oma is for grandma

I'm moving!

2006-03-08T19:33:00.000+11:00

No, not in the literal sense but I'm moving my blog.

After reading about Weblog usability and the top 10 design mistakes I got convinced that it might be time to have my own domain.

According to Jacob Nielsen it's a design mistake to have a Domain Name Owned by a Weblog Service :

The longer you stay at someone else's domain name, the higher the cost of going independent. Yes, it's tempting to start a new weblog on one of the services that offer free accounts. It's easy, it's quick, and it's obviously cheap. But it only costs $8 per year to get your personal domain name and own your own future. As soon as you realize you're serious about blogging, move it away from a domain name that's controlled by somebody else. The longer you delay, the more pain you'll feel when you finally make the move.

Well I'd like to think that I'm serious about blogging. I certainly enjoy doing it just for my own benefit. I also enjoy learning all about blogging, the little bit of programming that's involved (yes, Michael, that's correct) and I'd like to extend my skills in that field.

Also there were just a few things that weren't possible with Blogger that I can now do with my blog once I've learnt how to do that with WordPress (like categorizing all my posts or sending automatic emails about follow-up comments).

So I'm about to enter on the steepest learning curve in a long time. If you'd like to be part of that and stay in touch please visit: www.omaisforgrandma.net and of course change your subscription and links.

Integration: are we there yet?

2006-03-04T20:06:00.000+11:00

Yes, I'm still writing about the whole immigrant-expat issue that started with
me questioning am I or am I not?

In response to one of my posts Alice asked me this:

... I like to think that anyone who lives in Australia and wants to be Australian (or German-Australian, Thai-Australian etc) is accepted as such.

I am interested in your experiences with the locals accepting you as an 'Australian'.

I thought it necessary to write a whole new post on this, maybe cause I'm suffering from verbal diarrhea, but I'd like to say that it's also because I'd love to discuss this further with anybody who's interested.

I've got to say that I've never had a problem being accepted as an 'Australian', it was more that I never really wanted to be 'Australian'. I've always insisted on being 'German'.

When I first arrived in Australia I was regularly asked "So, how do you like Australia?" to which I usually answered "It's OK, I'm getting used to it." Partly because I wanted to stir them up a bit but I also hadn't come here (as most Australians seem to expect and want to hear) because it's the land of my dreams, paradise on earth. At the time it was the best thing for my husband and I to do, but I did miss home incredibly and did not want to just become 'Australian' and forget about home.
Later people asked me "So when are you gonna become Australian?" meaning that I should take out citizenship. Well being me I couldn't help but say "Never!".
I think in hinsight I have become quite Australian over the years but I still feel very German too (and I hope this will never change).

So I think that Australians are keen for their migrants to become 'Australian' and to integrate and assimilate into the Australian culture but they find the opposite quite threatening (I'm happy to be wrong on this if someone would like to show me why): I feel that as long as you're keen to embrace Australia and it's culture fully and try to become Australian you're very much accepted though in my experience this might be harder if you're not of Caucasian appearance. Yet, if you try to keep your culture and language you can be perceived as a threat, particularly if you're not Caucasian.

Don't get me wrong I think Integration is essential to living in another country but Assimilation to me is a total loss of ones own culture and not a favourable outcome of immigration in my point of view.

On the other side friends of my husband's who were either born in Australia or came her at a very young age and would most definitely think of themselfes as Australian have experienced racism or discrimination against them. They have been made to feel like immigrants and pretty much said, if not in words, "We don't want you here, you're not Australian!"

People might say that these are very specific stories that might only reflect isolated cases, but this is how I've experienced things and the only conclusion that I can come to (and I'd be very happy to hear otherwise) is: I, a person of Caucasian appearance, was invited, nearly pressured to be Australian yet friends who really are Australian were made to feel unwelcome only because they are of African or Asian appearance.

a photo for my profile

2006-03-03T12:36:00.000+11:00

Everybody seems to have a nice photo for their user profile.
Well, I want one TOO!!!
This one always cracks me up and I've decided to put it as my profile.
Mim looks like a little fighter pilot wearing her cousin's goggles over her hat. And then with that little serious look of hers (really she's the borne auntie) I can never quite contain myself ... the day we took the photo I had to keep on laughing really hard every time I looked at her but it never put her off wearing the goggles (actually it's become her main swimming accessory she'll never go without)

Oh, I've been falling behind!

