Sophie has discovered the computer.
Actually, she learned about the computer when she was three months old. She would lay on the sofa next to Dan while he was scrambling to answer work e-mails. Now, at 22 months, she knows that the keys have meaning, and that you go to Firefox, then Bookmarks, then Sophie Websites to get to some fun stuff.
She's going to grow up with technology. Even though I wanted to wait until she was older, say five or six, until she got screen time, the reality is that the computer is part of our lives. Better to introduce it to her slowly and teach her how to use it. The cell phone is another story; not gonna happen (so says Mama now...).
This has also meant that we get to surf Youtube for cool stuff...some oldies but goodies, some new and sassy...and much of it is too fun to keep to ourselves (and the millions of other viewers who visit these sites). It's also given us a slice of German culture. So...click on the links, turn up the volume and enjoy.
Gummibear: Move over, Bob the Builder. This dancing little Gummybear is rockin', cute, and hipper than Haribo could imagine. Sophie flirts back. He sings in several languages. Here's the German version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLTWTKpP7g0&feature=fvw
Sesame Street, German style: Quick, how does the US version of the theme song go? It's all about sunshine and playing with friendly neighbors. The German version goes something like this: Der, die, das, who, how, what, how so, how does it work, why, who doesn't ask stays ignorant. Talk about transmitting, uh, different cultural values! We love it. The background looks a lot like Altona, a neighborhood in Hamburg, and the production studio is down the street from us....Sesamstrasse. This second clip has bubbles--fun!
Auf der Schwabsche Eisebahn: Only southern Germans could mix a cartoon donkey and monkey riding a train with techno music and all sorts of crazy camera angles. I wonder what this will do to Sophie's dreams...oh yeah, the donkey's name is Pferdle and the monkey's name is Affle, and they used to appear before and after commercials on the Schwabsche public television.DJ Mix Schwabsche Eisebahn When Sophie wants something more mellow, we switch to the more traditional version, which photos of the actual trains. Sophie really, really likes this melody; she asks me to sing it and she dances in circles. Is she pretending to be a train, or that she is riding the train?
Sophie claps to If You're Happy and You Know It. The boy in blue with glasses can dance! This video has links to her other faves, like Old MacDonald, the ABC song, and Barney.
Sophie does NOT get to watch Beinhart the Rocker, but I do. He's a motorcycle riding, beer drinking, police eluding hooligan. The people in the video are the band members of Torfrock who sing the song. Dengl, dengl, dengl, dengl...
And although she is an expert co-pilot when we drive on the Autobahn, she has not learned about Kraftwerk's Autobahn song. The blue background is the Autobahn symbol. Kraftwerk is the granddaddy of electronica, and this fabulous song is based on the sounds heard on summer road trips. The chorus, "wir fahren auf der Autobahn" means "we drive on the freeway." If you don't like the video, just crank up the music and close your eyes. It's worth it.
This video of Hamburg meine Perle (Hamburg my pearl) shows a collage of photos of this beautiful city. As the two fellows who I shared a table with at the bakery said, "Berlin may be the country's capital, but Hamburg is the cultural capital." The song is also played at the start of HSV football games with a twist on the lyrics, basically why HSV is better than the other teams. You decide who you prefer, HSV or St. Pauli. I'm looking forward to going to a Sankt Pauli game this season for the energy, and HSV for the experience, and I'll let you know whose scarf will be waved.
I'm starting to like this city. A lot. I don't know how long we'll be her, but, wow, it is fun.
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