Materialists and idealists

Kleinvieh macht auch Mist ...

In German: Kleinvieh macht auch Mist.
What it means: Small amounts add up to something bigger.

Interesting, isn’t it? Learning other language? University of Southeastern Philippines, Institute of Languages and Creative Arts offers Languages.

One of these languages is the German Language. German as a foreign Language is like French. German has become a classic second foreign language in the western world, as English (Spanish in the US) is well established as first foreign language. German ranks second (after English) among the best known foreign languages in the EU (on a par with French) as well as in Russia. In terms of student numbers across all levels of education, German ranks third in the EU (after English and French) as well as in the United States (after Spanish and French). In 2015, approximately 15.4 million people were in the process of learning German across all levels of education worldwide. As this number remained relatively stable since 2005 (± 1 million), roughly 75–100 million people able to communicate in German as foreign language can be inferred assuming an average course duration of three years and other estimated parameters. According to a 2012 survey, up to two thirds of this global number, i.e., ca. 47 million people, within the EU claimed to have sufficient German skills to have a conversation. Within the EU, and not counting countries where it is a (co-)official language, German as a foreign language is most popular in Eastern and Northern Europe, namely the Czech Republic, Croatia, Denmark, the Netherlands, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden and Poland. German was once, and still remains to some extent, a lingua franca in those parts of Europe. 

What are you waiting for? Enroll Now!

Just a loan

WED, NOVEMBER 4, 2015 BY THE MINDANAO DAILY MIRROR LEAVE A COMMENT

IN MY OPINION
Klaus Doring

Sweet words are easy to say; nice things are easy to buy; but good people are different to find. Life ends, when you stop dreaming; hope ends, when you stop believing; friendship stops, when you stop sharing. A good friend of mine sent me this quotation. I commented back: So very true and very well said!

Our life is borrowed – from God. No rental charges are collected from us. Many of us have forgotten this and live life at his fullest. Our life is equal to a book from a library that lends one. But how insatiable and unbearable are we in disdainful acting towards life and therefore to ourselves? Remember: life is just a loan!

Life seems to be nothing, just being ready to riddle one with bullets. Life seems to be nothing, just being broken through the indifference and unreliable and immoral behavior. Life seems to be nothing for those people who don’t understand cries from the heart of other people around them – cries for their hearts and families, for justice and for many other things.

Life with all its ups and downs, is just a loan, but for many of our fellow creatures it just seems to be nonsense to be littered like dump. And, if people try to survive, especially during these days, and if they just experienced (once more!) indifference, arrogance, ignorance or cheating by whomever – they will give up!

I can assure you that every one of us can at first help in prayers and, in reading the bible. “Proverbs” is probably the most down-to-earth book in the bible. Its teachings prepare you for the daily life, the street and the market place, but not for the schoolroom. The book offers warm pieces of advice you get; practical guidance for making your way on earth. Proverbs co-vers any kinds of questions you might have right now. Any-body can relate to the generalities of Proverbs, because this book simply tells how life works most of the time.

While writing this piece, I observed that more and more people struggle through life: tired, hopeless, experiencing their rock-bottoms, believing in fallacious “people” around them. I also observed a lot of people living a thief life, as if it it has been giving them without limitation.

“Let’s enjoy every single loophole in law!” What a sad and fatal attraction!

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Email: doringklaus@gmail. com or follow me in Facebook or Twitter or visit www.germanexpatinthe philippines.blogspot.com or www .klausdoringsclassicialmusic.blogspot.com .

Eine ganz besondere Schule ...

Ich lebe bereits seit fast 17 Jahren als Auswanderer auf den Philippinen.

Seit fast acht Jahren unterrichte ich Deutsch an der University of Southeastern Philippines am Fremdsprachen-Institut in Davao City.

Bei meinem letzten Besuch in Manila fragte mich Konsul und Verwaltungsleiter sowie Sachgebietsleiter RK, Ulrich Koehler, ob ich ueberhaupt schon einmal die Deutsche Manila besucht haette. Ich verneinte ... .

Und prompt arrangierte er ein Treffen mit dem neuen Schulleiter Andreas Thiergen, der seinen Posten Anfang September 2015 angetreten hat.

Andreas Thiergen, der sich im April 2015 ueber die Zentralstelle fuer das Auslandsschulwesen fuer Izmir bewarb, bekam Manila vorgeschlagen. Wie er in einem frueheren Interview sagte: "Der 50-jaehrige hat die Entscheidung gemeinsam mit seiner Familie getroffen, erneut ins Ausland zu gehen".

