Thinking of Pakistan this holiday season*

At the end of October, I watched the video below, which was taken six weeks after the flooding outside Pakistan's southern city of Sukkur. There is no commentary, only music and images. Please watch it. The video shows footage of enormous areas of land still under water and unconceivably large number of people living under tragically insufficient conditions as a result of the floods.



It doesn’t take any intelligence to know that while the news media has moved on to the next sensational story (i.e. today’s arrest of Julian Assange), the victims of the floods are still in desperate need of our attention and help. It is for this reason that I’ve decided to take this holiday season to offer what assistance I can, but also to take some time each day during Advent and study about the history and culture of Pakistan.

There is no time like now to shine some light upon my ignorance concerning this country and its people. If you have any suggestions as to which online newspapers, books, or blogs I should read, please leave me a comment or write me an email at the address given on this blog’s sidebar.

If you wish to find out more about how you can help, please go to the following two links (1 and 2) and learn more.

* I am not one to celebrate anniversaries, but this is my 1,111 blog posts, which is called a Schnapszahl in Germany and considered a luck number. 

Advent Surprises For Kids, Teens, And The Young-At-Heart

Here are a few links you might like to look at or share with your kids:

Making flowers or snowflakes

Something about geography

Teaching a child about money

And something every teenager knows

Embarrassing Stuff

The family is cozing down to a National Lampoon Christmas movie. Talk about culture shock. I can not quite grasp the concept about my Italian hubby and two German kids chuckling away to all the slapstick sketches.

I find watching the movie too embarrassing, and though I can’t explain why, it is so. So I prefer to be writing my blog and just hearing the occasional good piece of music from the movie's sound track, inter-dispersed with a lot of yelling and screaming and sound effects of people falling down.

(This post is part of my "Growing Up & Growing Old" project.)

Sheriff Santa

We had a motorcycle entourage of Santa Clauses ride by our apartment today: BMWs, Harleys, Suzukis, etc. One motorcycle had Sheriff written across its body, which clashed nicely with the official police motorist. Maybe thirty or more Santa Claus motorists, in full Santa regalia, minus motorcycle helmets, drove by under police siren (policeman driver was also dressed up). What a fun and funny sight it was.

(This post is part of my "Growing Up & Growing Old" project.)

Christmas Wonderland

Luebeck is an old town even by European standards: the city was founded approximately 900 years ago. Its medieval architecture creates a perfect Christmas backdrop or cultural wonderland: music events, art exhibitions, Christmas market abound. I love this city at this time of year, for everyone tries to outdo each other, in a very northern, understated-but-fine manner.

Even the cynics/ Scrooges/ Bah-humbuggers, like me, have a hard time not to be cheered by the lighted candles, classical music, spicy smells, and people milling around enjoying each others’ company.

The owner of the stationary shop (groth) and his wife live above the shop. Every year, they invite a brass orchestra to play classical Christmas songs before the open windows of their apartment for the delight of all the passing shoppers. Every hour they play for 15 minutes and then go back into the apartment to presumably libate their lips with mulled wine. During the progression of hours, the music they play is fueled more and more with good cheer.

Christmas Mark in the town centre is in full swing. Mulled wine with shots of schnapps, roasted almonds, and traditional baked goods are sold to masses of Scandinavian tourist from dawn to dusk. Heavens, can those Scandinavians drink! I’ve heard they can even drink the Aussies under the table. (Now how is that for exposing two stereotypes?)

A local goldsmith brings his living room centre piece downstairs to his shop and and displays his finer pieces of jewelry around this amazing beast. Yes, aghast, it is a real stuffed reindeer. But done ever so tastefully, don’t you think?

(This post is part of my "Growing Up & Growing Old" project.)