Saturday, June 30, 2007

Dedicated to my friend Mitsos




We teachers should have some fun too...


Create Your Own PaloozaHead - Visit Lollapalooza.com

I started this as a "serious blog"!!! I hope this does not ruin my "image" and my students will continue having lessons with their crazy teacher!!!

(My friend the alien is to blame!!!)

Anti Racist Festival



Originally uploaded by tpapapanayiotou
A very interesting even is organized in Thessaloniki, the Anti-racist Festival. With live concerts, talks and information stands. You can have a good time and also support a very important cause.

Friday, June 29, 2007

Did you know?

Sorry this is in Greek only! This article explains how some Greek idioms were created.


ΧΡΩΣΤΑΕΙ ΤΙΣ ΜΙΧΑΛΟΥΣ..Η λαϊκή έκφραση συνδέεται με τη μετεπαναστατική ζωή στο Ναύπλιο, πρωτεύουσα τότε της Ελλάδας. Συγκεκριμένα, μετά την επανάσταση του 21 υπήρχε στο Ναύπλιο μια ταβέρνα που ανήκε σε μια γυναίκα, τη Μιχαλού. Η Μιχαλού είχε το προτέρημα να κάνει «βερεσέδια» αλλά υπό προθεσμία. Μόλις εξαντλείτο η προθεσμία - και η υπομονή της - στόλιζε τους χρεώστες της με «κοσμητικότατα» επίθετα. Όσοι τα άκουγαν, ήξεραν καλά ότι αυτός που δέχεται τις «περιποιήσεις» της «χρωστάει της Μιχαλούς».

ΕΦΑΓΑ ΧΥΛΟΠΙΤΑ..Γύρω στα 1815 υπήρχε κάποιος κομπογιαννίτης, ο Παρθένης Νένιμος, ο οποίος ισχυριζόταν πως είχε βρει το φάρμακο για τους βαρύτατα ερωτευμένους. Επρόκειτο για ένα παρασκεύασμα από σιταρένιο χυλό ψημένο στο φούρνο. Όσοι λοιπόν αγαπούσαν χωρίς ανταπόκριση, θα έλυναν το πρόβλημά τους τρώγοντας αυτή τη θαυματουργή πίτα - και μάλιστα επί τρεις ημέρες, κάθε πρωί, τελείως νηστικοί.

ΜΥΡΙΖΩ ΤΑ ΝΥΧΙΑ ΜΟΥ.. Η φράση προέρχεται από την αρχαία τελετουργική συνήθεια, κατά την οποία οι ιέρειες των μαντείων βουτούσαν τα δάχτυλά τους σ' ένα υγρό με βάση το δαφνέλαιο, τις αναθυμιάσεις του οποίου εισέπνεαν καθώς τα έφερναν κατόπιν κοντά στη μύτη τους και μ' αυτό τον τρόπο έπεφταν σ' ένα είδος καταληψίας κατά την οποία προμάντευαν τα μελλούμενα.

ΤΡΩΕΙ ΤΑ ΝΥΧΙΑ ΤΟΥ ΓΙΑ ΚΑΒΓΑ. . Ένα από τα αγαπημένα θεάματα των Ρωμαίων και αργότερα των Βυζαντινών, ήταν η ελεύθερη πάλη.Οι περισσότεροι από τους παλαιστές, ήταν σκλάβοι, που έβγαιναν από το στίβο με την ελπίδα να νικήσουν και να απελευθερωθούν. Στην ελεύθερη αυτή πάλη επιτρέπονταν τα πάντα γροθιές, κλωτσιές, κουτουλιές, ακόμη και το πνίξιμο. Το μόνο που απαγορευόταν αυστηρά ήταν οι γρατζουνιές. Ο παλαιστής έπρεπε να νικήσει τον αντίπαλό του, χωρίς να του προξενήσει την παραμικρή αμυχή με τα νύχια, πράγμα , βέβαια, δυσκολότατο. Γιατί τα νύχια των δυστυχισμένων σκλάβων, που έμεναν συνέχεια μέσα στα κάτεργα, ήταν τεράστια και σκληρά από τις βαριές δουλειές που έκαναν. Γι' αυτό λίγο προτού βγουν στο στίβο, άρχιζαν να τα κόβουν, όπως μπορούσαν, με τα δόντια τους. Από το γεγονός αυτό βγήκε κι η φράση «τρώει τα νύχια του για καβγά».

