English language Radio & News

BBC World Service

MW 648  /  3955, 6195, 9410, 12095 kHz   www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice

BBC Radio 4 can be heard in some parts of Bonn. English language programmes all day long,news, plays, etc – wavelength:  LW 198

Deutsche Welle

English program – 9 – 9.50 pm

5960, 7285 kHz

www.dw-world.de/english

Voice of America 1197 AM    www.voa.gov

BFBS – British Forces Radio & TV

Bonn 97.8    Köln/Düsseldorf: 96.5 FM  www.ssvc.com/bfbs/index.htm

CNN international available on cable and satellite

BBC News news.bbc.co.uk

EXPATICA internet website www.expatica.com news and online resources for expats and visitors to Germany

Rhine Online

There’s life beyond Bonn (honestly!) and to prove it the website Rhine Online offers news in English which, while it doesn’t cover the whole length of the mighty River, does reach for news as far as Düsseldorf.

Many older Expats will be familiar with the Rhine Magazine that used to be on the counter at the English Shop in Cologne. Well now you don’t need to even leave the comfort of your own home to see what Gabi Pinkner has put together for your perusal.

The all new, all colour, Rhine Online is just a click away at:
Rhine Online Website

Useful Links Wanted

Hi Everyone! Please let me have your suggestions for useful community websites that I can post on this website.

Such as this one – Toy Town Germany:

http://www.toytowngermany.com/ An English-speaking community website for Germany.

Let us have your favourite links for English speakers living in Germany.

Indian Restaurants

FANCY A GOOD CURRY?

The Taste of India – Southern Indian cuisine – serves excellent food.

Situated at the corner of Burbacher Strasse just before you go over the Reuterbrücke in Bonn. At the weekend it gets busy so worthwhile booking a table.
Taste of India Website

News in Germany in English

For a useful overview of all things German that's written in english check out the Deutsche Welle's english pages at:

http://www.dw-world.de/

 

 

News from British Consulate-General

Großbritannien führt biometrische Visa ein

Neues Antragsverfahren tritt in Deutschland Anfang Juli in Kraft

Als erstes Land in der EU wird Großbritannien mit Beginn des nächsten Monats
von allen Visa-Antragstellern in Deutschland biometrische Daten erfassen.
Dies betrifft Staatsangehörige all derjenigen Länder, die nicht Mitglied der
Europäischen Union sind. Für alle Personen, die ein Visum für Großbritannien
beantragen, gilt deshalb künftig ein geändertes Verfahren.

Das britische Generalkonsulat in Düsseldorf wird ab dem 29. Juni 2007 keine
Anträge für britische Visa mehr entgegennehmen. Die Bearbeitung wird ab dem
5. Juli 2007 von dem neuen Dienstleistungspartner des Generalkonsulats,
WorldBridge Service, übernommen. Dieser wird in Düsseldorf, Berlin und
München eigens neue Visa-Zentren einrichten, wo die biometrischen Daten der
Antragsteller erfasst werden. Es wird ein Scan des Fingerabdrucks
durchgeführt und ein Digitalfoto aufgenommen.

Antragsteller müssen hierfür persönlich in einem der Visa-Zentren
erscheinen. Zur Abgabe des Antrags ist ein Termin erforderlich, der vorab
online vereinbart werden muss. Die Entscheidung, ob ein Visum erteilt wird,
liegt weiterhin beim Britischen Generalkonsulat in Düsseldorf.

Nähere Informationen zum Antragsverfahren sowie die Anschriften und die
Öffnungszeiten der Visa-Zentren sind auf der Webseite des WorldBridge
Service zu finden:

www.visainfoservices.com

Anrufe werden zu einer festgesetzten Gebühr unter +49 351 257 4095 oder +49
351 257 4096 entgegengenommen. Die Abrechnung erfolgt über Visa oder Master
Card.

Tips for getting along with your neighbours

Jill Sommer wrote the following article some years ago but it’s as pertinent today as it was in 2005.  Times change – good manners don’t.  But what exactly is polite when dealing with your native German neighbour, work colleague or plumber?

Read on to find out…

Tips for getting along with your

German neighbours and colleagues written by Jill Sommer

Don’t be offended if your neighbours don’t come over on the first day and introduce themselves, housewarming gift in hand. It is your responsibility as the newcomer to introduce yourself to your neighbours. This will probably also not be the start of a long neighborly relationship, but rather a chance meeting or a formal greeting over the fence for the entire length of your stay. However, you reap what you sow, and my neighbours have mentioned to me more than once that they really appreciate my friendly “Hello, how are you?” and gestures like bringing up their mail to their door if they are out of town or if a package is lying around. It stands out from the rather distant behavior they are used to. Every little bit of neighbourliness counts.

