Angelika Blaxxun, the company for which Michael works, has recently closed its office in San Francisco. But I have to give some background information, otherwise nobody will understand me.

Angelika After these uncertain and exciting times, we spontaneously decided to fly to Hawaii for a week. We had chosen the island of Kauai, as it is not so touristy. And it was really paradise: long white sand beaches, great weather, an ocean with warm water and good waves, lush green vegetation, a fantastic landscape, a nice hotel and friendly islanders. Michael of course tried surfing, but failed at the waves, which frustrated him especially since the twelve-year-old boys took the waves with ease. I, on the other hand, was glad that I didn't have to call David Hasselhof from Baywatch to rescue him. And I tell you, it sometimes looked pretty dangerous when Michael was thrown around by the waves.

Angelika Yesterday my first English course ended with a celebration. Since 95% of the course participants were Latin Americans, it was quite a party! We danced to hot rhythms and nobody stayed seated. The course had not only helped me to learn English, but I also learned a lot about other countries and what life is like as an immigrant in the USA. To give you a small sample of what we did in the course, I'm sending you two texts that were published in our college newspaper. We had the task to write about our dreams. One text is from me and one from a classmate from Nicaragua. Maria's text also shows well how life can be here as an immigrant and with what different experiences and ideas everyone comes to the USA.

Angelika With respect to speaking the language, many people keep asking me if my English is already perfect. I would say that many things are easier for me now (e.g. making phone calls), as I understand more complicated things and I don't have to think so long when I want to say something. Nevertheless, I still come across my language limits, especially when it comes to having a conversation at a higher level. It is also quite difficult to be funny in another language. However, I think this is normal; after all, I have been speaking German for much longer than English. What I have noticed is that many things I learned in school come back to me (e.g. grammar). I can also write short texts quite well again. Speaking, however, is still the hardest part for me, but it was like that in school already. Another big problem is that I often don't dare or want to express things too complicated. Well, I still have a lot of time to practice. Starting Monday, I will attend a four-week English summer course at my City College and then everything will be closed here due to the summer break. Starting June 26th I will be visiting in Germany. I will first land in Munich and stay there until July 5th. From July 5th to 22nd I will be in Oldenburg. So if anyone wants to see me, remember these dates.

Angelika First off, there's the always puzzling topic of tipping. If you travel to the United States, you should always be carrying a bundle of one-dollar bills with you, as the bellhop at the hotel, the housekeeper, etc. will make sure that this bundle keeps shrinking as quickly as possible. But it is also an absolute sin not to give a tip. This is because, for example, the waiter or hairdresser earn such a low base salaries that they cannot survive without the additional tip. So, if the service is good, which is usually the case in America, you give at least a 15% tip, if the service is great, even 20%.

Angelika Regarding sales, there is another natural law, namely that there are always some special offers and something like clearance sales happening, which then have the funniest names and occasions. Macy's department store, for example, has the so-called "White Flower Sale" at regular intervals. It is not, as the name suggests, white flowers on special offer, but all sorts of things. I still haven't found out if the name has a deeper meaning. Americans are quite inventive in general to attract or retain customers. If you buy certain things in a store again and again, you get something like bonus points. For example, I get a stamp for every greeting card I buy at my stationery store. When I have collected 25 stamps, I get a 5 dollar discount on my next card purchase. But I find the coupons the funniest. These are usually found in brochures that come with the daily newspaper or you get entire coupon booklets in the mail. A coupon usually applies to a certain product, e.g. Colgate toothpaste. If you present the coupon at the supermarket checkout when you shop there next, you will also get a discount or you will be encouraged to buy two tubes of toothpaste to get one free. There are really the most wonderful variations.

Angelika Another inexhaustible topic here is still the topic of "smoking", which has now developed into a real war between smokers and non-smokers. Smoking has long been prohibited in public buildings such as airports, as well as in offices. That, I think, is still comparable to German conditions. But now there are no longer any smoking areas in restaurants, which means that smoking is no longer allowed anywhere food is served. Smokers can only escape to bars or the street, but in San Francisco, attempts have already been made to prohibit smoking in bars as well, which has caused smokers and some more liberal non-smokers to protest, so that the ban has not yet been enforced. Some politicians are even seriously discussing banning smoking on the street. Meanwhile, there are even various counter ads to tobacco advertising, such as a poster with the Marlboro cowboys, where one tells the other about his lung edema. Smokers in San Francisco are usually nowadays only seen standing in hidden corners. This often reminds me of teenagers smoking secretly. Although I am a non-smoker myself and enjoy the clean air in restaurants very much, I am amused by the vehemence with which the topic is being discussed.

Angelika First off, I have to report that Michael discovered golfing. That's of course because golf is a sport for everyone here and doesn't cost astronomical amounts to play. Anyway, he now goes golfing every week and loves it. Last week he came back with calluses on his hands. Now he's trying to get me to play too, but I'm not quite sure how to feel about it yet. I just don't understand what's so great about shooting a ball across a green field and eventually putting it into a hole. To each its own!

Angelika Finally, I would like to tell you briefly about our visit to the Glide Memorial Church in San Francisco. The church is located in a rather poor neighborhood. But that didn't stop us from going there one Sunday. And you really can't imagine what the service was like. First of all, they had an exalted gospel choir singing, while the worshipers clapped and danced to the rhythm. The black pastor's sermon was interrupted several times by enthusiastic interjections such as "Amen" or "Yes, he is right!" and was also quite lively and modern. The worshipers had all kinds of skin colors, came from different educational backgrounds and religions and every age was represented. I'm not sure if everyone would like this kind of "show", but we felt comfortable. All of San Francisco was represented in the service, which Michael and I especially like: "Liberal, lively, colorful!" By the way, the congregation is not only known for its extravagant services but also for its social engagement. Since the neighborhood in which the church is located has a very severe problems with homelessness, drugs and violence, the congregation not only provides three meals a day to up to 3,500 people, but also has a day care center for children, computer courses to improve job prospects, programs to battle drugs and AIDS, projects to reduce violence in families, etc. The congregation works a lot with volunteers (up to 5,000 per year) and I am strongly considering signing up for the pre-school area, where children from difficult families are cared for daily. But first of all, my visit to Germany is coming up.