Culture Days – great presentations about Ireland and the US

Dear readers!

Last Wednesday and Thursday our English classes presented our Culture Topics. We spent almost two months dealing with and during that time we had the opportunity to do a lot of research. In the office hours we got the chance to ask our teachers for help or corrections. So that in the end every one of us had a decent final version of the essay. About the presentations I can say that really almost every one made quite an effort to impress the audience, although we were all really nervous. For my part I have to say that I'm quite sorry that I could not put as much enthusiasm in giving my presentation as I actually had for my interesting topic ("The Integration of Islam in Ireland"). I already had the flu at presentation day, which is why I was quite distracted. In fact I'm still bound to my bed – hope I get well soon.
Underneath there's a list of the presentations I watched and comments on them.


Ireland-related topics:

• Newgrange – A Treasure of Art
• Very informative! I like Ancient sights and art.
• Psychiatry in Ireland in the past with the case of Hanna Greally
• Really good presentation. Shocking pictures – unbelievable what has been done to people.
• Beyond Riverdance – A glimpse inside the world of Irish dance
• Nice. There even was an interview with an Irishman who started dancing with the age of seven.
• Appreciating Life – Donal Walsh's Fight Against Suicide in Ireland
• Informative and makes you think about live.
• The impact of the global warming on Ireland's agriculture
• Good explanations!
• Poetry in Irish schools
• Made me smile. Really nice.
• The ambivalent influence of King James II on the Irish
• Quite interesting, since I like history.
• Witchcraft in Ireland
• What a revealing and funny presentation. I liked it very much.
• Homophobic Bullying in Irish schools
• A problem that really needed to be addressed. Thank you.

US-related topics:

• Harlem, New York City
• NYC is cool – what else can I say.
• Scientology: A Religion Made in America
• Very nice presentation!
• The Amish country
• Cool pictures! The presentation was funny and very informative, because the girl presenting has already been to an Amish village.

My choice for the KGP:
* Witchcraft in Ireland
* Homophobic Bullying in Irish schools

* Poetry in Irish schools

* Beyond Riverdance – A glimpse inside the world of Irish dance

* Newgrange – A Treasure of Art

Faravahar

Today I wanted to wanted to tell you a bit about this ancient Iranian symbol. It fascinated my for quite a while now, but I really can't remember were I saw it the first time. So I thought it's about time to do some research and write about my findings.

Faravahar

Faravahar is one of the best-known symbols of Zoroastrianism, an ancient Iranian religion and a religious philosophy, which was once the state religion of the Achaemenid Empire and Sassanid Empire. You should be familiar with this two names if you think back of your history class. (Maybe in connection with Alexander the Great you can remember...) The number of Zoroastrians today is estimated to be between 145,000 and 210,000. The ideas of Zoroastrianism has also influenced other religions including Judaism, Gnosticism, Christianity and Islam.


The following is what I found about the meaning of this ancient symbol:

Symbol of Faravahar

1. The Faravahar’s face resembles the face of human being and therefore, indicates its connection to mankind.
2. There are two wings in two sides of the picture, which have three main feathers. These main feathers indicate three symbols of good reflection, good words, and good deed, which are at the same time the motive of flight and advancement.
3. The lower part of the Faravahar consists of three parts, representing bad reflection, bad words, and bad deed which causes misery and misfortune for human beings.
4. There are two loops at the two sides of the Faravahar, which represent Sepanta Minu, and Ankareh Minu. The former is directed toward the face and the latter is located at the back. This also indicates that we have to proceed toward the good and turn away from bad.
5. There is a circle in the middle of the Faravahar’s trunk. This symbol indicates that our spirit is immortal, having neither a beginning, nor an end.
6. One hand of the Faravahar, points upwards, showing that we have to struggle to thrive.
7. The other hand holds a ring. Some interpreters consider that as the ring of covenant, representing loyalty and faithfulness which is the basis of Zarathustra’s philosophy.

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The Faravahar is a symbol of the human spirit, which existed before birth and continues to exist after death (symbolized by ring in the trunk) and it is a symbol which embodies the two opposing indicators of good and bad. In the philosophy of Zarathustra everybody should try to promote his/her Sepanta Minu, which is the positive force, and suppress his/her negative force, Ankareh Minu.

Zoroastrians believe that after they pass away, their spirit will be elevated in a higher level in the other world. Therefore, ancient Iraniens would never mourn when their beloved ones died.

There is also a stone carved Faravahar in the ancient city of Persepolis, which is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Since I really like Ancient History I consider this ancient symbols quite interesting and I hope that I also caught your interest a bit.

Sources:

http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faravahar
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faravahar
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoroastrianism
http://www.iransara.info/Iran%20Faravahar%20Zartosht%20Farvahar%20fravahar.htm
http://www.gatha.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=277&Itemid=62&lang=en

The Eurovision Song Contest – more than just music

Hey, my dear readers!

"I have to tell you something, it's been on my mind ..."
Well, I am totally into the Eurovision Song Contest!

I thought I could start this post by quoting from the lyrics of one of my favorite songs of this year's Song Contest. The song is called Something by Andrius Pojavis who sang for Lithuania.

Emmelie de Forest performing "Only Teardrops"

Representing the countries

The Eurovision Song Contest (ESC) is something I watch every year. To me it is very special because I like to see how the hosting country presents itself and it is also interesting to see how the singers represent their country. It might be some kind of stereotype, but there are always songs from which you can actually tell which country it is. Of course, this builds up stereotypes, which is why I won't give you any examples for this. People might argue about the quality of the songs performed. Yes, there always are bad performances; some, however are actually seeking for not being taken serious or try to bring across a message in a rather unconventional way. Then you may never forget those countries who are actually taking the ESC quite serious. They send the best singers they can offer and spend huge amounts of money for the stage show. Taking all this together, makes it well worth watching this special event.

