raf@wolverhampton

Leeds and Newcaste-Upon-Tyne

2007-12-01T12:27:00.000-08:00

these are the last two cities before the christmas break...

warwick, stratford and york!

2007-11-27T11:42:00.000-08:00

hi! this week end i did not only visit warwick castle (and city), but also Stratford (yes again) and York (which is further north)...

(look out for the "Mr. Hois" picture...

warwick (...jaja alte erinnerungen)

Stratford:
The cottage (which actually is a rather big farm house) was the place Shakespear's wife was raised - the two actually never lived there, still it is nice to look at and the guides explain some useful stuff (not too long but not too short neither).

stratford (ja... schon wieder)

York: wonderful small city in the north east of England... 275 steps to climb the tower of the cathedral to enjoy the stunning view of roofs all around you!

York 24.11.2007

...snow....

2007-11-18T16:14:00.000-08:00

at least a little bit of that white stuff found its way to the British isle!

Wolverhampton bei Schnee

Shrewsbury - Darwin's birth town!

2007-11-18T04:33:00.000-08:00

... and a few more pics!

Shrewsbury

cambridge 2007

2007-11-09T13:28:00.000-08:00

remember remember the 7th of november (erh the 5th of november)... anyway, just have fun with a few pics from wonderful cambridge.

Cambridge 8.11.2007

Liverpool and Chester...

2007-11-06T12:31:00.000-08:00

Two more cities on my list...

Liverpool & Chester (online)

Paradise in Birmingham

2007-10-29T14:59:00.000-07:00

another city - Cardiff

2007-10-29T14:44:00.000-07:00

some more pictures... unfortunately the weather was not superb...

Cardiff

the threats of the 21st century...

2007-10-20T05:20:00.000-07:00

reading yesterday's Guardian a short comment on drinking behaviour of the middle class in Britain caught my attention...
Acctually, it was not the comment in itself that baffled me, but rather a sidecomment added to the article on the rhetoric used by British politicians these days. It says: (Guardian, Friday October 19th 2007, p. 20)

"We were officially told this week that obesity is as big a threat as climate change. Not long ago we were told that global warming is as big a threat as terrorism. And earlier, that terrorism is as big a threat to the British people as the Second World War. So: child obesity = global warming = terrorism = Fascism. Ergo, those crisps in your child's lunchbox are today's moral equivalent of the Nazis. Now do you feel guilty?"

The commentator points at a phenomenon I already observed myself the last couple of weeks. Politicians here (as well as back home, but I'm not informed about the situation there at the moment, thus I'll stick to the UK for now) tend to link problems of the 21st century in an irrational, for me absurd way. How does global warming and obesity fit together?! Maybe the politician looked at the picture of a fat child on the one side, and on the other he had the motive of a globe. They kind of looked the same, so why not compare them in a public speech?!

When thinking about global warming and obesity in depth, as sociologist, they are interconnected in some way, as both problems need to be tackled by changing social structures and social behaviour. Still, comparing global warming and obesity is like comparing apples and oranges! Global warming affects the entire world, affects the nature, all species living on our planet (some might look forward to a warmer planet, others might not) and human beings and their societies. Obesity on the other hand primarily affects the obese. Of course, this is a very short viewed description as to challenge obesity on a large scale, it is not enough to tell the fat to go to the gym and dring coke zero. However, politicians, and individuals listening to their words, should always keep in mind that there are differences in the nature of two distinct problems. Otherwise we might all end up and believe that child obesity = global warming = terrorism = Fascism.

Birmingham....

2007-10-19T12:27:00.000-07:00

As usual I update this blog with a few more pictures. This time I didn't go far, but decided to stay near my "hometown" and visited Birmingham. Compared to other 1 mio inhabitant cities it cannot take my breath away. Anyway, decide for yourself!

Birmingham 19.10.2007

here they are....

2007-10-18T03:15:00.000-07:00

Finally I managed to upload quite a bunch of pictures!
have fun!