ΜΑΛΛΙΑΣΕ Η ΓΛΩΣΣΑ ΜΟΥ.. Στη βυζαντινή εποχή υπήρχαν διάφορες τιμωρίες, ανάλογες, βέβαια, με το παράπτωμα. Όταν π.χ. ένας έλεγε πολλά, δηλαδή έλεγε λόγια που δεν έπρεπε να ειπωθούν, τότε τον τιμωρούσαν με έναν τρομερό τρόπο. Του έδιναν ένα ειδικό χόρτο που ήταν υποχρεωμένος με το μάσημα να το κάνει πολτό μέσα στο στόμα του. Το χόρτο, όμως, αυτό ήταν αγκαθωτό, στυφό και αρκετά σκληρό, τόσο που κατά το μάσημα στο στόμα του πρηζόταν και η γλώσσα, το ελατήριο δηλαδή της τιμωρίας του, άνοιγε, μάτωνε και γινόταν ίνες-ίνες, κλωστές-κλωστές, δηλαδή, όπως είναι τα μαλλιά. Από την απάνθρωπη τιμωρία βγήκε και η παροιμιώδης φράση : "μάλλιασε η γλώσσα μου", που τις λέμε μέχρι σήμερα, όταν προσπαθούμε με τα λόγια μας να πείσουμε κάποιον για κάτι και του το λέμε πολλές φορές.

ΜΟΥ ΕΦΥΓΕ ΤΟ ΚΑΦΑΣΙ..Στα Τούρκικα καφάς θα πει κεφάλι, κρανίο. Όταν, λοιπόν, η καρπαζιά, που έριξαν σε κάποιον είναι δυνατή λέμε :" του έφυγε το καφάσι", δηλαδή, του έφυγε το κεφάλι από τη δύναμη του κτυπήματος. Το ίδιο και όταν αντιληφθούμε κάτι σπουδαίο, λέμε :"μου έφυγε το καφάσι" , δηλαδή, μου έφυγε το κεφάλι από τη σπουδαιότητα

ΤΟΥΜΠΕΚΙ..«Τουμπεκί » λέγεται τουρκικά ο καπνός για τον αργιλέ, που τον κάπνιζαν στα διάφορα καφενεία της παλιάς εποχής. Τον αργιλέ τον ετοίμαζαν οι «ταμπήδες» των καφενείων και επειδή αυτοί έπιαναν την κουβέντα κι αργούσαμε τον πάνε στον πελάτη, εκείνος με τη σειρά του φώναζε: «κάνε τουμπεκί ». Όσοι κάπνισαν ναργιλέ ήταν και από φυσικού τους λιγομίλητοι και δεν τους άρεσε η «πάρλα», οι φλυαρίες. Με τις ώρες κρατούσαν στα χείλη τους το «μαρκούτσι» του ναργιλέ, απολαμβάνοντας μακάρια και σιωπηλά το τουμπεκί, που σιγόκαιγε στο λούλα. Και αν κάνεις, που κι αυτός κάπνιζε ναργιλέ δίπλα του, άνοιγε πλατιά κουβέντα, οι μερακλήδες της παρέας του έλεγαν: « Κάνε τουμπεκί», δηλαδή, κάπνιζε και μη μιλάς. Τώρα για το « ψιλοκομμένο » τουμπεκί, ήταν η τέχνη του «ταμπή» να του το προσφέρει ψιλοκομμένο, που ήταν και καλύτερο.

Wednesday, June 27, 2007

Wednesday

We have literaly "melted" today from the heat. It was 42 degrees C outside..

Fortunately. a light breeze started to blow in the evening.


This is the small train - it is a tradition to go for a ride if you are on the seafront (Paralia)
Hopefully it will get cooler soon!

Tagged!


I have been tagged by my friend (κακούργα) Arty!

The rules are as follows.
"You are to start with 7 random facts/habits about yourself. People "tagged" need to write their own blog about their 7 items, and include these rules. At the end you are to "tag" 7 others and list their names. Don't forget to leave them a quick comment on their page letting them know they have been "tagged" and to read your blog." So here goes.


1. I only drink hot coffee even if it's the middle of the summer!

2. I have never been camping - I hate bugs!

3. I am allergic to chocolate

4. I do not know how to cook

5. I do not know how to drive

6. I remember all of my students' names, even the ones I had 15 years ago!

7. I can be reached more easily by e-mail or messenger than by phone!!

Now it is my turn to tag some people:

Lily, Eleni (from another planet), Susanne-Ute, Nikos, Glenny, Efi, Maria32Greece

Tuesday, June 26, 2007

Movie night-lesson!

