region, about two hours away from Dusseldorf, where we grew up. Again, we stayed in touch but didn’t see each other often.
At the age of 25, I made the move to the United States as an au pair. When I was living in Brooklyn close to the end of my cultural exchange, my best friend had a business trip to New York. We were so excited to be reunited at the other side of the pond, especially me since I was going through a really tough time. We had a blast together in Manhattan and spent some great quality time. Our friendship was still going strong even though we hadn’t seen each other in so long.
A month after our reunion in New York I moved back to Germany. The following year, both my best friend and I met our “American men” in the same month. She met hers at a work event in Leipzig, while I met mine at an Irish pub in Dusseldorf. She got engaged and moved to Charlotte, North Caroline the following April while I moved to Huntington Beach to start college the following July.
I swear to God, we didn’t plan any of this together and had no clue that we would both saying goodbye to live in Germany at almost the same time. I do believe though that everything in life happens for a reason, and that this coincidence was fate. While my best friend started out in Charlotte and then moved to Dallas for a couple years, I was always rooted on the west coast.
We kept visiting each other, and it was so amazing to have someone you have known forever be “close by” in a different country. We could relate to the cultural differences and how hard some adjustments to the U.S. were (and still are). Then, in October of 2015, my best friend moved to Redondo Beach because she got a job in LA. I was over the moon to have her so close to me.
Having to go through all these stages of our life, our friendship has never been closer. At his point, we consider each other family. And I strongly believe that nothing will be able to destroy the bond we have. We will be those grannies you see in videos and memes that are rocking the dance floor with huge Sombreros on their heads and wine glasses in hand.
Images: pixabay.com
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Anne-Kathrin Schulte is a contributor for CaliforniaGermans.com. She writes about her personal experience of the American Dream as well as on working as an au pair in CA. She was born and grew up in Düsseldorf, Germany, where she completed her degree as a state-approved Kindergarten teacher. After her au pair engagement in the US and a quick return to Germany, she decided to attend university in California and moved back to the United States. She has been living in Southern California since 2011.
If you would like to contact Anne-Kathrin, please send an email to californiagermans(at)gmail.com and place her name in the subject line.
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Ski Week and Being Just Fine with Seeing Snow Only on Pictures
In some Southern California school districts, the short week of vacation called “Ski Week” is coming to an end. While I remember families flocking towards Mammoth Mountain or at least nearby Big Bear Mountain or Mountain High to catch some snow, this year I witnessed youth rather flying to Europe or the East Coast.
We didn’t do either. We stayed put and just enjoyed a nice, peaceful but rather chilly week with typical, delightful California sunshine. You think that’s boring? Well, I grew up with four seasons and while much can be beautiful in each one of them, there can also be endless rain in spring and fall and many dark, dark days in winter.
Snow – I don’t mind not having it, and while I used to seek it when my kids were younger for the sake of them learning how to ski, I now am just happy to witness snow falling via social media in other places, like Germany; far away, while I enjoy walking along the seashore in beautiful sunshine.
In fact, Germany just got reminded of the fact that it’s still winter and fluffy white snowflakes started covering cities especially Munich with layers and layers of snow. Perfectly right on time for our “Ski Week” here in California, ironically. So, I had my share of snow via Instagram, Facebook and What’s Up. My phone eagerly beeped all week-long announcing new pictures that were sent from family and friends overseas, covering for me the news of new snowmen popping up all over Munich.
I won’t deny it, seeing pictures of snowmen against a crystal blue sky made me somewhat envious,… but juuust for a short moment. True, these gorgeous, crisp winter days in Germany are really precious. The sun and the bright snow make for a very special light and being on top of a ski slope on a day like that, with a view of the alps around you, that’s heaven I remember.
Just as I am getting melancholy, however, I am reminding myself of the downside of snow in the city. I remember those days of shoveling mounds of snow off my car in freezing temperatures trying to get my children to their Kindergarten class on time. The challenges of driving in freshly fallen snow as well as driving on streets covered with slushy dirty snow are just as much a vivid memory as the dramatic balancing act of maneuvering the car over icy roads.
