Watching Family Guy last night, we hit the episode where Tricia Takanawa says: “Hi! I’m here with Stephen Hawking, the only white man I’ve ever met who knows math better than me.”

We laughed. And then we almost cried.

Because here are some (translated) examples of the algebra that my son’s seventh grade (Year 7) class — that’s age 11 and 12, for the avoidance of doubt — are doing in Chinese school.

“If is a seventh degree quadrinomial, find the value of .”

“If , find the value of .”

“Where , find the value of .”

“If the polynomial is a fifth degree quadrinomial, and the degree of the monomial is the same as the degree of the polynomial, find the value of .”

IF you are mathematically literate, which I’m not, these sums are actually not that hard.

Just typing these out makes my head hurt.

But here’s the thing.

IF you are mathematically literate, which I’m not, these sums are actually not that hard.

And that’s despite the fact that they use things like absolute value and variables in exponents, things that we do not introduce until A-level in the UK, as you can probably tell from my oh-so-mathematically literate use of the term “things”.

What it appears to me that the teacher is doing — and, as I’ve mentioned in my previous post on Chinese maths, I only studied maths to the age-16 level in the UK — is familiarising children with the kinds of operations they’ll need to use in much more complex contexts later.

She is drilling the concepts in, and, in doing so, taking the fear out of these apparently massively complex sums, and enabling them to eliminate noise.

Incidentally, I dread to think what level maths you need to be a high school maths teacher in China.

In China, maths is not supposed to be easy. It is supposed to be hard.

So why are Chinese 11-12 year olds so far ahead of Anglo cultures on maths?

First up, in China maths is not supposed to be easy. It is supposed to be difficult. It is intended to prepare you for doing physics, maths, engineering or computer science at university, whether or not your talents lie in the arts.

Further, concepts such as absolute value (||) are introduced at the most basic level, with drilling, and then ramped up very quickly.

Over roughly half a UK term, the class went from introducing the notion of absolute value, with simple sums and verbal multiple choice questions ensuring they understand the rules, and introducing the notion of exponents in the same way, to introducing terms like “coefficient” and “degree” and working with them in expressions such as this, not to mention similar sums using .

Chinese Year 7 middle schoolers spend 45-48 hours per week in class, 10-12 hours of that doing maths, and 5-15 hours doing homework, around 3 hours of that on maths.

Then there are the school hours.

As I understand it, Chinese Year 7 middle schoolers spend 45-48 hours per week in class, 10-12 hours of that doing maths, and 5-15 hours doing homework, around 3 hours of that on maths. British Year 7 middle schoolers spend roughly 30-32 hours a week in class, around 3 hours doing homework, and around 5-6 hours doing maths.

They also get less holiday time, though not, I think, that much less. There is one long break around Chinese New Year and Spring Festival, another in the summer, and the state holidays.

Further, very able children will do extra maths on weekends and after school to get ahead. Less able children will also do extra maths on weekends and after school to enable them to keep up.

I am not, for the record, saying this is a model one should emulate in the West. But some kind of halfway house might not be a bad idea.

If your Chinese is good, these types of sums are much easier to do in Chinese than in English.

And then there is the language. Believe it or not, if your Chinese is good, these types of sums are much easier to do in Chinese than in English, because the language is easier. The single-character building blocks that make up the expressions are largely consistent, and the syntax is more natural than in English.

A “fifth degree quadrinomial” is a “five-power-four-term-expression”. “Degree” is “power-number” (AKA: “exponent”).

BUT all the words I’ve had to render here as polysyllables are monosyllables, with simple root meanings, so that big clunky ugly stream of scary words is actually only five fairly simple syllables. In Chinese, the whole expression “a fifth degree quadrinomial” takes less time to say than the single word “quadrinomial”.

A polynomial is a “many-term-expression” (but only three syllables, of course), a monomial is a “single-term-expression”, a trinomial is a “three-term-expression”, and so on.

Further, one common meaning of the character I’m rendering as “power” here (次）is “time(s)”. You’ll see it used, for example, on signs saying that you can only have one “turn” on a machine. Though, of course, like all common Chinese characters, it has a stack of common meanings, whether used on its own or as part of a “word”.

