Our Last Meeting

1.12.2016

Meeting number 10 marked the end of our planned meetings. While Alex and I hope to meet again between thesis work and exams we decided to end the blog here as we can not guarantee anymore entries.

Once again we visited Cafe Europa and our focus was once again on languages rather than culture. At this meeting we focused on meeting the learning intentions we identified at the beginning of the course and ensuring we had covered everything we wanted to learn from each other.

At the beginning of this course we were asked to develop a learning plan, in that plan I identified what I would like to learn from Alex and how I would measure that success.

My learning intention were to;

Understand the basics of German grammar and sentence structure.

Expand vocabulary

Gain knowledge of the German number system

Gain knowledge of German foods

And my Success Criteria were;

Be able to recognise written words e.g. food and common verbs

Be able to greet someone, introduce myself and say where I am from.

To be able to count verbally and write (at least to 10)

To be able to state and write the date and time.

Be able to order food and drink.

As we come to the end of our meetings I have realised that it was ambitious of me to try and understand German grammar and sentence structure. Instead I have focused on learning useful phrases and expanding my vocabulary. I am now able to introduce myself and say where I am from and recognise both visually and verbally words for food, everyday items and common verbs. I can also count to 10 and place a food order in a restaurant, although I have yet to do this in practice I at least know what to say!

For this reason I believe that my experience with the EOTO module has been a successful one. This experience has not only helped me gain a small insight into Austrian culture and the German language but challenged my knowledge of my own language and encouraged me to increase my knowledge of English and ask myself why I speak the way I do. In the beginning in teaching English I aimed to;

Understand and discover differences and similarities between the languages.

Discover the history between some commonly used phrases, the evolution of English.

Think more about how and what I say, different pronunciations of the same word.

Consolidate my knowledge of English grammar.

I have not only done this and more my knowledge of grammar and tenses has grown considerably as well as the origin of words.

I thoroughly enjoyed learning with Alex and I intend to continue practising German when I can. Hopefully I will find the time to visit not only Germany but also Austria where Alex and other people I have become friends with during my time here are from.

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30.11.2023

Ecuadorian dinner for Sonja

• On this day, we decided to have dinner with Sonia, and the theme was Ecuadorian food. I chose to cook a very typical dish from my country: ceviche. It's one of Ecuador's most representative dishes, especially enjoyed in the coastal region. Although ceviche has its origins in Peru, Ecuador has its own version of this delicacy. • In our preparation, we primarily use white fish, shrimp, and shellfish. What makes Ecuadorian ceviche special is the use of sour orange and lime in the preparation, unlike the sweet potato used by Peruvians. In Ecuador, we enjoy it directly as a cold seafood soup. • Ceviche also has its highlighted region in Ecuador, especially in the province of Esmeraldas, where it is made with a distinctive touch that reflects the Ecuadorian flavor. Sonia was delighted to try a dish she had never tasted before, and as we ate, she asked me for the recipe. For the next part, here is the recipe for Ecuadorian ceviche. It's one of Ecuador's most representative dishes, especially enjoyed in the coastal region. Although ceviche has its origins in Peru, Ecuador has its own version of this delicacy. • In our preparation, we primarily use white fish, shrimp, and shellfish. What makes Ecuadorian ceviche special is the use of sour orange and lime in the preparation, unlike the sweet potato used by Peruvians. In Ecuador, we enjoy it directly as a cold seafood soup. • Ceviche also has its highlighted region in Ecuador, especially in the province of Esmeraldas, where it is made with a distinctive touch that reflects the Ecuadorian flavor. Sonia was delighted to try a dish she had never tasted before, and as we ate, she asked me for the recipe. For the next part, here is the recipe for Ecuadorian ceviche. Ecuadorian Ceviche Recipe Ingredients: • 1 lb white fish fillets, diced • 1 cup shrimp, peeled and deveined • 1 cup conch, cleaned and diced • 1 red onion, thinly sliced • 2 tomatoes, diced • 1 bell pepper (any color), diced • 1 bunch cilantro, finely chopped • 3-4 cloves garlic, minced • 2 cups freshly squeezed sour orange juice (or a mix of lime and orange juice) • 1 cup lime juice • Salt and pepper to taste • 1 tablespoon ketchup (optional) • Hot sauce to taste (optional) • Plantain or corn chips for serving Instructions: 1. In a large bowl, combine the diced fish, shrimp, and conch. 2. Add the sliced red onion, diced tomatoes, diced bell pepper, chopped cilantro, and minced garlic to the bowl. 3. Pour in the sour orange juice and lime juice, ensuring that the seafood and vegetables are well-covered. The acidity "cooks" the seafood. 4. Season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste. Add ketchup if desired for a touch of sweetness and hot sauce for some heat. 5. Gently toss all the ingredients together, ensuring the seafood is evenly coated with the citrus juices. Let it marinate in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes to an hour. 6. Serve the ceviche chilled, garnished with additional cilantro if desired. 7. Accompany the ceviche with plantain or corn chips.