Narrative Article_losing to life

I’ve just hung up the phone. I have been talking to Loreen, my 6-year old daughter. She kept telling me how much she misses me and how bad her daddy’s cooking skills are. She is pretty smart for her age. That’s what everyone keeps telling me and that makes me proud and also a little worried. She is a kid who wants to know everything about life; so curious and sometimes pretty annoying with her infinite questions. Just like I was once and see where I’m now: in Kuala Lumpur; thousands of miles away from my family. While thinking of her, I drop my plane ticket. The man next to me picks it up and gives it to me. Guessing his origin, I thank him in Chinese: Xièxiè! I look at the board with the opening times of the gates. In less than ten minutes, I will be sitting in the plane on my way to Beijing for a conference. I promised myself to stop working or at least work less after Loreen came into my world. But my company needs me and I was dead certain that I could manage it. I still keep telling myself that I can but, truth be told, I feel torn apart.

These thoughts are keeping me busy till I take my seat in the plane. Before we take off, I prepare my documents I have to go through before we land in China. Half an hour after the take off, there was is a loud explosion. Almost everyone is torn from their sleep. A baby who was sleeping in her mommy’s cozy arms few rows behind me starts to cry. There is this smell of burnt machinery spreading in the plane. I start talking to myself, trying to calm down, “This cannot happen. No, we are not going to crash or explode in the air. I paid for this goddamn flight to bring me safely to my destination. No, God is not going to let this happen. God is going to save us.” It is just unbelievable how one’s faith can grow bigger within seconds. I had always imagined people screaming and crying in such a situation but no one is even twitching. Everyone is trying to figure out what is happening. Soon after, I hear the captain speaking in Chinese about there being complications and not going to reach our destination. Instead we are heading to the nearest airport. But where the hell is the nearest airport? Thinking of hell, we have heard another explosion. I try to figure out what it was: A plane has two engines and we heard two explosions. The air is getting thinner and the pressure higher. The captain is speaking again but before he even finishes his sentence I fall into sleep; into a long, infinite sleep.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1EvtPWko-yQItXsn-AHesZQxfq5bprUG1fpfV2qNJ7yU/edit?usp=sharing

Narrative Text: “A Little History of Photography”

Original Version

So many stories to tell and I know that I am capable of fitting my life into a tiny old-fashioned frame. But I have been told not tell these stories to anyone because God knows of our pain and despair and he is the one to save us – not a devise capturing my sorrow. Therefore I look away and try to keep everything between me and God. Still, there is this art that is framed on a photo. He is standing next to me, my beloved fiancé, who is still trying to save me from my misery. Failing him is my tremendous fear and I cannot hide it. This breathy halo capture of our first attendance of church is a pose representing my life. Maybe those who see this photo will be drifted in thoughts about questions addressed to me: Who am I? Why are my eyes trying to say? Will she ever be happy? I do not feel like I will ever be. The magical value that such a device can bring about is beyond compare with a painting that puts on a spurious slight smile on every face it draws. No, the photography shows the friction of the second that reveals the truth of everyone. There might be day when I will be forgotten and my body lying in the dark six foot low and even though I want my name to engraved under this photo I took, one very day of my life.

[246 words]

Final (Revised) Version

I have so many stories to tell and I know that I am capable of fitting my life into an old-fashioned oval frame. But I have been told not to tell these stories to anyone because God knows of our pain and despair and he is the one to save us – not a devise capturing my sorrow. Therefore I look away and try to keep everything between me and God.

He is standing next to me, my beloved fiancé, Karl Dauthendey who is still trying to save me from my misery. Failing him is my tremendous fear and I cannot hide it. I love him but not in a way he expects me to do. I might be the one for him but he can never replace these feelings I have for Alaric. I have started a new life with Karl since Alaric decided to love other women. The day I heard this was the day I lost everything: my heart, my soul and my happiness.

