St. Patrick

The most fascinating aspect of Irish culture that I learned about by watching the Story of Ireland was the story of how St. Patrick brought Christianity to Ireland. St. Patrick was born in Scotland. This makes the story of how he came here even more interesting. First he was taken as a slave and was brought to Ireland. In his first revelation, he was told to leave the country. In his 2^nd revelation, in his home country, he learned that he had to go back to Ireland as a missionary to care for the Christians living there and convert non-Christians. On top of this, the way he used a shamrock explained the entities, three people in one God, is fascinating. It is also intriguing that the day of his death, March 17th, is still celebrated in Ireland and numerous other countries. America Rivers are coloured in green and big parade are held every year on St. Patrick’s Day. These aspects of the St. Patrick story show his continued influence and this is what makes one of the most fascinating aspects of Irish culture.

2000 euros : Dublin

If I had the chance to plan a trip to Ireland for the Easter Break with a budget of €2000, my destination would definitely be Dublin, since I have not been there before and I am interested in Irish culture.

€500: flight

I would book a flight with Austrian Airlines with a seat in business class. Since I want to enjoy it I would not mind spending more money on it: Food, a blanket, drinks and a television would be included.

€700: accommodation

To have an amazing stay here I would book a room in one of the best hotels in the city, with a breath-taking view, a huge room, a five courses meal in the evening and many other special features.

€400: car

To explore the city and country in general I would rent a car, as there are many sights in the outskirts and it is hard to get there. Some sights I would want to visit are: Blarney Castle, Cliffs of Moher, Dublin International House, Limerick, Cork and Blarney Castle, Guiness Storehouse, New grange, Ring of Kerry Rail and many other things.

€200: lunch

Breakfast and Dinner would be included. The only meal I would have to care and spend money on is lunch. Since I have not been to Ireland before, would want to visit the most popular restaurants to taste the local food.

€200: for the waiter/waitress

Since I am expecting to come across a nice waitress/waiter, I plan to tip €200.

= €2000

I would love to spend one month in Ireland. Unfortunately, I do not have the chance to plan a trip like that L

American Culture

Since I did not pass SUK1 last year and not studying the American CLI’S  one of the reasons was, I want to do a better job this year. One topic that always confused me was the Capitol.  The American government has three branches, the Legislative, Judicial and Executive. There exists a system called ‘’checks and balances’’ and there are also representatives, a present and many other important figures. This year I think, I have a better idea of how this whole thing works.

So.. To pass a law, an idea of how to change something has to come up. Only the president is not allowed to do so. Then this new idea will be discussed, maybe changed. The Representatives job is then, to vote for it. When the majority agrees with it, it can be sent to the Senate. With them the same thing happens. When the majority says ‘’yes’’, the final law can be sent to the president. He can either veto, pocket-veto or accept it.

About the system of ‘’checks and balances’’: The three branches of US Government, they all have the same power and none of them can become more powerful.

To do a better job on this PC I want to study American Culture a lot and do my best, not get nervous.. 

Legal English

When you think writing business letters is hard, you definitely have not had to write legal texts. They are a piece of cake. Honestly, I experienced sitting in a Legal English course and learning all these terms was not easy at all but I will come to that later.

Last year, when I had the chance to choose the courses I want to take, I signed up for a Legal English course. I expected it to be easy and thought I would not have to study a lot for it. With this attitude I came to our first class. At the beginning our teacher introduced herself to us. I forgot her name but she is from Canada and a kind person. However, then we had to introduce ourselves to her. Our first class was easy cheesy. No complicated legal terms, nothing special. I thought I was right and was happy.

This ended in our second class. There we had to bring our books with us, studied legal terms, all in a high register. The whole semester we had to study a lot, write letters, other texts… In the end I managed to pass this course with a three, it was not easy though.

Irish History yay

Both historical events The Great Famine and the financial crisis caused emigration. While there is an obvious connection between these two items, there are also a number of significant differences. Firstly, the Great Famine was the result of the failure of a potato crop, which provoked a bad disease and made the potatoes inedible. Since the Irish were dependent on potatoes, it had a huge effect. The Financial crisis, however, was caused by an unsuccessful attempt of Valera to establish the independence of the Republic of Ireland in the time of World War 2. Secondly, the short-term effects were also different. Whereas the main effects of the Great famine were the dropping birth and marriage rate and also death, the results of the financial crisis were stagnation and unemployment. Lastly, the difficulty of trading was different. While in the time of the financial trading was not easy, in the time of the Great Famine it was easier. Summing up, both historical events, the Great Famine and the financial crisis, caused emigration but the reason for this happening and the effects were different.

My experience with Invisalign

When you read my blog regularly, you will notice that this is not my first post about Invisalign. Since, I think I did not give you the right impression of what it really is in the first place, I want to give myself a second try. However, let’s start it..

You might all know that I had my teeth straightened with Invisalign.  My treatment had started almost two years ago and it took me one and a half years to finish everything up. What I like about Invisalign trays is the fact that you can barely see them. Most people did not even notice that I was wearing those 22 hours each day. Additionally, they hurt less than brackets. Also you have the chance to take them out when you brush your teeth. The only thing I really do not like about them is the fact that you still have to wear plastic trays even once you have finished your treatment. But.. How does this whole thing work?

1.  You make an appointment with your orthodontist and discuss your options. Once you have agreed on the treatment
2. Dental impressions are made – then you have to wait 2 weeks
3. To see the video of how your treatment will look like and how your teeth will look in the end.
4. Then You have to wait one month until your plastic trays are prepared
5. From now on you have to wear your Invisalign trays. Every second week you get another pair of trays.
6. The length of the treatment depends on how your teeth look and the price is always the same.