Now, the boundary between a word and a phrase in Chinese is a topic of academic debate, on which I am in no way qualified to comment, but “five-power-four-term-expression” is a block that feels, to me and to our teacher, like a single word.

There is some evidence that Chinese people’s brains work differently from people whose brains are adjusted to alphabetic languages, particularly when they are doing maths.

And, finally, without wanting to sound like some nineteenth-century Victorian pontificating in a racist fashion on “the Oriental mind”, there is some evidence that Chinese native speakers’ brains work differently from native English speaker’s brains, particularly when they are doing maths.

The visual bit of the brain lights up more when doing arithmetic for native speakers of Chinese than it does for native speakers of English.

I would suggest that one reason is because characters are visual: the more complicated characters are made up of lots of mini-characters, so the visual element of the brain is engaged a lot more at all times. And as the ONLY way to become literate in Chinese is to write the characters out lots, and lots, and lots of times (there are apps that allow you to do this on a touchscreen, but it’s still visual-kinetic learning), the visual region of the brain gets used a LOT.

And, perhaps unsurprisingly given how much more difficult maths vocabulary, and even counting vocabulary, is in English than in Chinese, English speakers need to use the word-processing part of the brain a lot more when doing maths.

A few examples? To illustrate they drew a square and began dividing it up. Then children had to solve using that square, and make a triangle that solves the same problem.

The books use number lines and diagrams in contexts that seem to me positively counter-intuitive, by which I mean that for my aged native-English brain with its set neural pathways, I find they confuse rather than simplify the issue. They also use geometry in contexts where, I think, we wouldn’t.

It IS harder than the Chinese average. But not, I suspect, very much harder, on the grand scheme of things.

One final note. This is maths from an academic elite school, probably top ten in the province and top five in the city.

And, no, I didn’t do this deliberately. It was the only school that seemed enthusiastic about having a foreigner on board, so that was where Zac went.

Which means poor Zac is studying alongside some of the brightest children in a province with roughly twice the population of Australia or New York State.

So it IS harder than the Chinese average. But not, I suspect, very much harder, on the grand scheme of things.

I’d really welcome thoughts on this from people who, unlike me, know maths and/or Chinese well. Also from anyone who’s currently got a child of a similar age in a non-elite Chinese school.

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It’s that time of year, when everyone’s beginning to plan how they will spend their summer vacations. For some, their idea of a perfect holiday is sunning themselves on a golden, sandy beach. For others, it means caravanning across Europe, shopping in Rome, or even sailing to the Arctic Circle!

However you choose to spend your vacation, there’s one item which you absolutely cannot do without – insurance. No matter where you are or what you’re doing, insurance will help to keep you, your loved ones and your possessions safe.

Finding a Great Insurance Provider

There are so many insurance providers on the market today, so finding a great one can sometimes feel like an insurmountable task. But there is a key to finding the right travel insurance, and that is to find a provider who is committed to meeting your specific needs. If your current provider isn’t up to the challenge, it might be worth checking out www.towergateinsurance.co.uk – the specialist insurance broker for people who value personal service.

Get to Grips with Your Insurance Needs

If you don’t know what type of insurance you will need, you may find yourself being sold unnecessary protection policies. Before you choose a provider, you should always make sure you have a good understanding of your insurance needs.

For example, if you are travelling in a caravan, you will need insurance which is specifically designed to cover both a domicile and a vehicle. But if you have your own holiday home, you may wish to investigate the benefits of holiday home insurance. This type of insurance is very similar to standard home insurance, but is specifically designed to cover properties which may be standing empty or rented out for periods of time. Similarly, there are different types of insurance for people who intend to take short trips or long vacations, and still more for those who intend to take more than one holiday in a year.

Get the Best Deal for You

Finding the right insurance provider can be tricky, but hopefully these simple tips will help. Most importantly, you should always shop around for your insurance provider, to ensure you get the best deal possible. But remember, at the end of the day a good deal can only really be assessed on how willing a provider is to meet your needs. After all, you can’t put a price on good service.

