Hier & There. The podcast of the Germanic-American Institute (GAI Podcast)

In this episode, we welcome Dr. Kirsten Christensen, the executive director of the Twin Cities German Immersion School. You can find all about the school and how to register your child here: TCGIS.org

Enjoy this episode, and please feel free to email us with feedback at podcast@gaimn.org

Until then, Frohe Weihnachten & ein gutes neues Jahr! 🧑‍🎄

Nils Martin, of the Goethe Institute, which is Germany's cultural representation abroad, joins us to tell us all about the Wanderbus. 

You can also find a printable pdf file of the Wanderbus here: https://www.goethe.de/resources/files/pdf196/wanderbus-digital-learning-package-by-the-goethe-institut.pptx1.pdf

Please share your feedback, thoughts, and suggestions for future episodes with us at podcast@gaimn.org

If you'd like to read along, you can find the text to the story by clicking this Link

This story comes from the shelf of Merkel's Erzählkabinett.

As far as your German-speaking children are concerned - earmuffs are not needed, but prepare for some added depth to the meaning of Herrn Meiers adventures. If you have a German group to talk with, your interpretation of "Herr Meier" would make for a really fun conversation. :)

Audience Participation: If you want us to include any stories in our Storycast series, please connect with us at podcast@gaimn.org

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Since 1957 The Germanic American Institute has been building cultural bridges between the American Midwest and German-speaking European countries.

We cordially invite you on the inside, to join us as we share insights into German grammar, the German cultural experience, we’ll look at current topics, and we’ll let you know about all the events that we are involved in, and you can participate in.

If you'd like us to answer any questions you may have about our content, history, grammar, etc. please email us at podcast@gaimn.org, and we'll answer your question in the next episode.

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The Consulate’s website is at: https://www.germany.info/us-en/embassy-consulates/generalkonsulat3

Thank you to Consul General Wolfgang Mössinger, for taking an hour of his time to talk with us.

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Since 1957 The Germanic American Institute has been building cultural bridges between the American Midwest and German-speaking European countries.

We cordially invite you on the inside, to join us as we share insights into German grammar, the German cultural experience, we’ll look at current topics, and we’ll let you know about all the events that we are involved in, and you can participate in.

If you'd like us to answer any questions you may have about our content, history, grammar, etc. please email us at podcast@gaimn.org and we'll answer your question in the next episode.

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If you'd like to read along, you can find the text to the story by clicking this Link

This story comes from the shelf of Merkel's Erzählkabinett.

As far as your German-speaking children are concerned - earmuffs are not needed but prepare for some added depth to the meaning of Herrn Meiers adventures. If you have a German group to talk with, your interpretation of "Herr Meier" would make for a really fun conversation. :)

Audience Participation: If you want us to include any stories in our Storycast series, please connect with us at podcast@gai-mn.org

###

Since 1957 The Germanic American Institute has been building cultural bridges between the American Midwest and German-speaking European countries.

We cordially invite you on the inside, to join us as we share insights into German grammar, the German cultural experience, we’ll look at current topics, and we’ll let you know about all the events that we are involved in, and you can participate in.

If you'd like us to answer any questions you may have about our content, history, grammar, etc. please email us at podcast@gaimn.org, and we'll answer your question in the next episode.

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If you would like to read along, click this link for the PDF of Gelb und Rosa.

You can also copy/paste this link: https://www.gaimn.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Gelb-und-Rosa-Hoerspiel.pdf

The German summary of Gelb und Rosa:

Zwei Holzkerle, der eine rosa, der andere gelb, erwachen auf einer Wiese und schauen sich erstaunt an. Sie fragen sich: Wer sind wir eigentlich? Wie sind wir hierhergekommen? Sie betrachten sich. Sie spekulieren singend über ihre Herkunft. Sie wundern sich, wie etwas so Perfektes wie sie überhaupt zustande kommen konnte. Rosa sagt: „Jemand muss uns gemacht haben.“ Gelb denkt: „Wir sind der pure Zufall.“ So entsteht ein Streit, in dem die Erklärungsversuche sich verselbstständigen.