2006-03-02T13:05:00.001+11:00

I haven't been very active in my 'blogging life' recently and today I opened up my bloglines account only to find that I've got 53 unread blog posts ... SCARY!!
That put me right off and I began to think that maybe this whole blogging thing is just one of those new fads after all. Hope not! So maybe by posting something myself I'll break the lazy cycle.

It all started with me looking for pyjamas for the little girl on eBay and then I was spending soooo much time on eBay that I got totally frustrated with eBay, the internet and the computer ... I didn't wanna be doing anything in front of the computer.

So ... I started a crochet project and as is the case with everything I do I just did that for the next week straight in every free minute that I had. So I was successfull at least for a while to abstain from using the computer (btw Bernat has loads of free patterns, really I could keep knitting and crocheting forever without ever having to touch the computer again ... well except to download patterns :-)
After that I really started to get into my book (I always read while breast feeding the baby cause she gets too distracted when I talk) and started reading whenever I could (Michael Ende's "Die Unendliche Geschichte" the English title is "The Neverending Story"). That was a really nice distraction too but now I've finished that book and I never seem to quite manage to jump straight from one story into the next one, though I do have another book by him ready ("Momo"). So, since I've got no more excuses why I don't have time to spend on the computer I might just write a post for my blog though I do have this strange feeling that this might be the last post for a long while to come ...

expat or immigrant?

2006-02-09T13:51:00.000+11:00

As you can see I'm still thinking about the whole expat thing and Michael and I were starting to wonder how the term 'immigrant' fits into the whole argument.
Well the blonde librarian put it very nicely in an email. I thought I should really put this on my blog as it adds a whole new perspective to the discussion (and I hope it might encourage us to take our thoughts a little further 'round a different bend)

According to one definition I found, as opposed to an immigrant who comes to a country to live, an expat is one who always intends to return to their home country, so that made me wonder if I should call myself an immigrant instead.

I guess all in all it doesn't really matter what I am, but I have found that by labeling myself as an expat I have encountered lots of people going through the same types of experiences as I am and that makes for a great sense of community.

I totally agree with that and think that the label 'immigrant' might fit my situation a lot better but so why don't we adopt the label 'immigrant'? Is one more favourable than the other? Maybe going with what the blonde librarian said, going by 'expat' just allows us to whine and complain a little better (doesn't it just make you feel so much better to complain a bit when things aren't quite the way we like them, it certainly always works for me), whereas 'immigrants' might be more prone to loving their host country rather unconditionally, cause they have chosen to leave their country of origin (presumably cause it wasn't as good as the new place). Hmmm ..... it is all rather confusing.

So I guess as Christina also pointed out in her comment after all they're just labels that might make it easier to find people in similar situations (it's certainly what it's been for me) and I do agree with that but being German with a need for exactness I can't help feeling that those different words do mean very distinctly different things ... but that somehow brings me back to the beginning, so I might just have to contend that the label 'expat' is a perfectly well functioning one that seems to unite us all no matter what the specifics of our situation.

am I or am I not?

2006-02-07T13:10:00.000+11:00

I haven't been writing anything lately and that that was partly due to our family going away, me deciding that a lunch time nap might be the better option (to be energetic enough for my two monkeys in the arvo ... though today I've decided that a cuppa will have to do) and me reading other blogs. Most of those blogs are labeled expat-blogs and I started wondering whether I fit the description.

Am I or am I not?? Do I qualify as an "expat"?

According to dictionary.com an expat is:

1. One who has taken up residence in a foreign country.
2. One who has renounced one's native land.

I certainly haven't renounced Germany and Australia was a foreign country to me, but after living here for 4 1/2 years married to an Australian I can't help but feel that it really shouldn't be a foreign country any more.
Maybe that's partly connected to the attitude that any immigrant should assimilate and become Australian (whatever that means).
Gotta share a little story here:

I was sitting with a bunch of people I know when they started talking about "those immigrants" that just keep their own culture and don't assimilate. So I wanted to stir them up a bit and said "You mean people like me!" cause really I try to maintain a German culture in our home (not just for the kids' sake).
One of them answered "No, you're not like that, you're practically Australian." (or something to that effect, I do have to admit the conversation happened about a year ago.)
I said "No, I'm not!"
"Have you eaten a meat pie?"
"Yes, I've even cooked one once."
"There you go, you're practically Australian!"
Hmmm ... is that what it takes to be Australian? I might as well be Thai, since I cook Thai food at least once a week. But since national identity is a topic way to complex for what I was wanting to write about here I won't go any further with this.

