AMD 6 - Terrence Tigney

Guten Abend,

Heute, habe ich "Sonnen Allee" gesehen. Es war gut.

The movie was somewhat unique in the fact that it was a comedy about a time, and a place, you wouldn't expect. The movie takes place while the Berlin wall is still up, and it follows the lives of several kids (and their families) during this time. The people that the story follows all live near one of the few places people could cross over from east Berlin to west Berlin, so naturally, there was plenty going on. In addition to that, these people actually lived on the east side of the wall, giving us a general idea (that may not be 100% accurate, as this is a comedy) about what life was like living in the east side of Berlin during the time that the city was split. Overall, I would give this movie about 4/5 stars (mostly because I found it really funny)

Kapital 6 - Terrence

Guten Abend! While reading most of these articles, I found myself severely indifferent. When I read Bild Zeitung, for example, I was extremely unimpressed. As little as I follow politics, I'm even less aware of the absurd tabloid style magazines that (loosely) report the news. Its shocking in ways that have become common place, and therefore no longer affect anyone. I would much rather read a plain newspaper than a magazine like this.

One of the articles I was a bit taken aback with was the one about how to enter an office/closed off place of business. I am most definitely the type of person who would always knock and wait to be invited in, even if the door was open (if I didn't know the person very well). So having to basically announce your presence, and then just barge right in would surely be a challenge for me. However, if I were to see someone do it, and know that such a thing was ok with that particular person (im sure some people would rather have you wait outside until they are ready for you) I would be willing to make my presence known and then stroll right in.

The author of the garbage article seems like a big fat baby. Is it really such a problem having your garbage/recycling color coded? Wouldn't you be able to look into each bin and see what was inside each of them, and then throw whatever it is you have into the proper basket? Or even if they are all empty, you could politely ask a stranger what goes into each can. Even if your unsure of what you would classify that particular object that you have as, you could once again just ask someone their opinion, and follow that. Worst case senario, you could just throw it into the "other stuff" can. I dont think german police officers patrol the garbage areas to ensure that everyone is disposing of their refuse properly.

The fact that student housing is so bad seems incredible. One would think that a university would be able to accommodate its students, or at the very least be able to help them find a suitable place of residence. It would be especially inconvenient for people who come from homes that are very far away from the university. The fact that universities don't have a "campus" layout wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing, I think. It would give the students the opportunity to actually experience the real world, and see what life is like outside of their parents house.

I found these articles interesting, but not necessarily relevant to me. Still, I enjoyed reading them.

AMD 5 - Terrence Tigney

Guten Tag! Heute, habe ich Germany, Pale Mother, gesehen. Ich finde es gut. Aber, ist es sehr unglücklich.

This movie was about the life of a young woman and her love. Soon after meeting, they dicide to marry. However, its not long before her husband is sent of to the front lines of WWII. While he is off fighting, she must go on with her daily life. Her husband does make it back for several short visits; after his first visit, they decide to have a baby. Following a short time skip, the young mother and her daughter must take refuge in a bomb shelter during an air raid. The attack demolishes their house, forcing them to travel across all of Germany to find a place to live. Periodically her husband continues to return and then leave, as the war goes on.

About half-way through the movie, the war ends and the family is reunited. However all is not well. They all seem to be incredibly unhappy, and just dealing with each other's company. The young mother suffers from facial paralysis, because of her teeth and must have them all pulled out. It's after this point that the family seems to give up on trying to be a family. But even at this point, the mother and daughter are still very close. Overall, I would give this movie 3.5/5 stars.

This part of the movie is following the mother's facial paralysis.

Kapital 5 - Terrence

Guten Abend!

Heute, habe ich das Kultur-texte gelesen. Ich finde es reletiv interesant...

When I first read the article about how physical walking around im Deutschland can be, I was not very surprised. They are ruthless on their bikes, so why would walking be any different? It seems that one must be on their toes when going out and about im Deutschland. Deutschland kann sehr gefährlich sind. You better pay attention! Traveling im Deutschland is a rigorous activity!

There seemed to be some discrepancies between several of the articles I have read. Initially, I was confused about how open Germans can be about sex, and the items they prefer to use. But why are they so emotionally distant? Even when it comes to making friends. However, it actually seemed logical after I thought about it for a bit. Being open about sex takes away from the stigma it can have, making it less consequential. That way, a lot of the focus can be take off of sex and all it's "mysterious" appeal. By treating the emotional aspects with more regard than you do the physical, one makes the emotional aspects of a relationship much more important than the physical. Most parts of the world could stand to learn a thing or two from Germans.

An area that could use a little improvement would definitely be their flirting. Although they focus on the emotional aspects of a relationship, it should still be fun to show your interest. They don't have to change completely into super blunt and overly aggressive tools, but even subtlety can be fun. They way a girl tilts her head, or how a guy stands are perfect and sly things people can do to show interest. But dating shouldn't be reminiscent of talking to a mannequin...

AMD 4 - Terrence Tigney

Guten Abend!

For my 4th AMD, I chose to watch the movie "Summer Storm". Now, although the beginning's awkwardness level rivals that of even "Mädchen in Uniform", the tension begins to diffuse after the characters arrive at rowing camp.

The main character's name is Tobi and he, along with his best friend Achim and Achim's girlfriend, are all on the rowing team. The movie starts just before they leave for camp, while the characters are enjoying their summer. The main reason for the awkwardness before they leave is Tobi's obvious affection for Achim, who does not share his feelings. In addition to this, Achim has a girlfriend and there is another girl (also on the rowing team) that is attracted to Tobi, but he constantly shrugs off her attempts to become closer to him. Once the characters make it to camp, they meet an all gay team of rowers. As uncomfortable as this situation sounds, this rival team actually helps the others come to terms with themselves, as well as accept others differences. In the end, this was an excellent movie.

I'm giving it 4/5 stars, because even though it was good, there was a lot of the unnecessary awkwardness...

Maedchen in Uniform Review- Terrence Tigney

I've just finished watching "Maedchen in Uniform" and overall, it was a decent movie. The description of it made it seem like it was your typical 'student and teacher fall in love and have an illicit affair' kind of movie; however this was not the case. It seemed to be more about a young girl's toils, as she deals with losing her mother and being thrown into an all girls school, where they are trained to be good, obedient wives. Due to her loss and the rather strict way the girls are treated, the main character (played by Romy Schneider) latches on to the only kind adult there: her teacher (played by Lilli Palmer). Although, her teacher does not share them same intimate feelings for her. Overall, I would give the movie 3.5 stars.

Some new words I've learned are:

Ouberlegen- superior

Absonderung- isolation

lieben-to love