This might not be the typical expat blog, written by a German expat, living in the Philippines since 1999. It's different. In English and in German. Check it out! Enjoy reading!
Dies mag' nun wirklich nicht der typische Auswandererblog eines Deutschen auf den Philippinen sein. Er soll etwas anders sein. In Englisch und in Deutsch! Viel Spass beim Lesen!
You plan to move to the Philippines? Wollen Sie auf den Philippinen leben?
There are REALLY TONS of websites telling us how, why, maybe why not and when you'll be able to move to the Philippines. I only love to tell and explain some things "between the lines". Enjoy reading, be informed, have fun and be entertained too!
Ja, es gibt tonnenweise Webseiten, die Ihnen sagen wie, warum, vielleicht warum nicht und wann Sie am besten auf die Philippinen auswandern könnten. Ich möchte Ihnen in Zukunft "zwischen den Zeilen" einige zusätzlichen Dinge berichten und erzählen. Viel Spass beim Lesen und Gute Unterhaltung!
Visitors of germanexpatinthephilippines/Besucher dieser Webseite.Ich liebe meine Flaggensammlung!
STOCKHOLM, Sweden — Sweden's postal service is inundated every year with thousands of letters beginning with "Dear Santa," and it not only answers them but for over a century has kept those that stand out.
With addresses such as "Lapland," "Reindeer Land," or "Santa's Igloo," the postal service PostNord last year alone received around 16,000 letters intended for Father Christmas.
A few letters every year are selected for the museum's archives, a collection that now holds about 10,000 letters from around the world, the oldest dating back to the 1890s.
"These are from the US, from Asia, I have some here from Taiwan," said Kristina Olofsdotter, head of stamps at PostNord, at the Postmuseum in Stockholm.
Toys, pets, and books have topped children's wish lists over the years, as they do today — though children of yore were perhaps a little more modest in their expectations.
"You can see that in the old letters the kids asked for maybe one or two things, nowadays there are longer lists," Olofsdotter said.
Many of the letters, written in children's handwriting, also have questions for Santa.
Related: Christmas 2023, New Year 2024 happenings in Manila malls
"What is your favorite drink so that we know what to put out for you?" one young girl asked in the 1960s.
A four-year-old wanted to let Santa know she had just learned to write her name, while adding: "I hope your reindeer are well."
All of the letters are opened and read, and when a return address is provided, the museum sends a reply back.
Olofsdotter said the reply typically "says 'Hi from Santa', with thanks for the letter. And he says that he has got a lot of work to do up until Christmas and that he really appreciates the letter."
She says the return letter also encourages kids to brighten somebody's day by writing them a letter, and "to not forget that all your dreams can come true if you believe in yourself."
And it is not only children who send letters to Santa Claus: this year's batch contained a letter from Taiwan sent by a 20-year-old. — with reports by Viken Kantarci
Drita Ziri of Albania won Miss Earth 2023, succeeding Mina Sue Choi of South Korea.
FROM LEFT: Cora Bliault, Thailand, Miss Fire; Drita Ziri, Albania, Miss Earth 2023; Yllana Marie Aduana, Philippines, Miss Air; and Do Thi Lan Anh, Vietnam, Miss Water. (Images courtesy of Miss Earth Facebook)
Miss Philippines Yllana Marie Aduana was crowned Miss Air during the Miss Earth 2023 beauty pageant held in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam on Friday night.
Drita Ziri of Albania won Miss Earth 2023, succeeding Mina Sue Choi of South Korea. Other winners were Miss Vietnam Đỗ Thị Lan Anh, Miss Water, and Miss Thailand Cora Bliault, Miss Fire.
Delegates who finished in the top 20 were Brazil, Kazakhstan, Netherlands, Russia, Indonesia, Puerto Rico, South Africa, Venezuela, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, England, India, Mauritius, United States, and Zimbabwe.
During the final question-and-answer for the top 4 candidates, Aduana was asked: "An official at a recent climate conference was quoted as saying ‘there is no science behind calls for the phaseout of fossil fuels.’ Do you agree? Why, or why not?”
Miss Earth 2023 Drita Ziri of Albania
Aduana answered: “As someone who is from the medical field, I do believe that everything roots from science and I think that the greatest gift we have in this generation is the sophisticated technical installations that we have and so there is science in the phaseout of fossil fuels. One thing we can also agree on is that we can live a zero-waste and sustainable lifestyle. I’ve always been practicing it because sustainability will always ensure stability in our future."
Earlier, during the semi-final round of the top 8 candidates, Aduana was also asked: "At what age do you think a child should be given access to social media?"
She answered: “I believe that when a child is parented by their parents to practice responsible cyber-citizenship in which they know when to click, what to read, and who to trust online, then no matter what the age is, then this should be validated and accepted with proper guidance."
Aduana, 25, is a medical laboratory scientist from Siniloan, Laguna. She finished college at the Centro Escolar University in Manila.