London

London, with Vicky

2007-10-16T14:32:00.000-07:00

London! always busy, always nice...

.... pics are coming soon!!!

Bristol, miscellaneous

2007-10-07T09:08:00.001-07:00

some more of Bristol

2007-10-07T09:05:00.000-07:00

Bristol

2007-10-07T09:00:00.001-07:00

another city I've visited this week-end. Especially the universtiy building impressed me...

this is the University of Bristol....

and even more bath...

2007-10-07T08:59:00.000-07:00

Bath II

2007-10-07T08:55:00.000-07:00

some more pictures of Bath... (for a short comment look at the post below)

Bath Spa (World Heritage City)

2007-10-07T08:44:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time a man had a plan. His dream was to build the Rome of Britain at a place called Bath. Back then Empires were powerfull and money available, so quite a few astonishing buildings were added to the city of Bath. Personally I think Bath is one of the nicest British cities I've ever seen. It has flair, it is tidy, it is crowded (but not too much), it has a Spa, nice churches, ancient roman baths and parks every now and then...
Take a look yourself:

Mt Snowdon, Wales

2007-10-07T08:37:00.000-07:00

Last week the office for international relations organized a short trip to Mt Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales, the second highest in England and the third highest in the UK. This sounds higher than the mountain accutally is, but I'll let you find out by yourself at which altitude the mountaineer reaches the top... (it was approximately a 5h walk to the top and back)... Unfortunately the weather was bad and I couldn't see much - but anyways, there are a few pictures here: (sometimes it is possible to see to Ireland and to overlook great parts of England as well...)

Wolverhampton

2007-10-07T08:34:00.000-07:00

As this blog turns more and more into a photo-blog, I'll just add a few pictures of Wolverhampton, the small town I'm living in right now!

....Birmingham

2007-10-07T08:20:00.000-07:00

I know, I promised to add comments to the pictures I uploaded a while ago. Unfortunately, I cannot find enough time to do so... Hence, I'll just add some more picture for you to look at - this should give you an impression of what it is like to stay in the UK...
And yes, I am studying as well (actually I've classes from Monday to wednesday, so my week-ends tend to be somehow longer than back home).

Have fun and enjoy some (tiny) impressions of Birmingham (GB second largest city with almost 1 Mio inhabitants). As I only went there once for about 3-4 hours, I didn't see that much of this bustling city... There will be more pictures soonish.

Dublin!

2007-09-23T07:41:00.001-07:00

19-23.09.2007 Dublin, Ireland

...that's it for now. Soon I'll post some comments to the pictures and tell about the wonderfull time we had in Ireland. What we've learned, what is different from England and what craic means will be resolved then!

have fun scrolling down and looking at the pictures we've taken the last few days!

Dublin Pics 4

2007-09-23T07:38:00.000-07:00

Dublin Pics 3

2007-09-23T07:34:00.000-07:00

Dublin Pics 2

2007-09-23T07:32:00.000-07:00

Dublin Pics 1

2007-09-23T07:28:00.000-07:00

Stratford-upon-Avon

2007-09-14T10:58:00.000-07:00

14/09/2007
Today I went on a trip to Stratford, Shakespeare town! You can find his birthplace there and his grave (in an old church near the altar). By that time people believed that one would go to heaven more easily if he or she was lying close to God - on earth there is only one perfect place and that's in a church!
Here is a nice little picture of it:

Actually Stratford is not only known for Shakespeare, but also for its swans - Shakespeare was also called the Swan of Stratford by some of his friends. Today there is plenty of buildings using the swan as a symbol or name. For example the "Black Swan" - which by the way is a great pub! (Thx Vicky for the guide!!!) In my guide (Lonely Planet Great Britain)it says: "If you only have one drink in Stratford, come here. It's almost as essential as a trip to the theatre. Officially called the Black Swan, this enchanting alehouse is a favourite postperformance thespian (nice word isn't it?) watering hole, and has a roll call of former regulars that reads like an actors "Who's who". It's in a very pretty location across from the river" (p.425)
Well I think there is nothing to add to this description but one or two pictures:

That's it for now! Soon I'll tell you a little bit more about Wolverhampton and the fine differences between Continental Europe and the Island people I am living with these days!