A recent study has found that the less-than-sunny disposition of the German people can be traced back to their language. Dr. David Myers, an American Speech researcher from
Hope College in
Michigan, maintains that the German language with all its Ös, Äs and Üs forces the mouth to have a distinct concave position (try it out…your mouth is constantly drooped!). This frequent “unhappy” mouth position not only creates a “sour” expression, but also contributes to the speaker’s mood in the long term. Americans and Brits, on the other hand, have lots of “friendly” Is and As in their speech, thus creating a friendly and happy language, which in turn ensures happy people. I thought this finding was very interesting. Keep it in mind the next time you meet a less-than-sunny German and just give them a big smile and talk to them in English!

A major issue in German society is Quiet Time, which is from 1 PM to 3 PM and 10 PM to 7 AM Monday through Saturday. The whole of Sunday is considered Quiet Time. This means that you are not meant to do anything during this time which could disturb your neighbors in any way. This includes loud music, mowing the lawn, drilling into a wall, vacuuming, yelling at the kids or the kids yelling at each other. You may also only play a musical instrument for 90 minutes per day, but not during Quiet Time. Parties are not private affairs either. If you are planning to have a party, you need to inform your closest neighbors beforehand so that they know what to expect. Another thing I recently learned is that visual disturbances are not allowed on a Sunday. This includes hanging out your laundry where a neighbor can see it. I wonder if the rule applies to my neighbor’s tightie-whities in the basement (ugh).

It is considered bad form to call someone after 9 PM, although younger people don’t take issue with this rule as much. This custom stems from the fact that Germans start work very early in the morning and therefore go to bed quite early in the evening.

Another interesting tip is that it is considered a civil offence if you do not wash your staircase or sweep the sidewalk in front of your apartment building regularly. This is preferably done on Friday or Saturday morning, but check your building’s schedule (if one exists). My building wasn’t so regimented about this, but I know plenty of people whose neighbors document when the stairwell is cleaned. This is all part of the German tradition of Ordentlichkeit and Sauberkeit (tidiness and cleanliness).

If you are invited to someone’s home for Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cake) have a light lunch. German hostesses make a lavish affair of this and will be upset if you do not try at least a little piece of everything on offer. If you would like to invite German acquaintances over for a similar occasion, make sure that you have at least 3 different types of cakes to offer. Less than that will seem stingy and inhospitable according to German standards. And remember that they like whipped cream to be slightly sweetened.

If you need to introduce your guests to one another, introduce them by Frau or Herr and their surname only. Do not use their Christian names unless you are all well acquainted.

When drinking with others, they will be impressed if you look them in the eye when clinking glasses. Many Germans don’t do this, and I have had more than one person remark on the fact that I knew to do this. I learned this in
Austria, where it is considered bad luck (actually, they feel you will have one year of bad sex) if you do not look people in the eye when clinking glasses. Prost!

It is considered bad luck to celebrate your birthday or wish someone happy birthday before the actual date. You may celebrate “into” your birthday by having a celebration the night before and running into the birth date. If you are at such a birthday party be sure to give the gift to the birthday boy or girl after midnight. If you are turning a Schnappszahl (the age of 22 or 33 or 44…) you are expected to drink a lot of Schnapps.

© Jill R. Sommer, July 2000
Last modified: January 2005

Expat Site

Easy Expat

EasyExpat is an International Relocation portal dedicated to expatriates and expatriation.

www.easyexpat.com

Bonn – A Concise History

The history of Bonn stretches back more than 2,000 years, from its beginning as a small Celtic fishing village to the city we know today. The Romans, recognizing the strategic advantages of the village, founded a fortress known as the ‘castra Bonnensia’ which remained a fortified garrison until the end of the Roman Empire. Under the Franconian kings the ‘castra Bonnensia’, which the Franconians renamed ‘Bonnburg’, became the stage for alternating armed conflict and less violent confrontation. The medieval city of Bonn grew up not within the boundaries of ‘Bonnburg’ but further away on the Roman burial ground. This later became known as ‘Villa Basilica’, a monastic sanctuary that attracted not only the clergy but also craftsmen, merchants and other traders.

During the 10th and 11th centuries Bonn was under the control of the Archbishops of Cologne, who were not only spiritual leaders but also the landowners. During the 14th century two German kings were crowned in the Bonn Minster – Friedrich the Handsome in 1314 and Karl IV in 1340. After the Archbishops had been driven out of Cologne, Bonn became their favorite domicile. From the latter part of the 16th century onwards, Bonn was generally regarded as the residential town of the Archbishops and Electors of Cologne.

