Register

"Register is the style appropriate to a particular kind of writing" - Cory Writing Bible

We use different levels of formality in different circumstances. Informal is most of the time spoken language whereas formal language is manly written language. Very high register often requires written English and is used for business letter or job application. In comparison to the high register stands the low register which is for example to write a holiday postcard to a friend. 

Register is one of the matters my knowledge lacks. I had problems with the right register on the first progress check. On the exam I used a very low register with words as kind of and totally. By now I know that it is inappropriate to write such a low register in a paragraph. To improve my knowledge about register I will start reading different types of texts to realize the differences between high and low register. My problem is that I learned English by living in the states, talking and listening to people and not like many others by reading and studying from books in high school. In my opinion that is the reason why I mainly use phrases in my writing which are appropriate for conversation with friends or family but not for writing a paragraph. The good thing is I now know were my weakness is and can consequently start to turn them in to my strength. 

Travelling through the US

By looking at my map (find the link below) I realized I have seen most of the South in the US. The map points out the places I have been to but I am not quite sure if I got everything. I have visited 13 different States and I am not even able to count all the Cities and National Parks I went to. Travelling around the US was my dream since I was a little girl. My dream in detail consist of visiting most of the famous and well known places in the States. I am proud of myself that I have made my dream come true and went to many different places. Some places are still missing on my map but for the moment I am satisfied with what I have seen from the States so far. I would definitely visit many places again.

I guess you are wondering how it is possible to visit so many places. The answer is easy. My first time in the States was in 2008. I went to the States to attend a high school exchange program in Montgomery, Alabama. From Montgomery I did some travelling with my host family and friends from school. But most of the time I just enjoyed being part of the American culture and living the American lifestyle. My second time in the States was in 2012. There I attended university in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Being at the university and hanging around with many other international students also means to travel a lot to get to know more about the US and also to learn more about each other. Travelling around by car and overcome long distances also means to form strong relationships besides seeing many different landscapes and places.

If you ever have the change to travel around do it. The knowledge gained by travelling is not payable and will stay with you your whole live.

My US travel map: 

 https://mapsengine.google.com/map/edit?mid=zu0msPuap2uo.kAPTdg3mIjcc

Travel along the West Coast

Have you been traveling around the West Coast?! I have been there myself and traveled around that is the reason why I chose the West Coast for my travel plans. The landscapes are amazing and I am impressed by all the different sights. To discover everything in the west what is worse seeing you should stick to following plan. I have but a 10 days vacation together for the upcoming Easter-break. The trip will cost around 1600 and 2000 Euro depending on what you want to spend on food, souvenirs and cloths.

1. DAY - LOS ANGELES: The city of Angels is known because of Hollywood, Beverly Hills and actually everything what is linked with the film industry. I have been there myself and in my opinion it is not worse to spend a lot of time there because the city has nothing to offer besides the Walk of Fame, the Hollywood hills and the beach. Therefore in my tour you will just spend a day there to see all this mentioned sights before heating along the Pacific coastline to San Diego. Before the day is almost over you should go out for dinner to get the best out of the night and start exploring the Gaslamp District’s funky live music or one of the many bars.

2. DAY - SAN DIEGO:

San Diego holds the largest urban cultural park in the USA, which is definitely worse to see. Today you can decide what you want to do. Either going to the San Diego Zoo, known for its conservation efforts and vast numbers of animals or go to Sea World, known for its fun marine animal shows. If you just want to relax you can spend time on the 42 miles of beaches. I loved being in San Diego the city has an amazing flair and for me characterized the Californian lifestyle.

3. DAY - PHOENIX

Get up early to head to Phoenix in Arizona. Phoenix is a metropolis in the middle of the desert. This place is all about shopping, sports and nightlife. One of the world’s largest fountain can be found in Phoenix. It is definitely worse to see, because one or two miles away you will find nothing green. We will continue to the mind-blowing landscape of the Grand Canyon, one of the world’s most recognizable natural wonders and pride of Arizona.

4. DAY – GRAND CANYON NATIONAL PARK

In the morning get up early to start the day with a canyon sunset and take in the stunning changes of light while the sun goes up. Afterwards go on a helicopter ride and get another angle on the Canyon as you fly over it. See some of the oldest exposed rocks on earth, take in the deep abyss and soak up the wildness of the area. Wrap up the day by looking at the canyon sunset when the sun goes down. For me it was amazing to look over the Canyon when the sun went down. I have not seen anything comparable before.

5. DAY – GRAND CANYON TO LAS VEGAS

Leaving behind the Grand Canyon, we make a stop at Seligman, an historic Route 66 town. Get a feel for the old style as you check out 1940’s shop fronts and motels. Then following a section of the legendary Route 66, we head north. Afterwards arrive in Las Vegas, a man-made entertainment oasis located in the middle of the desert. Also called Sin City, it’s all about glitz, neon lights, and excess. The pictures of Las Vegas you can see in many travel guides are not comparable with the feeling of standing in the middle of this incredible city. First you need to go down the main road called the Strip. See the bright lights of the city and its world-famous casinos.