This was based to Craig’s idea as I mentioned earlier.
The students had to answer 2 questions, one before and one after the film.

The questions were:
1. A man is found in the sea alive, but he has been shot twice. What happened?
2. Imagine that you are that person. Create your own identity. What objects would you put into your own safety deposit box in the bank?

Artemis' answers:
1. The famous Mafia group of Napoli stroke again but this time they failed in their mission. They tried to kill an innocent man, who knew their secrets and shot him in a parking lot near Salieris bar. To get rid of him, they put him into a van and threw him into the river. Unfortunately for them, the man was found in the sea alive.
2. To be recognized in case of amnesia, I’d put some private objects into a safe deposit box. It would definitely include an old student’s ID, photos of my family and me. In addition I’d have a notebook with phone numbers, addresses and other important notes about myself
Elektra (who has finished with her English studies, but was a “guest-star”:

1. He’s escaped from the Prison of Asceban. This man is very dangerous because he’s a serial killer; he’s not only killed Harry Potter but also his best fellows and Serious Black! Now he is on his new mission: kill Snow white and the Seven Dwarfs. The castle between him and the prince is going to be a difficult and dangerous task!
2. I would put my necklace, photos of beloved people, from holidays, school, addresses, music I like.


Christina’s answers:
1. One day in the world of Strumpfakia something happened. No one knew what had happened. It was a bit dark day and it was raining. Srtumpfita goes out for a walk to the sea of the Strumpfoworld. She takes a boat out to the sea. Then she sees a big thing in the water, she doesn’t’ know what to do. Then she takes a sip of the magic portion. She takes a man out of the water and sees that the man is shot twice. Then she goes into the mind of the man and sees what had happened to him. The man was in a plane and a worm of the worms-game shot him with the hallelujah- bomb 2 times!!
2. Into my own safe deposit box I would put a CD-Rom of Marilyn Manson, photos of me, my friends and family. And I would also put my mobile phone and my laptop. The most special thing I would put, would be my teddy bear, which I have since my first birthday and also my perfume which I use when I am on holiday.


And last but not least Juna's answer's:

1. Probably this man came from an outer space planet, which supplied him with “galactic abilities” which rescued him from death!!!
2. 2. In order to be recognized in case of amnesia, I would put the telephone number of my mother and generally photos of my family, my childhood and a sample of my personal DNA


As you can see, their answers were full of humour, inspired by many different books or films but most of all, full of joy and creativity!

Monday, June 25, 2007

Movie night!

Movie night for my students and me tonight! I had promised them to watch a movie together but of course I had a project made for them.


They all seemed to like the idea and got down to work!


I'll have their work posted tomorrow. The film we watched was "Bourne's identity" - I had made a lesson plan for another film but I couldn't find it at the DVD club, so I "borrowed" Craig's idea.

Christina was kind enough to bring us little ice cream cones (none of them are left by the way!!!)



It was so hot that we went out to the balcony to take some more pics!



And a group picture! I have to thank the girls that they all showed up despite the heat - it was 40 degrees outside!!
I'll have a couple of more posts with the girls' work and this will be the last project for this school year! I thank you all for participating, we'll talk soon!!




Sunday, June 24, 2007

Weekend

I am back but not for long!! Here are some pics so that you get the idea of my weekend!


Don't you just love being at the beach?


Here I am under the umbrella of course! I don't want to get sunburnt!!!

Yiannis decided to take a nap after all that swimming and playing in the sun!!

Having fun with the camera!!!


The fun is being continued!

Beer anyone?



Hope you had a lovely weekend as well!!!






Friday, June 22, 2007

Friday evening

Friday night and we chose the center of Kalamaria (Pezodromos). I thought that most people would gone away for the weekend, but to my surprise, it was crowded, as on weekdays!

I met my pupil Arabella drinking her coffee with a friend! She posed alright but then wanted her picture deleted!! (she wishes!). I warned her though that she would be on my blog today!!!

We ended up at a cafe - it was time for a refreshment!



Our visit to Kalamaria ended with the traditional "tyropitakia" (little cheese pie) - I have mentioned them before in my old blog. They are delicious!!!
Have a wonderful weekend everyone!