What is needed is some information about a handful of the very best ones, so that you can focus on these, and there is no question that the Bellagio is one of the very best.

This is one of the most famous casinos in Vegas, and rightly so, because it offers luxurious accommodation combined with a spectacular casino. Indeed its so big that there is one whole floor devoted purely to slots games, and it is unlikely anyone will fail to find their favourites games here –although be warned: it’s not cheap.

The same can be said of another star Vegas casino – the MGM Grand- as you might expect from the name. Again this is a hotel and casino, and it is one of the best places for all round entertainment, with five swimming pools and a host of different attractions in the Garden Arena, alongside the casino games.

On the other hand if you aren’t interested in other forms of entertainment, one of the best casinos for focused gaming is the Wynn Las Vegas, which has built its enviable reputation almost entirely on its casino.

Finally there are many themed casinos in Vegas, but perhaps the best two are the Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino and the Venetian. The former, styled after carnival time in Rio, is lively, colourful and welcoming, as well as boasting excellent cuisine, while the latter is quieter, but more romantic – complete with gondola rides through a replica of Venice. Thus the Rio may appeal more to the outgoing, while the Venetian will suit those who prefer something a bit calmer.

To try a wide selection of online pokies before you visit Las Vegas for the real deal, go to Lucky Nugget.

Style Romantic ranch
Setting Rolling Russian River Valley

Why this week? With a wealth of wineries hidden in the surrounding hills and plenty of laid-back lounging to be done in the rustic-chic rooms, the Farmhouse Inn is the sort of place that makes you think, “Why don’t we come to Sonoma more often?” With our special mid-week three-nights-for-the-price-of-two offer, you can. (And, San Francisco is just a 90-minute drive from the hotel, so you can spend the weekend city slicking then reverse commute to the country to put your feet up in pastoral bliss.)

Our favourite bits We love that everything about the hotel is designed to lull you into a near-comatose state of relaxation. The spa uses ingredients from the farm for ginger and honey or lavender body-butter massages and Adirondack chairs are liberally scattered about – by the fire-pit, the pool and on your balcony and the front porch – giving you plenty of opportunities to sit and sample the well-informed wine list. The cuisine in the restaurant may have haute leanings, but it’s anything but haughty – offbeat wall decor and a few cosy tables make it feel more like a traditional farm kitchen. Rooms have restful cream-and-lemon colour schemes and enormous beds; that’s lucky, because after a busy day of sitting, spa treatments and pairing your Pinot Noir with locally sourced delicacies such as Sonoma duck breast with candied kumquats, you’ll be ready to slumber soundly with your slightly tipsy Mr or Mrs Smith.

Mr & Mrs Smith say… As special and character-rich as an aged Sonoma cabernet, Farmhouse Inn is worth a try. The bright barn-inspired rooms – decorated with antiques and salvaged barn treasures – conjure the oaky aromas of California chardonnay. Fancy mixology instead? Play alchemist in your giant Whirlpool tub, which can be customised with salts, soaps, milks and tonics from the lobby’s bath bar. A few even come come from Farmhouse’s own garden, where flowers, vegetables and herbs create a rich bouquet. Chef Steve Litke combs the gardens every night to select the star players on the morrow’s menu, and the spa harvests lavender, grapes and herbs for use in its massages, wraps and facials. Wine’s best pairing could be a melting square of Valrhona chocolate, wedged inside a melt-it-yourself s’more, available each night by the crackling firepit.

Find more boutique hotels in Sonoma County, stake out some San Francisco guesthouses or browse our hotel offers…

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New Customs and cultures

Traveling allows you to get closer to new customs as well as cultures. No matter where you are traveling you will get a chance to know customs and cultures that differs from your place.

Know the unknown things

You will come across a lot of new things when you travel. This mostly depends on the place you are traveling to. But every place has its own historical facts which you would love to know.

Understand the world around

You will get a chance to know the world around you though it would be in a broader aspect. It does not depend on where you are traveling but you get a chance to know how people are surviving and many other related facts.

