eMAG 18 - (Not) Growing Up by eMAG magazine

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Das Kinderhospiz St. Nikolaus ist eine Anlauf- und ErholungsstĂ¤tte fĂźr Familien mit unheilbar und lebensbegrenzt erkrankten Kindern und Jugendlichen. Bereits ab Diagnosestellung haben die Familien im St. Nikolaus die MĂśglichkeit Energie zu tanken und Kraft zu schĂśpfen fĂźr die schwere Zeit, die vor Ihnen liegt. Es gibt bestimmt eine Gelegenheit das Kinderhospiz St. Nikolaus zu unterstĂźtzen, z.B. Anlassspenden wie Geburt, Taufe, Einschulung, Hochzeit, Trauerfall, Geburtstage, JubilĂ¤um, Kuchenverkauf, Tombola.... Jeder Beitrag zĂ¤hlt. Herzlichen Dank! Spendenkonten: 3PARKASSE -EMMINGEN ,INDAU -INDELHEIM Â&#x201E; +ONTONR Â&#x201E; ",: 62 "ANK -EMMINGEN E' Â&#x201E; +ONTONR Â&#x201E; ",: +ONTAKT +INDERHOSPIZ IM !LLGiU E 6 Â&#x201E; &yRDERVEREIN F~R DAS +INDERHOSPIZ 3T .IKOLAUS Â&#x201E; 3EDANSTR Â&#x201E; -EMMINGEN 4EL Â&#x201E; &AX Â&#x201E; WWW KINDERHOSPIZ NIKOLAUS DE Â&#x201E; % -AIL VEREIN KINDERHOSPIZ NIKOLAUS DE

Dear reader, I’d like to invite you to a journey. Not a boring one where you have to sit on the airport for hours or wait for a train that takes its time to come but a journey through time and space that simply requires you to look “Through the eyes of child”. We take you deep from “Childhood memories” to “The roller coaster of puberty” and “From coal mines But be careful not to stray from the path. You could get “Lost in Paradise” but also “Living your childhood dream”. We offer you “The Secret of Immortality” while we discover at the same time what happens “When growing up is not an option.” And, of course, it all leads down to the crucial question mankind tried to answer for billions of years: “Growing up or not growing up?” So, when you accompany us, be prepared for great revelations about the ups and downs of life - and, of course, for lots of fun! Your editor, Nicole

For more information visit our website: http://emag.imb-uni-augsburg.de or visit us on facebook 1

Table of Contents Dear Reader

Keep it Local 24 6 7 As Chocolate Became My Therapist 8 Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy 10 Short and Tall 12 (Not) Living Alone 14 From Coal Mines To...Well, Where? 16 Lost In Paradise 18 20 Childhood Memories

Living The Childhood Dream

26 28 30

“Never Forget Your Inner Child!“

43 44 Life? Forever Young

Same Procedure...

Whole Wild World British Cultural Studies With A Difference! Knock, Knock?

42 Ago?

36 38 39

48 Catharsis Chinese Parenting And The Ameri- 50 can Dream - Book Review: “Battle 52 54 56

(Not) Growing Up As Chocolate Became My Therapist Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy Short and Tall (Not) Living Alone From Coal Mines To...Well, Where? Lost In Paradise Childhood Memories

Is that the question?

Am I grown up? Today is my 24th birthday (or as I like to call it: the 3rd anniversary of my 21st birthday). After the 21st birthday, older is not better. Now you’ re allowed to do what you want to do; this is a nice word. People associate being old with wrinkles, rocking chairs and the ticking of the cuckoo clock. I still feel absolutely young! Does the number 24 mean that I’m grown up? Do I call myself an adult? I don’t know. Sometimes I

think people of my age are very mature. They go to university or have a job and they don’t live at home any more (well,… most of them). But then they do things which aren’t so mature. Some don’t go to doctors when they’re sick, because they are scared of doctors and some skip classes after a night out (for me skipping classes happened quite often but now…it happens every now and then ;)). Some people show up to work with a bad hangover and others get a tattoo when they are on holiday and are too afraid to tell their parents afterwards (er, I’m not talking about me!!). So can you really establish a point of time at which you expect people to be grown up? I don’t think so.

Are you grown up? Let me ask you some questions, which I consider important when thinking about being grown up: When you turn on the telly, do you The Simpsons? When you’re at the uni and you remember that you still have to buy some toi-

When it comes to do the annual tax return, do you sit down to do it or do you rather ask: what the hell is a tax return?

Are we grown up? I think most grown-ups sometimes do things which are absolutely childish. And in my opinion that’s great! If we keep such moments all of our lives, we will surely lead a happy life. And we will surely grow really really old.

The rollercoaster of puberty

Fighting with parents -

Puberty is also the time when we want to become independent from our embarrassing

First time in love

understand that we´re not those sweet little angels from the past. In fact, we’ve turned into little devils who are full of hormones and who are extremely cheeky. This is the ideal basis tant the reason might be and what time of the day it is.

There’s one day everyone remembers, when suddenly “the others“ appear. Both boys and

To sum up, puberty is full of ups and downs.

a bit more interesting than they previously thought. Sometimes it was more than

want to scream because you´re so happy, the

new feeling. But how did it change us? Well, it’s pretty easy…the only thing that mattered was whether she had about me? Did she see my new shirt? In the end, this was a hard time for everyone, but something has never changed: we are all fools in love.

what we looked like was a matter of life or death! Without the right style, we were simply a nobody, but it went even further than this. Small things became unbelievably important: from the most laid-back sitting position and to the was under control, but the slightest problem could destroy that fragile thing Three“: braces, glasses and acne.

next moment you want to weep your heart out. There won’t be another time when we have ings of insecurity as now. So what have we learnt from all this? Although it’s a tough time, it’s one of the most memorable periods in our lives. It helps become independent, mature people with our own identity.

As Chocolate Became My Therapist How things change when we get older

waited nervously to turn that magic number were 18 represented some kind of stars we tried to imitate. All of us dreamt of being as cool as them one day. They were allowed to do all the smoking and staying out late. The disillusionment then started the day we turned 18. It wasn’t as exciting to get into a club anywasn’t an event we yearned for as with 16. We were allowed to do everything and still we weren’t. While we – as 18-year olds –still thought of us to be without any doubt

grown up and very cool, those who were older just smirked at us to make us feel like little babies once again. Nowadays most of us are somewhere in their twenties. Most of us are living by themselves and are starting to feel more independent. Today it’s us sitting there smirking at the younger imagining how they are their way. But a 30year old, who has a fulltime job, children and a wife, is just one step away from giving us the same facial we will only be the little ones

Countryside

News Remember your parents being totally absorbed ed nodding while reading the newspaper still familiar to you? The daily news has been an uttermost annoying thing during childhood. minutes of listening to a man that tells a damn boring story in a voice that makes you sleepy. I could never grasp, why my parents would care about things people do at the other end of the world in Berlin – yes, that seemed to be the end of the world to me that days – or even further away at some extraordinary country called Bundestag. Apparently, the people from Berlin are friends with the people from Bundestag, since they undertake quite a lot together. Tothat far away from Augsburg or at least Bavaria. We also understand that the Bundestag is wise comprehend, why our parents and maybe older siblings wanted to listen to those annoymember of the absent-minded nodding group.

Do you remember your parents being all enthusiastic about a trip to the countryside or at least somewhere in the blue? Yes, we all hated those moment, because we knew that the next couple of days, we wouldn’t have any television, ICQ or friends to be around. If we had really bad luck, they’d take us there even for a couple of weeks. Maybe text messaging helped us to survive, but –the world is dreadful - sometimes even the connection didn’t work. All in all we’d be close to dying during this time. The older we got the easier it was to enjoy some quiet days. Yes, and now – I might be speaking only for myself – I’m as excited as my parents about a trip to the countryside. I’m glad about not answering emails, checking facebook and studying for a couple of days. The city is loud and crowded, the university is At the countryside I am able to let my guard down giving my brain and myself a little break.

Changes As we grow up we start to grasp more things having fun and learning the basics to a daily race against time and our inner self – the daily the little girl or boy from our childhood, who plays outside, has just those tiny problems and worries about being little and not mature. We learn to appreciate certain things that used to be dreadful and maybe learn to conceive, why our parents shook their heads about wasting our time with nonsense.