So to get back to my original thought, Australia is not really a foreign country any more. I am quite accustomed to it (maybe Germany has even become a foreign country to me ... since I do think I'll find a lot of things qute weird over there after living here). But does that mean I am not an expat, could I possibly become an expat in Germany were we to go and live there??
I certainly don't think of myself as Australian. If someone asks I always say without hesitation, that I am German. But what is expatriation linked to, the nationality you've got or where you feel home is or isn't (which could easily bring me to my next topic, where is home, do I have two homes, one home or none ... two half homes might be most accurate but how is that possible??).

So maybe that's just what it comes down to if I look at the whole thing from the perspective of our family as a whole, it's not an issue since the BFG is an Australian (in his passport, by birth, place of residence, his parents and grandparents were born in here, the country that is home for him and probably the culture and customs he feels most at ease with are also Australian). Our family is most definitely not an expatriate family (neither here or in Germany).

But I as an individual have been an expat here and for the sake of our family, my relationship with Michael and my own sanity, have taken on this place as home.

So am I or am I not? I think I have been, and am not anymore!!

But I think I'll still read the expat blogs and identify with them to some degree, I guess I'll never again be either one or the other. I'm a bit of both, we are very much both and so the expat perspective is probably the closest for someone like me.

books, glorious books!

2006-02-01T11:55:00.000+11:00

I Read this book just the other day by Mem Fox, a brilliant children's book author and literacy consultant as well as literacy professor (not that that gives her greater credibility, but I just love her stuff).

I found the book truly inspiring ... maybe cause it says what I've wanted to hear anyway "Go ahead, indulge yourself in books!! Have as many as you like ... and maybe even a few more!" I had a similar reaction of "Yes, yes, yes!" when I read the poem 'Television' from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl.

Forget about the subtitle of the book, which is quite offputting. I don't like this sort of self-help stuff that claims to tell you the secret of how you can achieve the impossible in 2 weeks.

The book itself is a really good read for any parent or person looking after children and reading to/with children. It has reminded me once again of how much fun there is to be had with books and that it is also extremely beneficial for children to be read with (even if it doesn't teach them how to read before they start school).

And for ideas on where to find good Australian children's books check out the Children's Book Council of Australia.

endlich auch mal auf Deutsch (finally in German)

2006-01-31T13:33:00.000+11:00

... or not?
nein, ich werde wirklich mein Bestes tun auf Deutsch zu schreiben ... und auch bei Deutsch zu bleiben (Sorry to the English-speaking readers of this blog)

Heute ist mein Glueckstag!!! Nach monatelangem Suchen nach einer Liste fuer deutschsprachige Bilderbuecher eines qualifizierten Herausgebers (nach dem Motto "paedagogisch wertvoll"), habe ich endlich ein solches Gefunden. Wollte mir also schnell eine anschauliche Erinnerungsstuetze bauen (und alle meine neugewonnenen Faehigkeiten auch noch gleich benutzen): hier also mit Bild und auch dem Link zum Arbeitskreis fuer Jugendliteratur e.V., der jaehrlich den Deutschen Kinderbuchpreis verleiht. Dort gibt's Information ueber Nominierungen und Preistraeger und auch ein Archiv mit allen vergangenen Gewinnern.

Finde ich ganz toll, denn ich bin so buechersuechtig. Nur habe ich mich nicht getraut, es gleich zu kaufen, denn ich habe gerade unendlich viel Geld bei Amazon.de gelassen. Hier also nur eine kleine Merkseite fuer mich, wenn wir ueber den Schock der Amazonrechnung hinweg sind und ich wieder meiner Sucht nachgehen moechte:

Das Bilderbuch
Hrsg. von Doris Breitmoser und Bettina Stelzner
München 2003, 12. Auflage

(Hat schonmal jemand von dem Buch gehoert? Kann es jemand empfehlen, oder sind die Buecher darin nicht wirklich gut von der Literacy Perspektive?)

