Rammstein

After quickly realizing that I had not done a post for AMD 6 (Yikes!), this is what I have come up with. Completely unaware that I had missed one. Sorry.

I really had a tough time figuring out what I wanted to do for this post, until my dad decided to break the speakers while listening to Rammstein. Coincidence? Maybe. Honestly, though, I'm not sure if Rammstein is the best music to have on as we're preparing an Easter brunch with the neighbors. Just a thought. I mean, my Dad doesn't even like Metal...

But anyways, I decided that I might as well suck it up and listen to the album he had playing. I really, truly tried to like Rammstein, but I just can't. Rammstein and I are like oil and water. I mean, I'm not the biggest fan of hard rock or metal, so I probably should have seen this coming. I just feel like German already has a harsh sound to non-speakers and I think that the language is even more stereotyped, after one listens to this industrial metal group. Again, just my opinion.

After about 5 songs, I just couldn't take it anymore and changed it to Sinatra. He'll just have to get over it. Sinatra wins every time.

Here's some tunes if you so desire:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f4K6ZxDwi34

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kIBeYoP9Wi0&feature=related

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=My0HQ0QkGLQ&feature=related

AMD 6-- So Dad, how do you like the iPad we got you

http://www.wimp.com/dadipad/

Even if you speak no (or little) German, I think you can find the above video very funny. Watch it [and don't just read the blog entry without watching the whole video--- seriously it's like 30 seconds long]

I wonder, is this video making fun of anti-technology nature of German people, or just old people in general?

I think that if I had not ever taken German (oh, what a sad and pathetic life) I would have been able to get a rough idea of what this video is about, but after taking 101, I'm able to pick out bits and pieces. For example:

Geschenk- gift

Geburtstag- Birthday

fur diner- for your

so rechts- all right

I also notice that the kitchen in this video is rather small. Are kitchens in Germany substantially smaller than in the USA?

In other news, yesterday I saw Chrissy's Masters Recital. It was FABULOUS (and she was incredible). The second half of her program was Wagner's Wesendonck Liederabout. Four songs that amount to about a half hour of German music. Chrissy provided a poetic (not word for word) translation in the program and as she sang I was amazed at my ability to put the German text coming out her her mouth with the translation in front of me. Now, obviously, I couldn't understand everything, and I knew what I was looking for but it was still a lot of fun to put both the German language and singing sides of my brain together!!!

Triumph des Willens

Für dem AMD 6 habe ich Triumph des Willens gesehen. Es ist ein Deutsche Film, dass im Jahre 1935 gemacht ist. Den Propagandafilm habe Leni Riefenstahl gelenkt [=directed]. Ich habe nicht viel versteht, weil die Leuten haben viel über Politik und National Sozialismus gesprochen. Der Film war interessant, weil ihn alt und in Schwarz und Weiß war.

Basically the film was meant to convey the power and attractiveness of the Third Reich by showing its acceptance in Germany. The film aimed to show how National Socialism had revived Germany after the depression immediately following WWI. The styles used in the filming, including aerial photography, distorted perspective, and the use of music and cinematography were revolutionary and won Riefenstahl awards from all across Germany as well as the united states and other european countries. To a modern audience a film with no plot and very little dialogue can be very unappealing, aber Triumph des Willens war fantastisch! While the german can be difficult, one can learn important historical contexts through these types of films. There are many more interesting, historical German movies out there, and I would like to continue to find them and learn from them.

AMD 6 - Bayreuth

Hallo Freunde.


Ich habe viele gesungen! I have been told to study up on a lot of German because, people believe that is what I will be singing most of later on my life. I am sure you are all familiar with this song :


That being said, for this AMD - I decided to read the website about the Bayreuth Festival in Germany, which was founded by Wagner himself and possesses a years long waiting list!


First Link Clicked? Spielplan - Which looked like a plan of plays, the season schedule perhaps? And that it was (http://www.bayreuther-festspiele.de/deutsch/spielplan_455.html) - It listed days of the week I recognized, mittwoch, Donnerstag, Freitag, and so forth.  Also the Uhr - 18.00 Uhr, and the performance.


Next I clicked on the Link that said Tickets, no it really does say Tickets in English on their website.


I then deciphered this sentence :  "Eintrittskarten für die Bayreuther Festspiele können Sie schriftlich oder online bestellen. " - Which I believe means, tickets for the festival Can be ordered online or by.. writing?


There was link for "Presse" which I assumed to be press articles, and ACHTUNG! - It was. 
I attempted to try to read these articles but really the only I understood was " Bayreuther festspiele Live im Kino" - which make sense  since a lot of operas are getting broadcasted life in movie theaters. 

 

There was also this confusing image : 




Why gnome looking dude who looks stabbed in the back, I often ponder such questions myself. 








Other things I learned? Audi is a hauptsponsor of this event which I imagine means they are a main sponsor. 


I then clicked a link that said : Junge Freunde von Bayreuth - I could only imagine this would be for me!  I actually have no idea what it said, but seeing dollar amounts I imagine its some sort of group to promote the festival to younger people for the small fee or $100, small fee indeed. 


Einblicke : I have no idea what this means, but since it had a link to what looks like a tour of some sort I imagine it has something to do with that. 


I guess I'm really hung up on Wagner because my recital is April 7 (Stamps Auditorium, North Campus) - Samstag um 2 uhr.  und ich singe viele Wagner!


This to be exact :  
In fact, all 5 of them - a half hour of German. Yep.
And YOU ARE ALL INVITED, I know you're honored.


Alles Liebe,
Chrissy

Willkommen!!

Welcome to our class blog!

We will be using this blog throughout the semester for two kinds of assignments:

1. Once per chapter, the homework plan will direct you to post a response to the culture readings for the chapter on the blog.

2. Roughly every other week, the homework plan will direct you to post here for your Abenteuer mit Deutsch (AMD) assignment. First you do a fun activity that involves German, then you post about it. You should spend an hour total on this (maybe 45-55 minutes doing something, 5-15 minutes posting about it). See Was ist ein AMD, AMD Ideen and Beispiele for ideas. This should get you excited about the kinds of things you can do!

Whenever you post something, please include your name and the name of the assignment (e.g. AMD2, Kultur5) as labels. See "Blog: How To" for more details!