Be Young, Be Foolish, Be Happy Why little reminders of the past and keeping your inner child alive are good for you

the holographic cards because they were so pretty and shiny. Typical girl, I admit it. It feels like a billion years ago, but suddenly I feel like I’m 8 again and it’s fun as hell. “…I wanna be the very best, like no o n e ever waaaaas!” And here I am watching my favorite childhood cartoons on a regular basis .

“Bad DJ”

Remind me again why I watched that show? afternoon cartoons. Pokémon. I didn’t know book I’m reading, but slowly I feel the urge to peep over the top and see what’s going on. Is Ash Ketchum still running around trying to Team Rocket? Can someone tell me why I still remember all of this? Suddenly I’m sucked in. Because hey - I grew up with this stuff. When thing since Scooby-Doo! I know there’s still a -

I’m a music fanatic. There’s nothing that can keep away me from the dancefloor on multiple nights in the week. I know all the newest tracks, the best places to go to hear whatever you like. Hence, I also know good deejaying. Recently, I was at a club and the music was absolutely perfect – the best I’d heard in a while. Then, out of the blue, some guy pops up next to the DJ with a song request because it’s his birthday. And because the guy is sympathetic the DJ complies and plays his song. I have a funny feeling about this one. Suddenly,

actual card game works and “wouldn’t it be so cool if Pokémon were real?!” I just collected 10

all at once appears to be jumping up and down But I look around me and it happens to be the most enthusiastic the crowd has been all night, despite all of the good music that came before. We all know it’s horrible, but it’s the horrible music we grew up with, so it’s our horrible music. And as much as I love good music, a dash of horribly bad that reminds us of where we came from is absolutely necessary every once in a while!

it is – neon yellow, neon yellow, neon yellow, neon yellow Who needs a black light to glow? Neon made a big comeback last year. Now we’ve got the jeans look – jeans dresses, jeans jackets, jeans everything. I know people always say fashion repeats itself, but these looks from the 80s and 90s are something I never expected to see again. And I’ve been pretty stubborn and kept my distance from these items… until recently. As I wandered the aisles of a much beloved local clothing store, I started to look around me. Jeans dresses to my left, jeans dresses to my right. Not my thing, I thought. But then a jeans dress in bright pink caught my eye. So, I tried on that bright pink jeans dress just to laugh at

myself in the mirror and think back to the days where I was wearing jeans jackets with jeans pants and a neon shirt with triangular shapes in all different colors that never really matched anything else I wore. Then a funny thing happened. I fell in love with the dress precisely because of the feeling it gave me – the memories it brought back. So, I gave in and bought it. Later that night, I danced around the apartment singing Spice Girls songs in my little pink dress. Talk about the inner child taking over. power.

The little things I’ve always been a big fan of the thought that it’s the little things that count – the tiny and often overseen details that we mostly take for granted. Whether it’s a goodnight kiss or the chicken-shaped alarm clock we’ve had since age 4 – little things, little details that made us happy once upon a time can bring back so many memories and awaken the inner child in holding on to. It keeps us young.

Short

and Tall

The advantages and disadvantages of being tall or small

only other adult will choose the seat in front of you. And what if someone placed a book on a shelf you’re barely able to reach with your bilities: ask someone (which can get annoying after more than twenty years) or jump up and down until you get it. I made the painful experience that the latter often results in the book tumbling down on your head.

Hello, I’m here As already mentioned, being taken seriously is always hard for a small person. In a crowd you’ll simply be overlooked whereas in a faceto-face conversation your vis-à-vis will be forced to look down on you. It’s hard, then, not to feel intimidated. Have you ever seen the ing with that high-pitched voice? That’s the

Let’s go to the mall Let’s take shopping, for example. It’s not only kind of humiliating to search for half of your clothes in the children’s department next to twelve-year-olds who are towering above you,

mention: you’ll never have the chance to apply for Germany’s Next Topmodel – fortunately it’s up to you to consider this an advantage and a disadvantage.

– my legs refused to get any longer from that time onwards, by the way. However, I have to admit that there’s one big advantage: searching in both the adults and children’s department expands the choice you have immensely. Who wouldn’t like to wear some shoes labeled

Hey look, it’s raining books! Still, everyday life can be a challenge for us shorties as well. Take a theatre, the cinema, a concert – it’s always the same. I can always be sure that the tallest person in the room will sit down directly in front of me. Honestly, you can even go see a children’s movie and the

that it’s never easy, not for anybody. So I should stop complaining and look on the bright side. The fact that people always want to help you can be quite comforting and comfortable when there’s heavy luggage to carry. They might not take you seriously in school or professional life, but being underestimated can be a cracking while is allowed, of course. So, with high heels, special hair cuts, etc., go out there and show off everything you’ve got!

much do you think a 6”1 person can see of the stage when they are standing behind a 6” person? Right. The back of their heads.

Tiny obstacles Putting the growth in growing up Throughout my early school years, I was always at least one head taller than the rest of the students, especially the boys. When I reached my

There are other problems that you might not even have imagined if you never experienced them yourself. A typical girl thing for instance – there are almost no tall women’s clothes available on the German market (which gives me a Apart from that, think chairs, airplane and train

until at least three years later that some of the feeling you stand out, but in school it’s rather about being shut out. And teenagers can be cruel to people who are different. Maybe it’s hard to understand that someone whose head looms above yours is actually as shy and teenage angst-ridden as yourself.

Life on the long side ally tall person? Probably “Their life must be so much easier”. They can reach all the top shelves easily and they never have anyone stand in their way at concerts. Let me explain all the top shelves. I can even reach a standard ceiling without stretching too much. But the things that are normal reaching height for the

too narrow, too low, too small, too short. So ducking and crouching are part of your daily routine.

Don’t you dare slouch! But even though all this has been getting on my nerves and given me many rough times, stunning on tall girls. In professional life, you get instant respect from others even if you’ve just started a job. Same as everyone else, through their bodies even if it’s hard because you can’t hide you height. You’re more than a “Hightower”. Feel pity for the shorties and stand tall and proud!

counter, are way too low. That, needless to say, means a lot of backache or expensive tailorryone expects the tall people to stand in the back of the hall. But how

Some special shopping and reading recommendations for the tall among you: www.longtallsally.com http://www.sarahvainandtall.com/blog/ http://thetallblog.com/ Another blog by the American „Miss Tall International“ 13

(Not) Living Alone Piles of dishes and the advantage of having your own toilet

13:15 pm: Falling asleep again

15:35 pm: Maybe it isn’t as bad here...

The lesson is over now, but I didn’t get much of it because I arrived much too late and then fell asleep in my chair again. I couldn’t even talk to all my course mates who were busily exchanging their weekend stories.

My friends’ room mates came to pick her up. I felt a bit envious about her... She always has her room mates around and she’s never alone. But I’m not alone, either. Stepping into the main entrance of my dorm, I pass a group of students who seem to be planning a party tonight on the roof of our building. They ask with much enthusiasm whether I want to join them this evening. No, I’m not alone at all.

18:38 pm: Noodles every day I look up from my university documents and my single room, I could learn in a comfortable atmosphere with no one there to destroy my concentration. But there is also no one here to

09:30 am: Still dreaming My alarm clock is ringing, but I don’t even realI’ve been having such a wonderful dream and don’t want to wake up...

and try to be creative – I’m very hungry! But after having a quick look into my fridge, there’s not much chance to be creative. No milk, no fresh vegetables, nothing... Note to myself: Buy some different things in the supermarket, or you will never eat anything other than noodles with tomato-sauce!

09:45 am: Wishing for my mum Suddenly, I sit up and look at my alarm clock in a state of panic. Damn! I’ve overslept. Ten minutes left to have breakfast, take a shower and put on my new clothes. Forget the shower... While taking a piece of bread and putting in into my mouth I grab my clothes. I hurry out of the door and into the elevator. “Tomorrow”, I think to myself, “I must set my alarm to go off earlier. Take care of that when you go to bed tonight.” And I wished that my mum were here to wake me up sometimes so that I don’t keep oversleeping and missing classes all the time...

18:48 pm: Getting ready for the party I should have listened to them because after course, they all wanted to go home and learn except from my best friend, who accompanied me to the Alte Cafete and thus prevented me from having a boring afternoon alone in my

you eat them alone. Therefore I call a friend who is also living in the dorm. I ask her whether she will join the party tonight and we giggle a lot while we decide on what to wear at the party.

7:00 am: There’s no life before coffee.