Political aspects

In a way the ESC is also an occasion to show political opinions or express social criticism. For the first one there is to mention the liberal view this year's hosting country, Sweden, showed. In interval act (http://youtu.be/1J8hiN9K4ko) the country demonstrated its tolerance towards diversity in people, especially by showing that same-sex marriage is legal and tolerated in Sweden. In other political aspects the ESC might not be able to bring change, but  can at least raise awareness for serious problems or social evils. A very good example for this is Azerbaijan, last year's hosting country. Azerbaijan is, due to it's oil resources, a very rich country and spent a valuable amount of money on the ESC or rather on architecture. For example, the Baku Chrystal Hall was built and the completion of the Flame Towers was given a spotlight and the video postcards, which were played during the show, showed all the beauty Azerbaijan has to offer and they were extraordinarily inviting to visit this country. (The ESC made me actually aware of this country and I can tell that I'd really like to visit Azerbaijan soon.) However, behind this façade numerous issues found addressing in foreign media: people got deported in order to bring about building projects, journalists weren't be issued visas or got in serious trouble, activists and bloggers got imprisoned and so on. In numbers Azerbaijan is ranked "Not Free" and scored 79 out of 100 in Freedom House's annual Freedom of the Press survey.

The fun part

Nevertheless, we shouldn't forget that the ESC is also an event which brings people together and is very entertaining. Sweden took it very serious, in order to make it a very special event, and managed to not forget about the fun. The presenter, Petra Mede, did a really good job. She brought fun into the show and her accent was so adorable. Her dresses, designed by Jean Paul Gaultier, made quite an impression. Additionally, many lavish interval acts were performed and the sketches depicting the ESC's history were quite informative. The funniest person, however, was Lynda Woodruff. In some humorous sketches this hilarious character made me burst out laughing:

1. Lynda Woodruff in Jukkasjärvi – http://youtu.be/53fKKF3NF6w
2. Lynda Woodruff (2nd Semifinal) – http://youtu.be/voQrmiYIlww
3. Lynda Woodruff in Stockholm – http://youtu.be/rLSoCEHQAqU

Here are some of my favorite acts of this year's Song Contest:

• (Azerbaijan) Hold Me – Farid Mammadov
• I love ballads!
• (Georgia) Waterfall – Nodi Tatishvilie & Sophie Gelovani
• Have I mentioned that I love ballads? Oh, and this is a duet! Such a nice couple, really.
• (Denmark) Only Teardrops – Emmelie de Forest
• Well-deserved winner. Great song and the stage show was really nice.
• (Estonia) Et uus saaks alguse – Birgit
• Such a nice song, isn't it?
• (F.Y.R. Macedonia) Pred Da Se Razdeni – Esma & Lozano
• The difference in age didn't matter – they were pretty cool!
• (Malta) Tomorrow – Gianluca
• Made my smile. Feel good song!
• (Ukraine) Zlata Ognevich - Gravity
• Wow, look how her body moves in that skin-tight dress!

My new roommate

The Foreigner's Room

As many of you might know, I'm living in a dorm, were I share a flat with three other students. I've been living there for almost nine months. Since the first day I've meet a handful of quite interesting people, because the room next to mine is – as I call it – the "foreigner's room". The room is reserved by the ÖAD (Österreichischer Austausch Dienst) and due to that it is let to exchange students or students doing an internship.

Thai cooking

My first roommate was a girl from Germany, which I mentioned in one of my posts, and after her a girl from Thailand followed. Her name was Onjira. She was involved in some kind of research project at the University of Technology of Graz and a university in the UK. She's been her for a longer period of time and, to be honest, I grew fond of her, because she's been a really nice person. It's been interesting gaining an in insight into Thai cooking. She gave me some dishes to try and they were very tasty. Although I have to say that I didn't try everything since I don't it meat and even if I did some of the dishes wouldn't be my taste as they included innards. Also fish, which I usually really like, she prepared in a way that wasn't my taste either. Howsoever, she was really one-of-a-kind and I was a bit sad when she left.

The Toothpaste

Only one or two days later a Chinese woman arrived, but I didn't see her very often. She told me she'd be in that room only for a month or so because the room was already reserved for someone else. Well, but then she didn't show up for a couple of weeks and somehow I was concerned something has happened to her. I mean, her toothpaste with the Chinese character was still in the wall-cupboard in the bathroom after all!!!

Someone was having a shower

Monday, June 3, almost midnight: I have quite and exhausting day behind me: Turkish class, job interview and then I helped my girls moving and carry all that stuff their staff on the forth story of their current apartment. However, it was worth the exertion and the sweat since my girls cooked a delicious meal consisting of Persian style chicken and rice and a tasty red wine! When I arrived home it was almost midnight. So, I unlock my door, put my stuff on my bed and go right to the bathroom to brush my teeth. Something's different. The floor is wet. Water sprinkles on the mirror. High humidity. Gosh, someone was having a shower! Is the Chinese woman back again? I open the wall-cupboard. The toothpaste with the Chinese character is gone!!! Other toiletries with Latin letters instead. Right in that very moment the door of the foreigner's room opens and a guy in my age smiled at me. I said "Hey!" – still with the toothbrush and foam in my mouth. I spit it out.

So we had a little chat and soon hit it off. His name's Markus. He said actually it's not, but he calls himself Markus because no one can pronounce and remember his Malaysian name. He told me his real name – can't remember it. What a cool guy. He's from Malaysia. (Soon had to check were exactly that was.) He knows English pretty well. About my age and quite a sporty person. He'll stay seven months. That's cool. I'm really looking forward to getting to know him.