“Gelb und Rosa“ verwandelt eine der großen philosophischen Streitfragen in eine theatrale Debatte, die Kinder und Eltern gleichermaßen einlädt, mitzudenken und mit einer singenden Kuh und einem steppenden Huhn zu untersuchen:

Woher kommen wir?

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Since 1957 The Germanic American Institute has been building cultural bridges between the American Midwest and German-speaking European countries.

We cordially invite you on the inside, to join us as we share insights into German grammar, the German cultural experience, we’ll look at current topics, and we’ll let you know about all the events that we are involved in, and you can participate in.

If you'd like us to answer any questions you may have about our content, history, grammar, etc. please email us at podcast@gaimn.org and we'll answer your question in the next episode.

###

If you would like to read along, click this link for the PDF of Gelb und Rosa.

You can also copy/paste this link: https://www.gaimn.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Gelb-und-Rosa-Hoerspiel.pdf

The German summary of Gelb und Rosa:

Zwei Holzkerle, der eine rosa, der andere gelb, erwachen auf einer Wiese und schauen sich erstaunt an. Sie fragen sich: Wer sind wir eigentlich? Wie sind wir hierhergekommen? Sie betrachten sich. Sie spekulieren singend über ihre Herkunft. Sie wundern sich, wie etwas so Perfektes wie sie überhaupt zustande kommen konnte. Rosa sagt: „Jemand muss uns gemacht haben.“ Gelb denkt: „Wir sind der pure Zufall.“ So entsteht ein Streit, in dem die Erklärungsversuche sich verselbstständigen.

“Gelb und Rosa“ verwandelt eine der großen philosophischen Streitfragen in eine theatrale Debatte, die Kinder und Eltern gleichermaßen einlädt, mitzudenken und mit einer singenden Kuh und einem steppenden Huhn zu untersuchen:
Woher kommen wir?

###

Since 1957 The Germanic American Institute has been building cultural bridges between the American Midwest and German-speaking European countries.

We cordially invite you on the inside, to join us as we share insights into German grammar, the German cultural experience, we’ll look at current topics, and we’ll let you know about all the events that we are involved in, and you can participate in.

If you'd like us to answer any questions you may have about our content, history, grammar, etc. please email us at podcast@gaimn.org and we'll answer your question in the next episode.

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Visit their website at https://utepilsbrewing.com/ or, better yet, visit the brew garden in person!

This conversation takes us from beer brewing to experience, to staying open during the pandemic, to history, and to a heartfelt “thank you” for providing the beer for the GAI’s volunteers at Deutsche Tage.

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Since 1957 The Germanic American Institute has been building cultural bridges between the American Midwest and German-speaking European countries.

We cordially invite you on the inside, to join us as we share insights into German grammar, the German cultural experience, we’ll look at current topics, and we’ll let you know about all the events that we are involved in, and you can participate in.

If you'd like us to answer any questions you may have about our content, history, grammar, etc. please email us at podcast@gaimn.org and we'll answer your question in the next episode.

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If you'd like to read along, you can find the text to the story by clicking this Link

This story comes from the shelf of www.deutschalsfremdsprache.ch

This is a pretty lighthearted storycast about Nick, his friends, and school portraits. As expected, nothing really goes as planned. :) 

Audience Participation: If you want us to include any stories in our Storycast series, please connect with us at podcast@gai-mn.org

###

Since 1957 The Germanic American Institute has been building cultural bridges between the American Midwest and German-speaking European countries.

We cordially invite you on the inside, to join us as we share insights into German grammar, the German cultural experience, we’ll look at current topics, and we’ll let you know about all the events that we are involved in, and you can participate in.

If you'd like us to answer any questions you may have about our content, history, grammar, etc. please email us at podcast@gaimn.org, and we'll answer your question in the next episode.