Miss Air Yllana Marie Aduana of the Philippines
Asked about her advocacy for Miss Earth, Aduana said: "My advocacy is called E.A.R.T.H. Education which stands for Environmental Awareness and Action to Restore and Transcend Home through Education. Through my nonprofit organization, Edukasyon for Every Juan, we aim to achieve environmental amelioration through the 17 UN SDG Promotion.
"My concrete project as the Miss Earth Philippines- 2023 is the 17 Sustainable Development Goals for 1 Goal: Environmental Amelioration for a Greener Nation. Through this project, I’ve been to all 17 regions of my country to conduct 17 community outreaches in line with the 17 UN SDG.
"I chose this advocacy to debunk the notion that Earth Queens only advocate for the trees, the plants, and green sceneries. For me, it’s more than that because The EARTH is a concoction of biodiversity. The Earth consists of the people, the animals, the communities, the indigenous tribes, and every single unit of life you can see on this planet. This is all covered by the 17 Sustainable Development Goals," she said.
The Mabuhay Philippines tour was held from Oct. 20 to Nov. 5 and covered four European countries, namely the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, and Italy.
The Nightingales with the Filipino Catholic Community of Cologne, Germany
By Carmencita 'Chinggay' Jasareno-Bernardo
In the recent tour of The Nightingales (soprano duo), under the Mabuhay Philippines program of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Cultural Exchange Department, several high-spirited Pinoys in Europe took the lead in supporting and organizing the performances and workshops mounted for the Filipino migrants and overseas workers.
The Mabuhay Philippines tour was held from Oct. 20 to Nov. 5 and covered four European countries, namely the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, and Italy. For each community the Mabuhay Philippines program visited, a group of Filipinos took on the challenging tasks of arranging and coordinating the venues, technical facilities, lodging, meals, and transportation for the eight-member touring party (Alfred Samonte, Bianca Camille Lopez, Keiko Cayanga, Ian Aguila, Cecile Mambuay, Lolito Pontillas, Marichelle Bernardo and including the author), and audience mobilization among others.
To host a visiting Philippine performing or cultural troupe entails a lot of tedious work, communications, and networking. These tasks, in turn, require a huge amount of patience, energy, enthusiasm, and perseverance. Thankfully, the hosts on all the sites have proven that they were up to the challenge and possess all these traits. Despite their busy schedules with their professional work and personal lives, they took time and effort to prepare everything we needed for the tour. That was why the performances and workshops were successfully done.
In Gouda South Holland, the Filipino Catholic Community (FCC), led by board member Amor Van Os, has been actively involved in various activities that keep the Filipinos interacting, engaging, and socializing while extending different services to the community, especially through the celebration of Holy Mass during Sundays and other important occasions.
The Pinoys in Gouda ensure to continue the Philippine traditions they grew up with; the most valuable of which is celebrating life together as a happy and content family. Lovella, who hails from Mindanao and is married to Lenard van der Weiden, welcomed the CCP contingent (Lolito Pontillas of Agusan del Sur and the author) to their home, even spending time with the group and held meetings with other Pinoys. Lea Saga-Van Rhijin from Bulacan, a licensed medical technician who works in a hospital, and her husband Alex, a captain of a luxury liner, with their two boys, let puni artist Marichelle Bernardo of Bulacan and theater-dance facilitator Cecile Mambuay of Cagayan de Oro/Marawi stay with the family while in Europe.
The bubbliest woman in the group was Elpie Gutierez from Tacloban City who also works in a hospital and accepts sewing services at home during her off-duty days. Ate Elpie, who is married to Han Clercq, hosted Alfred Samonte, artistic director of The Nightingales, and prepared a sumptuous meal for the whole team on their last day in Gouda.
Mary Jane Osigan Streefland, another FCC officer, hosted the soprano duo Bianca Camille Lopez-Aguila, Keiko Cressida Cayanga, and production manager Ian Aguila. During the few days the MP Team stayed with these families, they saw the best of Filipino hospitality, something that the group has always been thankful for.
On October 23, the group took a seven-hour trip from Rotterdam, Netherlands to Bonn in Germany via the Flix Bus. Amid the chilly weather, the team felt the warm welcome from their host, Pinay vlogger and digital content creator Stephanie Mae Dorp, who, with another kind of Pinoy migrant, waited for the arrival of the team at the bus terminal and helped the team settle in at their lodgings.
The following day, the group headed to Cologne for the concert at the Missione Cattolica Italiana, Ursula Church, through the arrangements made by the Filipino Catholic Community of Cologne. The Nightingales performed classic and contemporary songs to the community of Filipino migrants and their families. The most applauded number was the medley of Filipino folk songs, which brought back memories of hometowns from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao among the audience. The program ended with heartwarming Christmas songs that made everyone sentimental but cheerful.