Come closer to the nature

If you are a nature lover then traveling is for you. There are numerous locations all over the world to enjoy the beauty of nature. You have endless options depending on your taste such as the hill stations, plains, sea sides etc.

Get ample time to relax

If you travel to Florida such as Miami or some other you can stay in any of the Palm Beach condos. You will get ample time to relax and enjoy your trip with luxurious stay.

Taste new food

The food is another very big reason behind traveling. The more you travel the more you will get a chance to taste food of different places. If you love too eat and want to taste new food items’ then traveling is for you.

Have loads of fun

Traveling offers you the opportunity to get out of the daily routine and schedule of your life. You can live your life as a free bird and have loads of fun while you travel.

Chance to do adventurous things

It is traveling that allows you to do adventurous things and let your mind free from all bondage. You will get a chance to completely enjoy the tour by committing adventurous activities.

Enjoy personal growth

This would be the last but the most important reason that makes traveling important. With all the advantages that traveling will offer you; you will get a chance to enjoy personal growth. Traveling offers both physical and mental well being.

Author Bio

Lisa More is a renowned tourist guide and has helped many people to know interesting facts. She has recently written a post where she mentioned about the Palm Beach condos and their facilities and amenities.

Cannes is a luxurious town in a part of France known not for budget travel but for opulence and elegance. So how do you experience this most famous of French Riviera towns on a budget?

It’s not easy but if you’re willing to be creative and work a little harder than the normal vacationer, it’s entirely possible to experience the luxury of Cannes for less! I spent several days this spring touring the city and I found out there is a way for almost anyone on any budget to enjoy themselves.

If you’ve come to Cannes for the fashion, you’ll want to start on Boulevard de la Croisette. Boutiques like Celine, which represent the very best of French fashion, will inspire and inform you as to what’s currently in style yet other high-end designer stores like Chanel, Hermes and Cartier will make your wallet groan. So, head instead to Sandro or Maje for chic French style at half the price tags found on Boulevard de la Croisette. There are even outlets and less expensive, but still luxurious, boutiques back on Rue d’Antibes, which runs parallel to Boulevard de la Croisette. For affordable, yet luxurious, men’s fashion seek out San Francisco.

Perfume is another draw for many shoppers in Cannes. Instead of buying the latest designer scent at an astronomical price, take a day trip to Grasse which won’t cost more than 12 euros on the train, and make your own customized scent in the same place the high end perfumeries take their inspiration and science from. The personal nature of making your own perfume there is most definitely a luxury that’s still accessible.

Also on Rue d’Antibes in Cannes are wholesale pharmacies where you can stock up on French skincare at prices significantly less than full retail. Sizes are the same, the brands are the same, there’s no sacrifice in luxury – only a less painful impact to your wallet!

It won’t take you long to notice Cannes is filled not just with luxury clothing but with luxury cars as well. If you want to fit in and drive such a car along the palm tree-lined boulevards, consider renting a convertible for just a day or a portion of your trip, instead of the entire length of your holiday. Plan accordingly so you can really show off the car while you do have it, and then spend the rest of your time walking Cannes or utilizing its inexpensive bus system to get around!

If you’re visiting Cannes to experience the great restaurants and culinary culture, there is a way to experience that almost painlessly as well. Most of the best restaurants in Cannes have lunch menus that feature lunch-sized pricing attached to food that is every bit as luxurious as that found in the evening menus, for less. Often lunch is even cooked by the same chefs and features the very same ingredients. For instance, a restaurant that in the evening would cost 80 euros total for just one person could be experienced during the lunch hour for less than 25 euros. Most restaurants feature a prixe fixe menu enabling the consumer to enjoy wine, a starter and a main entrée, all for one set price. Choose to then cook dinner at home in your HouseTrip apartment and you could cut your food expenses in half without sacrificing experience.

The number 200 bus departs regularly from Cannes and can be taken all the way to Monaco for only one euro. While Monaco is even less inclined to be ready for budget travelers than Cannes, a save in the transportation department means you can splurge a little once you do get to the city that is actually a country, made famous by Princess Grace and James Bond.