###

If you'd like to read along, you can find the text to the story by clicking this Link

The intention of "Der Taucher" is to broaden your vocabulary and to capture pronunciation and flow. Many of the terms used in this story are quite colloquial, and some are even challenging to translate. However, sometimes, close enough of a translation is good enough, and the context of the story carries the meaning.

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Audience Participation: If you want us to include any stories in our Storycast series, please connect with us at podcast@gai-mn.org

###

If you'd like to read along, you can find the text to the story by clicking this Link

This story comes from the shelf of Merkel's Erzählkabinett. 

As far as your German-speaking children are concerned - earmuffs are not needed but prepare for some added depth to the meaning of Herrn Meiers adventures. If you have a German group to talk with, your interpretation of "Herr Meier" would make for a really fun conversation. :) 

Audience Participation: If you want us to include any stories in our Storycast series, please connect with us at podcast@gai-mn.org

###

Since 1957 The Germanic American Institute has been building cultural bridges between the American Midwest and German-speaking European countries.

We cordially invite you on the inside, to join us as we share insights into German grammar, the German cultural experience, we’ll look at current topics, and we’ll let you know about all the events that we are involved in, and you can participate in.

If you'd like us to answer any questions you may have about our content, history, grammar, etc. please email us at podcast@gaimn.org, and we'll answer your question in the next episode.

###

If you'd like to read along, you can find the text to the story by clicking this Link

The intention of "Der Schmied und der Teufel" is to broaden your vocabulary and to capture pronunciation and flow. Many of the terms used in this story are quite colloquial, and some are even challenging to translate. However, sometimes, close enough of a translation is good enough, and the context of the story carries the meaning.

As far as your German-speaking children are concerned - earmuffs are not needed but prepare for some German linguistic creativity.

###

Audience Participation: If you want us to include any stories in our Storycast series, please connect with us at podcast@gai-mn.org

###

If you'd like to read along, you can find the text to the story by clicking this Link

In this Storycast, we're taking you back to the 18th century with three poems by Goethe.

Goethe was born on August 28th, 1749 and in true polymath fashion, he is known as a poet, playwright, novelist, theater director, a critic of arts, and a scientist.

Goethe, a lawyer by education, achieved noble status at the ripe age of 25, after writing The Sorrows of the Young Werther. As a scientist, he wrote the Metamorphosis of Plants in 1788 and just three years later, he became the managing director of the theater in Weimar.

Among his famous works are Faust, Wilhelm Meister’s Apprenticeship, Prometheus, and several others. What’s as surprising as his seemingly limitless talents, was that he had time to get married to Christiane Vulpius in 1806. Goethe was the father of 5 children, although 4 died at a young age.

Truthfully, this short summary is a grave injustice to a genius who died in March 1832, and left literary works for us to cherish for what likely will be eternity.

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Goethe's poems leave us with numerous things to ponder and discuss. If you have a German group to talk with, your interpretation of the poems always creates a fantastic conversation.

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Audience Participation: If you want us to include any stories in our Storycast series, please connect with us at podcast@gaimn.org

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Enjoy!

Some of the sources are: krone.at, kurier.at. derstandard.at, diepresse.at, bild.de, https://www.sueddeutsche.de, https://www.faz.net/aktuell/, and many more. On Google.de, search for “Deutsche Zeitungen” and you will find a rather significant repository of reading material.

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Events: The highlight of the podcast is that Deutsche Tage will be back!

Also, on April 18, “Learning from the Germans” and on May 8, German Cakes with Helga. The first Zoom Cooking class was a great success, and we’re following up with Helga’s baking - you don’t want to miss this!

Find all details on gaimn.org

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Since 1957 The Germanic American Institute has been building cultural bridges between the American Midwest and German-speaking European countries.

We cordially invite you on the inside, to join us as we share insights into German grammar, the German cultural experience, we’ll look at current topics, and we’ll let you know about all the events that we are involved in, and you can participate in.