22:12 pm: Is there anything better? The party’s really fun. Nice and friendly students everywhere in combination with good music and a lot to drink. I get to know a lot of new faces and enjoy my student life. No one to take care of, no one to say when I have to come home. Is there anything better?

00:56 am: Forgot something?

Half an hour later, I maneuver myself into the kitchen. I need some caffeine. The dishes have been piling up in the sink for the whole pot. Between the dirty dishes I glimpse a beerstained sheet of paper which might have been our cleaning schedule once upon a time. “But hey, no problem at all,” I think to myself. If I hurry up, there’ll be enough time to buy a wa-

After leaving the party, I unlock the door tired... There’s no one in here to say goodnight to, so I take my pillow and whisper “Good night, world...” before I fall asleep, without checking what time I have set my alarm clock for again.

7:15 am: Who needs a shower in the morning? Since breakfast has been cancelled, I decide to take a shower. But when I turn the bathroom shouts from inside: “Just two more minutes!” Ignoring my constant knocking on the door, it takes her another 15 minutes to leave need to save hot water for me. I could have guessed that. But who needs to shower in the morning? Tired, messy and without my obligatory cup of coffee, I walk out the door slamming it behind me. Living with

17:30 pm: Be tolerant. ready prepared to clean the dishes, in haven’t. But to my surprise, I enter a clean Not only have the dirty dishes vanished but also my grumpy mood. Well, what can I say? In the end, you can`t help liking them. -

After having dinner together, I decide to the bathroom I hear a voice telling me to wait another two minutes. I sigh and reply: “Take your time!” Tomorrow is another day.

6:30 am: Duty calls. After an exhausting day, I fell asleep immediately last night, not knowing that one little after-show party in our living room at two o’clock in the morning. Nonetheless, my alarm wouldn’t spare me. At 6:30 am it rang relentlessly, reminding me that there was no chance of falling asleep again. Because today is statistics exam day and duty calls.

happily. The bottle of milk that I bought yesterday is still standing on the table – empty. Not that I complain.

From Coal Mines To...Well, Where? How childhood has changed over time

A brief history ple (or what we now consider to be children) were being treated the same way as older people. You could say that kids were a shorter, smaller version of an adult. Considering that most people only lived to be 40, there wasn’t much time to be a child. Slowly, things began to change, and childhood was seen as a time to be cherished and children as something that needed to be shaped and educated. And by slowly, I mean slooooooowwwlyyyyy. In the 19th century, childhood was looked at ever. Children of the higher social classes began to receive formal education, but the less privileged were still being exploited working in factories and mines or helping their families with the farm work. In theory, there was compulsory school attendance, but that wasn’t really enforced until the early 20th century.

Recent developments Now, I don’t know my family history that well, but just by comparing my grandparents’ childhood memories with my parents’ or mine or with experiences I had watching other people’s

For one, my grandmother grew up with ten siblings on a farm, and every child had a“job”; my grandmother’s job was to take care of the time, she got in big trouble for getting too caught up playing with her sister and forgetting to bring the chickens in before it got dark. Today, families with more than two or three kids are an exception to the rule, very few people live on farms, and the only jobs most kids have are to go to school and stay out of trouble. For another, my parents only knew black and ever, I guess it didn’t matter much, because there were just about no shows for kids. So, they would read, listen to the radio (radio plays were big back then) and play outside most of the time. These days, not only do we have color also computers, video games and the internet, which most kids are well acquainted with at a pretty young age already. And even from our generation to the kids of today, there’s a huge gap. You’ve probably read things like “You know you were born in the 1980s/90s if...” We remember cameras outside with our friends, because that was the most fun thing to do. Today, many kids prefer spending time with electronic babysitters, and it almost seems like some parents are happy about that because that way, they don’t have to worry so much about something happening to their child. I mean, have you ever heard of anyone breaking a leg or being kidnapped while playing Xbox? Probably not.

the past 80 years.

The world has changed So, who’s to blame? Technology? To a certain extent. But if you think about it, there’s a lot more to this development than meets the eye. For a lot of us, it wasn’t a big deal if you had never used a computer by the time you started middle school. Today, kids learn to use computers at school, sometimes even as early as elementary school. I could go into more detail on this, but I think you get the point. Knowing how to handle technology is not pure luxury and entertainment; it has become a necessity. And if you compare the work aspect during childhood today and 80 years ago, there is not to take care of animals on farms or do other physical labor that much anymore, but aren’t they facing an enormous amount of pressure in terms of achievement and success in school, sports and the like? The better you are at something, the better are your chances for getting a good education and a well-paying job examples, though this phenomenon seems to be gaining ground in more and more countries around the world. Competition is no longer just a thing grown-ups have to deal with; it has become a key word during childhood and adolescence. I’m no expert, but maybe, being treated like small grown-ups once again is so exhausting, both mentally and physically, that mindless time will tell where this is taking us.

How we grown-ups forget to dream

Through the eyes of an adult...

Let’s assume we’re in a forest. After making our way through groups of trees, shrubs and swarms of annoying insects, we stumble across a cave. Now, an adult would see nothing but a cave. It’s dark, dirty and probably the home of some unpleasantness – known as wildlife – that looks far less cute when it’s trying to bite you. But for a child this cave can be so much more…

...and through the looking glass The child sees the cave as a place that could lead to a magical realm, a place where a dragon sleeps or maybe the entrance to a labyrinth that guards some fantastic treasure. A child’s imagination is what transforms and wonder. And who doesn’t remember playing pirates or knights as a child, or in the case of girls being a princess? What children can be is only limited by their imagination. And unfortunately, in most cases this creative imagination is lost forever when they grow up. looking back, many adults miss those days of innocence where everything had a happy enYet these times of make-believe come to an end one day and all that is left is memories.

Between now and then The unwillingness to grow up due to the unforgiving world of adults is a theme we all know from the movie “Peter Pan”. But just like Peter, we all have to understand this one day: growing up isn’t something we can ignore. Being afraid isn’t something bad; it is, after all, completely natural to fear what we don’t know. As long as we don’t let the fear rule us, we can 17

overcome it. And if we can do that, we might be able to take a little spark of our childhood with us when we grow up. For as long as we keep this spark within us, we can see the world again as we did before – through the eyes of a child.

Lost in Paradise (Not) Growing up in Showbiz

that it was almost disturbing to the viewer and he was even accused of child abuse. In interviews he often explained that he didn’t have a proper childhood, as he spent most of his time rehearsing and touring. He wasn’t able to maintain contact with friends. Maybe growing up in the entertainment industry is like living in a huge bubble that keeps these children away from the outer world or reality.

Little Girl Lost -

The case of Michael Jackson is Michael Jackson. Having grown up as part of the “Jackson Five” in the 1970’s, he was the secret star in the band consisting of family members. Success came quickly and a few years later Michael Jackson released his solo album, “Thriller”. With “Thriller”, he created the most successful album ever and at the same time

And then there’s Drew Barrymore. At the age traterrestrial”, directed by Steven Spielberg. The role gave her immense success, making her famous and popular around the world. However, Drew Barrymore’s stardom caused isolation and alienation from her peers and soon led her to alcohol abuse and drug addiction. By the age of 14 she had been in rehabilitation twice. In the 1990’s she published an autobiography entitled “Little Girl Lost”. The title speaks for itself and shows that she struggled very much with being in the spotlight as a young child. Nonetheless, she’s now back on the screen starring in commercially

He became one of the best known artists in the world. However, behind all the glamour things Jackson had changed his looks so dramatically 18

Is there life after childhood fame? Looking at some examples demonstrates that only few child stars manage to maintain their lected few are able to cope well with the fame, like Jodie Foster, who, at the age of 13, became Robert DeNiro. She managed to pursue her acting career as well as her academic career. In the past few years she’s been in many sucremained popular and famous. Now she works

“Biebermania” Now a young boy named Justin Bieber has become the new teenage phenomenon.For those few of you who don’t know this Canadian boy – he’s the most recent teenage star admired by young girls. Justin Bieber became famous by posting videos on youtube in which he covered songs of R&B stars. This isn’t extraordinary nowadays, but this time it was different. The videos caught a producer’s eye and in 2007, at the age of only 13, Justin Bieber His popularity has increased immensely ever since. At an age when most teenagers are worrying about what do do after secondary past 12 months he has earned over 30 milthat his family will help him to keep his cool. To be fair, discarding reality for 30 million euros seems a pretty good deal, don’t you think?