Russian Cheesecake (By Christina)


INGREDIENTS:

BASE: 200gr Butter
180gr Sugar
1 Egg
400gr Flour
50gr Cocoa
1 pack of baking powder

FILLING: 150 gr Butter
125 gr Sugar
3 eggs
500 gr yoghurt

Base: First mix the butter with the sugar until the become one. Put the egg into the mix and the flour, mix it up and then put the cocoa and the baking powder. Then put the mix into the fridge.

Filling: Put the butter, the sugar and the yellow of the eggs into a bowl and mix it up. After that you stir the white of the eggs until it gets creamy. Then put the yoghurt with the mix of butter, sugar and egg whites. Stit it with a spoon slowly and after a while pour it into a bowl.

Take the half of the base and put it into the form. Pour the filling onto the base. Te base must be covered. Crumble the rest of the base and put it onto the filling.

The cheesecake goese into the overn for 50 minutes (200 C)
When it is cold you decorate it with icing sugar.

Otto von Bismarck (von Artemis)


I have always been intrigued by the manifold personality of Otto von Bismarck, one of the most significant politicians of the German history.
Otto Eduard Leopold von Bismarck,was born on April 1, 1815(died July 30 1898) to a wealthy family. When the German Empire was declared(in 1871), he served as its first chancellor.Holding conservative views, Bismarck served at the pleasure of his king. Bismarck was calling the catholics and the socialists public enemies and so he reduced the influence of the catholic church in Germany by making the "Kulturkampf"-an anti-catholic campaign-to seperate the church from the state. Feeling threatened by the socialist party, he instituted the anti-Socialist Laws. Even though, the socialist party gained seats in the Reichstag(the German parlament). Therefore Bismarck enacted the first European labor laws(i.e. the Health Insurance act of 1883). Another one of his determinations was to turn Germany into a military and nationalistic country.These aspects of his domestic policy were contradicting, making it very hard to evaluate. But in contrast to that, Bismarck lead great foreign policies:He didn't want the German Empire to be threatened by any other nation and therefore tried to keep peace in Europe. He also isolated France and offered friendship to many mighty nations.
To sum up, this extraordinary man was the creator of the German Unity. He was the one to establish the first German Empire at the side of his good friend and emperor Wilhelm I. Even without wanting it, Bismarck acted in a progressive way in favour ;of his country.
All in all,Bismarck was a very ambitious and determined man who managed to achieve many of his goals, contributing not only to his own power and his emperors benevolence, but also long-term to the German State

Thursday, June 21, 2007

Our trip to Berlin (By Christina)

From June 1st till June 8th the 11th class of the German School Thessaloniki went to Berlin as the last school trip of the year.



It was a funny and also an interesting trip, we saw a lot of sights and we had the chance to find out many things on our oun. We got quizzes about Berlin and in groups of five we had a limited time to find more information about the places.
We visited places like the “Brandenburger Tor”, the Pergamon and the Jude Museum.



In our free tine we went shopping and ate in new restaurants. Our teacher often wanted to eat Indian and Chinese food, but this food wasn’t of our taste.
We didn’t see much of the night life because we had a curfew (3am on Saturday and Wednesday and on the other days midnight).


We had a lot of fun with our teachers and we met a lot of new people.
I liked the trip very much but it was a bit too short!




Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Sigmund Freud (by Juna)


Sigmund Freud’s name is one of the most widely known in the psychiatrical medicine and will remain the name of the one of the greatest contributors to the Human Psychology.
Even before becoming aware of Freud’s works, rumors of his psychological theories overwhelmed me in a young age, persuading me to be willing to follow his steps and try to study neurophysiology.
Sigmund Freud, born May 6th 1856, was a Jewish-Austrian neurologist and psychiatrist who co-founded the psychiatric school of psychology together with Dr. Brown.
Freud is best known for his theories of the unconscious mind, his redefinition of sexual desire, his therapeutic techniques and his long-lasting impact on literary, philosophical and psychological fields. What is more fascinating, Freud could combine every single possible subject with the so-called “unconscious defense mechanism”, which represents a huge gap in human mind discovery.
Generally, despite the fact that Freud’s theories and his treatments of patients were controversial during the 19th century and still remain heftily debated today, the “father of psychoanalysis” and his work has been highly influential on modern psychology and scholar thought.
Finally, in my personal opinion, Sigmund Freud is one of the greatest, most fascinating figures in history.
His achievements in all those different fields, not only represent great progress in medical and psychological science, but also establish a basic image of us, of our inner world, as human beings.
He offered us a proper picture of our inner side and helped us see who and what we are.