If you'd like us to answer any questions you may have about our content, history, grammar, etc. please email us at podcast@gai-mn.org and we'll answer your question in the next episode.

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In this episode, we revisit a talk from Professor David Tompkins of Carleton College that was part of the “Transatlantic Chapters” series at the GAI last fall. The presentation, “Denazification and the Cold War - The United States and Germany after WWII” gives an excellent overview of the historical developments in Germany at a pivotal moment in history. Professor Tompkins covers the contexts of World War I and World War II and provides background on the U.S. occupations of Germany after both wars. He describes the process of denazification and examines the Cold War through a German prism.  The talk can also be viewed on the GAI’s YouTube channel here:  https://youtu.be/qXhKJ8D8heM

Special thanks to Professor Tompkins for sharing his expertise with us and our listeners. We also encourage our listeners to sign up for the GAI’s next virtual talk, “Learning from the Germans,” with author Susan Neiman on April 18. Registration at https://www.gaimn.org/calendar/learning-from-the-germans

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Since 1957 The Germanic American Institute has been building cultural bridges between the American Midwest and German-speaking European countries.

We cordially invite you on the inside, to join us as we share insights into German grammar, the German cultural experience, we’ll look at current topics, and we’ll let you know about all the events that we are involved in, and you can participate in.

If you'd like us to answer any questions you may have about our content, history, grammar, etc. please email us at podcast@gai-mn.org and we'll answer your question in the next episode.

###

If you'd like to read along, you can find the text to the story by clicking this Link

The intention of "Auf Gespensterjagd" is to broaden your vocabulary. Many of the terms used in this story are quite colloquial, and some are even challenging to translate. However, sometimes, close enough of a translation is good enough, and the context of the story carries the meaning.

As far as your German-speaking children are concerned - earmuffs are not needed but prepare for some German linguistic creativity.

###

Audience Participation: If you want us to include any stories in our Storycast series, please connect with us at podcast@gai-mn.org

###

The story comes, once again, from the University of Bremen and Merkel's Erzählkabinett.

If you'd like to read along, you can find the text to the story by clicking this Link

The intention of "Der gestohlene Satz" is to broaden your vocabulary. Many of the terms used in this story are quite colloquial, and some are even challenging to translate. However, sometimes, close enough of a translation is good enough, and the context of the story carries the meaning.

As far as your German-speaking children are concerned - earmuffs are not needed but prepare for some German linguistic creativity.

###

Audience Participation: If you want us to include any stories in our Storycast series, please connect with us at podcast@gai-mn.org

###

The story comes, once again, from the University of Bremen and Merkel's Erzählkabinett.

Also, check out our new website at www.gaimn.org and email us with your thoughts! Thanks in advance!

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Since 1957 The Germanic American Institute has been building cultural bridges between the American Midwest and German-speaking European countries.

We cordially invite you on the inside, to join us as we share insights into German grammar, the German cultural experience, we’ll look at current topics, and we’ll let you know about all the events that we are involved in, and you can participate in.

If you'd like us to answer any questions you may have about our content, history, grammar, etc. please email us at podcast@gai-mn.org and we'll answer your question in the next episode.

###

If you'd like to read along, you can find the text to the story by clicking this Link

The intention of "Ein schlechtes Geschäft" is to broaden your vocabulary. Many of the terms used in this story are quite colloquial, and some are even challenging to translate. However, sometimes, close enough of a translation is good enough, and the context of the story carries the meaning. 

As far as your German-speaking children are concerned - earmuffs are not needed but prepare for some German linguistic creativity. 

###

Audience Participation: If you want us to include any stories in our Storycast series, please connect with us at podcast@gai-mn.org

###

The story comes, once again, from the University of Bremen and Merkel's Erzählkabinett. 

If you would like to read along, you can find the text to the story by clicking this Link 

or, 

you can also copy and paste the entire URL to our Google Storydrive: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ae_7p7lMi7kHTRUvYOs98dAbDjh7z3n_/view?usp=sharing

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The original story was published by Dr. Johannes Merkel of Merkels Erzählkabinett at the University of Bremen.