Childhood Memories

as a 2nd Bachelor Degree, 2nd Semester “There’s this one game my grandpa used to play with me when I was 2 or 3 years old. I was sitting on his shoulders and he pretended to be a vendor, who sells pots. Sitting up high already made me really happy. So he jumped around shouting: “Pots! Good pots! Who needs a pot?” He’d distract my grandma, who was focused on her knitting, by bending down and showing the pot – which was me – to her. So my grandma would it’s leaking and not worth buying. Then my grandpa would try to sell me to my parents, bending over even deeper. The advertisement of the great pot was always getting funnier and I always had to laugh a lot.” 20

Jan, 21, Media and Communications, 2nd Semester to Wilhelma Zoo in Stuttgart. There’s one picture that got stuck in my head and it’s there to this very day - it’s me standing in front of the lions’ cage. I see myself as a 3-year-old favorite accessory back then. I hold on tight to the iron railings that separate me from the terrifying animals. But it’s like there’s some kind of blurry fog all around me which makes me wonder if it was a dream or reality. Anyhow, it in the back of my mind forever.”

“When I was around 4 –5 years old, I used to play with the kids who lived on the same street as me a lot. And after our plan to have our street turned into a “play street” failed, we opened up our own circus. I had my own clown number, which included me doing a handstand, although I had no clue how to do

ing, my mom told me that I am a grown-up girl said. The best thing to do would be to send whining, but then my mom explained to me that if we didn’t do it I probably wouldn’t get

day of rain. We collected 50 cents from each visitor. Then we moved into the basement and ber those days as a time of magic, circus and

into an envelope and brought it to the mail box. the darkness of the mail box I started crying. That was the last time I saw it. But at least I got some nice Christmas presents!”

streets.”

Isa, 21, Media and Communications, 2nd Semester “For a long time, two pictures kept reapnarily big and colorful carousel with beautiful horses… It was close to a parking lot where we were parked with our camper. When I asked my mom about it, she started laughing and explained that this carousel was actually quite small and nothing special. We stopped there during a vacation in France when I was about 3 years old. The other memory is of me and my brother standing on a big stone close to the sea when a wave crashes against it, making the water splash up at us. To me, it seemed as if it was a thunderstorm, but in reality it was a calm sea during evening hours some-

Living The Childhood Dream “Never Forget Your Inner Child!“

When Growing Up Is Not An Option . . . The St. Nikolaus children’s hospice in Bad Grönenbach

afford. The children’s hospice also provides care and activities for them. Apart from helping them understand and cope with what is happening to their loved ones, the siblings are able to retrieve part of their childhood. The same is true of the terminally ill children. Although the illnesses and their ultimate consequence always remain a part of the hospice, the families can, at least for a short time, resume a life that is not dominated by the thought of death.

Why donations are so important. . . A little light when everything else seems dark Nikolaus” in 2006, the in-patient children’s hospice is the only one in southern Germany; it has become an invaluable point of contact for families who have to cope with the horri-

after they’ve received the fatal diagnosis. The hospice also provides support following the family can spend there is limited, due to space and money, but all of them do appreciate the short break from shouldering all the grief and responsibility on their own. They can return to ple who are having the same traumatic experience, are supported psychologically and physically, and can try to prepare for something no one ever wishes to be prepared for.

Parents and siblings Siblings are often neglected when the approaching death of their brother or sister takes all the strength and attention their parents can

Health insurance provides only a small part of the hospice’s funding, since it only pays for 28 days a year, and this money is only meant for the child suffering from a fatal illness. This is why the accommodation of parents and siblings depends on donations; after all, no one can expect them to miss any of the time they might still have with their child. But insurance money doesn’t even come close to covering all the expenses of the terminally ill child. In addition, the support for families doesn’t end with them leaving the hospice, as they can still count on advice and care from the organisation. Without donations, the hospice could no longer exist, since about € 800 000 of donations is needed each year in order to keep all its services and the medical treatment running. of a child obviously remains the cruellest exit comforting that there is a place that offers such wonderful help, not only for dealing with death but also for the life that precedes and follows it. Maybe next time you complain about children that never even get the chance.

228 Families being looked after 710 Total number of stays 611 Siblings looked after 11 Families with two terminally ill children 56 Children who died (10 in the hospice itself )

For more information see the ad on the inside front cover.

A report about refugee children

The story doesn’t end there though. With the kids overcoming the language barrier within months, much faster than their parents, it isn’t uncommon that they inadvertently become an extension of their parents, acting as translators and as cultural and social interpreters in supermarket. The parents can’t work until their years, and so the children going to school are the only ones with a set daily routine. Furthermore, in some cases, families are broken up, so there is little reliance on adult guidance. There is simply not enough time for each individual child and the parents themselves are just as overwhelmed by the vast otherness of this new country. All these factors contribute to the kids having to assume adult roles which impedes heavily on their natural inclination of acting like monkeys at a banana convention. Some can deal with this new position although it wears them out and they become resigned

and lethargic. For those that can’t deal this often means a heavy toll on their psyche. This results in an increase in aggression, frustration, social awkwardness and the impedes their ability to concentrate. In the worst case scenario these kids fall by the wayside.

A lifetime cut short cial refugee status and the whole family and the kids can begin to get their lives back on track. Yet in some cases, after more than three years in Germany the family and the kids are perhaps sent back. The result is that the kids carry back heavy emotional baggage to a place that is still torn apart by civil war and political strife and is also now again very strange and alien to them.

For more information visit http://www.tuerantuer.de

Living The Childhood Dream Interview with FC Augsburg’s defender Gibril Sankoh

strong and concentrated throughout the 90 minutes. You have to constantly perform well or otherwise you will receive too many goals. And apparently, this will affect your ranking as a defender. -

eMAG: Gibril, your career as a football player started quite early. At the age of 17 you already trained national team in your home country. Did you always want to be a defender or did you have any other childhood dreams? Gibril Sankoh: I always wanted to be a football player and I still cannot imagine a better job.

Gibril Sankoh: Growing up in Africa never was and still isn’t easy. There is so much poverty and children have hardly any chances. You have many schools and we certainly don’t have football academies. You have to play in the streets and there are many, many football players. In view of all these players you have to be really good and you are very lucky if you are picked to play in a team. Fortunately, I grew up in the capital Freetown, only 500 m away from the national stadium. This is where football lives and this is where talent scouts come and watch you play. I was a really big talent in my country so I was picked out and had the chance to prove myself.

eMAG: And during your seven years in the Netherlands and also now in Germany, eMAG: What was it like to grow up in an African country like Sierra Leone?

later changed my position with which I am really happy now. As a defender you have to be 28

world-class player. Despite being so far away from your home country and despite having such a busy job do you often speak to your family in Africa?

Gibril Sankoh: I speak to my family every day and I’m going to visit them in Sierra Leone in December. I haven’t seen my family for ten years because of the war in the country. Now that Sierra Leone is stable again, I want to spend Christmas with my family. I am really looking forward to seeing them again.

eMAG: Do you have children and how do you educate them? Gibril Sankoh: I have a son who is almost is blessed with all the privileges I didn’t have in Africa. Sadly, many parents in Africa cannot afford to take on the responsibility for their children and have to give them away. They cannot think about the future, because they are so concerned about the next day. Parents in Africa cannot save money for their children or their education. But now that I am a football player, I can do this for my son. I can send him to school, support him and afford his education. Nevertheless, it is important to show him that life can be hard, too. He will always have my support, but he will still have to learn how to earn his own money and be tough himself.

eMAG: How does your son feel about you being a footballer? Does he already understand that you are famous? Gibril Sankoh: My son always comes to the stadium to watch me play .And when he sees me on television he points at the screen and says: “Papa! Papa!” This is really funny.

am interviewed in German I can understand the questions, but it is hard for me to answer in German. I have to improve my German for the next season, though, because you have

eMAG: What languages do you want to teach your son? Gibril Sankoh: He was born in Holland so we spoke Dutch with him. When he gets older, though, I want to start teaching him my African language. He should be able to understand and speak it

eMAG: You also work with refugee children. Gibril Sankoh: Yes, I am involved in many proI started this when I was still in Holland. I raised money to send to Sierra Leone so that they could build schools. Since I’ve been here in Augsburg I have only worked with refugees once, which was great fun. It is hard for refurefugees don’t have papers, they cannot travel, cannot go anywhere and without papers that you really have to work hard to achieve gee myself, they look up to me and now that I’m a football player I inspire them.

eMAG: How many languages do you speak?

