We are ICEUS. From all corners of the globe, to Fulda we have come. Our purpose, to study Intercultural Communication and European Studies. We think, we drink, we have intercultural experiences. Here we share them with all those brave enough to read on...

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

Indonesian Handicrafts For Sale

Dear People,

i know it might be a little bit out of context from what everyone else has posted on the blog but, relevant to the wednesday afternoon "gastvortrag" that we just had =) My sister works with handmade Indonesian goods and helps with the exporting of them. She's given me some left-over stock from a trade exhibition in Paris. i've got some handmade bags and scarves (silk/schiffon - sorry lejla!) to sell, if any of you are interested. Feel free to spread the word.



Bags cost from 10-25 euro and the scarves 20-35 euro, depending on the size...

-Ragil-

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

Good Morning Sunshiners!

Dear Everyone and Everything!

How are you all going? I miss you all muchly! (Ok don't follow suit with my great slang English)

Here's an interesting news article on
cultural cringing.


I thought you may be interested. Yes it's about Aussies in particular but there is some British Bashing in there too, but I think is well within our topic of ICEUS.


If you are wondering what the picture is, it is a free postcard of an Australian Footall player. Yes that's right AFL (Australian Football League) fondly called footy. We tried to play it one day down at the park. Notice the goals in the backround. Also the oblong ball and short shorts (In the older days these shorts used to be really tight I think to make them jump higher). Yes this is a form of "football", and now that I am back in Oz, I have to use soccer to distinguish beween the two.

Don't worry, I use the term AFL for this sport not footy or football, because I am a Queelander. Even though we have the best AFL team "The Lions" formally known as "The Bears" at the moment, but our sport is Rugby League. The State of Origin is our World Cup.

So by calling it AFL or aerial ping pong it distinguishes the fact that even though we weren't brought up believing in this game and followed another code of "Footy" we are still the greatest! (Here is the weak connection with the above mentioned article and the inspiration to this blog - re:Aussie think they are great and the greatest of all sportsmans and complain about everything while abroad hehehe, hope I wasn't like the mentioned Aussies).

I don't like AFL. I think it is just as weird, and as boring as cricket. Both of these are as interesting as watching a

  • A lively game of golf
  • Paint drying competitions
  • My grass grows faster then yours competition
  • The Fastest Ice Melting competiton
  • Bathurst V8 Supecars
  • Longest Minty Wrapper competitions
  • Pass the Parcel

and the best of all boring sports,:

  • I have the fastest growing beard competitions!

    Love Bec

PS I am interested to see the reaction of the over proud Aussies and their arrogant attitude of being the best sportmans in the world after the World Cup.

PPS: Yob is short for Yobbo, which means the ugliest of all Australian behaviours and people, also can be misaken for Bogan or Bevan, (Bogans are Yobbos, but a Yobbo isn't necesarily a Bogan or Bevan).Generally they are drunk, loud, and pretty much ugly. Stereotypes of a Yobbo are that they are male, uneducated, unintelligent drunk, smoks, holds a beer in a stubby cooler, sports a mullet hair style wears thongs, lumberjack shirt(flannelette shirt) and mens short shorts (reminicent of the above AFL footy shorts) showing the really classy pumbers crack. Women wear tights or black jeans with the ultra sexy Ugg boots over the top. Usually seen at sports events or in Mrayfield Shopping Centeradn love AC/DC "Thunderstruck", Jimmy Barnes "Working Class Man, Guns N Roses "November Rain", and Rose Tattoo..anything goes for them.

And as we know, as all good ICEUS students, steretypes are just that...steretypes, and they are not represenative, so to be fair, Yobbos are not all like that. Some are women. Oh ok and ... they don't just hang round Morayfield Shopping Center.