Although Bonn remained intact during the Thirty Years War (1618-48) it was completely destroyed in 1689 during Ludwig IV’s wars after being besieged three times.

During the reigns of Elector Joseph Clemens and Elector Clemens August, Bonn began to flourish again. Baroque style palaces and parks were constructed which can still be seen today. It was during this period, 18th century, that Ludwig van Beethoven’s family moved to Bonn.

The era of peace and prosperity in Bonn’s history ended abruptly in 1794 when the French Revolutionary Forces entered the city reducing it to poverty. In 1815 the Vienna Convention gave Bonn, together with other towns along the Rhine, to Prussia. In 1818 the Prussian University in Rhineland was built in Bonn thus marking the beginning of new prosperity in the city, which soon became a fashionable residential center for the wealthy. Prior to the First World War, Bonn counted as one of the wealthiest cities in Germany.

Both the First and Second World Wars caused damage and economic loss to the city. However, after the latter war a provisional capital city had to be chosen for the Federal Republic of Germany and Konrad Adenauer, President of the Parliamentary Council, suggested Bonn as a possibility due to its geographic position – other contenders being Frankfurt, Kassel and Stuttgart. On 11 May 1949, the Parliamentary Council voted by 33 votes to 29 that Bonn became the new capital. Under the ‘Bonn Act’ of 1 August, 1969, the surrounding towns, Bad-Godesberg, Beuel, Mehlem etc., consolidated with Bonn to produce one conglomerate city.

With the German reunification on October 3, 1990, Berlin was reinstated as the capital city and on June 20, 1991, the Bundestag voted to transfer the seat of Government to Berlin. However, Bonn will continue as seat of government until the move is fully completed.

Libraries

BOOKS – More than just bicycle stands!

I remember first leaning to read. It was my first year at school. I was in baby class in the corrugated iron hut, separated from the main Yorkshire stone building. My teacher had a dog called Ben who used to sleep in front of the old coal stove with the iron chimney that rose up through the roof. The afternoon sun streamed through the window on my back as I sat at a long low table. In front of me lay the book ‘Little Black Sambo’ Suddenly, the letters that had appeared as separate entities began to form into words and I could read, I was in heaven. My passion for reading was unbridled and I obtained my first library card by the time I was six years old.

Libraries today are streets away from the time I joined my first library. Then, the gas lighter used to come at dusk, lighting up the streetlights one by one. There would be a smell of wood and coal smoke in the air, sometimes the whiff of burnt toast and I‘d walk home with my books in the chill of winter, counting my steps from one gaslight to the next until I reached streets where electric streetlights cast wider arcs of light, then up the hill and home.

So now you are in Bonn and want to join a library. In order to join a library in Germany you must first produce an “Anmeldungsbescheinigung” obtained from the Rathaus in your area, it also best to take along your passport just in case. There are various charges for joining with different privileges but the best value is the annual subscription fee othis covers all the libraries in the Bonn area including the music library and you can check out items without incurring extra charges.

Bonn libraries have English language section as well as small selections of French and Spanish materials. There is also a selection of English videos, music CD’s and DVD’s. As with the Music library media items can be checked out for a week. The library is also pleased to accept donations of books, CD’s or DVD’s in good condition. I organised my CD’s,  copied my favourite tracks onto an MP3 player then donated the CD’s to the music library. I also passed on my unwanted books that were in good condition to Frau Trimborn, Tel. (0228) 774593 at Bonn Central. They are pleased to accept all donations in good condition. The music library has over 2000 CD’s. One is allowed 15 CD’s at any time; this includes any CD’s that have three or four to one case. If, like me, you are catching up on obtaining music from the past for an MP3 player, this is an ideal time to check out what is on offer in the latest digitally re-mastered CD’s some CD’s are older and there is a lot of difference in sound quality. However, I managed to get three Steely Dan CD’s, which saved me downloading the tracks I wanted on-line at about Euro 1.15 to 1.49, a track. (If you don’t know already, T-Online have a download site for music and this can be charged directly to your telephone account – the only drawback to this is that you cannot listen to all the tracks in order to ascertain which ones you remember from the past!! I had to go into Amazon.com to listen first, jot down the titles, and then download. Inter-links for info on media, libraries, theatres are as follows:

http://www.theatrelibrary.org/sibmas/idpac/europe/de604.html

http://www.bonn.de/stadtbibliothek/musik.html

Happy browsing.

Next Page »