Ich empfand Andreas Thiergen von der ersten Minute sehr symphatisch und offen. Es war eine Freude, seinen Erzaehlungen zu lauschen. Bis vor den diesjaehrigen Sommerferien war er Lehrer fuer Deutsch, Geschichte, Gemeinschaftskunde und Ethik am Andreae-Gymnasium in Herrenberg. Nun ist er also Schulleiter der beruehmten Deutschen Internationalen Schule in Manila - oder auch German-European School Manila genannt.

Er kennt die Tropen. Er kennt Asien. Er unterrichte acht Jahre in Jakarta/Indonesien und lernte dort seine liebenswuerdige Frau Elita Nasution kennen. Die beiden Kinder Alifah und Arifin wurden in Jakarta geboren.

Ja, die Arbeit als Schulleiter an der GESM mit ueber 300 Schuelern ist eine Herausforderung fuer Andreas Thiergen. Er ist fuer -neben vielen anderen Dingen-  fuer die Kooperation zwischen Deutscher Botschaft, Goethe Institut und "seiner" Schule zustaendig.

Die German European School Manila, die mich sehr beeindruckt hat, bietet von der Krabbelgruppe ueber den Kindergarten, die Grundschule und die hoehere Schule verschiedene Betreuungsangebote und Bildungsmoeglichkeiten an. Zusammen mit der Franzoesischen Schule bildet sie den Eurocampus Manila. GESM besitzt einen deutschen und internationalen Zweig und als SEK-II-Abschluss das "International Bacalaureat Diploma".

The German European School Manila (GESM) started its Special Education Needs Policy in 2013 based on long lasting experience with special needs students at GESM.

This SEN policy is GESM's own take on the Concept of Inclusion wherein the school increases the participation, by reducing barriers of learning, of students who have "special educational needs" or with physical or sensorial impairments.

The Student Services Department oversees the daily operation and implementation of the SEN policy and its spearheaded by the Guidance Councelor (Socio-emotional) and SEN Coordinator (students with special education needs).

Check out for more here:

http://www.gesm.ph

At the moment, the side is down for maintenance.

The German European School Manila, is an international school in Parañaque City, Metro Manila, Philippines. GESM is an IB World School in its Diploma and Primary Years Programme and a Certified Excellent German School Abroad. Wikipedia

Address: 75 Swaziland Street, Better Living Subdivision, Parañaque, 1711 Metro Manila

Phone: (02) 776 1000

Founded: 1983

New Borders in Europe?

Philippines Cancels Flights and Alerts Hospitals Over Haze

By: Agence France-Presse

A woman takes a photo from a building of the thick haze, believed to be from Indonesia's forest fires, engulfing the city of Davao on Friday. Smog from the fires on Sumatra island and the Indonesian section of Borneo island has affected several Southeast Asian countries. Photo by Dennis Jay Santos, AFP.

MANILA -- The Philippines cancelled flights and put hospitals on alert on Sunday, as its southern and central islands were covered by thickening haze from Indonesian forest fires.

Smog from Indonesian slash-and-burn farming has choked vast expanses of Southeast Asia for weeks, killing at least 10 people, forcing events to be shut down and schools to close across the region.

International efforts to douse the blazes have done little to clear the air, and Filipino authorities warned ash levels were becoming increasingly dangerous in the southern islands.

"The department of health is advising those who have breathing problems or respiratory diseases to wear face masks in areas covered by haze," presidential spokesman Herminio Coloma told reporters.

Hospitals in the south were ready to receive anyone affected by the haze, he added.

Six flights to central and southern islands were cancelled or delayed Sunday due to the thickening smog, after thousands were left stranded over the past 10 days.

Pilots flying in the central city of Cebu could only see eight kilometers ahead, said government weather observer John Agbay, adding that visibility was also impaired in the western island of Palawan.

Indonesian forest fires are an annual occurence, but dry weather has made them particularly bad this year and Malaysia, Singapore, Australia and Japan have all sent help to fight the blazes.

While the haze in the Philippines has been mild compared to other parts of Southeast Asia, the smoke has been largely unexpected as the islands affected lie thousands of kilometers away from the fires.

Singapore, one of the worst hit, on Sunday urged fellow ASEAN members to take "firm and decisive action" against ahead of a group summit in Malaysia next month.

The city-state issued the call after Singaporean troops and firefighters returned from an international assistance mission in Indonesia's Sumatra island.

Experts say Typhoon Koppu (local name "Lando"), which passed over the northern tip of the Philippines last week, may have contributed to the problem in the archipelago by dragging the smoke across from Indonesia.

© 1994-2015 Agence France-Presse