By renting a HouseTrip apartment and following even a few of these simple tips to experience the luxury of Cannes for less, you should be able to have an affordable dream holiday in one of the French Riviera’s most sought after destinations – even during the film festival!

I love my big kitchen in Asia
and let me tell you that big
kitchens are very rare in Asia

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Be honest, have you ever heard of Nyungwe Forest in Rwanda?

I hadn’t, which in retrospect is rather surprising given it’s the largest high altitude montane forest in East and Central Africa.  Even more impressive to me, it’s also home to an incredible 13 species of primate – 25% of primate species found in all of Africa! So it was rather surprising that I had never heard of Nyungwe Forest.

Black and white colobus monkey in Nyungwe Forest

Not only that but four species of primate are habituated (used to people). As a result, the park offers guided tours to see chimpanzees, black and white colobus monkeys, Blue monkeys and Mangabeys.  I did guided tours to see the chimps and the colobus monkeys and loved every single minute of both tours – so much so that I’ll be writing in more detail about them in a later post – with some photos of the cutest baby monkey I have ever seen!

I watched this 30 year old male chimp for a full hour.

Nyungwe Forest is not just for primate lovers though.  It’s also an exceptional place for bird watching.  It’s home to 275 species of birds and 25 endemic birds, including the Turaco.  You will hear its loud call before you see it, making it relatively easy to seek out. It’s a crested bird, who when it spreads its wings reveals beautifully colored red feathers!

Turaco, a bird endemic to Nyungwe Forest in Rwanda

I would also recommend one of the guided hikes offered.  No solo hiking is allowed in the park, and there are scheduled hikes (check with the park office), or book your own in advance.

I was rather excited when David my guide asked if I wanted to take a small detour to see the source of the Congo River while on one of the guided hikes.  Of course I did.  But somehow it looked rather different from I had anticipated:

The source of the Congo River is much smaller than I was expecting.

There’s also a three day hike which is the furthest source of the Nile.  After seeing my disappointment over the wee source of the Congo River, David warned me that while the hike is beautiful, the Nile source was even smaller than the Congo source.  Still, I would love to come back and spend more time in the forest.  There’s nothing like hearing pant hoots from wild chimps or with a little bit of luck come across a monkey or two!

East Africa’s only canopy walk is in Nyungwe Forest.

Nyungwe is also home to East Africa’s only canopy walk.  If you’re afraid of heights forget it.  David said that about half of visitors take the detour after taking one look at the bridge which towers over a valley in the rainforest.  This includes the Prime Minister of Rwanda! Of course being a politician, I’m sure he had a good excuse.
I spent two days in Nyungwe but wish I could have spent three more.  I would have loved to have done the Blue monkey and Mangabey guided treks which are only done in the morning.  I also would have liked to have done a full day hike or perhaps even the three day hike to the source of the Congo.

The only downside to Nyungwe is that it’s not cheap.  Guided hikes start from $40, a trek to see Colobus, Blue monkey or Mangabeys is $70 and a visit to the chimps will set you back $150.  Discounts are provided if you do the activities over multiple days.  accommodation is also not cheap.  There are only three different options.  I stayed in the cheapest, which was VERY basic, with a shared bathroom. It cost $70 a night, which was a LOT for what it offered.  I didn’t see the other two hotels, but my guide Omar from Amahoro Tours told me that the one hotel had rates starting from $200 a night, while the other was over $300.

 Still, I felt my money was well spent to see the primates.  Nyungwe is one of only a few places in the world where travelers have the incredible opportunity to observe rare primates in their native habitat. In addition, a portion of the money goes back into the local community and community members are given jobs in the park.  As a result, poaching is relatively rare in Rwanda, unlike in most other parts of the world. Conservation has a price.

Amahoro Tours, a locally owned Rwandan company can arrange your own personalized trip to Nyungwe.  Omar, my driver guide was kind enough to even stop when we saw monkeys on the side of the road!

Thank you to Amahoro Tours for their support in my visit to Nyungwe Park.  As always all opinions expressed are my own.