German kids, too! Thank you very much for your time and all the best for your future career!

which is the native language in Sierra Leone.

www.emag.imbuni-augsburg.de for the rest of the interview

in the country speaks. Apart from that there are several more languages spoken in the villages such as Timene, Mende or Madingo. And I speak “einbisschen Deutsch”. When I

with Gibril Sankoh.

How to run 21.1km

Photoshoot

Still trying to get over the dull feeling in my stomach and the panic, I hear my mom shouting. Holy crap, I probably look like a dying tomato. I force a smile onto my face. But my mom’s facial expression tells me to stop running right this instant. She seems to be horribly worried. miserable. Still, I’ll have to forget that there are existing photos of me dying. Great!

Highway to Hell Here I am, extremely nervous, just one step away from throwing up, in the middle of thousands of other highly motivated runners. When I’ve signed up for the half-marathon I havn’t thought about my being uncomfortable in crowds. Dear god, send us some lightning and thunder. However, whoever sits between all those clouds doesn’t seem to hear my silent plea, because I hear the gunshot signaling the start of the race Hell’. How ironic!

Let’s get the party started The crowd starts to move and, although I really try to keep my pace, I get pushed on by the thousands of running, happy people. I going to be o.k. …’

Nothing’s o.k.! highway to hell. In front of me appears the drinking station – or shall I call it rather a So while I am basically crawling and reaching for some precious water, some of those kick me away. This really scares me and I start to breath like a steam engine. 30

Company helps I make an attempt to relax by watching other people and getting into their rhythm – stupid me! Why? Next to me is a couple, both somewhere between 60 and 80, who are chatting and indubitably enjoy themselves. I am not even as sportive as an 80 year old man. This being depressed, I notice someone being next to me. It’s a girl I know from volleyball, who tries to speak to me. I try to focus on the words she says. The next time I focus on something else than her, we are already lots of kilometers further and have seemingly passed my parents already two times again. The running is easier than before, but still quite exhausting.

You got the rhythm I am telling myself to keep running until I fall over, because I ain’t someone to give up. We are reaching my parents again, and I am glad to see my mom less worried. My mood starts to get better and better and I panic less. Something like endorphins rush trough my body. Well, let’s leave it with one endorphin. Suddenly, I see a girl I used to play tennis with. Sporty reunion? So the both of us settle in to her rhythm and start chatting a little. Yes, girls do this even while running. I notice that she is running slower than me, but also that I feel better at this speed. My mood starts to get

brilliant. It looks as if the endorphin has met another, fallen in love and gotten babies. I feel shout out loud startling everybody around me.

You got this! Well, the following kilometers feel like a homerun or being on speed or some other weird drug. This actually feels goooooood! Although I run a lot, I’ve never been at that point that I could jump around, sing and dance while running. Now it feels like relaxing at a beach. I see my parents and want to share my happy feelings. So I take up a little speed and do this little jump, where you let your heels click in the air.

Final Spurt For the last two kilometers I start taking up speed. Running was never easier. With every kilometer I pass the pain in my legs increases, but I don’t mind. It starts raining, I don’t mind either. I see the 20km sign and speed up even more. Weirdly, I am not getting exhausted, instead I start laughing. Ahead is the 21km sign. There is still energy left, so I leg it and run as few seconds later.

Something I learned during this challenge is probably quite an essential thing. Life is like a race. There are moments when just breathing becomes the hardest thing and you simply want to quit. Still, you should try to give your best, because in the end you’ll still have more energy left than you would have guessed durthat even if some kilometers are rough, you success!

“Never Forget Your Inner Child!” Interview with Prof. Dr. Engelbert Thaler, new Chair of the Department of English Didactics

Q: How did you decide to become a teacher and, later on, a lecturer at university?

Q: Are there certain aspects you miss about being a school teacher?

A: I made the decision to become a teacher in 11th grade. It was my dream job, the thing I absolutely wanted to do for a living, and my expectations were never dis-

A: The good thing about university is that you can teach in a more demanding manner, while you have to lower the level a little bit in school.

years I kept saying this is the best job you can possibly have. The reason I went on to university lies in the fact that . . .well, I used to play a lot of football, and, at one point, your age doesn’t allow you to keep playing any more. This

meant deciding whether really to leave school, and I thought about that for a long time because I didn’t want to leave for good. But, on the other hand, it was such a great challenge. And I really enjoy teaching at university.

Q: Was there a special experience that convinced you that your decision to become a teacher or professor was right? A: Not just one, but every single day. I always enjoyed going to school, and when you have many hands raised and you see in their faces that they really want to take part and enjoy learning, and when you get positive feedback from them or their parents, you feel you made the right choice.

for me; it was sort of a defeat that I had to stop playing, so I thought I needed a new challenge, which was doing my PhD. I started to write my dissertation while I was still teaching full time, and, then, things began to develop. My dissertation supervisor asked me whether I’d be interested in lecturing at university. So, I began to do that part-time, which meant I spent half of my time teaching in my old school and Having both was really a nice arrangement, but at one point my supervisor asked whether I wouldn’t be interested in continuing and

in that sense any more at university.

Q: The topic of our current issue is

The good thing about school is, though, that there’s a wider range of personalities and age groups and that you can establish a better relationship with your students. I would see them weeks. The pedagogic contact you have with students at university only once a week, so a relationship like this is much harder to estab32

there something that immediately comes to mind? A: Well, I can sympathise with everyone who doesn’t want to grow up. You should, even course, you have to develop, and at some point student teachers need to shift from the point of view of a student to that of a teacher, but they should keep a part of the child they used to be - maybe also remaining a bit naive, and not taking everything too seriously, especially

A: Well, the idea of teaching came very soon, the rather British attitude of self-deprecation.

Q: Have you also kept your inner child to a certain degree?

grade. And the other dream was, of course, to be the world’s best footballer. I had that dream for a very long time . . . perhaps I still do have it a little bit (laughs).

my childhood, like sports and, in particular, football, but also sitting together with friends and fooling around with them in beer gardens or pubs. Simply being childish and not taking kept inside me.

Q: So, would you also advise students to keep their inner child?

For more, see our homepage: www.emag.

imb-uni-augsburg.de

A: Not being earnest rule, as Kate Fox puts it also something the Germans should keep in mind. There are things you should take seriously, like your profession, but you shouldn’t take yourself seriously all the time. You should prepare your lessons conscientiously, but shouldn’t lose a certain humorous or childish attitude.

Q: Do you think this can also help future teachers to understand their pupils better? A: Yes, although each of us is different, of ity and shouldn’t change that, but losing the feeling of what it´s like to be a student is the wrong way. Carl Rogers developed the three cocharacteristics for teachers - empathy, respect and authenticity - and all of them show that you should never be too grown-up. You need a certain empathy, you need to appreciate your pupils and you need to be yourself. You between your professional and private life.

Q: Do you still know what you wanted to become as a child? 33

British Cultural Studies With A Difference! Knock, Knock?

British Cultural Studies With A Difference! One week discovering Norwich

had decided to go for the Norwich experience: a cultural studies course taking place directly university. From 13th-18th March 2011 we participated in what would turn out to be a wonderful, memorable experience in one of by Peter James, the Augsburg teacher who set the course up .

Pubs and more In May after the course we met at Murdock´s in Augsburg for a cider in order to relive the atmosphere of our Norwich trip and to make this article as authentic as possible! Because the of our stay there was all the pubs which are so

of Norwich. Yes, pubs were an essential part of the whole week, both for the welcome drink the university proud! - as well as for the farewell party at the Garden House. Apart from the pubs, Norwich also has an abundance of churches, the heritage of a long history, and a wide variety of sights. Both medieval and modtogether with the lively student culture, they make the city an attractive place to visit.

pers on the street about their use of media such as newspapers and television.

Culture with a capital ´C´ and a small ´c´ In addition, thanks to various evening activities into the cultural life of the city. For example, we saw ´Double Falsehood´, attributed to Shakespeare, and had lots of fun during our Ceilidh lesson. People in Norwich are also extremely friendly and helpful, which is especially true of our host families; despite their strange habits like nicknaming their children “sausage” (yes, they really do), we felt perfectly at ease there.