Well, OK. I do feel increasinly sorry for everybody who hasn't got a clue what I'm talking about, so here's just a short summary:
Pretty much I've finally found a book that recommends quality German picture books, something I've been looking for for ages. I haven't dared bying it though cause I've just spent a fortune at Amazon.de (indulging in my book addiction). So this post is for me as a memory jogger and I've also wanted to show off my new skills of inserting pictures as well as links. I'm not too sure though if the book itself is great ... hm?

writing focuses the mind

2006-01-27T12:09:00.000+11:00

I haven't been part of the blogging community for very long, actually I was fighting it for quite a while, since my dear BFG was hazzling me so much to start a blog (I don't like being told what to do :-P , but I do have to say that I've found this very rewarding.
I've been converted ... arrgh!!

It is a great way of grappling with ideas, even without other people commenting. Writing down what goes through my head has helped me to better understand what I'm thinking and feeling (I tend to be a bit flustered and confused) and to see where I'm wrong or where I don't actually mean what I say, cause after reading what I've written I'd sometimes go back and change things because I couldn't actually agree with my own words anymore.
Also when you're flustered like I am and find it hard to concentrate let alone on tricky things like emotions the process of writing it down has been wonderfully rewarding.

And with comments and other people questioning my thinking it has been even more beneficial, since it forces me to really examine what I'm trying to say.
So Thank you for all your comments!!
And Thank you!, BFG, for pestering me about starting a blog!

books that Mim enjoyed

2006-01-26T12:31:00.000+11:00

Miriam is at that wonderful age, where she's starting to enjoy a story as a whole. So I've been plunging into the library book shelves on the search for suitable books for her.

Here are some where (straight after finishing the story) she'd say "...mal" (which stands for "nochmal" meaning 'again'):

"Snap! went Chester"
Tania Cox & David Miller

"You'll wake the Baby!"
Catherine Jinks & Andrew McLean

this is just a wonderful one, gorgeous illustrations and beautiful message:
"Henry and Amy (right-way-round and upside down)"
Stephen Michael King

"Seven More Sleeps"
Margaret Wild & Donna Rawlins

"There's a wocket in my pocket!"
Dr. Seuss

"Too loud Lily"
Sofie Laguna & Kerry Argent

one that I think is just absolutely delightful (but she hasn't quite discovered for herself yet) is:
"Diary of a wombat"
Jackie French & Bruce Whatley

I'm sure there'll be many books added to this list, as I'm always interested in a new one.

bauchnabel continued ...

2006-01-25T14:12:00.000+11:00

I did some more thinking on that topic and really what it comes down to is the good old "nature versus nurture depate".

Can you be either Australian or German by nature? I mean this is really what we're saying when we say that someone is 'half one and half the other'. But the more I think about it the more I have to agree that this is a load of rubbish. And I think that is where my frustration/desperation lies ... no-one is German because of their genes, or Australian for that matter.

Not that I have read any intelligent research on that topic to be talking from an informed perspective, but as far as I can gather there's no "German gene", hence for my daughters to have a German heritage I have to nurture them in that way ... I have to be the one creating that heritage.

Pretty big task, should you ask me ... people are so flawed, how can anybody be sure that what I'm 'selling' as German really is German.

Hmmm ... don't think that I've got any more to say about this matter for the moment, so I might just close right here!

... and Bauchnabel is for belly button!!

2006-01-25T13:24:00.000+11:00

everytime I dress, undress my daughter or change my babies nappy I can see right there in the middle of their tummys the reminder that they were once connected to me in that incredible way. That I fed them through a whole in their belly and with God's help was able to pro-create a new person (or two, in this case).

Now they're their own little people and that very physical connection is gone but they are still connected to me (and my husband). They are part German part Australian, part me and part my husband but also themselves. It is just so unbelievable.

But how can they be German when all they know is Australia. I feel an incredible burden to be the one having to teach them everything they know about this German part in them and of course all their German language depends on me as well (I know, dearest M., you'll be complaining right now, cause of course you do your best to help that, but I just can't help feeling that the bug stops with me)!

This is an ongoing thought process for me and my family and I'm quite aware of my short comings in terms of expression, but after all this blog is intended more for my own benefit than anybody else's.

blah blah

2006-01-24T21:48:00.000+11:00

Just testing the whole blogging thing, but haven't really got anything to say yet.