This breathy halo capture of my first attendance of church with Karl is a pose representing my life. Maybe those who see this photo will be drifted in thoughts with questions addressed to me: What are her eyes trying to say? Why does she look so sad? Will she ever be happy? I do not feel like I will ever be. The magical value that such a device can bring about is not comparable to a painter’s work that puts a spurious slight smile on every face. No, the photography shows the friction of the second that reveals the truth of everyone. There might be day when I will be forgotten and my body lying in the dark – six foot low and even though I want my history to be engraved under this photo of ours on this very second of my life.            [317 words]

Peer Feedback

It was not clear from whose perspective I was writing. Therefore I had to mention one of the characters. I decided to mention Karl instead the fiancée, who is the narrator, because I wanted her to be a little mysterious.

Some narrative elements were missing. My dear fellow students suggested making up a story explaining her sadness; and that’s what I did J

I also reduced the amount of descriptive elements.

“The Photographer Karl Dauthendey with his betrothed Miss Friedrich after their first attendance at church, 1857″

PSA - After Death Avatars

The loss of your dearest might cause an emotional gap.But do you really want your dearest to be replaced by a Cyberman?
Don’t let your emotions overlook the reality!

A day in the life of… Have you ever seen blood stains on the pavement?

Living right next to one of the most visited squares in Turkey was pretty promising - excitement-wise. But it has gotten out of control. Being used to screams and shouts and teargas is not an exciting event. We could not stay at home while so many were outside shouting for their rights. Especially as a Turkish girl, who knows when one is taking your rights of freedom, I could not stay in my room and listen to music or study for exams. I had to go out and at least see it with my own eyes. And yes, I saw it, I felt it, I cried. Have you ever seen blood stains on the pavement? I did and it felt like if it was my blood there. I felt the pain and couldn’t look away. This was the moment I decided to join the protests in Istanbul: I slept at the Gezi Park. I had breakfast with strangers on the floor. I raised my voice and I inhaled tear gas countless times. If that is the price for being heard, I paid it with millions of other people and the whole world listened to us!

blood stains on the pavement

massive crowd protesting to get to the Taksim Square that was occupied by the police (first)

demonstration at night after the police chased away the crowd (picture above) with teargas and water canons

EU Essay Correction - Why Turkey should be admitted to the EU

Correction

Why Turkey should be admitted to the EU

54 years have passed since Turkey first applied for a membership of the European Union. In those years Turkey has made significant progress concerning human rights and contributed to the EU’s military force. Moreover, from a geopolitical point of view the country is of high importance to the EU. Stretching over two continents, Turkey is not only the link between Europe and Asia but also the bridge between the western and Islamic worlds. In economic terms Turkey’s accession would add an additional 75 million potential buyers to the EU market. Nevertheless, it is the high population figure which is a major reason as to why the EU is indecisive about admitting Turkey. The EU’s internal structure and power balance would change completely as Turkey would become the largest decision-maker after Germany. Additionally, the Christian-dominated Union would have to conceive a strategy to successfully integrate an Islamic country. Needless to say, the decision at hand is not an easy one, but with advancing globalization, the EU should contemplate whether leaving the doors shut for Turkey is a good option.

First of all, Turkey’s accession would bear many advantages from a military perspective. The Turkish Armed Forces (TAF), which consist of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force, are the military forces of the Republic of Turkey. The TAF is a member of the NATO, under which it has stationed 1,035 troops in Kabul, Afghanistan where Turkey showed loyalty and commitment to the “Western World”. Apart from being a member of NATO, Turkey holds leadership of the Black Sea Naval Force of which Bulgaria, Romania, Ukraine, Russia and Georgia are also members. Together with Romania and Italy, Turkey comprises the Italian-Romanian-Turkish EU Battlegroup, which is under the control of the Council of the European Union. In addition to that, Turkey contributes to the Eurocorps, a standing army corps headquartered in Strasbourg. Therefore, Turkey’s relationship to the EU, at least on a military level, is already quite  strong and might foster bonds in other areas as well.

