But for now we have to live with his “The Genglish Diary“. It is also written by his German sweetheart. The author is going to move to .. (the Ruhr area?) in September. The project of the diary – a blog – is about intercultural experiences. Yes, I know what they are talking of. Pam and I have the same experiences. Especially interesting are those little things which are considered to be same but just aren’t.
Some examples:
I will try to follow the diary of Anja and Ali.
Pam – my wife – said “Jackpot?!?“ to me, when I found that page. I first found a list of English groups, theaters, institutions and doctors on www.foodfromhome.de, second I found the page of ‘The Social Club’ in Mülheim an der Ruhr which offers more interesting links. The rest of this article will cover ‘The Social Club‘.
On Februar 12th i wrote about a supermarket on wheels called ‘food from home‘. On Saturday, 13th of June 2009 my wife and me finally visited its stop at the theater of the musical Starlight Express in Bochum. Well, it’s more a van than a lorry. We only bought Kraft’s Maccaroni with cheese (without any cheese in it) and a packet of baking soda. Later we found out that we could have used ‘Kaiser Natron’ which is available at pharmacies. Anyway, I produced a small video of one minute length about the supermarket on wheels with British-American food.
Right now I am working on several videos to be released soon but this is the first one ever published on youtube.
The public library of Bochum is going to offer English Readings for Childeren. Due to an article in today’s edition of the local newspaper WAZ Wattenscheid, Dana Sczendzina will read for children every 3rd Thursday at 16.30 at the banch of the libary in Getrudiscenter, Wattenscheid. The reading called “It’s story time” will last an hour.
At the first session Eric Carle’s “From Head to Toe” and Peter Nickl’s “The Story of the Kind Wolf”
The public library of the city of Bochum already offers readings for Children in Russian and Turkish language. The projects shall ease to learn the languages early in lifetime.
Since the 1980s the Ruhr Regional Asssociation and its predecessors publish condensed information about the Ruhr Area. ‘Facts and figures’ is the title of a frequently updated report that focusses different aspects of the region, e.g. landscape and nature. ‘Facts and figures’ is the English translation of “Daten und Fakten” and is available via the RVR shop for free. It contains 121 pages and color pictures. It’s gives a good introduction about Ruhr and I know about people who used it while visiting foreign countries to explain where they live.
As you surely have heard, Ruhr will be European Culturual Capital in 2010, calles Ruhr.2010. The Ruhr.2010 company is in charge of developing and coordinating the program for 2010. You can follow it activities and plan on the website www.ruhr2010.de. The website is available with a complete English translation. The program will also be printed in several books. ‘Book one’ is available since autumn 2008. A PDF document can be found under ‘Downloads’. The English version of the website contains the translation of book one – the international version.
If you have friends who want to visit Ruhr, tell them to come now or in 2010. The programme book gives a brief overview what is happening here and is hoing to happen for the next years. The book is an advertisment for Ruhr and its vived cultural development. It’s fun to read and to decide where to go and what to see.
The picture on the front cover, title and the first paragraph clearly define what this book is about: the history of the Zollverein Coal Mine Industrial Complex in Essen.
The Zollverein colliery and coking plant in Essen is a unique architectural monument and a testimony to mining history in the 19th and 20th century. At the same time it is now a new venue for art, culture, design, education, research and tourism. The Zollverein mining complex (comprising shaft site 12, shaft site 1/2/8 and the coking plant) was inscribed into the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2001. Is is one of three industrial World Heritage sites in Germany and one of only 41 technical and industrial history World Heritage sites throughout the world.
This article is not about the Zollverein World Heritage Site. It is about a book with this title which gives a tour through the history of this historical industrial site which is part of the regional Route of Industrial Heritage (Route der Industriekultur) and the European Route of Industrial Heritage (ERIH). The special thing about this book is, that it is bilingual. On the left of each page you’ll find German language and the other half shows the English translation. Maybe it is a gift for people who are learning German?
I cannot recommend this book for people who just look for a short summary about what Zollverein actually is. It shows the history of coal mining, especially of coal mining in Ruhr and at Zollverein with its connected coking plant. It doesn’t deal with the industrial heritage of Ruhr in general but it focusses one of its most important relicts. I recommend this book if you want to compare living in Ruhr yesterday and nowadays.
The development of Zollverein since the pit was closed down in 1986 and the coking plant in 1993 is a prime example of the structural transformation of the Ruhrgebiet. Just as the pit and coking plant reflect the development phases of the golden age of industrialisation, the transforamation of the industrial complex to a venue of arts, culture, the creative economy and research is a model for the radical economic and commercial upturn in the region.