Oh, and did I forget mentioning parallel parking into parking spots battling with the snow for who is faster in filling the void space that I initially thought was an empty parking space?
California works just fine for me. If I am really desperate for snow and freezing temperatures in wintertime, snow – fake or real – is just a few hours away in the car. I can enjoy the white sparkling splendor for a few hours and then drive home to spend the evening at the beach if I like. It’s perhaps a bit of a stretch, yes, but it is possible!
Images: ©CaliforniaGermans
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A Little Preview of Some of the Most Popular German Summer Camps in California
“Seriously…!?”, you might say. “We are talking summer camps already?”
Yes, you’ve read correctly! It’s early February and we are giving you the first preview of some of the most popular German summer camps, up and down the California Coast.
Many camps have already started with registration. So get your foot in the door, put your name down and claim your space at your favorite one.
German American School Association (GASA) –
Our 2018 camp is inviting all 7 to 16-year-olds to our exciting sleep-away camp from June 23 -28. Spend 6 days, 5 nights at the Irvine Ranch Outdoor Education Center in Orange, CA.
This year’s highlight will be the literary work of famous German author Cornelia Funke! Students will get acquainted with Cornelia Funke’s writings, especially the book “Die wilden Hühner” and write and perform their own play/musical. They will also visit a mine and learn about rocks, minerals, earthquakes, tectonic plates and mining in a fun, hands-on fashion. Special activities such as zip lining, swimming, 136 ft. water slide and wall climbing will be available during leisure time, and we will have fun activities planned such as nature hikes, dancing, singing, crafting, campfire, baking, sports, games, fishing, etc. All activities will be conducted in German. Join us for an adventurous week at Irvine Ranch Outdoor Education Center from June 23rd – June 28th, 2018. You can find more about the German Immersion Camp on our website www.germanschool4kids.org
German School Campus – Newport Beach
Attention all scientists! GermanSchool Campus in Newport Beach is offering its German immersion STEM Science Camp again. A week of exploring the oceans, learning about sustainability, recycling, clean air solutions, wind power, and much more starts Monday, July 2nd – Saturday, July 7th (Wednesday 4th of July is off) from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm daily.
We have exciting excursions planned on a pontoon boat to a local Science center in the Newport Bay, and again will enjoy sailing or kayaking on the bay. Campers will build a solar-powered hydro car with us and will learn about the various environments. Children ages 6-17 years old get immersed into hands-on scientific experiments while playfully being introduced to a new culture and language (German). All levels are welcome! Find out more about the camp on our website www.germanschoolcampus.com
German Pacific School San Diego – San Diego
Ready for 4 weeks of fantastic summer camps? German Pacific School San Diego is in the middle of planning some spectacular weeks for young German learners. Every week with another theme will keep the summer vacation exciting. Mark your calendar: Camp time will be from 25. Juni bis 20. Juli. Please check the school for more detailed information regarding program and location.
More info at www.gpssd.org
WANDERKIND Preschool & Kindergarten – Glendale
WanderKind School in Glendale/Burbank will offer another German Immersion Camp for the youngest German learners. Mark your calendar for four weeks packed with outdoor fun and adventure in June for kids 4-8 years old. If you have attended last year, you don’t want to miss out on all the fun this year. Reserve your spot today!
More information at www.wanderkindschool.org/
BAKS – Bay Area Kinderstube Summer Camp – Berkeley, Northern California
“Wir packen unsere Koffer” is the theme of our 2018 German Immersion Summer Camp for ages 5-13, and one for ages 3-4. Join us this summer from, July 16 – August 10, as we explore the diversity of the many cities and towns of German-speaking countries. Our camp location will be on the beautiful Berkwood Hedge Campus.