The reality is quite the opposite: we are probably some of the worst travelers you’ll ever meet. Over the past few years, we’ve missed so many flights that we can’t keep count and we’ve lost our belongings again and again. Whatever travel nightmare you can think of, we’ve experienced it. Despite it all, we still love traveling as much as we did on day one and we will never stop traveling.

Here is a compilation of some of the travel FAILs we have pulled over the years — not with the intention of discouraging you to travel, but to show you how terrible travelers like us can overcome these challenges and lead a life on the road.

Traveling with an Expired Passport

It was our first major trip together. In summer 2004, Nellie flew from Singapore to visit me in Spain and we planned a month-long trip around Spain and Italy including stops at Granada, Madrid, Barcelona, Ibiza, Rome, Tuscany and Positano. Half way through the trip, we took a bus from Barcelona to Girona for our first ever Ryanair flight to Rome (I wish it would have been the last). To cut the story short, both my passport and national ID card had expired by just a few days (go figure) and we were denied boarding. On the bright side, we got to spend a day in Girona which turned out to be a beautiful city and one of the highlights of our trip.

Leaving the Country Without a Wallet

It was 7 in the morning, and I was driving Nellie to the bus station before heading back to work. “Are you sure you are not forgetting anything?”, I asked. Nellie was pretty sure she had everything. Half an hour later, my phone started ringing in the middle of a business meeting: “Alberto, I forgot my wallet!” Long story short, Nellie missed her bus and I had to drive her all the way to Malaga (which took an hour and a half) or she would have missed her flight as well.

Flying to Singapore Without an Outbound Ticket

It’s annoying enough when some countries make it difficult for you to enter (like requiring visas or asking a million questions at customs); but it’s even more annoying when the airport check-in staff thinks she knows better than local authorities. It was the end of our three-month long trip in Tanzania and Egypt; we were at Cairo airport ready to head to Singapore where I would spend one year doing a Masters program. I did not need an outbound ticket since I had a secure placement at the university in Singapore (neither did Nellie since she’s Singaporean). Unfortunately the airline check-in staff did not agree. Apparently the Singapore customs would not let anyone who didn’t have a return flight to enter its borders. Alas, I was forced to buy a very expensive ticket out of Singapore right at the airport so they could let me board the plane.

Catching A Flight While Intoxicated

Travel bloggers, free drinks and early morning flight schedules are a dangerous combination. Nellie had an early morning flight back home from Barcelona after a press trip and all the bloggers were having an all-night-long party at one of their rooms. One thing led to another and by the time Nellie had to leave (at 3am) she could hardly stand, not to mention pack! Thankfully her blogger friends dragged her to her room, packed her luggage and threw her into a cab to the airport just in time for her flight. Phew!

Running Out of Oil in the Desert

We were traversing Australia’S Red Center, one of the most inhospitable places on earth, aboard an enormous campervan (that was drinking 15 liters per 100km, which wasn’t exactly fuel efficient). We were leaving Coober Pedy then but decided not to fill our gas tank, thinking that there would be gas stations along the way. By the time we realized our mistake there was no turning back. I tried my best to keep the fuel consumption to a minimum. No air-conditioning (yes, in the middle of the freaking desert), long gear, moderate speed of 80km/hr. Despite my best efforts and just 20km away from the nearest gas station the inevitable happened. Luckily for us, the Aussies are a friendly and helpful bunch. An adorable retired couple gave me a ride to the nearest gas station where I bought a can of oil, just enough to get the campervan moving.

The post A Reality Check: Our Worst Travel Mishaps appeared first on Wild Junket.

“Von einander Lernen” unter diesem Motto hat die Österreich Werbung schon vor einigen Jahren ein internes Austauschprogramm mit dem Titel “Mobilitätsprojekt” ins Leben gerufen. Dabei werden Mitarbeiter/-innen für 2 Wochen in ein anderes ÖW Büro “verliehen” und haben die Möglichkeit an einem Leitprojekt mitzuarbeiten und sich ein paar Tipps und Trick von den Kollegen abzuschauen. Ich persönlich bin ein sehr großer Fan dieses Programms und hab mich irrsinnig gefreut als ich den Zuschlag für Berlin bekommen habe.