6. DAY - LAS VEGAS

Today you can get a real feeling for this outrageous town. Explore more of the Strip and check out over-the-top versions of international icons, like the Eiffel Tower, Venetain canals and gondolas and so on. To be in Las Vegas also means to try your luck at one of the casinos. I have to admit being in Las Vegas playing at the different casinos is something you cannot describe you have to find out the feeling by yourself.

7. DAY – LAS VEGAS to BASS LAKE

Leaving behind the flashy Las Vegas and the desert arrive in the outdoor capital of the Sierra Nevada Mountains. I would suggest to kind of relaxing a little bit after all the sightseeing. Spend some time at the lake or walk around.

8. DAY – YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK

The Yosemite National Park is absolutely stunning. It combines a combination of waterfalls, woods, towering mountains and wildlife. I was not lucky enough to see black bears, deer and coyotes but maybe you are. You will definitely see the breathtaking Yosemite and Bridalveil Falls.

9. DAY – SAN FRANCISCO

San Francisco is packed with characters, free-thinker, and artists. You will see the signs of its recent history where it served as the hub of the gold rush, as well as the center for Beatnik and Hippy cultures. Worse to see is the Fisherman’s Wharf for a slice of the historic waterfront lifestyle. Another impressive sight is the prison Alcatraz. It is amazing to walk through Alcatraz and listen to the story of it and it prisoners. Also you need to take a ride on one of the world wide known cable cars and make a stop at the background of the series “Full House”, because kind of everyone knows the houses shown at the trailer for “Full House”. There are lot more things to see in San Francisco like Chinatown, Alamo Square and so on.

10. DAY – SAN FRANCISCO

The tour through the west coast is over as well as the time in the US.

I hope you kind of liked my travel plans. I think if you stick to my plan you can get the most out of the amazing sights of the West Coast. 

Living in the Bible Belt

Montgomery, the capital of Alabama, was my hometown for half a year. I lived there with an American host family for six month. I was sixteen at the time and went to the local high school called Jeffersion Davis High School. Being part of a family living in the Deep South is an amazing experience. At the time I have not heard from the Bible Belt or have known anything about it. The Bible Belt and the fact that I actually lived there I just realized a couple of weeks ago as we talked about in class.

To get you a short overview what the Bible Belt is I will briefly summarize the main points. The Bible Belt is located in the south-east of the US. The region is called Bible Belt because large part of inhabitants are fundamentalist Christians. The true Bible Belters take the bible literally, believe in creationism, try to convert others, oppose abortion and the Equal Rights Amendment, ban sex education from school, disapprove of many worldly things like smoking and drinking and most important they think they are doing God’s will. Most people living in the Bible Belt vote the Republican, because their world view are more conservative.

My family, the Kane family, was really very religious. They are part of the 7^th day Adventist community. During my stay in the states I went to church every Saturday. This was nothing special everyone went to church. The funny thing is that some of my classmates from high school just started talking with me after they had seen me in church. Therefore the church was also the first topic I talked about with some of my friends I made in Montgomery during my stay there. The church itself is not comparable with the church in Austria. When we went to church on Saturday I went to the youth lesson first. There I sit together with other young people praying and talking about religious topics. The lesson last for one and a half hour but the first couple of times I was really surprised how fast the time went by. Afterwards the real church started with every member of the community. The priest made the church always interesting and also used powerpoint presentation as well as YouTube videos to make a topic more understandable. I think it is a really good way to get the attention of everyone. In church everyone knows each others. It was very impressive that the priest was able to remember almost every name of the church members. After the church the whole church community had lunch together. The lunch was always fun because it was the time to communicate, make friends, make plans for the rest of the weekend and so on.

Being part of a family living in the Bible Belt was  an amazing experience for me. I definitely want miss my time in the Deep South. 

Chocolate - sweetest temptation on earth

"Young and old, rich and poor, he and she - everyone loves chocolate"

Well... I am kind of addicted to chocolate. The taste of chocolate when it is melting on my tongue is incredible. It makes me feel like I am in heaven.

I don't know someone who actually do not like chocolate. Or to you? With the wide range of different chocolate products it is almost impossible to not satisfy everyone. Therefore chocolate has become one of the most popular food types and flavors in the world. Not only have the flavors and types been developed over years also a number of food products involving chocolate have been created. The creation of new products also included the expansion of the flavor of chocolate. The flavor of chocolate reaches from white to milk to dark. It further includes different ingredients which are making the taste of every chocolate product unique. For instance Josef Zotter an Austrian chocolate manufacturer produces chocolate bars with ingredients like fish as well as honey or nuts. It sounds weird but the chocolates are well-known because of their different ingredients. The product variety of chocolate is also part of our commercialized world. In this world there exist chocolate products for every holiday such as Easter bunnies, and have become traditional. For me Easter or Christmas wouldn't be the same without all the chocolate products. In my opinion chocolate products are  always nice as a gift. For example if you are invited somewhere it is nice to bring some chocolate as a small gift. In addition, in my opinion chocolate makes you feel better and get you into a better mood. I always love chocolate but if I am under pressure or have many things to do I definitely need a chocolate bar. Due to the fact that many exams are coming up after Christmas break I would definitely recommend to you to enjoy chocolate from time to time to get yourself in a better mood. This is my advice to handle all the upcoming exams and still be happy.