Sign up by April 1st and lock in our Early- Bird Special. For more information check our flyer here or www.kinderstube.org
GASPA Summer Camp in Palo Alto, Northern California
Get ready, get set, Summer! Back by popular demand and new and improved! The German-American School of Palo Alto is pleased to once again a full immersion German language summer camp program from June 25th through July 20th in Menlo Park for ages 3-10.
New this year, you can sign up for individual weeks. Sign up before March 31st to take advantage of early bird pricing. Full program details and pricing and can be found on our website.
More information at www.gaspa-ca.org
GISSV -German International School Silicon Valley
Innerweaving Immersion Camp – Fairfax (NorCal)
Begining July, Silvia Schroeder will hold another Innerweaving camp. The camp offers a combination of indoor/outdoor creative fun. “Throughout the camp we will talk German and introduce language based on nature and craft activities.” Family members are invited to celebrate their children’s powerful Nature-Earthcraft accomplishments on the final day.
Dates are not finalized yet. For more information please contact: Silvia Schroeder at coaching@innerweaving.com
How Do I Raise a Bilingual Child in Germany?
I was raised in Northern California by American parents (who hail from San Diego and can still hold their own in Spanish). My husband was raised by native German speakers in Germany. We may now speak multiple languages between us, but grew up monolingually – not counting the Ruhrpott dialect and the menu at our favorite Mexican restaurant – and we each possess just one passport.
Our son, who arrived in November 2017, may be a first-born child, just like both his parents, and have his mom’s chin and his dad’s eyes. But he is different from us. He is 100% German and 100% American. And he is stuck with a mommy and a Papa who use different words for the same things.
Before he was born, I did some research on raising bilingual children, by reading books and watching YouTube videos.
Now that he’s here, speaking English with him comes naturally of course, but I know that more questions will come up the older – and more talkative – he gets.
As “California Germans”, I’m sure many of you have bilingual families or were raised in one yourself. I would love to hear your story.
Watch the video below and share your tips and thoughts with me! I may just include your comments in a future video.
©KateMüser
Image: Pixabay.com
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Kate Müser, who grew up in Pleasanton, California, was surprised to discover that she feels even closer to her home state now than she did when she first moved to Bonn, Germany, over 14 years ago.
She is the creator of the successful YouTube series #thoseGermans and the portrait series #germany24. Visit Kate’s YouTube channel at youtube.com/katemuser and her website, justkate.de.
For over a decade, Kate has been a TV, radio and online journalist at Deutsche Welle, where she has hosted the feature documentary film Gutenberg in the Cyberstorm, the video series Meet the Germans with Kate and the TV show PopXport.
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AUFGEPASST ! – ACTORS AND ACTRESSES. LISTEN UP!
The German American School Association presents a Fairytale Theater Workshop in German at the Phoenix Club in Anaheim!
The theatre workshop offers an interactive theatre program for children ages 6-15 featuring a modern adaptation of the classic fairytale “Die Bremer Stadtmusikanten”.
During this workshop, children are encouraged to try out new ideas and become acquainted with different perspectives. Discovering their own body language helps them to adapt to new roles. Through the development of their own creativity and the joy of play-acting, a world of possibilities opens to them.
Yvonne Zech, actress and trainer with the Galli Theater Group in Wiesbaden, Germany, specializes in educational children’s theater projects and will guide the children through the day-long program.
A Frankfurter lunch is included. (Please pack a lunch if your child has allergies or food restrictions.)
Parents, family, and friends are invited to the final performance later in the afternoon at 5:15pm.
Between the workshop and the performance, a dinner selection will be available for purchase for you and your family. Space is limited, so reserve your spot today!
Last day to register is February 15th! Enroll HERE.
