Hamburg according to Alina

How does my partner describe Hamburg

 * 1) cold                   Hamburg is located in northern Germany, so the temperature there in winter is quite low. According to the data, the average temperature in Hamburg is mostly between 0 and 5 degrees in winter. However, in summer, the temperature can reach about 30 degrees. Unlike Kunming, the seasonal change in Hamburg is really obvious.
 * 2) Christmas                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  At Christmas, there will be lots of stands selling Christmas food such as cakes and bakery products. Meanwhile, wonderful lights which are used to decorate can also be bought there. Walking along the distinctive market and feeling the cozy atmosphere must be so enjoyable!Christmas market.jpeg
 * 3) modern                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     As we know, Hamburg is the second largest city and also one of the centers in Germany. A lot of skyscrapers and modern architectures can be seen.
 * 4) Alster                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           Alster is a beautiful and popular river in central Hamburg, which is very remarkable. On holidays, many locals prefer to visit there to enjoy the pleasant sceneries and relax themselves. Also, if you want, you can rent a boat to better enjoy your holidays.
 * 5)  wealth                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Hamburg is an extremely wealthy city. Most of its people are in the wealthy class.To be specific, Hamburg has 25% of wealthy populations in the whole world!

Number of students in a class
In Hamburg, there are totally 20-25 students in one class, which is extremely different from Chinese classes.

Courses subjects
Students in Hamburg study math, geography, philosophy, German, history, chemistry, computer science, sports, acting,PGW and French.

School day schedule and activities
The school day starts at 8 a.m. and finishes at 15:30 for two days in a week. For the rest three days, school finishes at 13:20. On each day, there is a 30 minutes break after 90 minutes' study, and a 45 minutes break after another 90 minutes. After school, Adam usually has activities at a club, which is mainly about making the school and community environmentally friendly. Also, sometimes he will attend some extra meetings about club stuff.

Homework
The homework for each day often depends on specific situation (like whether the next day is going take a test). Also, there are other forms of homework including volunteer work and presentation.

Options after graduation
After graduation, a student from Hamburg basically has two options. One is going to a university if you get an abi degree. Another is to seek for some uncomplicated jobs like carpenter.

Tips for a Kunming students exchanging in Hamburg

 * 1) Try to be understanding. In Hamburg, students have a large amount of spare time, so try to be nice and understanding.
 * 2) Use the time to chill. Different from China, students in Hamburg have more time to have fun and relax, so just enjoy!
 * 3) Get used to the simple subjects. The same subject in China is much more complicated than that in Germany, so don't worry and just relax!

An one-day excursion
9:00-10:00       A long and relaxing breakfast at Petit Café is recommended. You can have nice cheese cakes and tasty coffee there.

10:00-11:50      It is a good choice to go to Hafen City, which is a modern district with the biggest harbor in Hamburg, by subway or electric scooters. After arriving, you can buy tickets to get on a boat, in which you are able to have a brief impression of the whole city. Each ride is going to take about 75 minutes.

12:00-13:00     Taking a subway to Altona is a good idea. Over there, you can visit Museum the Kunsthalle, which is pretty famous. Also, the department in the Chinese district is worth a visit.

13:15-14:00      Lunch time!

14:30-18:00     Visiting the Inner City, the busiest district in Hamburg, is a nice choice. This place contains basically everything, such as all types of restaurants, shopping mall, cinemas and etc. By the way, it is the perfect place for hanging out and doing schoolwork.

18:00-19:00     Go to Alster by e-scooters! This unique river is interesting and has beautiful sights. So don't miss it.

19:00                 It is suggested that you should take a boat to watch some musicals. The most popular one is The King of the Jungle. Nice show and atmosphere can be experienced there.

How to make it greener?

To make the trip greener, it is a good idea to travel by only green transportations including underground, bicycle, or just walking. Meanwhile, packing light can also be helpful. Don't pack too much luggage with you and try to only carry things that are necessary. Last, try to avoid using too many plastic bags or other made-by-plastic products to make the environment more friendly.

Food
Fischbrötchen is a kind of unique sandwich in Hamburg with nice and new taste. To make it, you have to prepare the following ingredients: fresh bread, Remloulade (which is a kind of special sauce), pickels, fresh fish(salmon,herrings,crabs and etc.), onions and iceberg lettuce.

How to make it?


 * 1) Slice the bread into pieces and prepare the ingredients including slicing the fish and washing vegetables.
 * 2) Put the special sauce on the bread.
 * 3) Dry or use other methods to process the fish.
 * 4) Slice the pickles into about 4mm thick.
 * 5) Lay the salad and fish over the bread.(optional: put onions on the bread)
 * 6) Enjoy!

Would Wunton be popular in Hamburg?

On one hand, Wunton is a traditional Chinese food and tasts really good. One of the advantage of this dish is that you can add the ingredients and sauces depending on your taste.Therefore, people in Hamburg don't need to worry about whether it it too spicy or too salty. Also, with the rapid development of globalization, the young generations are more willing to try out for new things. If you enjoy eating Chinese food, you will probably like it. On the other hand, the process of wrapping the Wonton skill contains traditional Chinese techniques, so it might be a little bit complex to learn. Anyway, I think the acceptance and preference of a new kind of cuisine is depend on people's own likes.

Festival
Octoberfest is a festival that falls on the end of September and ends on October 18th. This festival doesn't have any big stories behind but is truly fun and interesting. During the festival, many people put on traditional dressings including leather pants and shirts, hand-made dresses and so on. Meanwhile, people drink alcohol in big vessels and touring in a coach. Small stands selling hot wine, beer, bakery, prezals and other things can be seen on the street. As for Adam, he is not a fan of alcohol, so he feels like he isn't really participated in it. But still, the festival has great fun.

Should we celebrate foreign festivals?

With the great effects of globalization, the communication and mixture of various cultures cannot be avoided. So it is not a good idea to abandon everything that comes forward. Celebrating foreign festivals is a good opportunity to experience a different type of culture and therefore promote the friendship between all nations. However, before one can appreciate foreign festivals, he has to first appreciate his own country's. It is important to not forget where you come from. Cultural confidence is the precondition.

Do you want your festival to be celebrated in other cultures?

As for me, the answer is a certain YES. To start with, spreading your own culture to other nations is a significant way to increase international influences. Meanwhile, it not only makes those who are away from their home, like overseas students, to feel great proud for their own country, but also reminds them of their roots. At last, sharing one's culture is the way of connecting the whole world together.