The book is published by Klartext Verlag, Essen for the price of € 17.90.
Welterbe Zollverein World Heritage Site, published by the Zollverein Foundation in cooperation with the Foundation for the Preservation of Industrial Monuments and Historical Culture, bilingual: German & English language, Klartext Verlag. Essen 2008, ISBN 978-3-89861-8441
My wife and I heard about it form another American women in Bochum: There is a mobile market (a lorry) that comes to Bochum frequently which offers food and some other stuff from the USA and the UK. Talking about it again, I was told about an website of that guy. It’s www.foodfromhome.de.
I had a short look at the page and here is my summarize: You can get all the stuff via mail order or from the mobile store which travels through North Rhine-Westphalia and parts of Holland (the Netherlands). The website contains a list with place where the mobile store with about 250 different items (out of more thatn 1,500 available) stops.
In Ruhr there are stops in Bochum (2nd Saturday in month, 13.15 – 13.45h at Starlight Express), Bottrop (2nd Saturday in month, 17.00 – 17.30h at carpark Osterfelder Straße/Hans-Böckler-Straße), Dortmund (2nd Saturday in month Rheinische Straße / Langestraße, 14.20 – 14.40h) and Duisburg (International School St. Georges School), 2nd Tuesday, 1st and 3rd Friday in month, 15.00 – 16.00, Birkenstraße 15, Tuesday at Kranichstraße 21), Essen (2nd Tuesday, 18.00 – 18.30h, ica halle Am Westbahnhof and 2nd Saturday in month, carpark at Barbarossa Platz), Gelsenkirchen (2nd Saturday, 12.30 – 12.50h, Ringstraße 75-80), Hamm (3rd (!) Saturday, 17.00 – 17.20h, Carl-Goerdeler-Straße 3) and Recklinghausen (2nd Saturday, 15.20 – 15.40h, carpark at Kemnastraße / Hertenerstraße).
You can get English magazines there, too. I’ll hopefull try it in May.
Today I had a first look at the information folder of the International School in Bochum. I thought it is a branch of the International School in Heiligenhaus. This is sort of right. The website of the Bochum one is a copy of the Heiligenhaus one. The CEO is the same at both schools: Dr. Ursula Mock. I think there will be some sort of cooperation but I also realize that the Bochum School is an own company. Surely, this has several advantages like reduction the risk if the project in Bochum or in Heiligenhaus gets in trouble it wouldn’t effect the other one.
A look into the folder showed some differences to the Carolinen-Schule which I had expected. The International School Bochum chose the way of an additional school (Ergänzungschule). In the end, the school will offer a way to fullfill the German compulsory school attendance. Note, that Germany knows compulsory school attendance, not compulsory education. Therefore the school has to be officially recognized as a school where this duty can be fullfilled. Another option would be to set up a private substitute school (Ersatzschule). This would go along with the duty to take over more form public schooling but also receiving financial assistant from the state.
The International School doesn’t. As a result the fees have to be higher to pay all bills for teachers, building and staff. The academic year is split into three terms with four months each. Fees have to be paid for each term, starting from € 2.900 in first grade to € 3.700 in tenth grade. Nursery is cheaper. There is an additional administration fee of € 150 per term, an appilcation fee of € 500 and a non refundable one time registration fee of € 3.000.
Remarkable is the following: Chinese starts from first grade, Latin is offered additionally and further languages can be chosen from fifth grade. Thirty percent of the lessons shall be held in German, the rest in English. The curriculum shall contain the curriculum of North Rhine-Westphalia for German, the British National Curriculum and part of the programme of the IBO. The school aims to certify at the IBO to grant the IB-Diploma (International Baccalaureate). There is a school uniform. Breakfast and lunch are offered at school.
Further information and probably an own information folder can be found at:
www.internationalschoolbochum.com
www.schoolbochum.com
‘The Emscher Landscape Park – Welcome to the Central Park of Metropolis Ruhr” is the title of an English brochure by the Ruhr region association (Regionalverband Ruhr, RVR) in Essen. The park lies along the river Emscher. Due to industrialization the Emscher was more or less an open sewer but ongoing natural restoration transformed it into an area of leisure and recreation. The park itself is recognized as a successful project of industrial transformation.
This A4 brochure contains some pictures which give an impression of the Emscher Landscape Park and a map. It gives hints for further brochures about places in the park, e.g. for Haus Ripshorst and the industrial heritage route.
The brochure is available for free via the RVR shop.
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