Die Idee ein Stückerl Österreich dauerhaft nach Berlin zu “verpflanzen” fand ich eine sehr sympathische und nachhaltige Art der Außenwerbung. Unter dem Titel “Wir machen Berlin ein Stück Österreicher” haben die Berliner Kolleg/-innen gemeinsam mit den Landestourismusorganisationen mobil gemacht und über 700 Alpenpflanzen, Apfelbäume, Felsformationen, Holzbankerln und sogar ein Fernrohr zusammengetragen um einen vernachlässigten Park – im sonst so schicken Bezirk Charlottenburg – wiederzubeleben.

Was hier so einfach klingt, war aber in Wirklichkeit ein ganz schön aufwändiges Projekt und ist wohl nach und nach zu einem Gesamtkunstwerk gewachsen. Und der Funke der Begeisterung ist ganz offensichtlich auch auf das Gartenbauamt des Bezirks Charlottenburg übergesprungen. Gemeinsam wurden sorgfältig Pflanzen ausgewählt und extra ein pensionierter Stadtgärtner (und bekennender Österreich Fan) für dieses Projekt abgestellt, um dem Park nicht nur den Namen Österreich Park zu geben, sondern auch eine Österreichische Landschaft und die typische gemütlich-entspannte Atmosphäre einzuhauchen.

Als ich ca. 2 Wochen vor der feierlichen Eröffnung des Parks im Berliner Büro eingecheckt habe, liefen die Vorbereitungen natürlich schon auf vollen Touren. Und bei Saras Update zum Status Quo hat mich dann auch das Parkfieber gepackt. Mit wie viel Liebe zum Detail dieses Projekt umgesetzt wurde, ist mir spätestens beim Zusammenstellen des Briefings für die Wanderbegleiter/-innen so richtig bewusst geworden. Mit “Hier ist der Park, bitteschön liebe Berliner” war‘s hier nämlich nicht getan!

Es wurden extra dynamische und sympathische Österreicher/-innen rekrutiert, die 350 wanderfreudige Berliner/-innen von der österreichischen Botschaft durch den Tierpark zum Österreich Park begleiteten und dabei das Gefühl des “Willkommen sein” verbreitet sollten. Im Park selbst wurden 9 Österreich Erlebenstationen mit Kunstinstallationen, Spielen, Kunsthandwerk, Entspannungsinseln, österreichischen Köstlichkeiten und stimmungsvoller Musik aufgebaut um die Übergabe des Österreich Parks an Berlin gebührend zu feiern.

Und den Berliner/-innen dürfte die Idee mindestens genauso gut gefallen haben wie mir. Die haben uns im wahrsten Sinne des Wortes die Türen eingerannt. Die Karten für die Wanderung (damit wir unsere Gastgeberqualitäten auch richtig wahrnehmen konnten) mussten auf 350 Teilnehmer/-innen limitiert werden. Die waren so schnell weg, wie sonst nur die Tickets für das Glastonbury Festival!

Auch im Park haben ca. 700 Berliner/-innen die Eröffnung des Österreich Parks mitgefeiert. Die Picknickwiese hat an eine riesige Österreich-Fahne erinnert und war mit Sitzkissen in Rot-Weiß-Rot nahezu gepflastert. Und hätte es nicht rechtzeitig zum Ende der Veranstaltung einen Regenguss gegeben, würden die Berliner /-innen wohl immer noch feiern.

Es ist schön zu sehen, wie viele Österreich Fans es in Berlin gibt und auf wie viel Begeisterung dieses Projekt bei den Berliner/-innen gestoßen ist. Gegen Ende der Veranstaltung hab ich mich an ein steirischen Apfelbäumchen gelehnt, mir das bunte Treiben auf der Picknickwiese angesehen, dem zufriedenen “Schwatzen in Berliner Schnautze” gelauscht und mir gedacht: “Schön, dass ich hier dabei sein durfte.” Dankeschön Berlin!

Mehr Informationen zur Aktion finden Sie in der Aussendung: ÖW eröffnet Österreich-Park mitten in Berlin.