This is how life feels right now: 

(Alan Shear_C108_Orangey)

What I mean by that is that it is a wild portrait of overlapping complicated, emotional and beautiful experiences.

School has been very hectic - I am starting to do really interesting research projects and study fascinating topics in my classes. For instance, just today I: 

• Studied the importance of focus groups in research methods and actually did a mini- focus group demonstration in class, the issue being "compliments" and their significance in relationships 
• Began research on Google Doodles and how they help shape Google's fluid corporate visual identity
• Studied the significance of news framing in photographic coverage of the Iraq War in major British vs. U.S. newspapers. 

On top of that, I am helping plan a year's worth of graduate activities that include:

• A visit to a concentration camp
• Monthly "Drink Around the World" Happy Hours (celebrating a different country each time)
• Wine and Jazz night. 

I am feeling a bit homesick, particularly because my mom is in the hospital right now recovering from chemo-induced weaknesses on her respiratory system. It's been difficult to be far away from home, despite my many wonderful adventures in Europe, so far. Please keep my mom in your thoughts and send her your warm, wonderful recovery energy so that she can bounce back, better than ever, and eventually visit me here in beautiful Bremen. 

AmsterDAMNNNN Gina!

I went to Amsterdam for the first time. I loved it so much that I wrote it a haiku:

Gables of freedom

Lively red and green sparkles

Riding history

Next post I'll tell you allll about it.

Campaign Speech

I am reviving my high school drive and am running for Activities Coordinator for the Graduate Student Association (GSA) here! It feels good to want something - and to write a campaign speech - telling people why they should vote for me! 


Here was my speech: 

Hallo, Hello, Hola y Salu,

My name is Danielle Keiser and I want to be one of the two Activities Coordinators you elect this year at Jacobs University. You came here today to find out why you should vote for me – I’ll tell you why. I bring people together.

WHY you ask, am I good at bringing people together?

I think it has to do where I’m from:

            Born and raised in California, I’ve been shaped by the multicultural meccas of LA and San Francisco and have lived, seen and breathed diversity in it’s fullest. In San Francisco, you can be black, gay, Muslim, communist, vegan (or all at the same time!) – ANYTHING – and you can be accepted for who you are and have a place to express yourself. It’s exactly this confluence of identities that brought me to Jacobs and it’s what has driven me to want to participate in the GSA. Life is more colorful when you are sharing similar experiences with different people and cultures in the same space. Life is more valuable when you learn from them. It’s your suggestions and your ideas that I want to learn about that will allow me to flourish as Activities Coordinator.

HOW, you ask, am I good at bringing people together?

Simply put, I am a natural hostess. I’ve always had a knack for party planning and just want you to have a good time! No matter the occasion, it is always my aim to make people feel welcome and to make sure they are having FUN. Everyone deserves to have fun, now matter how hard that lab report is to write, or how much reading you have to do! AlI I know is that I am happiest when the people around me are smiling because they are having a great time. My goal for all activities is to make fun #1, rain or… rain.

WHO am I good at bringing together?

Hopefully you! To Jacobs I bring three years of working in Advertising and Marketing managing campaigns that reached out to people of all backgrounds. Professionally, I’ve coordinated Focus Groups, Holiday Parties, Film Screenings and other events that have required extreme attention to detail. Personally, I’ve hosted tons of dinner parties, themed get-togethers and rallied people to go cultural outings! I’m always the one saying, “Let’s go camping! Want to go to the Wine and Jazz Festival? Come with me to the Farmer’s Market!”; my invites are endless, but I’m always the one making it happen!

Finally, HOW will I bring you together?

You name it and I will try to make it happen! Tired of beer breaks, well how about happy hour cocktail breaks? (limit 2 before 4 pm.) Themed movie nights – Horror, 80’s, Gangster movies? What about holidays? Who of you are going to be here and will want to be with others since you won’t be home? Let’s go to Freimarkt and see how Germany celebrates Christmas! The world is our oyster!