For the course, held at the Norwich Institute vided into three groups, each exploring a cultural studies topic of our choice: education, the media and food and drink. With the help and about” (as Alan would have it), talking to

able to take part in a Cultural Studies course at the Norwich Institute for Language

spot. The food and drink group had the chance to visit different types of pubs, discovering that lasagne is actually considered the Number 1 cess; they even visited

13-19th 2011. It was a project-based course focussing on aspects such as education, the media and food and drink. A similar course is planned for 2012. Anyone interested should contact Peter James in the Language Centre.

only single malt distillery. In the meantime, the education group talked to student advisors at local public and state schools, and were also given a tour around the campus of Anglia by Peter, who studied there. Finally, among other things, the media group interviewed Norwich shop36

See also: eMAG website Norwich Picture Gallery and Norwich Blog: http://emag.imb-uni-augsburg.de/ http://www.visitnorwich.co.uk/ http://www.nile-elt.com/content/home.aspx

Soâ&#x20AC;Ś In the end, we can only recommend everyone to take part in such as a cultural studies course, as we were very impressed by the outcome of our research. In one week, we learned nitely learn more by discovering cultural issues yourself in the country, where you become part of the culture, rather than by studying and revising passively at home. A perfect mixture of harmony among the group members contributed to the success of this course, which we would not have missed it for the world. Yes, thatÂ´s right - British Cultural Studies with a difference!

Knock, Knock? University customs around the world

Rag Week In many universities in Ireland (where I spent demic year involves the so-called Rag Week. activities centred around Rag societies which ever, this week has got slightly out of control in the last couple of decades. Partying and taking a break from studying – that’s what it’s usually about. Many professors are aware of this, which is why none of them wonder about their lecture halls being half empty – or half full, for the optimists among us – during this week. At night time, you’d better be a bit more careful than usual on your way home, but as soon as the sun rises, most students sleep in to get rid of their hangover. You shouldn’t be surprised, though, if a drunk student bursts into the middle of a lecture screaming “I’m the king! (and a word I don’t want to repeat here)”,

May Day and the Magdalen Bridge

The laurel wreath

But Rag Week is not the only occasion when students behave strangely. For a long time, a really interesting sight would become visible

Now, let’s have a look at less dangerous university customs, that is to say, the academic use of the laurel wreath. In some countries, students obtaining their master’s degree receive the wreath as a symbol during their graduation ceremony, whereas in Sweden, for example, it is given to those receiving their honorary doctorate. As long as the graduates don’t start considering themselves Roman generals and invade countries and cities, this custom has the big advantage that it doesn’t break your neck or give you the worst hangover in your life.

the morning of May Day: countless students would jump from the bridge into the – often quite shallow – River Cherwell. Did they screw up on their exams? Did they miss their last appointment at the psychiatrist? Not quite (well, okay, I’m not absolutely sure about the latter). It’s simply a custom that established itself for – they jump for fun and because traditions are persistent. Due to the high rate of injuries and accidents, though, the bridge has been closed off recently. That doesn’t mean, the opportunity to leap off Magdalen Bridge on May Day. Who knows, perhaps it brings good luck in addition to broken bones?

again?” – and yes, this actually happened.

These were only a few examples of all the weird university traditions in this world. When you take all of them into account, you can’t really call university life boring. By the way, that doesn’t mean you’re supposed to jump off the next bridge for fun either!

The national amnesia of the Chinese only-child generation

velopment and the economy in China. It was introduced in the late 1970s after massive at most two, never a third”. Then, at the beginning of the 1980s, the policy was tightened and a second child became generally forbidden. The policy strength on the local level varies; it is carried out more strictly in urban areas. I’m not just talking about me or any person growing up as an only child, but about a whole generation in a country without memory of siblings. The Chinese one-child policy is said

That is probably the reason why having brothers or sisters has always been an exotic thing to I learned at school, which were: “This is Sandy. His sister is Sue.” And there was this voice somewhere in my subconscious: “Awesome! That’s how foreigners should be like!” I’m pretty sure I learned to ask the question, “Do you have any brothers or sisters?” only after I came to Germany for college, because, as you can imagine, it is a banal question in Chinese cities. The Chinese equivalent to the question “Can you swim?”, and will probably result in

The Chinese choose or, to be more precise, are made to choose to forget about siblings in order to make room for economic growth. In spite of the obvious ethical issues the policy raises, the current situation is too complex to be seen in black and white. If you asked me whether I would like to share (share is a magic word which startles many only children) my living expenses and tuition fees with somebody else, I would probably think like a stereotypical only child and say no after a brief hesitation. Today’s generation in every country has amnesia. It is how human beings move forward – to forget things like wars, exiles or revolutions of our predecessors in order to take in something new without overloading our brains. I wonder where the unnatural Chinese amnesia will lead China to eventually.

Forever Young

Ago? Effective ways to make people feel old

in a cinema was “The Lion King”. Can you believe that this movie is 17 years old now? Not only am I 20 years old today, but the world has turned a few more times too. It always feels as remember, know well and that are still a part of pop culture have become “old”. And honestly I doubt none of the movies in the chart out how old you really feel and please don’t get

How TV shows for kids have changed in the last few years

Changing everything...

are still on KiKa sometimes. But if so, their format has completely changed: Benjamin Blümchen in HD, Micky Mouse in 3D and lots of other new developments. Where have all the lovely drawn animations been lost? And who took the innocence of the characters away?

world, they aren’t animated to be creative in

What happens then to all the stuff that childhood stands for? Imagination, innocence and creativity? Just think about it a while. I can’t really decide about that

Micky Mouse and so on – these our generation to the screen. Lovely characters, nice and innocent stories and a quite funny content. We could identify with all those childish characters and learn a lot from them: How to solve problems with people of the same age and our background, how to take care of nature and how to let our fantasy take control over us.

shows always had a simple but funny story. The shows of our generation showed a kind of “good world” where everything was okay, and if there were some problems, they could be solved by the hero of the show with a little help from his friends. And that’s the point: Conclusions were found by working together with others and not against them. No sign of aggressiveness or violence on the side of the hero. That’s at least the thing I can remember.

pictures and have no chance to create their own associations. So if they are confronted

Just think about it...

When the world was still good...

There were no special effects - everything was

But the other side of the coin is that these surreal and often violent contents take the fan-

former times. But it’s important to think about the phenomenon for their whole lives. They show them how to solve problems and give them direction in a complex world. It seems that nowadays special effects are cal opportunities have changed, but children will be confronted with all the new high-tech stuff the whole time when they get older and grown up. So we shouldn’t take their childhood away from them and leave them with an opportunity to stay as kids, not just “little grown ups”. programs is that there are a lot of useless elves. I mean – this can be seen as a nice idea to animate the fantasy of children. 43

But enough from me, if you need any advice, Langstrumpf - not the animated version, but in the original way full of actors and without any dragons or other fantasy characters.

Why dogs are better than children

Children scream, dribble, soil their nappy, and keep you awake for large portions of the night over a very long period of time. When they get older, they become ungrateful, pubescent monsters causing problems in abundance. And after they move out into the wide world, they rarely stop by to show their face. 18 years of your lifetime and scads of money for a child? Wouldn’t it be better to have a dog instead, one who only barks occasionally and doesn’t get you out of bed on a regular basis? Besides, not only are dogs dependable guardians, but they are also house-trained after only a few weeks. Concerning cleanliness you might say, dogs lose their hair, and of course you’re right about that, but is this really worse than changing diapers and cleaning up after a child for years and years?

dren and dogs have many things in common: not only do they behave in a similar way, when for example curiously exploring and hiding new things, but you also need to feed, bath and educate them. However, having a dog has lots of advantages over raising a child: It’s just a lot more fun and a lot less work.

Apart from these pragmatic advantages, there are more reasons to favour dogs over children. Dogs have a keen sense for sensing your mood, and they’ll comfort you when you’re sad.

And every time you get home your dog will be simply chuffed, even if you have only been away for a short time.But above all, it’s their artlessness, which makes them so amiable. They never ever have a hidden agenda or dubious intentions. They are innocence and loyalty The dog is man’s best friend. It’s a hackneyed phrase, but true, nonetheless. A dog will never let you down or turn its back on you—no, he will remain at your side until the end of time, no matter what.

Forever Young The secret of immortality

Getting old In order to come closer to the secret of immorand how this process takes place. There are more than 300 different theories, one of them being the program theory. This theory proposes that every organism has an inner clock and that once it stops ticking the organism dies, the reason being that the cells humans are made of are ´mortal´, and with them each and every human as well. All cells are mortal because they can only split about 50 to 150 times, growing weaker each time in the procells die every day, but at the same time they are also produced every day by a healthy young body. This process of cell renewal doesn’t work 100% any more when someone grows older. The results are well known: people become more fragile, the organs don´t work as well as before, muscles grow weaker and so on.