With regards to human rights, Turkey is definitely heading in the right direction. By having adapted the “Accession Partnership Document of the EU” and the “National Program for the Adoption of the EU Acquis” as principles, Turkey has made noticeable progress in developing human rights within its borders. To raise the consciousness of individual’s rights courses such as “Democracy and Human Rights” are being offered in high schools, universities and police academies. Additionally, new laws on protection of the family and prevention of violence against women were passed in March and the death sentence has been replaced by aggravated life imprisonment, whereas example countries such as the United States and Japan still use capital punishment. Despite these developments, Turkey still suffers from deficiencies in its justice system, freedom of speech and the protection of LGBT rights. Turkey is still very optimistic about solving these issues with a step by step approach.

The EU’s economy could benefit greatly from accession of Turkey. With an average economic growth of 7% in the first decade of the 21^th century, Turkey's economy has been thriving. This shows a very good reason as to why the European Union should have an interest in integrating the Turkish market. Another reason is the sheer size of market. If Turkey were admitted to the EU, an additional 75 million potential buyers would increase the demand for EU products significantly. The large population of Turkey could also be a source of young skilled workers. The age factor is also crucial as aging population of Europe will soon be in dire need of a younger workforce. Nevertheless, some economists oppose the accession of Turkey stating that the country’s GDP is quite low. In fact, it is less than half of the EU average. However, this argument becomes invalid when focused on Romania and Bulgaria because these countries have a very low GDP as well.

Even though the discussion about whether Turkey should join the European Union or not has been omnipresent for decades, the country made remarkable progress towards being accessed to the EU. Turkey being denied an accession would be a disastrous signal that would endanger the strong bond between Turkey and the EU. Financially, the European Union would only benefit from an accession, especially when taking into consideration that Turkey offers a vast amount of young laborers compared to the aging workforce of Europe. Furthermore, for most EU members the country is not an unknown ally. Turkey already cooperates with many business member states. Concerning military force, Turkey shares a strong bond with EU member countries, such as Italy, Romania and Bulgaria. Regarding the task force in Afghanistan Turkey demonstrated its loyalty too. If the European Union decides to unite its power with Turkey, it would become a non-competitive world power.

Vocabulary Notebook..

In high school we only had these two-columns-notebook for English vocabulary. One column for English and one for German. When I started studying it became four: English word, example sentence, synonyms and description. That way I learned the vocabulary effectively.

For SUK3, I had the same method. But I mostly used Vocabulary from Henry’s class. I noted down words, such as corporate debt, malign effect, palatable etc. Whereas for Hendrik’s class (PART I) I printed out the vocabulary lists from vocabulary.com and wrote all I had to know about this vocab to each word.

This semester, I’ve learned much more vocabulary than my entire study, I guess. So, I would say, it’s been a pretty filled semester. J

Pronunciation Diary

Oh my dear American accent, can’t tell you how much I miss you.

Before I started studying at the ITAT, I had an American accent. People I met in London asked me if I was from Jersey or so. And now, all I can say about my accent is: “Dude, it’s all over place”. When I talk with Anna, I realize that I talk more in a British accent and if I talk with my American friends, I feel like talking in an American accent. THAT’S A PROBLEM! And I want to solve that as soon as I can.

I talked to Hendrik about it, what he thinks about my accent. “It’s more American, but don’t bother yourself, keep on practicing your pronunciation.” That’s when I realized that having an accent is not the same as having a good pronunciation. So, I worked on it!

And I found out, that …

·         I never pronounce the end of the words,

·         that my ‘I’ sounds like an ‘a’ and

·         that I have the typical German pronunciation mistake ‘t’ or ‘d’.

I really love doing pronunciation exercises. Every time Hendrik asks someone to read out something, I am the first who puts her hand up! I hope I have improved since Hendrik pointed out my mistakes.