Vote for me so I can bring us all together!!!

Cross your fingers for me! 

Guilt?

Germany's got mad love. 

Today's Specials: Alan Shear

Below are 4 artworks by Alan Shear, my Grandpa. As you can see, he expresses his art in in absolutely unique ways, whether using paint, a camera, old boxes or markers. I've picked one from each category (Abstract, Black & White Photography, Chaos, and Doodles) to allow you to see the incredible range of his talents.  

A107. Womb for Two. 2008. 21 X 21. ACRYLIC ON CANVAS. $500    

B103*. Merced River. Undated. 8 X 11. $1100

C121. Mosquito. Undated. 30 X 26. ACRYLIC, SPRAY, FOAMBOARD, CARDBOARD AND CORRUGATED ON FOAMBOARD. $1500

D107. Love Notes. Undated. 21 X 25. IN SHELL FRAME. $1500

If you are interested in seeing more, please contact him directly at alanms1@juno.com. He lives in LA and would gladly meet with you about them. 

If you have any suggestions for how to get his work "out there" and allow his work to be seen, PLEASE, please, let me know!

Tea'd Off

The "Tea Party" is causing quite the storm! (And I'm happy I'm not there to deal with it!)

With the latest news of Tea Party candidates upsetting established Republicans for the nominations for the 2010 Senate and House races, how disturbing, exciting, revolting, inspiring, and nerve-wrecking is this phenomenon?! Do you see this is a feasible threat? To what? The Republicans? The Democrats? The two-party system as a whole? 

And, how interesting is it that not one political commentator can assess the situation in a concise, articulate way? Everything is "ambiguous" and nothing is predictable (http://fivethirtyeight.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/09/20/assessing-the-g-o-p-and-the-tea-party/?hp)! This is the aspect of politics that I love. 

Thoughts?

In Scotland...!

In Scotland:

• The people are unbelievably friendly, warm and approachable, unlike in Germany :(
• The sun was SHINING it's bright rays on Em and I!!! This is very unusual for Scotland...:)

(FOOD)

• They have incredibly good Indian food (yum-yum garlic chicken and coconut naan)
• They have deep-fried Mars bars, however, I did not try one
• I finally had an avocado again, and it brought me back to life
• They eat beans with eggs for breakfast - it kinda reminded me of having Gallo Pinto in Costa Rica
• Although is sounds nasty, Haggis, a dish containing sheep's 'pluck' (heart, liver and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and traditionally simmered in sheep's stomach for approximately three hours, is actually pretty tasty. Vegetarianism is so blase.
• They like to drink, drink, drink, drink, drink, drink, drink, drink, driiiink, driiiink drink!

(HISTORY AND CULTURE)

• I'm pretty sure the Lock Ness monster died, a long time ago.
• There is a high rate of scurvy due to the fact that the Scottish, apparently, don't like to eat fruits and veggies
• Ceilidh (pronounced kay-lee) dancing is definitely the most fun you'll ever have!!! Spinning, sweating, smiling! I felt like Rose from Titanic when she sneaks away from first class and goes to the steerage class and takes shots of whiskey and dances!! This isn't us, but we did this dance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iXmnP38EAow&feature=related 
• There are castles! This is the historic Edinburgh Castle, a gigantic structure on the top of a hill. Here, Scotland's Crown Jewels are preserved. 

(Other Observations) 

• Infant Mary, Queen of Scotts, had a lot of power for being such a wee tot.

• You can drive from one side of the country to the other in roughly 1 hour (WHOA!)

• Instead of "Exit", they use the term "Way Out"

• There are 2 people named Ginny and Joe who have hearts as big as the Atlantic and minds as sharp as diamonds - they let me stay with them and oh! they were so good to me!   

Danielle Irissa Keiser, age 25, sitting on top of the United Kingdom.

Chao!