Telomeres and Telomerase

ered. Some scientists even believe that life can be extended by hundreds of years. So the

telomerase, making immortality a real possibility, as it makes the cells forget how often they have already split and thus turns back our inner clock, which is situated at the end of the chromosomes. After the important information saved on the chromosomes there is a part at the end of the chromosome that isn´t really important, but which only serves as protection. These so-called telomeres are a thousandfold-reoccuring sequence of TTAGGG in human DNA.

already been taken. In 1997 some skin cells were successfully implanted with telomerase and continued to go on undamaged even af-

a cell splits a part of the telomeres is destroyed u n t i l finally there are no telomeres left, and the important information on the chromosome is affected and the cell telomeres and thus stop the aging process of ready working in germ cells, it isn´t working in somatic cells, which leads to their aging and

Immortality - In our grasp... The possibility of stopping the aging process and even returning a person´s youth by using 45

some single cells, so immortality for humans within our reach.

...or not? This thought is quite terrifying. And luckily it´s not that simple. Because otherwise we would also be able to tell how long we will live just by telomere length is a biomarker for aging, our death cannot be predicted so easily, as there are a lot of other factors which play a role, for example, stress. And that also means we can For example, a reduction in the length of the telomeres due to chronic stress can, according cannot gain immorsports.

tality by doing

R a i n e r

Catharsis - Winner of the eMAG Fiction Contest 2011

Catharsis Winner of the eMAG Fiction Contest 2011

“Shut up mom, just leave it,” Thomas yelled over his shoulder as he escaped rapidly from the living room. While tying his shoes together hastily in the hallway, he could still hear her sobbing and crying from inside. He didn´t care. He just did not have the time to care. When he walked out of the house, slamming the front door shut, he already felt the rage pulsing in his veins; obscuring his thoughts behind a bloodAs he lit a cigarette, he thought about the problem, his special problem nobody except for him knew of. It had only been a normal discussion between his mother and him when he had suddenly heard a familiar noise in the back of his head: a droning, pounding noise, still far away and very unclear, but still dangerous. He knew where that sound came from and that was why he had run away. Although he´d never really understood where the origins of the sound were, he had a vague picture in his mind and it certainly had to do with the existence of him. Thomas had never spoken to anyone about this, because no one he knew would ever talk to him about emotional matters. Delicate topics like these were too abstract for the people who lived in his town. They were honest and humble workers or craftsmen like his uncle, too concerned about supporting their families and keeping their lawns cut to think about those things. He could even understand that attitude; those people worked 24/7 to offer their families the best lives possible and in their rare free hours at the weekend they didn´t want to be talking about stuff which could possibly undermine their perfect world. An airplane rushed by and he suddenly became aware that he´d been walking all the time since he had left his house and that he had gone straight along the main road of the town towards the giant oak which

was standing in the very center of the town. He was also smoking another cigarette to eliminate the traces of the blood-red curtain in front of his eyes. It was almost done. He´d always been able to prevent the worst, either because he just escaped from the situation, like he had done several minutes ago, or because he´d smothered himself with cigarettes and masses of alcohol. Still, he knew that this last rage had been very close to whatever might come after the red curtain, clear. A couple of years ago, he had caught a short glimpse of what he thought was the origin, the deep and long-forgotten source of his rage. It´d been like lightning, suddenly illuminating a map of his mind inside his own head. Down in the deepest dungeons, far away ity were kept, down to his most rudimentary instincts, passing hunger and happiness, fear and vengeance, there was his chamber. He imagined it to have a weathered wooden door, kept together by rusty iron nails and a thick chain. Musty air crept through the knotholes in the door’s planks and the aura of pure and highly concentrated anger was somehow physically present. Behind the door he was sitting. Thomas’ nemesis, a poor creature, which in the earliest development stage as a foetus in his mother’s body had been separated from Thomas’ normal personality and childish furies and the slightest signs of anger had made him stronger. He was the source and the mouth of his anger, the alpha and the omega of blood-seeking, destructive outrage.

holding a knife in her trembling hand. “Don’t you come closer! I’ve already called the cops!” tally surprised. How she´d changed! She had one black eye, several scratches on her cheeks and countless bruises all over her arms and her breasts. Her lip was twitching with spontaneous spasms while she was standing there, facing him as if he was her worst enemy. Who had done this to her? The familiar noise started in the back of his head, far away still, but coming closer. Alarmed by this signal, he asked his mother: “Who’s done this to you?” The blood-red curtain grew denser in front of his eyes. He had to act quickly; the noise was very close now. “Who?” Her voice came from a point beyond his detec-

open and he heard hysterical laughter. He suddenly found himself joining in loudly, It was an expression of terrifying, cold amusement. Then he ran away as fast as he could, heading towards the forest, knowing that this night everything had to come down to an end. They found him just the other day when everyone was going to mass, hanging from a big branch of the old oak tree in the center of the town. His face was pale and afterwards people would say that they´d never seen such a peaceful expression on anyone’s face. The letter which was later found inside his mouth was kept short and nobody really understood what caused and would have caused all of you. In

most dark. He´d spent all day outside, thinking about every little detail of his dilemma. As he opened the front door, his mother stood there, 48

could do it to anyone else. I gave my life for the sake of all of you who know me. I am the lamb. This is my body which is given for you.”

was born in Dillingen a.d. Donau, and an Chinese). He likes writing because it helps him to develop his language skills and to express his innermost feelings. The writing process for this story in particular was very interesting â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it felt as if it wrote itself.

Chinese Parenting and the American Dream Some thoughts on Amy Chua’s Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother

Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother (Die

About the Author Amy Chua, professor of Law at Yale Law School, lives with her husband Jed, also a Yale law professor, and her teenage daughters Sophia and Lulu in New Haven, CT. Her parents come from southern China and immigrated to the States in the 1960s. As a second-generation immigrant, Amy Chua was born and raised amid the nonstop cultural clashes in America.

Chinese versus Western Parenting First of all, it’s necessary to explain what Amy means by “Chinese parenting” and “Western parenting”: The Chinese way of raising children is to arm your next generation with exceptional skills and thus prepare them for the future in the best way possible. In contrast, Western parents will give their children freedom and respect their choices to follow their own passion. For Chinese parents, childhood is a vital period of training and investment, whereas Western parents believe that childhood should be carefree and fun. To cut it short, the idea of the typical Chinese childhood can be described with a few keywords: Hard work (especially in math and music), no choice, and 100% listennese parenting neither only applies to Chinese parents nor does it only exist in China. As Amy notes in her opening chapter, many Korean, Indian, Jamaican, Irish and Ghanaian families

living in the States adopt the same method. She also mentions that this extremely strict way of raising children might well be an immi-

Amy’s Battle cause you can only understand the meaning of Amy’s battle hymn when you hear it echoing in the American society. I think there are some interesting connections between Chinese parAmerican Dream. The Chinese tradition of hard work and the American premise that every one is born equal can be a winning combination. In Amy’s case, the thorough implementation of Chinese parenting by two generations has certainly moved the family up socially, and her two daughters are just phenomenal as combination: The Chinese method makes children strive to achieve success without taking any breaks - and the American society offers unlimited opportunities of success; in Sophia and Lulu’s case, there are always countless concerts, competitions and auditions awaiting them. If they work hard enough, they can/ could (?) come very close to the greatest musicians of our time and eventually become stars themselves. However, there always seems to be room for improvement. And the Chinese As a result, the mixture of Chinese parenting and the American Dream can turn into an extremely stressful situation that might spiral out of control at some point.

Chinese Parenting in China You might then ask what Chinese parenting is like in China: Well, since I was born and raised there, I can say that much: You can see a bit of the tiger mother in every Chinese parent. 51

For example, my dad and mom are a perfect match when it comes to my education (and many other things). When I was four and had just started playing the piano I was working on a cute song called The Popcorn Man. My dad used to say, “I want another bag of popcorn. Can you do it for me?”, to make me play it over and over again (to “drill”, in Amy’s words). He never raised his voice in my presence, but if it’s necessary, he will get my mom to yell at me… Most Chinese parents, including mine, do have the intention of raising their children the strict Chinese way, but only few of them will actually carry it out to its full extent, like Amy does with her daughters. It simply takes too much, both from the parents and the children, to go there, even when it means extraordinary achievements in the end. So, as to how I see it, Amy and her daughters’ story is the result of chemical reactions between Chinese parenting and the American Dream. The book is made of sparkles from the able mother (well, there is just this one point in the book when I thought she might have gone too far – she wants to train her dog the way she supposed to have a career and win medals…). In the end, I just want to remind you that although it’s the issue of the contrast between Chinese and Western parenting that has attracted most of the attention, Amy’s book is not a two-hundred-page instruction of how to become a tiger mother. It is rather a lovely story about music, family and growing up, written with humor and passion.