On October 25, the team stayed with couple Stephanie and Papi with their children Nathan, Tipoy, and Arya at Robert-Havemam Strasse. After a delightful spread of European delights and Filipino favorites, the group held two workshops in the living room with a small group of Pinoys. The children eagerly participated in the Puni leaf art workshop led by Bernardo and the Mindanao dance workshop conducted by Pontillas.
To cap the day’s event, The Nightingales performed a short program set up in the small hallway. It was streamed live by Steph on her Team Blended FB page and reached 23,000 views, 1,000 likes, 300 comments, and 57 shares (as of October 28). As of writing this article, the YouTube viewership of the said concert, which was uploaded to the Team Blended channel, has already reached 62,000 views, 219 comments, and 3500 likes.
The CCP aims to reach the Filipinos around the world. Through the live stream on Steph’s channel, the Mabuhay Philippines activity was accessed by her 301,000 subscribers on YouTube and 197,000 followers/friends on Facebook. The team’s visit to Bonn was made even more memorable with the thoughtfulness of Ernesto Labra Jr. from Cebu City, and Mandy and Dhong Mabandos from Mati, Davao Oriental.
From Germany, the MP team traveled for 18 hours via Flix Bus and moved to Spain. After arriving in Barcelona, the team headed to the Parroquia Inmaculada Concepcion Y San Lorenzo Ruiz Church for their third engagement.
After some hesitation because he has only been the parish priest for over a year, Fr. Lino Castro, who hails from Alfonso, Cavite, hosted and presented the Mabuhay Philippines program in Barcelona. The team was well-received and cared for by a huge Filipino community who gave their genuine Filipino hospitality, from preparing their daily meals to lodging needs and sightseeing tours to the majestic Sagrada Familia and Our Lady of Montserrat, among other tourist destinations.
The October 29 concert and workshops on puni leaf art, Mindanao dance, and music were very well-attended by the kababayans who were seemingly gifted with varied artistic talents. Ate Mina Perez was superbly kind as she accompanied and assisted the group in all our engagements in Barcelona.
Italy was the group’s last stop. While there were no performances or workshops, the team linked up with fellow Filipinos in Florence, who could be potential partners and collaborators for the next edition of the Mabuhay Philippines program.
The team observed that Filipinos and Italians have many good things in common; kindness is one. In Firenze, they were given a complimentary stay in a beautiful European villa owned by Filippo Detaglia, a friend of Corazon Sugui from Gapan, Nueva Ecija who has been working in Italy for over two decades.
Ferdinand Bong Beltran from Lemery, Batangas, who has been working in Italy for over seven years, assisted the team with their transportation needs in Italy. Weeks later after the team went back to Manila, sad news of Filippo’s passing reached them. During their stay in Firenze, the author got a chance to speak to him over the phone to personally thank him for his generosity, and in that brief moment, the author felt his warm and gentle persona.
Hats off to all the Pinoy hosts and organizers in the Netherlands, Germany, Spain, and Italy who have shown their admirable Filipino traits – resilient, hardworking, adaptable, bighearted, creative, patient, generous, and amusing. The team expressed their gratitude to each of them - Bedankt, Danke, Gracias, Grazie, Maraming Salamat!
Indeed, in every corner of the world, most kababayans are not just high-spirited and making valuable contributions to the global community, but are also avid supporters of Philippine arts and culture. This is a reason to be joyful and anticipate more cultural experiences and exchanges under the Mabuhay Philippines program of the CCP Cultural Exchange.
Die deutsche Filmwelt trauert: Ingrid Steeger ist tot. Noch vor wenigen Stunden meldete sich die Schauspielerin selbst aus dem Krankenhaus – nun hat sie ihre Augen für immer geschlossen.
Noch am 21. Dezember 2023 berichtete "Bild": Ingrid Steeger gehe es gesundheitlich sehr schlecht. Zwar konnte sich die Schauspielerin noch telefonisch bei der Boulevardzeitung melden und bestätigen, dass sie aus dem Krankenhaus entlassen werden sollte. Wie schlecht es um sie aber wirklich stand, wird jetzt deutlich: Familie, Freund:innen und Fans müssen Abschied von Steeger nehmen.
Ingrid Steeger ist tot
Ingrid Steeger ist am 22. Dezember im Alter von 76 Jahren verstorben. Das bestätigte ihr guter Freund Rolf Löbig, 80, gegenüber "Bild". "Das Pflegeheim hat mir den Tod von Ingrid bestätigt. Es bricht mir das Herz." Steeger verstarb im Krankenhaus in Bad Hersfeld.
Im Sommer 2019 stand Ingrid Steeger zum letzten Mal auf der Theaterbühne. Bei den Bad Hersfelder Festspielen in Hessen gab sie die Rolle der Fräulein Montag. 2020 erlitt sie einen Herzstillstand. Die letzten drei Jahre ihres Lebens verdankt Steeger ihrem Freund Guido Straßburg, der sie damals wiederbelebte.