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We are always interested in your feedback: email us at podcast@gai-mn.org

Source: Johannes Merkel - https://www.stories.uni-bremen.de/leute/steinsuppe.html

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Since 1957 The Germanic American Institute has been building cultural bridges between the American Midwest and German-speaking European countries.

We cordially invite you on the inside, to join us as we share insights into German grammar, the German cultural experience, we’ll look at current topics, and we’ll let you know about all the events that we are involved in, and you can participate in.

If you'd like us to answer any questions you may have about our content, history, grammar, etc. please email us at podcast@gai-mn.org and we'll answer your question in the next episode.

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The original article we came across: https://www.deutschland.de/en/topic/business/the-skilled-immigration-act-the-impact-of-the-coronavirus

The Make it in Germany web portal: https://www.make-it-in-germany.com/en/

We covered:

The current situation of the labor market in Germany

Skilled workers are needed in Germany

Immigrants - are they welcomed?

The Visa process & changes in immigration laws

Do you need to speak German?

The removal of the work permit

Increasing your chances to get a job offer from a German company

The process of applying: what needs to be on the resume

What it is like to actually immigrate to Germany

Language and culture - some things to consider

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Since 1957 The Germanic American Institute has been building cultural bridges between the American Midwest and German-speaking European countries.

We cordially invite you on the inside, to join us as we share insights into German grammar, the German cultural experience, we’ll look at current topics, and we’ll let you know about all the events that we are involved in, and you can participate in.

If you'd like us to answer any questions you may have about our content, history, grammar, etc. please email us at podcast@gai-mn.org and we'll answer your question in the next episode.

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The Election Play, directed by Julia Hart, can be viewed here: https://vimeo.com/475758573

Relating to ALL the GAI’s events, language classes, and COVID-19 measures, please visit www.gai-mn.org

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Since 1957 The Germanic American Institute has been building cultural bridges between the American Midwest and German-speaking European countries.

We cordially invite you on the inside, to join us as we share insights into German grammar, the German cultural experience, we’ll look at current topics, and we’ll let you know about all the events that we are involved in, and you can participate in.

If you'd like us to answer any questions you may have about our content, history, grammar, etc. please email us at podcast@gai-mn.org and we'll answer your question in the next episode.

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For more information, please visit https://gai-mn.org/Chapters

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Since 1957 The Germanic American Institute has been building cultural bridges between the American Midwest and German-speaking European countries.

We cordially invite you on the inside, to join us as we share insights into German grammar, the German cultural experience, we’ll look at current topics, and we’ll let you know about all the events that we are involved in, and you can participate in.

If you'd like us to answer any questions you may have about our content, history, grammar, etc. please email us at podcast@gai-mn.org and we'll answer your question in the next episode.

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Especially important during this year, is the GAI’s Annual Fund. For more information, please visit www.gai-mn.org

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Since 1957 The Germanic American Institute has been building cultural bridges between the American Midwest and German-speaking European countries.

We cordially invite you on the inside, to join us as we share insights into German grammar, the German cultural experience, we’ll look at current topics, and we’ll let you know about all the events that we are involved in, and you can participate in.

If you'd like us to answer any questions you may have about our content, history, grammar, etc. please email us at podcast@gai-mn.org and we'll answer your question in the next episode.

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Erin covers all the fall events. For more information, please visit www.gai-mn.org

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Since 1957 The Germanic American Institute has been building cultural bridges between the American Midwest and German-speaking European countries.

We cordially invite you on the inside, to join us as we share insights into German grammar, the German cultural experience, we’ll look at current topics, and we’ll let you know about all the events that we are involved in, and you can participate in.

If you'd like us to answer any questions you may have about our content, history, grammar, etc. please email us at podcast@gai-mn.org and we'll answer your question in the next episode.