Children

Kids – Devilish little brats, they are!

course or maybe you just want to relax, read a book, or enjoy the silence and the drowsy rumble of the train or the tram. In such a situation there’s nothing more unnerving than a brat who’s yelling, moaning, and crying, and basically annoying all the passengers and ter-

reasons (“I want gummybears!”, “I don’t wanna visit grandma!”, “I wanna sit on your lap!”, “I absolutely and only want the toy car that we left at home!”, “I wanna scream as loud as I can to drive my parents and everyone totally mad!!!”).

Any way out? If you strike it lucky and such a child is sitting behind you, you should expect the little monster to hit, kick, and shake your seat so hard that it will make you wanna burst out with anger, turn around, and bawl out not only the child, but also the mother (“For God’s sake do the world a favour, educate your kid and make her shut up!”).

Relaxing with children? Forget about it! A calm evening at a nice restaurant? Wrong! Just a few tables away from you, there’s a family with two kids who are whining loudly because they are upset about something; maybe it’s the choice of restaurant or the tablecloth disturbing them and making them moan on and on.

But oh, wait, I forgot; venting one’s anger and snapping at a child to stop yelling and kicking makes you look like a sociopath, because these little children are oh so sweet and innocent. My eye! The little brats are sly old dogs! So what can we do? Nothing. Just try to have nerves of steel and keep your countenance—at least we don’t have to put up with these nuisances 24 hours a day like their parents.

A cosy shopping stroll through the city? Wrong! A bunch of children (probably a class) are running around like much for that.

Little terrorists in public They are everywhere, and everywhere they drive you mad—children. However, it’s especially objectionable and annoying on public transport. Perhaps you need to concentrate on a very complicated text for an upcoming 52

Why we should love children

Honesty

ence between this girl and all the other kids at the playground. Kids don’t have any fear of making contact with someone, and simply take people for what they are, without being prejudiced. They don’t judge anybody because of their background, or what they look like. So why not follow their example?

There’s one point which some of you won´t consider a pro argument, but which to me is a really important aspect. Kids are honest! THAT straightforward – like being told that you’re looking kind of strange today – but in the end, that’s still better than being lied to in your faces.

Funny without trying

little sister, just to hear how she was doing. In the end, we talked for about half an hour, because she was so excited about the next day’s sports festival and wanted to tell me all about it. Her enthusiasm was so contagious that I cheered up immediately. It made my day! Many adults have forgotten how to be enthusiastic and excited about something - to really look forward to something, so that our lives have become indifferent. Being with my little sister brightens up my life! So if we´ve forgotten how to smile, we should be thankful to kids, since they can bring it back into our lives.

Tolerance A while back my sister and I went to the playground where we met a disabled child. I have to confess that I didn’t know how to get along

By the way, isn’t it kind of fun to see kids try to get their way and become upset? I still remember when my family taught my sister how to ride a bike. She insulted us, crying: “Dad, you just want me to fall off!” It was superb! We couldn’t stop laughing, which made her even angrier. So for my part, I always love to come home, especially because I know my little sister´s there. With her there´s so much fun and warmth all over the house. at me and hugs me, I feel so much better! I don’t ever want to miss that. Wouldn’t it be boring without kids? Don´t they make our lives

Back down to earth There is a disease all adults suffer from, which is called taking things far too seriously. We concern ourselves with things like which brands we’re wearing – Diesel vs. H&M - or if we weigh two or three kilos too much. But do these things matter? Kids bring us back down to earth and help us understand what the essential things are in life.

no problem at all. For her, there was no differ 53

worry about ultimately meaningless stuff like clothes, but I’m still really looking forward to when I can enjoy being with my own kids on both their good … and bad days!

Staffs’ Favourites Who’s who?

Jacqui: My plan what to become changed

Lukas: As a child I always wanted to be a mad scientist (like Daniel Düsen-

I wanted to become a policewoman, on the other day an artist. However, the dream I pursued the longest was becoming a famous author – well, it’s not too late, yet, maybe somewhere along the way I will write a novel ;)

e) Max G.: I always wanted to become a postman.

then, I wanted to become a veterinarian, because I wanted to help all the injured animals.

Judith: I always wanted to become a Ballerina!

g) Max B.: Back then, I to become a because I wanted the injured

Peter: I had no idea what I wanted to become as a child. In fact, even when I graduated, I had no clear ideas. And then I fell into language teaching, initially as a means to staying abroad. Then in 1980 I trained to be a teacher, and worked at the British Council in Barcelona, which was a very exciting institution and city to be starting one´s career in.

Nicole: My childhood dream was to be a storyteller because inventing and telling stories fascinated me since

wanted veterinarian to help all animals.

the schoolyard of my primary school ;) Although I never got to know whether my audience came to here my stories or wanted to stare at the weird girl sitting there caught up in her own world . . .

h) c)

Alina: When I was a child I wan ted to become a writer! I loved books and I liked the idea of telling my stories to other people. Probably it was also a kind of rebellion n) against all those girls who wanted to become veterinarians. I guess I wanted to be different ;-)

Je ss

Alexa: As a child I was absolutely fascinated by the pyramids and as soon as

: Ia lw ay s a r com wan oc e ted ks to ta be r!! ! -

for sure: “When I’m big I’m gist.” =)

11 3

15 Friederike: I have to admit thought about as a child. kindergarten I to school! :D the idea of an artist me my life so-

that I never really that, not even When I was in wanted to go But I think becoming was with entire mehow.

12 13

5 Andrea: I wanted to become famous. I didn’t really know how and it didn’t really matter but I thought either as a singer

Jia: As a child I wanted to become somebody who travels a lot around the world. I didn´t really know what kind of job I wanted to do back than. I was only keen on this idea of jetting around the globe (had no idea how unpleasant jet-lag could be...). Now it is hard to say if my dream has come true or not - I am in a foreign country 8000 Km away around that much. I kind of enjoy the peaceful life in Augsburg :)

Whe I want n I was li sa: ttle ed beca to becom I use I love e a vet, anim it wo als. u care ld just m ean of th to em a nd b take e nic that e. it wo to pu uld also mea t th cut em dow n imm ting them n or ed u to be iately wa p, I nted a pro f e danc ssion er, al haird author or resse inste r ad.

so I thought…). I still don’t know why it didn’t work out… 55

For Your Entertainment Prepare to laugh!

Teacher: Why are you pushing garlic into the Pupil: To keep vampires off the Internet.

memory. When did this start? When did what start!

Internet. teacher. What should a football team do if the pitch is I call him our wonder player. Bring on their subs! bothered to buy him! Christopher Robin takes over Disney Studios Teacher: What are the four elements? Teacher: What do you mean the Internet?

â&#x20AC;&#x161;Doc, I just wanted to let you know that there

Be nice to your children: They get to pick your nursing home. Teacher: I said to draw a cow eating some Pupil: Yes, the cow ate all the grass! When you talk to me - shut up! We are the people our parents warned us about.

Teacher: What is the plural of mouse? Pupil: Mice Teacher: Good,

Work - buy - consume - die

Pupil: Twins! Insanity is hereditary. You get it from your kids! Pupil (on phone): My son has a bad cold to school today. School Secretary: Who is this? Pupil: This is my father speaking! Mummy, mummy

werewolf? Be quiet and brush your face!

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Responsibilities editor-in-chief: deputy editor: Isabel Rackow course coordinator: Peter James layout: Friederike Beins, Isabel Rackow, Monika Reichart promotion: Anna Sapronenko, Jacqueline Wรถrner, Jia Li, Alexa Rauscher advertising: Stefanie Dintner, Judith Barnscheidt, Max Becker, Maximilian Grundler website: Kerstin Bachmeier, Susi Steinacher, Lukas Masuch proofreading: cover model: Isabel Rackow Special Thanks Klaus Prem treasury Begleitstudium coordinator: Thomas Sporer

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