The Art of Cheating


Note: This was written for fun only! By no means should it be considered as a guide to cheat.

I was having a lesson with one of my students the other day and she had to write a composition about how to prevent cheating in schools, which she found a bit boring, as she had written many similar compositions in the past. So we decided to do the opposite for a change.

I mention again that it is meant for fun!!!

My student didn't want me to publish her name!


More and more students think about cheating in exams. Many students don’t know how to cheat, so the teachers catch them!!!
Cheating is not easy. The question is: What can be done?
Should cheating be taught in schools?

Here are four different ways of cheating.

1. Copy all the information you need on an exam paper and in the perfect moment put the paper under your real exam paper. Overwrite everything in pen and… you’re ready! Give your exam paper to the teacher and go out like nothing has happened!
2. Type all the information you need on the computer and shrink it to “5”, then print it. You only have to find a good hiding place, so the teacher can’t see it and you can take a look whenever you need.
3. Talk with your partner, but in exams you usually sit alone so it’s not a good possibility to cheat!
4. Take your book out on your lap and copy from there!

In conclusion, there are a lot of ways of cheating but only on condition that your invigilator is not paying attention (I wish!!!)
So, think it over and go study a bit!

Tuesday, June 19, 2007

My student Athena


One of the great kids I've been teaching through the years is Athena.
We started having lessons at the language school I used to work about 5- 6 years ago and from the very beginning she made the difference. A hard worker and a wonderful character. She is very spontaneous and I just love the way she expresses what she is feeling!
Athena has successfully passed the Zertifikat and the Mittelstufe exam in German, as well as the Cambridge and Michigan Proficiency exam in English.
This year she took the Entrance University exams - tomorrow is her last subject (German). She wants to study English or German Literature.
I want to wish you good luck with your results and hopefully I will be able to call you "My collegue" real soon!

Emily's party

That's where we were yesterday! Yiannis' favourite girl invited him to her birthday party!
The kids had a lot of fun!



It is too hot in the city today. Too bad we can't go to the beach.
Take care everybody!

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Sunday

Instead of going to the beach like everybody else, we went downtown for a long walk!
Sometimes it's nice to have the camera with you - I didn't miss the opportunity to take a picture of this girl in stilts, she was going to a baptism or a kid party, I don't know. She happily accepted to have her picture taken (I just love these people!)


The city is deserted today, as you can see, and it is pretty hot outside, but Yiannis wanted to go to Pizza Hut for lunch and we gave in. It's really tough to have a 5-year-old screaming in the middle of the street!

A traditional photo of the White Tower - I was there, so I thought, why not?


On our way back, Yiannis stopped to see some car models and Star War figures.





I just love it when the city is empty! You can enjoy your stroll without people around!
How was your Sunday?


Saturday night


Saturday, June 16, 2007

Projects


I was cleaning my drawers today and I came across this page. It was part of a yearbook we made with my classes, in print and not on line.
Before the yearbook idea, we used to keep a file with all their work (compositions, projects, tests), a kind of a portfolio. Some students kept these files through the years, others threw them away.
At the time it was only drawings and written projects, collages etc. But then new technology came. Everybody got a mobile phone, mobile phones got cameras. The kids took pictures of themselves in the classroom and of course during our “field trips”. (At this point I’d like to mention that it is very difficult to organize a trip or a visit somewhere, even if it’s 2 blocks away from school. Not many language schools do it, but due to my initiative, my “kids” did go to a lot of exhibitions and events.)
I used to gather these pictures and put them together, with their projects as well and used to give it to them every single year. I do think most of them have these projects-booklets still in their bookcase.
This year students, their friends and their families can see their projects and pictures on line. I hope you guys like the idea and please keep contributing to this page!
Thank you!

Friday morning

Nothing much is going on lately -I have stopped working with most of my students, I have just a few continuing lessons next week, so I thought I should have a cup of coffee and relax a bit!
Have a nice weekend everybody!

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Today

I was on my way to pick up my son from school, when I suddenly saw a horse with a carriage in the middle of the street - I particularly loved the seat!!

The day went on with our traditional visit to the park. They had a new addition to the park today and everybody wanted to try it!

I had a lesson inbetween, but my pupil did not want to have her photo published on the Internet and was also too shy to give me her composition to post! Next time I hope!
After work we strolled through a park near the sea. I was very disappointed to see all that garbage lying around, but at least the view was beautiful.


How was your day?


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