Don't be afraid, it's just another blog!

2007-09-13T04:24:00.000-07:00

4.55a.m. 11/09/2007 or should I say 9/11. The alarm clock rings once, rings once more and rings again. It's time to get up, take a shower and start the engine of Vicky's car. Before stepping out of the apartment I check once more for my passport and credit card; then we leave for Graz International Airport.

5.45 Arrival at Graz International Airport. Check-in for my flight to Düsseldorf has not started yet. Nevertheless the Lufthansa flight attendant accepts my suitcase and puts it on the scale. I can read myself 26,1Kg. That’s 6,1Kg more than I am supposed to have. The lady behind the check-in desk looks at me, somehow annoyed that I bring such heavy load to her so early in the morning, then she tells me to put my hand-luggage, a nice little trolley, on the scale as well. Again, too heavy. Somehow, maybe because I looked at her so ruefully, she let me get away without any additional charge. Lucky me! (1Kg is approx. 8€, I had 9Kg overweight, do the maths yourself…)

7.05a.m. boarding has started. One long last look to Vicky, who is standing on the other side of a 3cm thick glass wall, and here I go. Boarding the small Canadair (this is not an airline but a type of aircraft) machine I don’t know if I’m really ready for this semester abroad. Anyway, the pilot greets us and a bunch of business men, three women and me take off for Germany.

10.05 or 11.05(MEZ) a.m. landing at BHX, Birmingham International Airport. Luggage arrived safely (not always happens…). After a short look at my passport I am allowed to leave the restricted area. Standing in the arrival hall of BHX I wonder in which direction to go. As expected nobody’s waiting for me at the airport so I look for the Skytrain which brings me to the main railway station. From there I take a train for 25 minutes to finally reach Wolverhampton at 12.35.

1p.m. Arrival at the Halls of Residence. Somehow I managed to share a cab with another international student from Sweden who also arrived in Wolverhampton with the same train as I did. Together we enter the reception where we are welcomed by two office workers. No long explanations or questions, only a short form to complete and a passport photograph to hand in.

1.20p.m. I get to see my room for the first time. Small, carpeted floor (at this point it looks old and smelly to me, actually I got a new one compared to all the other rooms I’ve seen by now), prison style bed with soft mattress. That’s the first impression. Taking a deep breath I open the bathroom door and can’t believe my eyes. Filthy floor (hair, dust, sticky substances), a loud ventilation, a dusty old ceiling lamp and the traditional two piece taps present in front of me. At least the shower looks nice, until I open the door to see mould on all four corners of the wall. Anyway, it’s not for a life time, it’s only for a few months.

1.30p.m. I have taken my shoes off to inspect my room more carefully. Looking out of the window I first realize that it was quite noisy in my room (especially because I was supposed to get a “quiet room”) due to the constant traffic on the street just a few meters away.

2.p.m. Leaving for down-town Wolverhampton or should I say leaving for the town centre of Wolverhampton. Actually I had no clue where the city centre was, so I dared to ask a security guard standing in front of another student residence house. My words were something like: “Excuse me Sir, would you mind telling me where downtown is?” He looked at me and responded: “Where do you want to go?” I repeated “Downtown Wolverhampton, which direction do I have to go to?”, again he answered, “What do you want?”. Remembering my last reading on the Brits it came to my mind that “downtown” was American and asked him “Which way do I need to take to get to the city centre?” A second later he gave me some brief instructions on how to reach the urban centre of Wolverhampton. (By the way: Thanks to Chris who gave me the book (I can’t remember the name right now) on the Brits)