Theatre Workshop for Children:
WHEN: Sunday, February 25, 2018, 10am-4:30pm
WHERE: Phoenix Club, 1340 S Sanderson Ave, Anaheim, CA 92806
PERFORMANCE starts at 5:15 pm
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FRIENDSHIPS ACROSS THE POND
I am sure many of you who have moved to California from overseas can relate to what I am going to express in this post. We all had to leave all or some family and friends thousands of miles behind, living on different continents. I personally have lived in the United States for six-and-a-half years and luckily, I was able to keep the majority of friendships existent.
Whenever I travel back to Germany or have friends visiting me in California, it feels like we have never been apart. We catch up like we just hung out yesterday, and it doesn’t feel weird or unnatural at all. Unfortunately, there are also those friendships that didn’t survive the long-distance relationship.
One particular case is my used to be good friend Vivienne (the name has been changed due to privacy.) I met Vivienne in Senior High School, and while we didn’t become friends right from the get-go, we grew really close once we got to know each other better. In the long run, I did become her maid of honor and godmother to her firstborn son.
Today, Vivienne and I are no longer in touch. Our relationship started to become rocky a couple years ago. To be honest, I have never been the biggest fan of her husband, and I understand why she and I drifted apart. But let’s circle back even further: Vivienne and her husband met while we were in our last year of Senior High School, and they hit it off instantly. All three of us used to hang out a lot and had a great time together.
It wasn’t until after a while, I felt that I never got to see Vivienne without him around. I didn’t mind hanging out with him around every once in a while, but I was also missing girl time with one of my closest friends back then. In the long run of their relationship, she confessed to me that her then-boyfriend became jealous whenever he wasn’t around her, which resulted into tension between the three of us.
At some point, they were at the verge of a breakup but managed to work it out. He promised to let her have her girlfriend time, and everything went back to the good times we used to have. Ten years ago, Vivienne and her man became husband and wife on a very tumultuous wedding day.
Let’s just sum it up this way: A maid of honor that could only open one eye because she popped a balloon right in front of her eyes the night before; A father of the bride who answers a phone call in the middle of the wedding ceremony; And a father-in-law who is suffering a seizure and has to be hospitalized during the reception. But as they say: the worse the wedding, the better the marriage.
Two days after, I moved all the way across the pond to work as an au pair for an American family. As I had predicted it beforehand, a couple months later Vivienne called me with the news that she was expecting. I was beyond happy for her and her husband and couldn’t wait for the day the baby was born. I was even more on cloud nine when she proposed to me that she wanted me to be her son’s godmother.
When I moved back to Germany after my year in the States, I spent a lot of time with her and her family. I helped them during their move to the countryside, which was located two hours away from our hometown. I still was able to visit them at least once a month, and we had a blast together. I moved back to California in 2011, but whenever I traveled back to Europe, I made it a priority to spend at least one weekend of my time with them.
Over the years, my friend grew more and more unhappy, and one day she opened up to me that she was contemplating getting a divorce. I supported her in her decision and had an open ear for her whenever she felt the need to reach out. She eventually decided to give her marriage another shot, but it wasn’t until a year later she was contemplating her decision again. By that time, I was totally displeased with her husband, and I can understand how that put her in the middle.
While I never asked her to choose between him and me, I can understand that me not being his biggest fan had a negative impact on her in her efforts to save the marriage. They kept being married and now have a second child, but our friendship was the relationship that didn’t last. Vivienne and I never had a fight; our connection just slowly diminished until we completely stopped any form of communication.
We are still connected on Social Media and can witness major life events through those platforms, but our friendship is done. The long distance, unfortunately, didn’t work out for us.
Images: pixabay.com
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Anne-Kathrin Schulte is a contributor for CaliforniaGermans.com. She writes about her personal experience of the American Dream as well as on working as an au pair in CA. She was born and grew up in Düsseldorf, Germany, where she completed her degree as a state-approved Kindergarten teacher. After her au pair engagement in the US and a quick return to Germany, she decided to attend university in California and moved back to the United States. She has been living in Southern California since 2011.
If you would like to contact Anne-Kathrin, please send an email to californiagermans(at)gmail.com and place her name in the subject line.
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